Found this on line of one of what I think is the most genetically gifted bodybuilders of my time, probably been posted before but I hadnt seen it. Im sure others will add pics, great physique.
COMING
CLEAN
Matt Mendenhall: Much More
Than a Physical Body
by Lisa Dunsky Photography by Art Zeller
In a small Cincinnati suburb an electrical engineer sits at a drafting table and perfects designs for a marnmoth turbine power generation set. His skill and expertise make it difficult to imagine him in any other career. But if you take a closer look, you can tell that this particular engineer hasn't spent his entire life with pencils and slide rules: Matt Mendenhall still has the physique of a champion.
During his competition days Mendenhall weighed an amazing 265 pounds and was touted as the only man who could take away Lee Haney's Olympia title. Even Haney himself said as much. Like Tantalus, whom the Greek gods tortured by keeping food and drink just beyond his reach, however, Mendenhall couldn't grasp what he wanted the most—an IFBB pro card. Second to Haney at the '82 Nationals. Second to Berry DeMey at the '85 World Games. Second to Gary Strydom at the '86 Nationals. Then Mendenhall seemed to vanish from the competitive scene.
Everyone has a theory as to why the kid with so much talent never made it to the pro ranks. Now, two years after he last stepped on stage, Mendenhall wants to set the record straight. "No one's heard my story," he explained. "All they've heard are gym rumors. People assumed I was
Matt Mendenhall's tremendous potential had the bodybuilding world gasping.
the fast-lane life of L.A., and that's what was keeping me from getting my act together. But that wasn't it."
So what did keep Mendenhall from grabbing bodybuilding's brass ring? To find the answer, you have to start with his beginnings in the sport and his meteoric rise to the top. At 17 Mendenhall began a serious weight-training program. A year later he entered a local contest, won the Teenage Overall, Men's Overall, Most Muscular and Best Poser. The year after that he entered and won a regional-level national qualifier.
Up to that point Mendenhall remained drug-free. Then, while preparing for his first national contest, he decided to use anabolic steroids. "The '82 Nationals was my first drug program. If I didn't think I could go far in the sport, I wouldn't have taken steroids. But I knew I had the God-given talent."
That year Mendenhall's natural abilities oozed out of every pore. He nearly walked away with the show, losing to Haney by a scant two points. Any concerns he may have had about using steroids were quickly pushed to the back of his mind.
"When I first started taking steroids, I was a basket case," Mendenhall said. "Any time I felt a 'ping' or a 'twang,' I thought, 'Oh, no, I'm falling apart. The drugs are killing me.' Natural testosterone pills are much safer, but after that first cycle it became reckless. I had a taste of sweet success, and I was in the rat race. I thought, 'What can I do to get even better?' "
Shortly after the '82 Nationals Mendenhall received a phone call and job offer from Joe Weider. Before long he was living in Los Angeles and regularly appearing on magazine covers, in feature articles and in advertisements. The bodybuilding public fell in love with Mendenhall's awesome physique and all-American good looks. Guest posing and seminar offers poured in. It was a dream come true, but there was a price to pay.
"I was too marketable for my own good. I was touring all the time and guest posing and had to stay on steroids almost year-round. I always had blood work done every two or three months. I never had any liver or kidney damage, no heart flutters. I
Many thought Mendenhall had the genetics to beat Lee Haney, but his body rebelled and forced him to retire.
never experienced any of the classic side effects, so I thought I was fine."COMING
CLEAN
Matt Mendenhall: Much More
Than a Physical Body
by Lisa Dunsky Photography by Art Zeller
In a small Cincinnati suburb an electrical engineer sits at a drafting table and perfects designs for a marnmoth turbine power generation set. His skill and expertise make it difficult to imagine him in any other career. But if you take a closer look, you can tell that this particular engineer hasn't spent his entire life with pencils and slide rules: Matt Mendenhall still has the physique of a champion.
During his competition days Mendenhall weighed an amazing 265 pounds and was touted as the only man who could take away Lee Haney's Olympia title. Even Haney himself said as much. Like Tantalus, whom the Greek gods tortured by keeping food and drink just beyond his reach, however, Mendenhall couldn't grasp what he wanted the most—an IFBB pro card. Second to Haney at the '82 Nationals. Second to Berry DeMey at the '85 World Games. Second to Gary Strydom at the '86 Nationals. Then Mendenhall seemed to vanish from the competitive scene.
Everyone has a theory as to why the kid with so much talent never made it to the pro ranks. Now, two years after he last stepped on stage, Mendenhall wants to set the record straight. "No one's heard my story," he explained. "All they've heard are gym rumors. People assumed I was
Matt Mendenhall's tremendous potential had the bodybuilding world gasping.
the fast-lane life of L.A., and that's what was keeping me from getting my act together. But that wasn't it."
So what did keep Mendenhall from grabbing bodybuilding's brass ring? To find the answer, you have to start with his beginnings in the sport and his meteoric rise to the top. At 17 Mendenhall began a serious weight-training program. A year later he entered a local contest, won the Teenage Overall, Men's Overall, Most Muscular and Best Poser. The year after that he entered and won a regional-level national qualifier.
Up to that point Mendenhall remained drug-free. Then, while preparing for his first national contest, he decided to use anabolic steroids. "The '82 Nationals was my first drug program. If I didn't think I could go far in the sport, I wouldn't have taken steroids. But I knew I had the God-given talent."
That year Mendenhall's natural abilities oozed out of every pore. He nearly walked away with the show, losing to Haney by a scant two points. Any concerns he may have had about using steroids were quickly pushed to the back of his mind.
"When I first started taking steroids, I was a basket case," Mendenhall said. "Any time I felt a 'ping' or a 'twang,' I thought, 'Oh, no, I'm falling apart. The drugs are killing me.' Natural testosterone pills are much safer, but after that first cycle it became reckless. I had a taste of sweet success, and I was in the rat race. I thought, 'What can I do to get even better?' "
Shortly after the '82 Nationals Mendenhall received a phone call and job offer from Joe Weider. Before long he was living in Los Angeles and regularly appearing on magazine covers, in feature articles and in advertisements. The bodybuilding public fell in love with Mendenhall's awesome physique and all-American good looks. Guest posing and seminar offers poured in. It was a dream come true, but there was a price to pay.
"I was too marketable for my own good. I was touring all the time and guest posing and had to stay on steroids almost year-round. I always had blood work done every two or three months. I never had any liver or kidney damage, no heart flutters. I
Many thought Mendenhall had the genetics to beat Lee Haney, but his body rebelled and forced him to retire.
never experienced any of the classic side effects, so I thought I was fine."
