Dear Big Dub,
Just after competing in the Mr. Olympia a few years ago, Craig was admitted to the hospital for severe dehydration upon his return home to N.J. It was at that time discovered that Craig was genetically predisposed to an occasional irregular heartbeat. He was given some medication for 2 months and as corroborrated by all his medical tests, his heart is working just fine. He no longer needed the prescribed heart medication and was given a clean bill of health (yes, even liver functions).
The rumors as to anything other than that were simply just that, rumors.
Craig, not completely thrilled with the continued trend of bodybuilding and being honest with his own limitations, then set his sights on the 212 pound class. He has yet to hit his mark but is hopeful that 2015 will be a more successful year in terms of placing in shows.
It was well pointed out that Craig was not very successful in the "get as big as you can no matter what" arena. Craig is 5'7 and competes somewhere around 215 lbs. It is hard for him to get any heavier than 235 lbs. The real issue for Craig is that when he diets down and gets very close to a show, his metabolism just takes off and we can't yet figure out just how to stop it. For the 2014 NY Pro Craig actually hit the stage at around 202 pounds which is just ridiculously too low and completey uncompetitive.
Craig and I have always enjoyed training at Diamond Gym and still do on occasion. For me, as a fan, the pictures on the wall are worth the trip itself. That was a very crazy place back in the day. Nick Lavatola, Glen Burkhardt, "Dr. Death" and all those pros created probably the closest environment to the original Gold's Gym in Venice during the early 1970's.
The shows in the 1980's had great local battles with real posing routines. Tom Potenza and Vinnie Galanti would battle it out with great physiques and routines that actually captivated and excited the fans, as opposed to some of the stuff going on today. There was no S&M on stage. The guest posers would battle with the actual competitors and jump into the crowd to pose with and take photos with the fans. Back then, the fans mattered.
Today's gyms are laughable. Nothing against soccer moms and guys who do men's fitness, but back then, you didn't dare get to the squat rack and not think about 4-5 plates on each side with real and honest movements. Weight mattered back then but so did form. I saw Gerard Dente crush 200 lb. dumbells on the incline at Strong & Shapely Gym. He did it with conviction and purpose. Today, I see so many guys wearing baggy jeans and swinging from pull up bars like trapeeze artists.
I know everything changes but I am not sure that the sport I love has evolved as much as I had hoped. It's sad that ESPN shows "dart" tournaments while bodybuilding can't even be found on Pay Per View.
Just a few thoughts.
Harley