Getbig Bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness Forums
Getbig Bodybuilding Boards => History - Stories - and Memories => Topic started by: Tony Doherty on September 11, 2013, 05:45:02 AM
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I have been through boxes and boxes of photos that I have taken over the last 25 years of promoting and had them all scanned. Thought I would start a thread where I can share some pics most of you will have never seen. I will tell a few stories as I go, it's funny how a pic can remind you of a time and place and even bring back stuff you may have forgotten.
These are my own photos that I have dug out after many years.
Here we go!
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Dorian's first ever USA show, New York Night Of Champions 1990 with Beneziza who won the show. I got to MC the contest which was a big thing for me at the time, I went from a small country town in Australia to the Beacon Theater on Broadway.
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Here is a shot from about 1990 with one of my inspirations. Pete Grymkowski. I was just a nobody with a hunger to win and he told me about dreaming big and welcomed me to his world. Gold's Gym Venice. Pete was one of the largest bodybuilders of his era, competing at over 240 pounds. He began his career by winning his hometown title of Mr. Rochester (New York) in 1968. He then went on to win the 1970 AAU Mr. Eastern America, the 1971 AAU Junior Mr. USA and the 1972 AAU Junior Mr. America. In 1977 Grymkowski started competing in the IFBB and took home the Heavy Weight titles at both the Mr. America and Mr. World. After retiring from competition in 1979 Pete was one of a group of partners who bought and then transformed Gold's Gym into the worldwide empire that it is today. He sold the gym chain in 1999 but continues to be active in many areas of sport and business while devoting the majority of time to his family life. Thanks Pete, you will never know how much it meant to me.
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AnabolicHalo,
Don't bother Tony with nonsense. He is starting a nice thread that everyone will appreciate.
Your posts will be removed to keep the integrity of the thread.
"1"
P.S. Tony, I am making this a sticky.
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Phil Hill and Sonny Schmidt backstage at maybe Niagara Falls 1990. Phil Hill was awesome and could really pose, then disappeared from bodybuilding.
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Cool pics so far Tony! This will be a great thread! I remember that NOC show and kinda felt Dorian could have even won it despite the freaky conditioning of Benaziza? Congrats on being MC! I see Beckles, Phil Hill(?), Bob Paris and Robbie Robinson in the back ground.
Had dinner in 1999 with Pete Grymkowski & friends in Venice Beach and he seemed a great guy. He insisted on covering dinner for all 8 of us. I was fresh off the boat from Africa!
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Great thread Tony, keep those pics coming! I trained at the first Golds Gym in Florida for years, Golds Gym in Sunrise Florida! The owner Ken Beley was good friends with Grymko! He told me all kinds of stories about him how he loved to party, said he was a great guy! Never got to meet him though! Saw Grymko in the 1980 Pro Florida Show! He got 4th place he was the biggest guy onstage!
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You have some GREAT pics....followed your saga on BB.com. Looking for some new pics from you. BTW why do you ride your chopper on the wrong side of the street....mate?
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Here is a shot from about 1990 with one of my inspirations. Pete Grymkowski. I was just a nobody with a hunger to win and he told me about dreaming big and welcomed me to his world. Gold's Gym Venice. Pete was one of the largest bodybuilders of his era, competing at over 240 pounds. He began his career by winning his hometown title of Mr. Rochester (New York) in 1968. He then went on to win the 1970 AAU Mr. Eastern America, the 1971 AAU Junior Mr. USA and the 1972 AAU Junior Mr. America. In 1977 Grymkowski started competing in the IFBB and took home the Heavy Weight titles at both the Mr. America and Mr. World. After retiring from competition in 1979 Pete was one of a group of partners who bought and then transformed Gold's Gym into the worldwide empire that it is today. He sold the gym chain in 1999 but continues to be active in many areas of sport and business while devoting the majority of time to his family life. Thanks Pete, you will never know how much it meant to me.
great stuff TD
great happy pants
living the dream! :)
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Phil Hill and Sonny Schmidt backstage at maybe Niagara Falls 1990. Phil Hill was awesome and could really pose, then disappeared from bodybuilding.
what happened to phil hill
he had some great wheels
look forward to some classic pics from TD!
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Dorian's first ever USA show, New York Night Of Champions 1990 with Beneziza who won the show. I got to MC the contest which was a big thing for me at the time, I went from a small country town in Australia to the Beacon Theater on Broadway.
Some mad history in that line up!
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great happy pants
living the dream! :)
How about these for happy pants.
Interviewing Greg "many happypants" Kovaks on stage in Melbourne when he was the biggest unit in the world.
He was close to 400lbs at the time. Got some funny stories about that tour.
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TD
you looked pretty jacked yourself there in that blue T shirt! :)
what were you weighing then?
any pics of Vic richards, Ronnie, Nasser would be great
thanks for this thread!
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TD
you looked pretty jacked yourself there in that blue T shirt! :)
what were you weighing then?
any pics of Vic richards, Ronnie, Nasser would be great
thanks for this thread!
I was about 108kg there, more to come
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Here I am at about 110kg.
I liked this off season look
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110kg and hard!
looking very good there , classic 90's BB lumberjack sleeveless muscle shirt :)
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A shot I took of Flex Wheeler along the way late 90s.
I remember thinking everything is round, there has never been anyone like this.
Dude from another planet.
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A shot I took backstage at the Ironman Pro in LA around 2000.
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Here I am at about 110kg.
I liked this off season look
Looked great. What was your cycle like?
THE BEEF
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great thread keep pics coming. 8) 8) 8)
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AnabolicHalo,
Don't bother Tony with nonsense. He is starting a nice thread that everyone will appreciate.
Your posts will be removed to keep the integrity of the thread.
"1"
P.S. Tony, I am making this a sticky.
Appreciated!
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Now this is one of the coolest threads in a long time.
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This was a really cool day, I had Kevin Levrone in Australia early 90s to guest pose and he didn't know that Sonny would be in Melbourne at the time. So when I bought Sonny up on stage Kevin was genuinely touched and we had a great on stage chat with a few laughs. They knew each other really well from being on the road especially the European Grand Prix circuit. They had a great respect for each other and Sonny had some great Kevin stories.
My favorite one went something like this. They were at a seminar at a gym in Germany doing a Q&A type talk when one of the fans asked Kevin how strong he was, he answered, "pretty strong". They kept asking how many sets and reps etc. He finally answered by suggesting that they set up a bench and weights to find out how strong he was. Sonny said that completely cold, no warm up he benched at 4 plates a side and smashed out an easy 20 reps. Sonny and they fans could not believe their eyes and Kevin just kept on with the seminar like nothing special had happened.
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A shot I took of Flex Wheeler along the way late 90s.
I remember thinking everything is round, there has never been anyone like this.
Dude from another planet.
look how small Flex's joints are, esp his wrist joints
great illusion on stage
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Gotta agree with old school TD. That's one rock solid 110kg! Noticed Dex in the background from the 2000 shot and he's still going strong. Here's hoping this thread has a long and happy life. Any funny stories to accompany the pics? I realise talking out of school isn't yr style but maybe some of the more tame ones?
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Here I am at about 110kg.
I liked this off season look
damn I didn't even know you were in that good of a shape
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My favorite one went something like this. They were at a seminar at a gym in Germany doing a Q&A type talk when one of the fans asked Kevin how strong he was, he answered, "pretty strong". They kept asking how many sets and reps etc. He finally answered by suggesting that they set up a bench and weights to find out how strong he was. Sonny said that completely cold, no warm up he benched at 4 plates a side and smashed out an easy 20 reps. Sonny and they fans could not believe their eyes and Kevin just kept on with the seminar like nothing special had happened.
Whoa that's fuckin cool! Great story tony awesome thread!
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awesome thread!!!
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A shot I took of Flex Wheeler along the way late 90s.
I remember thinking everything is round, there has never been anyone like this.
Dude from another planet.
The most Unforgettable thing I have ever seen in Bodybuilding! Flex making an appearance at a supplement store off-season before the 99 Olympia! He said he weighed 289, his arms were the roundest cartoon like things i have ever seen!
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The most Unforgettable thing I have ever seen in Bodybuilding! Flex making an appearance at a supplement store off-season before the 99 Olympia! He said he weighed 289, his arms were the roundest cartoon like things i have ever seen!
I saw him in person a year later and his shoulders literally looked like basketballs under his t-shirt. I mean, it was obvious what he was doing around that time, but was nonetheless, shocking to see.
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Some great pics there... one day, I gotta go through the pics I have from various shows that few people have seen...
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Some great pics there... one day, I gotta go through the pics I have from various shows that few people have seen...
1000,s man..
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One of the most memorable tours ever was Louie in 1993, Just weeks before his big comeback. He was incredible. We had 3 generations of fans that packed the place out. Guys that had been fans in the 70s brought their sons and grandsons. I remember it like yesterday. I led Louie onstage to a standing ovation, he was overwhelmed by it and really opened up to the fans.
It was the most memorable interview that I have ever done. He was honest, emotional and humble. He was at least 70lb heavier than when he had done Pumping Iron. Possibly the biggest and best guest poser that I have ever had in Australia.
I got to interview him for Flexonline at last years Olympia and he still remembered that show in Melbourne all those years ago.
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The interview.
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Check this out, I have never posted this anywhere, 20 year old fax from Louie
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haha pretty awesome
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Faxing a groceries list, smart move :D
AFAIK, the Australian customs once seized Ronnie's beef, do you remember this Tony?
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The pictures and the fax is awesome. I like to see how genuine and concerned he was. Too bad he had to try the calf implants. Very evident in these pictures.
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Dorian's first ever USA show, New York Night Of Champions 1990 with Beneziza who won the show. I got to MC the contest which was a big thing for me at the time, I went from a small country town in Australia to the Beacon Theater on Broadway.
What a small world we live in.....(I was there/at this show)
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great pics of Louie tony
thanks
are you rocking a pony tail there?! ;D
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great pics of Louie tony
thanks
are you rocking a pony tail there?! ;D
Yes guilty, it was rotten in hindsight
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you were going for the Van damme look?
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On tour with Nasser late 90s.
Nasser was a great guest and very funny even if it was at the expense of everyone else. He hung shit on just about every other pro and although it could seem he was full of hate, a lot of it was tongue in cheek. He would would tell the most incredible and unbelievable stories of the other pros. Sometimes I think he would just see how far he could go before you knew he was bullshitting.
He also had a kind side that he didn't like anyone to see. We went to this restaurant on Sydney Road one night, it was Nepalese from memory and a family was working very hard to keep the doors open. They had the Dad cooking, the Mum serving and a few little kids out the back on broken furniture and on the floor watching a tiny little TV. You could see they were doing it hard and basically had nothing. When we were leaving Nasser said he had forgotten something and went back inside. I watched through the window as he handed over a couple of hundred bucks to the Mum. He came outside and never said a word about it. I thought that showed a lot of class.
Another time in a different restaurant, much more upmarket, we got really bad service. One of us complained when the food came out cold or undercooked or something. Nasser quickly paid the bill and said we are leaving, convinced that chefs spit in your food if ever you complain. With a dead pan, straight face, he warned me to always leave a restaurant in this situation, no exceptions.
On one tour, we had had quite a few bottles of beer on the last night, we had an early start and I dropped him off at the hotel late in the night. After a few hours I returned to get him to the airport. I was exhausted, hungover and just made it out of bed. There he was as fresh as could be, no hangover, all packed up and waiting at the front. When we got to the airport he handed me a big envelope full of 8 X 10 pictures that he had been selling on the tour. He had stayed up and signed every one of them, maybe 50-60. Some he even had left a message like, "Train Hard ............. Your friend, Nasser" leaving blank spaces for their names. When I asked him what they were for, he said "please give them out to the fans that coould not afford to come to the show"
He could be cutting with his opinions and stories but then had this kindness that I have seldom seen.
RIP Nasser.
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thanks for these great pics and stories about Nasser Tony
i have heard of many similar stories of nasser's kindness and generosity from other fans
great thread TD and keep it going!
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I still have a few of the signed shots, here is an example.
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TD
i heard nasser was fond of Sonny Schmidt, one of the pros he got on with well
any pics of you Nasser and Sonny?
i know you were like a brother to sonny
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Here is a shot from 94 with Sonny, his brother Pale (Both deceased) Me and Mike Matarazzo.
Great times. When Mike guest posed he was way out of shape, to be honest, no one complained because he had personality. I remember interviewing him and he said that when was coming up in the sport he would organize his food for the day and what ever he had left would go into the blender. Chicken, steak, eggs, tuna rice, whatever was left. Blend and drink. That's hardcore, the fans loved it. He stuck me as a real decent bloke, sort of person that would have lifelong friends outside of bodybuilding.
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great stuff Tony
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Here is a shot from 94 with Sonny, his brother Pale (Both deceased) Me and Mike Matarazzo.
Great times. When Mike guest posed he was way out of shape, to be honest, no one complained because he had personality. I remember interviewing him and he said that when was coming up in the sport he would organize his food for the day and what ever he had left would go into the blender. Chicken, steak, eggs, tuna rice, whatever was left. Blend and drink. That's hardcore, the fans loved it. He stuck me as a real decent bloke, sort of person that would have lifelong friends outside of bodybuilding.
Tony, do you have any idea how Mike is doing these days, after those heart surgeries?
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Tony, do you have any idea how Mike is doing these days, after those heart surgeries?
No have not spoken to him in years.
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Great stuff Tony! It's nice to hear Nasser had a soft side!
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GREAT THREAD!!!!
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Here is a shot from 94 with Sonny, his brother Pale (Both deceased) Me and Mike Matarazzo.
Great times. When Mike guest posed he was way out of shape, to be honest, no one complained because he had personality. I remember interviewing him and he said that when was coming up in the sport he would organize his food for the day and what ever he had left would go into the blender. Chicken, steak, eggs, tuna rice, whatever was left. Blend and drink. That's hardcore, the fans loved it. He stuck me as a real decent bloke, sort of person that would have lifelong friends outside of bodybuilding.
TD
thats a nice pic
thats your gym back in 94?
when did you actually open the original DOherty's?
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Come on we need some Yates' pics from that 1992 tour!
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This is a shot I took of Yates at the 1992 Olympia in Helsinki.
One of the best shots I think I ever took.
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I took this group shot at the Olympia in 1992.
Cool school that year.
See if you can name them all.
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I took this group shot at the Olympia in 1992.
Cool school that year.
See if you can name them all.
LOVE,LOU,ALQ,KEV,SAMIR,YATES,SONNY,BENFATTO,BRISBOIS,PATRICK LYNN ,LEFT SIDE TOP?BLACK GUY MUSTACHED?
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LOVE,LOU,ALQ,KEV,SAMIR,YATES,SONNY,BENFATTO,BRISBOIS,PATRICK LYNN ,LEFT SIDE TOP?BLACK GUY MUSTACHED?
Milos Sarcev?? & Patrick Nichols.
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Dorian's first ever USA show, New York Night Of Champions 1990 with Beneziza who won the show. I got to MC the contest which was a big thing for me at the time, I went from a small country town in Australia to the Beacon Theater on Broadway.
Awesome shot , you have anymore from this show? Not many pictures I've seen of this show floating around.
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Milos Sarcev?? & Patrick Nichols.
black mustache guy is pat nichols
top left white guy, i think a dude from canada, ...........it'd be on the video
Pastel is also up there
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what an awesome way to start my day.
Thanks for the thread Tony - fantastic stuff.
By the way - how did you go finding that food for Louie? I can imagine a few of those items wouldn't have been that easy to get your hands on in the 90's (although I'm speaking as a former brisbane boy - i think in Melbourne you would have had more chance.)
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what an awesome way to start my day.
Thanks for the thread Tony - fantastic stuff.
By the way - how did you go finding that food for Louie? I can imagine a few of those items wouldn't have been that easy to get your hands on in the 90's (although I'm speaking as a former brisbane boy - i think in Melbourne you would have had more chance.)
From memory he brought the Albacore tuna with him and we found quark non fat cottage cheese.
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Top row left to right: Miroslaw Daszkiewicz, Francis Benfatto, Steve Brisbois, Ron Love
Middle Row: Sonny, Patrick Nicholls, Thierry Pastel, Louie
Bottom Row: Samir, Yates, henderson Thorne, Kevin, AlQ
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Top row left to right: Miroslaw Daszkiewicz, Francis Benfatto, Steve Brisbois, Ron Love
Middle Row: Sonny, Patrick Nicholls, Thierry Pastel, Louie
Bottom Row: Samir, Yates, henderson Thorne, Kevin, AlQ
I think we have a winner. Message me your address and size details and I will send a Doherty's tee-shirt. Are you still in USA.
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Checking out my wall of fame with the G.O.A.T Big Ron Coleman. We had some great tours and fun interviews. Yeah Buddy!
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awesome thread TD keep em coming
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Fantastic work Tony, keep the quality pictures coming!
"1"
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Let me set the scene. It's 1997 and freezing cold in Columbus Ohio. Arnold Classic is in full swing and these 2 guys walk out. Flex Wheeler & Ronnie Coleman who would know what was to lie ahead. Thanks for the memories!
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I think we have a winner. Message me your address and size details and I will send a Doherty's tee-shirt. Are you still in USA.
Meh! ;D
(http://eil.com/images/main/Pete+Doherty+-+Pete+Doherty+Is+Innocent+%5BLarge%5D+-+T-SHIRT-427765.jpg)
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Let me set the scene. It's 1997 and freezing cold in Columbus Ohio. Arnold Classic is in full swing and these 2 guys walk out. Flex Wheeler & Ronnie Coleman who would know what was to lie ahead. Thanks for the memories!
AWESOME PIC ..other than delts ,coleman is quite larger than flex,flex flowed athletic with shape and coleman had thick/strong look ,tell by neck alone who's got thicker muscle.next yr is when coleman really turned it up.
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I think we have a winner. Message me your address and size details and I will send a Doherty's tee-shirt. Are you still in USA.
Don't worry about it dude I am still in Hawaii the postage will kill you (We didn't move to Texas in the end).
I will scab a free workout off you next time I am in Melbourne.
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Lets not forget how good Sonny Schmidt was.
He took on the world with very little knowledge, a tight budget, no gurus.
Placed top 6 in his first Olympia as an unknown.
He built his body on carbs, you have never seen anybody eat more rice than him. 3 meals a day, never counted calories and still made it.
I laugh at all the people, guys and girls that get a prep coach for their first contest or take a year off work to do a novice show.
Sonny was the most humble person I ever met, he taught me so much and I miss him to this day.
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Sonny and Me on my wedding day, he was best man 1998.
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Back in Bendigo, my original gym around 1990
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Wearing the first ever Doherty's Gym top in 1994 (Off season)
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great pics of Sonny TD
Sonny was a great BB in an era (the 90's ) of greats
he had a great shape
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Great stuff Tony, thanks for sharing!
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Lets not forget how good Sonny Schmidt was.
He took on the world with very little knowledge, a tight budget, no gurus.
Placed top 6 in his first Olympia as an unknown.
I remember you telling us at one of Sonny's seminar's (William Chung Gym Dandenong) not long after the '91 Olympia how Lee Haney was blown away by the size & conditioning of Sonny on his Olympia debut & approached him afterwards, saying "You were robbed man".
The '91 O' will go down as one of the greatest Olympia's ever & Sonny clearly deserved to place higher & would have had he been a more established name.
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This is the best thread on getbig, this year.
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This is the best thread on getbig, this year.
That is the best comment on getbig this year! ;D
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That is the best comment on getbig this year! ;D
Calm down, fuckwitt ;D
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now this is a thread i will follow.
love the stories as well, keep them coming.
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great stuff on sonny,he was great bber and even in magazinesand now your stories all say guy was nice/thoughtful person,91/96 those yrs the bbers had nice commraradie milos,cotrell,kev,sonny,hillebrand came up,benfatto,nasser,pastel,v taylor,ect..
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1992... the last year an 'O was organized in Europe :'(
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great stuff on sonny,he was great bber and even in magazinesand now your stories all say guy was nice/thoughtful person,91/96 those yrs the bbers had nice commraradie milos,cotrell,kev,sonny,hillebrand came up,benfatto,nasser,pastel,v taylor,ect..
Those were the Golden Years.... and why I got hooked on bodybuilding. It's all changed now.
Tony...thanks for the pics. Sonny was so under-rated. What caused his death? he passed too young! And you said his brother passed too??
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Those were the Golden Years.... and why I got hooked on bodybuilding. It's all changed now.
Tony...thanks for the pics. Sonny was so under-rated. What caused his death? he passed too young! And you said his brother passed too??
yes they were grant, and remembering you from mag days u were so close dude, great long lats/small waist, shape u had it man,legs too. sonny passed from cancer :'(..
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yes they were grant, and remembering you from mag days u were so close dude, great long lats/small waist, shape u had it man,legs too. sonny passed from cancer :'(..
Thank you for your kind words. I had a blast competing. :)
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I remember when you where in the mags Grant, i was like 16 and just started to train and wanted to look just like you (no homo).
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I remember when you where in the mags Grant, i was like 16 and just started to train and wanted to look just like you (no homo).
Thanks man. Big compliment. I'm still trying to stay in shape. But competing days are over.
(semi-homo)
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Thanks man. Big compliment. I'm still trying to stay in shape. But competing days are over.
(semi-homo)
Jeebus, Grant. Serious 2nd pic. %1 homo: %89 non-homo.: %10 proprietary blend.
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Shit...ok i still want to look like u :D (full blown homo)
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Lets not forget how good Sonny Schmidt was.
He took on the world with very little knowledge, a tight budget, no gurus.
Placed top 6 in his first Olympia as an unknown.
He built his body on carbs, you have never seen anybody eat more rice than him. 3 meals a day, never counted calories and still made it.
I laugh at all the people, guys and girls that get a prep coach for their first contest or take a year off work to do a novice show.
Sonny was the most humble person I ever met, he taught me so much and I miss him to this day.
Never heard anyone who knew Sonny say anything bad about him. It was all praises.
Thanks for the pics and the stroll down memory lane.
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Awesome thread Tony, its great to see bodybuilding being promoted by a guy who is not some creepy skinny-fat schmoe with a napoleon complex for a change
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Interviewing Lee Haney around 1992.
Lee was a gentleman and very easy to work with. When he first arrived at the show, I had not yet seen him as he had been in another Australian city before Melbourne. So I am backstage looking forward to meeting up with him and I open a box of statues I had shipped in. Unbelievably all the heads had come off the statues in transit. So by the time Lee got to the show I'm in my suit, sitting on the floor super gluing the heads back on. He looks down and with a big laugh says "what kind of promoter are you, putting the trophies together right before the show" I got up, explained the situation and had a good laugh with him.
It was the year that he had retired, so he was pretty relaxed. A week later in Sydney we went out for a bite to eat after the show and ended up knocking back a few beers, which I thought was about the coolest thing I had done in bodybuilding at that point. As a young bodybuilder, I thought Lee Haney was the best thing since Arnold, so getting to know him and having a laugh and a few beers just topped it off.
PS please ignore the savage ponytail. (No excuse)
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Lol funny story keep them coming..and no that ponytail cang be ignored ;D
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Rone Love with Sonny backstage somewhere a long time ago.
Both great guys to be around that both got caught up with the wrong crew. Both made some bad choices and paid the price.
Ron was always in a good mood, I had him on several tours and always enjoyed his company. He was humble and always grateful. The ladies loved him and so did the fans. Ron had a smile that could light up a room and was just plain fun. I was pretty new at promoting and very young for a promoter. Ron treated me great respect, always showed up in shape and had time for everyone.
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Chris, Flex and Dexter at the IronMan Pro LA 2000.
Chris absolutely dominated the show and won it again. What an atmosphere.
This show, for many reasons was the catalyst for me starting the Australian Pro the following year.
Chris and I have been mates ever since.
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The late great Sonny Schmidt (* September 9, 1953 - † January 25, 2004) originally from Samoa but competing for Australia @ 1991 Mr. Olympia. Sonny finished sixth.
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The late great Sonny Schmidt (* September 9, 1953 - † January 25, 2004) originally from Samoa but competing for Australia @ 1991 Mr. Olympia. Sonny finished sixth.
Now I understand why they called him "The thunder from Down Under"...
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I remember you telling us at one of Sonny's seminar's (William Chung Gym Dandenong) not long after the '91 Olympia how Lee Haney was blown away by the size & conditioning of Sonny on his Olympia debut & approached him afterwards, saying "You were robbed man".
The '91 O' will go down as one of the greatest Olympia's ever & Sonny clearly deserved to place higher & would have had he been a more established name.
Yates wasn't an established name in 91 , just saying.
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i disagree
Yates was an established name, they were already talking about in him 1990 being the guy to upset haney in 91
Dorian was given a lot of build up and publicity by peter mc gough
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Great thread Tony. Ron Love was my trainer circa 2003.
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Great thread Tony. Ron Love was my trainer circa 2003.
I remember u saying that ,guy was a beast,sick delts.
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thanks for sharing these photos brotha, i really appreciate it. i miss the 90's.
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Removing sticky (for now) to leave more room up top. Remind me to put it back after this weekend if warranted.
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Lets not forget how good Sonny Schmidt was.
He took on the world with very little knowledge, a tight budget, no gurus.
Placed top 6 in his first Olympia as an unknown.
He built his body on carbs, you have never seen anybody eat more rice than him. 3 meals a day, never counted calories and still made it.
I laugh at all the people, guys and girls that get a prep coach for their first contest or take a year off work to do a novice show.
Sonny was the most humble person I ever met, he taught me so much and I miss him to this day.
Damn...Imagine this guy with the amount of oil Heath puts in his arms...Top 5 instantly...
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Thanks man. Big compliment. I'm still trying to stay in shape. But competing days are over.
(semi-homo)
Looking good Grant...
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Great thread...
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Glad you are all enjoying the thread.
I have heaps more stuff to post but have been at the Olympia for the last week or so and just got back in now.
It was a great weekend and nice to catch up with Ronaldo at the show.
You can check out all of my interviews backstage at: http://npcnewsonline.com
TD
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Sonny, Momo and Vince at Arnold 1992
Sonny had gone to USA at nearly 300lb (fat) 7 weeks earlier and dieted like crazy to make it. I still remember the night before the show, he took some extra tablets to lose more water and woke up cramping like a demon in the middle of the night. It was pretty scary and he was in a bad way. I knew it was a sodium imbalance, so off I went into the night to try and fix it. I broke in to the hotel restaurant which had been closed for hours. All I could find was a salt shaker on a table. I tipped most of it into a can of coke and made him drink it all. Withing 10 minutes the cramps had gone and the next morning he was fine, big and full and ready to rock.
Vince was unbeatable that day, his skin was see through and it was the day he unleashed the terminator routine. Momo was 2nd and Sonny 3rd.
I sat next to his wife and asked how heavy he was, guessing 225. She said no he was 205. Just shows that weight don't matter when you are in that kind of condition.
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Tony, from your memories, who gave the best illusion? Meaning, who looked impressive but in person was not massive so to speak?
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Tony, from your memories, who gave the best illusion? Meaning, who looked impressive but in person was not massive so to speak?
I remember Yates at the '91 Olympia on our way back stage. In his sweat top, he didn't look much. But when he took of the shirt and started pumping up was fucking huge and peeled. It was probably his smallest Olympia size but in clothes you could never tell.
The other was Shawn Ray. In clothes he looked like a regular dude. he dressed kind of normal, like jeans and a shirt or jacket and not the average meat head getup. I remember picking him up at the airport once and thought he just blended in to the crowd. Once again, when he stripped of and started hitting shots, was unbelievable. One of the best ever but you couldn't tell in clothes.
Labrada was another, I thought he was a small dude, at the Olympia in Finland, he held his own against everyone. Off stage you just couldn't tell.
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I remember Yates at the '91 Olympia on our way back stage. In his sweat top, he didn't look much. But when he took of the shirt and started pumping up was fucking huge and peeled. It was probably his smallest Olympia size but in clothes you could never tell.
The other was Shawn Ray. In clothes he looked like a regular dude. he dressed kind of normal, like jeans and a shirt or jacket and not the average meat head getup. I remember picking him up at the airport once and thought he just blended in to the crowd. Once again, when he stripped of and started hitting shots, was unbelievable. One of the best ever but you couldn't tell in clothes.
Labrada was another, I thought he was a small dude, at the Olympia in Finland, he held his own against everyone. Off stage you just couldn't tell.
GOOD STUFF....
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tONY
did you ever bring Vic richards out to Australia?
do you think he was bigger than Kovacs?
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tONY
did you ever bring Vic richards out to Australia?
do you think he was bigger than Kovacs?
Yes I did in about 1995.
He was big but pretty soft. He had much better shape than Kovacs but at the time Kovacs was much, much bigger.
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Another shot of Vic in my old gym with Sonny's brother Pale.
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Sonny looked great in the pics.
Best thread on gb. Keep it coming thony i love the storys and pics (yes homo)
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How did you manage to feed his 30000 cals a day eating habbit?
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How did you manage to feed his 30000 cals a day eating habbit?
All he ate was chicken and rice, 2 chicken breasts and a ton of rice every single meal.
6-8 times a day.
I asked him what he had when had a cheat day, he said an extra serve of chicken and rice.
This guy could seriously eat, never seen anything like it.
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All he ate was chicken and rice, 2 chicken breasts and a ton of rice every single meal.
6-8 times a day.
I asked him what he had when had a cheat day, he said an extra serve of chicken and rice.
This guy could seriously eat, never seen anything like it.
So no extra weight gainers or blended food? Chicken & rice only is prob 4000-6000 kcals max.
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So no extra weight gainers or blended food? Chicken & rice only is prob 4000-6000 kcals max.
Not sure but he might have overstated his caloric intake...slightly.
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Not sure but he might have overstated his caloric intake...slightly.
A victim of his own ego..
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Vince was unbeatable that day, his skin was see through and it was the day he unleashed the terminator routine.
I thnk Vince had done the terminator routine in Haney's last Olympia. Remember the "malfunction" when he targeted Haney?
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Sonny, Momo and Vince at Arnold 1992
Sonny had gone to USA at nearly 300lb (fat) 7 weeks earlier and dieted like crazy to make it. I still remember the night before the show, he took some extra tablets to lose more water and woke up cramping like a demon in the middle of the night. It was pretty scary and he was in a bad way. I knew it was a sodium imbalance, so off I went into the night to try and fix it. I broke in to the hotel restaurant which had been closed for hours. All I could find was a salt shaker on a table. I tipped most of it into a can of coke and made him drink it all. Withing 10 minutes the cramps had gone and the next morning he was fine, big and full and ready to rock.
Vince was unbeatable that day, his skin was see through and it was the day he unleashed the terminator routine. Momo was 2nd and Sonny 3rd.
I sat next to his wife and asked how heavy he was, guessing 225. She said no he was 205. Just shows that weight don't matter when you are in that kind of condition.
the routine Vince did that day was the best in the history of the sport. I can't believe I haven't seen it on youtube ever.
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Tony, from your memories, who gave the best illusion? Meaning, who looked impressive but in person was not massive so to speak?
Dorian worked out at my gym a week after his second win. there were two guys in my gym that looked bigger than Dorian in sweatshirts. but he posed that night, and no one could believe he could look that unreal. how he hid all that muscle under that sweatshirt still baffles me.
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Dorian worked out at my gym a week after his second win. there were two guys in my gym that looked bigger than Dorian in sweatshirts. but he posed that night, and no one could believe he could look that unreal. how he hid all that muscle under that sweatshirt still baffles me.
AND these are huge guys 'yates'and ur saying 2 guys in your gym appeared bigger ,that's crazy .but believable.
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AND these are huge guys 'yates'and ur saying 2 guys in your gym appeared bigger ,that's crazy .but believable.
it was bizzare. he didn't look that big in clothes. the two guys were 270 and 305, but you would think D still would have looked bigger.
but at the posing exhibition, he was insane, freaky huge. you wouldn't believe it was the same person.
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Another shot of Vic in my old gym with Sonny's brother Pale.
thanks for posting those stories and pics about V richards TOny
he looks pretty big in those pics, esp. his legs
with each meal, how many cups of rice was he eating?
did you think he was eating 10000 calories/day?
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it was bizzare. he didn't look that big in clothes. the two guys were 270 and 305, but you would think D still would have looked bigger.
but at the posing exhibition, he was insane, freaky huge. you wouldn't believe it was the same person.
Yates doesn't actually have a big skeleton/frame for a guy his height.
Ferrigno is a guy with a huge skeleton/frame for a person of any height.
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thanks for posting those stories and pics about V richards TOny
he looks pretty big in those pics, esp. his legs
with each meal, how many cups of rice was he eating?
did you think he was eating 10000 calories/day?
Prbably 4 cups cooked rice each meal.
I guess around 8000-10,000 cal a day
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great thread Tony. thanks for the great memories...
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Let me set the scene. It's 1997 and freezing cold in Columbus Ohio. Arnold Classic is in full swing and these 2 guys walk out. Flex Wheeler & Ronnie Coleman who would know what was to lie ahead. Thanks for the memories!
wheeler looks tiny there
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Rone Love with Sonny backstage somewhere a long time ago.
Both great guys to be around that both got caught up with the wrong crew. Both made some bad choices and paid the price.
Ron was always in a good mood, I had him on several tours and always enjoyed his company. He was humble and always grateful. The ladies loved him and so did the fans. Ron had a smile that could light up a room and was just plain fun. I was pretty new at promoting and very young for a promoter. Ron treated me great respect, always showed up in shape and had time for everyone.
Ron was the early mentor of legendary getbigger Sevastase aka Cleanest Natural
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I thnk Vince had done the terminator routine in Haney's last Olympia. Remember the "malfunction" when he targeted Haney?
^^Correct - '91. Crowd went ape shit this day too - he had to signal to them to be quiet.
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^^Correct - '91. Crowd went ape shit this day too - he had to signal to them to be quiet.
Funny thing is, I was at the '91 Olympia and don't remember Vince's routine. I am sure he did it there, it just did not have the same impact as when I saw it in Columbus. I have never seen a crowd response like that, ever.
Having said that, when Kai walked out in the finals this year, it was unbelievable. The loudest crowd reaction I have ever heard at a bodybuilding show.
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TD What oponion do you have of this years O? Kai looked very big but also very syntholised or SEO of some sort, be it watterbased or oilbased
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TD What oponion do you have of this years O? Kai looked very big but also very syntholised or SEO of some sort, be it watterbased or oilbased
I thought it was a great Olympia this year.
Phil was at his all time best. At prejudging he was first, second and third. He looked 3D, pics don't do it justice.
Kai was flat at pre-judging, especially through abs and chest. At finals he nailed his condition. You can only wonder how it might have played out had he been 100% at prejudging. Kai has more hanging muscle than anyone since Ron so it is all about bringing freaky condition.
Wolf was in his all time best shape. After 8 Olympias he finally got it right. He usually fades during pre-judging, this time he kept getting better.
Rhoden is awesome. If he keeps improving can battle with anyone. Great lines, great condition. If Wolf hadn't nailed it he would be in 3rd.
Dexter is one of the all time greatest, his condition was incredible and he defies logic, age and common sense to be this good at his age. He aint going nowhere just yet.
Jay looked great backstage but once he stood next to the others it was obvious he would be fighting to make the top 6. Still as popular as ever.
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OK 2 shots you have never seen.
Bertil Fox Ausralia 1989, very grumpy man, he never stopped complaining.
John Brown, great poser and entertainer. Could guest pose for 20 minutes, telling stories, singing, movin' and groovin'.
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A shot of I took of Dorian.
Not sure what year.
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NOC91 Johnny Morant and Sonny Schmidt
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A shot of I took of Dorian.
Not sure what year.
DAMN YATES..GOOD STUFF TONY.
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We are sitting in the foyer to the official hotel for the 2006 Australian Pro. I was really nervous yet pumped as we had taken the show to the Gold Coast, first and only time it was out of my home town of Melbourne. I had been pretty stressed because it was like the first show all over again, not knowing how it would work out.
The customs in Queensland had been really hard on the bodybuilders coming through and were putting every one of them through the third degree. One even got fined for having a single viagra tablet without a prescription. So by the time I had them all at the hotel, I was relieved to say the least. It was an incredible lineup with over 20 pros in the show and as it tuned out a massive crowd would show up for the show.
It was also the comeback of two of the most popular bodybuilders of the early 90s, Francis Benfatto and Vince Taylor. One was 47 and the other 48. Neither had ever competed in Australia so I knew they would be very popular. I had even organised Vince to do the original terminator routine as Australia had never seen it.
I was talking to Vince and a few others, when in walks Benfatto who has not seen Vince for about 15 years. He scrams "Taylor, Taylor" in his funny French accent, genuinely moved to see his old friend. The hugged and exchanged hellos when out of the blue, Benfatto rips of his shirt and starts hitting shots, cold, no pump, tan or anything. He was in incredible condition and everyone was clapping and laughing. His wife started to crack the shits and began berating him for his impromptu display. By then we were all just about in tears as it was so funny to see how excited the eccentric Francis had become. The more she objected, the more he posed.
I guess you had to be there but fuck it was funny at the time. They both went on to make the top 5 and Vince re-qualified for the Olympia. Francis was right out there and provided us with not only laughs and stories but also with a sense of history and camaraderie that you don't see today.
It was one of the most memorable shows that I have ever ran and these two made it something special.
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Lol nice story. People that have met benfatto all say he is a nice guy thst tskes his time to talk to the fans...thst pic of him is unreal. Thats how they should look
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Benfatto was bat crazy but in the nicest way. I liked working with him and never stopped laughing.
Check him out onstage in 2006 at about 48 years old, 35lb heavier that his last Olympia in 92 (I think)
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I'll take this build anytime over the turds from this year's olympia
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SICK TONY...minus pec tear benfatto was awesome lighter he looked insane and still pulled it off some 30 lbs heavier older ..props.
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cool thread
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Some shots of King Coleman in my gym during 2005 tour.
I asked him at the time if he could beat his 2003 shape. He just laughed and said "Ain't nobody gonna beat that, not even me"
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Yeah Buddy!
Greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.)
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Boooom. Ronnie must have been a easy guy to deal with. Never seen any diva tendencies ever. He always seems to be in a good mood and friendly
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Not sure how I missed this thread until today but it's great, thanks Tony!
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Some shots of King Coleman in my gym during 2005 tour.
I asked him at the time if he could beat his 2003 shape. He just laughed and said "Ain't nobody gonna beat that, not even me"
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=493468.0;attach=538698;image)
APT straps, the best I've had so far.
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More Ronnie, freak!
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The segment you flimed with him in 2005 was cool and refreshing. Ron was on top back then. I remeber the chicken and rice segment haha
What did he eat while he was there?
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More Ronnie, freak!
crazy pic of ronnie, you can see the veins clearly thru his yellow tights ( no homo)
TD-the guy in the purple cap behind Ronnie, is that his brother?
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i heard a promoter tell me when ronnie was mr O he asked for got first class flights and $150 US dollars/day food allowance
TD can you verify if this is accurate?
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A shot of I took of Dorian.
Not sure what year.
that looks like Dorain @ the 95 O
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i heard a promoter tell me when ronnie was mr O he asked for got first class flights and $150 US dollars/day food allowance
TD can you verify if this is accurate?
that's not bad. rumor was Strydom ran up a $3000 room service bill over a weekend that the promotor had to pay
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crazy pic of ronnie, you can see the veins clearly thru his yellow tights ( no homo)
TD-the guy in the purple cap behind Ronnie, is that his brother?
No it is his cousin Marcus
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i heard a promoter tell me when ronnie was mr O he asked for got first class flights and $150 US dollars/day food allowance
TD can you verify if this is accurate?
No but after a few OLympias he definitely deserved business class.
Food allowance is normal.
Going way back to 20 + years ago a current Mr Olympia would need to know the name of the hotel and if he hadn't heard of it a brochure had to be sent to OK it. (Pre internet)
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I took this group shot at the Olympia in 1992.
Cool school that year.
See if you can name them all.
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=493468.0;attach=535478;image)
bb'ing sucks so bad today.
great thread. thx
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It was an icy cold and windy weekend in Columbus Ohio early in March 1992, the wind was so cold that it was hard to breathe.
Thousands of shivering fans had assembled outside the Veterans memorial to see this Classic posedown. Vince Taylor was the clear winner that night and perhaps, in condition that not he or anyone else has matched again. I remember sitting next to his wife, I had guessed his weight at 225. She said he was 204 on the morning of the show. Momo Benaziza was second and way freaky. My Old mate Sonny was third after nearly blowing it all the night before. He had left his dieting late and went very hard, when he started drying out he dehydrated very quickly and ended up cramping severely. He bounced back just fine with a can of coke with added table salt. He ended up in some of the fullest condition ever. Sadly Momo passed away on a later tour and Sonny in 2004 (RIP).
With Arnold attending the Victory banquet, a huge turnout was inevitable. The inner crowd of exhausted Pros, rich sponsors, Judges and hangers on, partied long into the night. I hit the sack in the wee hours, inspired, amazed and exhausted.
I had an early flight that Sunday morning. I had traveled half way around the world, just for this one night and now I had 24 hours to get back to work in Australia. As I crawled out of bed I wondered if it was all worth it.
I sleepily walked into the foyer at 6.30am to call a cab to the airport.
As I waited I heard voices coming out of the elevator, the voices sounded aged but lively and excited. It had seemed that the whole hotel was asleep, so I was kind of glad to know someone else had to be up. As the voices came around the corner I could hear the conversation clearly, one was telling the other that he would kick his arse in the gym and the other retorted with "no chance." I strained to see who would be up, training so early after such an exhausting day and night. I literally froze as Joe Weider and Reg Park walked to the reception desk and dropped off their keys for safe keeping. The comical banter continued as they ventured into the cold, dark Columbus morning. This image has stayed with me, after all these years the originals, the old time hardcore bodybuilders were still showing us the way............
It was worth it!
Here is a shot I took with Joe, Ben, Arnold and Vince that memorable weekend so long ago.
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Great thread and great last story Tony.
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Good story tony.
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ITS LIKE HAVING A FLEX MAGAZINE MEMORY UPDATE WITHOUT THE FLUFF,BUT REAL INFO...
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excellent thread Tony!
would love to hear more!
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excellent thread Tony!
would love to hear more!
Thanks guys, much more to come.
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share some more Kevin Levrone stories
E
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Be careful with the Levrone tales Tony, or Earl1972 will clog his keyboard again.
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Just read this whole thread now. Great photos and stories Tony, one of the best threads on getbig.
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Be careful with the Levrone tales Tony, or Earl1972 will clog his keyboard again.
don't act like you're not a Levroneite
E
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Levrone is one of the GOATs, but he became a grumpy guy.
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Levrone is one of the GOATs, but he became a grumpy guy.
how so?
if he did so what? i don't know anybody that likes getting older
E
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how so?
if he did so what? i don't know anybody that likes getting older
E
He doesn't appear happy/energetic/driven, when I see his eyes and hear his dark voice. He had a great pro career, has a nice woman & son, kept a good health, etc... so I wonder "WHY?". Take a look at Lee Haney. He has the same positive things and he's clearly thankful.
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He doesn't appear happy/energetic/driven, when I see his eyes and hear his dark voice. He had a great pro career, has a nice woman & son, kept a good health, etc... so I wonder "WHY?". Take a look at Lee Haney. He has the same positive things and he's clearly thankful.
he has always had some issues with depression, maybe it started when his parents died
not even michael jordan is completely satisfied with his career, the true greats always want more
E
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I took this group shot at the Olympia in 1992.
Cool school that year.
See if you can name them all.
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=493468.0;attach=535478;image)
Notice all of them with full heads of hair.
Nowadays, most if not all BB's are bald.
What gives?
More peptides?
GH?
IGF1?
AAS^?
::)
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He doesn't appear happy/energetic/driven, when I see his eyes and hear his dark voice. He had a great pro career, has a nice woman & son, kept a good health, etc... so I wonder "WHY?". Take a look at Lee Haney. He has the same positive things and he's clearly thankful.
just a different personality
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Tony
Did you ever have any dealings with Mike Quinn? He always seemed like a colourful character.
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Notice all of them with full heads of hair.
Nowadays, most if not all BB's are bald.
What gives?
More peptides?
GH?
IGF1?
AAS^?
::)
There was a Bodybuilding article I can't put my hands on back around mid 90s that said a bald head gives the illusion of a smaller head thus making the shoulder width appear wider, traps bigger. Shaved heads with or without a goatee are considered "in" in many athletic circles. I had my head shaved for scalp surgery 20 years ago and have kept it that way ever since.
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(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=493468.0;attach=535478;image)
Miroslav Daskiwicz,Benfatto,Brisbois,Ron love
Sonny,Patrick Nicholls,Pastel,Ferrigno
Samir,just see Dorians head,Levrone,Alq Gurley.
Great thread Tony,love the stories and the pics.
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Be careful with the Levrone tales Tony, or Earl1972 will clog his keyboard again.
:D
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Brilliant read
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Miroslav Daskiwicz,Benfatto,Brisbois,Ron love
Sonny,Patrick Nicholls,Pastel,Ferrigno
Samir,just see Dorians head,Levrone,Alq Gurley.
Great thread Tony,love the stories and the pics.
you missed Henderson Thorne.
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you missed Henderson Thorne.
Good spot,thats his arm hiding behind Levrone. ;D ;D
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Awesome thread. Thank you for sharing.
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you missed Henderson Thorne.
You've just won a Doherty's gym shirt ;)
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Hi guys I am I. India at the moment, right now drinking majitos in the Taj hotel in Mumbai. I have heaps more to post and will be back at it this week. Thanks all for supporting this thread. Questions welcome. TD
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Hi guys I am I. India at the moment, right now drinking majitos in the Taj hotel in Mumbai. I have heaps more to post and will be back at it this week. Thanks all for supporting this thread. Questions welcome. TD
I assume you're at the Sheru classic, Tony? Were there more cancellations, other than Big Ramy?
Enjoy your stay!
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Still the best thread this year.
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Still the best thread this year.
As is Stuntmovie's thread. Both incredibly good.
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I assume you're at the Sheru classic, Tony? Were there more cancellations, other than Big Ramy?
Enjoy your stay!
Yes I was in India to MC the Sheru Classic.
After the show I got really lucky, I got to go into a Mumbai slum. I don't know what drew me there but I know it was something I needed to see for myself. The people were happy and smiling, going about their business as all people do. It was functional and well run. No crime, no locks on doors, just a community of real people looking out for each other. I didn't stay long, I didn't want to disrupt the flow and rhythm of this cell of functional chaos. It's something I want to tell my kids about and to keep with me forever. Thanks to these beautiful people for allowing me to appreciate every opportunity I have and every day that I live. Just stop for a minute and realise the incredible choices we get to make every day. Seeing happy people that will never get to make the choices we take for granted is what made me lucky. Peace.
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EXCELLENT POST......YOU HAVE A GREAT ATTITUDE!
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Many Indian slums have a free neighborhood gym for the guys to use believe it or not... Very rudimentary obviously.
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Great thread~ love the photos and stories~ I hope that we see a return of the healthy spirit and the clearly apparent comraderie of these "early days" of bodybuilding.
And, Damn! did Vince have some freaky-ass "old man muscle" in those shots!
Lee P. was an old fav of mine growin up~ any cool stories/photos?
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Yes I was in India to MC the Sheru Classic.
After the show I got really lucky, I got to go into a Mumbai slum. I don't know what drew me there but I know it was something I needed to see for myself. The people were happy and smiling, going about their business as all people do. It was functional and well run. No crime, no locks on doors, just a community of real people looking out for each other. I didn't stay long, I didn't want to disrupt the flow and rhythm of this cell of functional chaos. It's something I want to tell my kids about and to keep with me forever. Thanks to these beautiful people for allowing me to appreciate every opportunity I have and every day that I live. Just stop for a minute and realise the incredible choices we get to make every day. Seeing happy people that will never get to make the choices we take for granted is what made me lucky. Peace.
Hey Tony, great thread and Ihave a question about Sonny, who I feel was so underated it is not funny.
Anyways I remember reading a chest artic for sonny in Flex I believe many years ago and he talked about doing quite the volume of work, I think it was something like 30-40 sets for chest as part of split where the body was worked over 3 days(old school split) and reps startn with 20 pyramiding down to 8.
My question is how close was that to the real deal training wise and as well as any other ancedotes about other pros and their styles of training?
Thanks
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Hey Tony, great thread and Ihave a question about Sonny, who I feel was so underated it is not funny.
Anyways I remember reading a chest artic for sonny in Flex I believe many years ago and he talked about doing quite the volume of work, I think it was something like 30-40 sets for chest as part of split where the body was worked over 3 days(old school split) and reps startn with 20 pyramiding down to 8.
My question is how close was that to the real deal training wise and as well as any other ancedotes about other pros and their styles of training?
Thanks
Great question.
I trained with Sonny for many years.
Our typical split was:
Mon - Chest and back
Tues - Shoulders and arms
Wed - Legs
Thurs - Chest and back
Fri - Shoulders and arms
Sat - Legs
Sun - Off
Typically we would do something like this:
Chest.
Flat DB press 5 sets 15-12-10-8-8
Smith machine Incline press 5 sets 12-10-10-6-15
Decline press 5 sets 12-10-8-8-15
DB flies 5 sets 12-10-10-10-15
Cable cross over 5 sets of 10
Then maybe close grip bench or pec deck to finish of 5 sets of 12
Back.
Latt pulldown behind neck 5 sets 12
Latt pulldown to chest 5 sets 12-10-10-8-8
Seated Row 5 sets 15-12-10-8-8
DB Row 5 sets of 10
Close grip pulldown 5 sets of 15
Nautilus or DB pullover to finish of 5 sets of 12
We did a lot of quantity, high volume with very little rest. I still train like this to this day, however as I've got older I will typically do higher reps, 15-25 regularly.
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Great question.
I trained with Sonny for many years.
Our typical split was:
Mon - Chest and back
Tues - Shoulders and arms
Wed - Legs
Thurs - Chest and back
Fri - Shoulders and arms
Sat - Legs
Sun - Off
Typically we would do something like this:
Chest.
Flat DB press 5 sets 15-12-10-8-8
Smith machine Incline press 5 sets 12-10-10-6-15
Decline press 5 sets 12-10-8-8-15
DB flies 5 sets 12-10-10-10-15
Cable cross over 5 sets of 10
Then maybe close grip bench or pec deck to finish of 5 sets of 12
Back.
Latt pulldown behind neck 5 sets 12
Latt pulldown to chest 5 sets 12-10-10-8-8
Seated Row 5 sets 15-12-10-8-8
DB Row 5 sets of 10
Close grip pulldown 5 sets of 15
Nautilus or DB pullover to finish of 5 sets of 12
We did a lot of quantity, high volume with very little rest. I still train like this to this day, however as I've got older I will typically do higher reps, 15-25 regularly.
did you do 2 workouts a day ?
seems pretty long to put in 1 workout
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did you do 2 workouts a day ?
seems pretty long to put in 1 workout
No mate, just one long arse workout. Sonny would do cardio later. I never did the cardio as this 2 hour workout was enough.
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No mate, just one long arse workout. Sonny would do cardio later. I never did the cardio as this 2 hour workout was enough.
I always find it interesting that the guys who did a lot of volume and frequency did not have the gigantic size of the guys today yet they were huge and had a lot 100 times more quality and detail to their physiques.
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Here is a shot I took of Flex backstage, possibly Arnold '97.
8 pack!
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Here is a shot I took of Flex backstage, possibly Arnold '97.
8 pack!
no shaved head by then and ron love over his shoulder was out of the game...
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Here is a shot I took of Flex backstage, possibly Arnold '97.
8 pack!
I think his abs were not that impressive .. especially after 93 .. but he looks great there of course ..
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I think his abs were not that impressive .. especially after 93 .. but he looks great there of course ..
I disagree , this is 98
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Here is a shot I took of Flex backstage, possibly Arnold '97.
8 pack!
no his head was shaved in 97 AC.. he also looks younger here..
thx for the great thread..
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no shaved head by then and ron love over his shoulder was out of the game...
sorry man i wrote my previous comment before reading your post :)
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I disagree , this is 98
Nobody really takes your oppinion seriously schmoe
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Nobody really takes your oppinion seriously schmoe
lol..
he has no opinion.. he is just a magazines parrot.. for him anythings that is written in flex magazine must be taken for granted because it's written by "experts".. and for him you cant say your opinion about a contest placings because judges never make any mistake!!..
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Nobody really takes your oppinion seriously schmoe
Awwww feeling stupid after I proved your point flat out wrong? ;)
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Awwww feeling stupid after I proved your point flat out wrong? ;)
arent you that schmoe who is in love with ronnie coleman?
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arent you that schmoe who is in love with ronnie coleman?
to be accurate it's dorian yates and to be more accurate it's dorian's dick :D
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How about we keep this tread on topic , instead of but hurt cry babies. ;)
Mods? 8)
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to be accurate it's dorian yates and to be more accurate it's dorian's dick :D
I know sherief .. I was being very ironic .. those two schmoes are VERY creepy. They make ukjeff seem normal.
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How about we keep this tread on topic , instead of but hurt cry babies. ;)
Mods? 8)
i agree we dont want to ruin this thread.. see you in the noc 1995 thread.. you and hulkster have already started your normal shit there :-X
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Here is a shot I took of Flex backstage, possibly Arnold '97.
8 pack!
This is either 1993 Arnold or Olympia. Ron Love's last two contests.
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This is either 1993 Arnold or Olympia. Ron Love's last two contests.
Yes my mistake, maybe 93 Olympia as I was there.
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Pretty sure this one is 93 or 94
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A couple from about '97
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Pretty sure this one is 93 or 94
His peak was around this time in 93.. all downhill from there .. great shape
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Pretty sure this one is 93 or 94
YES he had hair 92/95 ,96 shaved,still great pics tony,,even 97 a bit blurred condition but full ass muscle ..
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Dorian's first ever USA show, New York Night Of Champions 1990 with Beneziza who won the show. I got to MC the contest which was a big thing for me at the time, I went from a small country town in Australia to the Beacon Theater on Broadway.
Dorian's arms actually look good, and he's doing a semi vacuum pose. Shape looks good as well. I remember the FLEX issue with this show in it.
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Pretty sure this one is 93 or 94
93.. he didnt compete in 94 due to the car accident..
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A couple from about '97
He looks great Tony.....but seriously ..... what's going on in that bulbous calf muscle in the split? I think we all know. Ruins his legacy.
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Pretty sure this one is 93 or 94
1993 Mr Olympia
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flex was narrow as fuck but compared to heath, his hipbones were even narrower that's why it still looks good
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His peak was around this time in 93.. all downhill from there .. great shape
98 Arnold!
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Check this out, I have never posted this anywhere, 20 year old fax from Louie
Wao this is Gold Tony !
Don't know how I missed this thread but I do remember Lou talking on ET and mentioning this exact diet back in 93'! he was ripped and dry at about 320 lbs! ( for some reason I didn't believe he was actually telling the truth) ....but one learns later (20 years) later to be exact.
Thanks a lot !
WoooSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHH
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:)
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How the F have I missed this thread?
Great stuff Tony. Thank you for taking the time to post so many great unseen pictures.
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How the F have I missed this thread?
Great stuff Tony. Thank you for taking the time to post so many great unseen pictures.
Hey Tommy, I thought you were ignoring my thread. haha.
Much, much, more to come brother. Hope you are well.
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Hey Tommy, I thought you were ignoring my thread. haha.
Much, much, more to come brother. Hope you are well.
hey Tony you had Kovacs down under way back right?
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hey Tony you had Kovacs down under way back right?
Yes I did in '97, I will post up a story soon. He was pretty funny.
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:)
robbie making boyer and louie look blocky!
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robbie making boyer and louie look blocky!
the 3 of them had great biceps..
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So here is a little story and a tribute to Kovaks.
The first time I met Greg was in Buffalo New York, I had traveled there with Sonny for his pro debut. It was the old Niagara Falls Pro show and I got to MC it, so it was a very memorable show for me. There were guys there from the WWF representing Vince McMahon and trying to steal talent from the IFBB ranks. They talked briefly to Sonny, a giant Samoan would have been a huge draw for them. He wasn't interested as he had waited his whole career to turn pro and was over the moon to be a part of the IFBB.
This huge kid from Canada came and introduced himself, he loved Sonny's physique and declared himself a fan. Sonny was rapt as he had only been there one day and didn't have a big fan base. This kid was Greg Kovacs who talked about his dream of turning pro one day. It wasn't until years later that Greg was the biggest bodybuilder on the planet, that he reminded us of that meeting all those years ago.
When I had him guest posing in Melbourne in '97 he was huge, the first 400lber, made famous by those Muscletech adverts. I remember a few things from the tour. He had his wife Kim with him, she fussed over him like nothing I had ever seen. Greg was a real sweater and when he ate would sweat up a treat. As soon as head would bead up on the forehead she would go into a panic "Greg, Greg, wait up, wait up, oh Greg" She would tear into his bag and out with a towel to wipe his brow and a little portable battery operated fan. She would sit there holding the fan and wiping his brow until he was done eating. From memory, she even chopped up his food and would have spoon fed it to him if required.
I remember going backstage to get him to come out and pose. I knocked on his change room door loudly, "Hey Greg, your on, lets do it!" No answer, again I knocked, "Hey Greg, your on, lets go!" I hear a muffled reply, "I'll be out soon". So this goes on for about 10 minutes, still he won't come out. So I went into my change room adjacent to his and put my ear to the wall to hear what the fuck was going on. It went something like this, "Kimmy I feel small, they're going to laugh at me, I don't want to go out there." Kim was reassuring him, "Greg, you're the biggest guy they have ever seen, they will love you, c'mon you can do it." This went back and forth until he finds his mojo and calls out, "I'm ready"
I introduce him, he brings the house down. All is good.
We had a young guy in the show called Ahmad Popol, a refugee from Afghanistan, He was a good kid that hung around the gym and loved to compete. He was about 120lbs. So we brought him out to pose with Greg who was agreat sport about it. As a promoter I was spruiking "The world's biggest bodybuilder meets the world's smallest bodybuilder!" The crowd loved it and we had a great show.
He was a nice guy and easy to work with, despite overheating, lacking confidence and being out of breath most of the time.
-
So here is a little story and a tribute to Kovaks.
The first time I met Greg was in Buffalo New York, I had traveled there with Sonny for his pro debut. It was the old Niagara Falls Pro show and I got to MC it, so it was a very memorable show for me. There were guys there from the WWF representing Vince McMahon and trying to steal talent from the IFBB ranks. They talked briefly to Sonny, a giant Samoan would have been a huge draw for them. He wasn't interested as he had waited his whole career to turn pro and was of the moon to be a part of the IFBB.
This huge kid from Canada came and introduced himself, he loved Sonny's physique and declared himself a fan. Sonny was rapt as he had only been there one day and didn't have a big fan base. This kid was Greg Kovacs who talked about his dream of turning pro one day. It wasn't until years later that Greg was the biggest bodybuilder on the planet, that he reminded us of that meeting all those years ago.
When I had him guest posing in Melbourne in '97 he was huge, the first 400lber, made famous by those Muscletech adverts. I remember a few things from the tour. He had his wife Kim with him, she fussed over him like nothing I had ever seen. Greg was a real sweater and when he ate would sweat up a treat. As soon as head would bead up on the forehead she would go into a panic "Greg, Greg, wait up, wait up, oh Greg" She would tear into his bag and out with a towel to wipe his brow and a little portable battery operated fan. She would sit there holding the fan and wiping his brow until he was done eating. From memory, she even chopped up his food and would have spoon fed it to him if required.
I remember going backstage to get him to come out and pose. I knocked on his change room door loudly, "Hey Greg, your on, lets do it!" No answer, again I knocked, "Hey Greg, your on, lets go!" I hear a muffled reply, "I'll be out soon". So this goes on for about 10 minutes, still he won't come out. So I went into my change room adjacent to his and put my ear to the wall to hear what the fuck was going on. It went something like this, "Kimmy I feel small, they're going to laugh at me, I don't want to go out there." Kim was reassuring him, "Greg, you're the biggest guy they have ever seen, they will love you, c'mon you can do it." This went back and forth until he finds his mojo and calls out, "I'm ready"
I introduce him, he brings the house down. All is good.
We had a young guy in the show called Ahmad Popol, a refugee from Afghanistan, He was a good kid that hung around the gym and loved to compete. He was about 120lbs. So we brought him out to pose with Greg who was agreat sport about it. As a promoter I was spruiking "The world's biggest bodybuilder meets the world's smallest bodybuilder!" The crowd loved it and we had a great show.
He was a nice guy and easy to work with, despite overheating, lacking confidence and being out of breath most of the time.
good story, hard to believe kovacs thought he was small.reminds me of the book little big men by alan m klein.
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great story about Kovacs TD
so it would seem the Nasser stories about Kovacs were also true and not fiction?
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So here is a little story and a tribute to Kovaks.
The first time I met Greg was in Buffalo New York, I had traveled there with Sonny for his pro debut. It was the old Niagara Falls Pro show and I got to MC it, so it was a very memorable show for me. There were guys there from the WWF representing Vince McMahon and trying to steal talent from the IFBB ranks. They talked briefly to Sonny, a giant Samoan would have been a huge draw for them. He wasn't interested as he had waited his whole career to turn pro and was over the moon to be a part of the IFBB.
This huge kid from Canada came and introduced himself, he loved Sonny's physique and declared himself a fan. Sonny was rapt as he had only been there one day and didn't have a big fan base. This kid was Greg Kovacs who talked about his dream of turning pro one day. It wasn't until years later that Greg was the biggest bodybuilder on the planet, that he reminded us of that meeting all those years ago.
When I had him guest posing in Melbourne in '97 he was huge, the first 400lber, made famous by those Muscletech adverts. I remember a few things from the tour. He had his wife Kim with him, she fussed over him like nothing I had ever seen. Greg was a real sweater and when he ate would sweat up a treat. As soon as head would bead up on the forehead she would go into a panic "Greg, Greg, wait up, wait up, oh Greg" She would tear into his bag and out with a towel to wipe his brow and a little portable battery operated fan. She would sit there holding the fan and wiping his brow until he was done eating. From memory, she even chopped up his food and would have spoon fed it to him if required.
I remember going backstage to get him to come out and pose. I knocked on his change room door loudly, "Hey Greg, your on, lets do it!" No answer, again I knocked, "Hey Greg, your on, lets go!" I hear a muffled reply, "I'll be out soon". So this goes on for about 10 minutes, still he won't come out. So I went into my change room adjacent to his and put my ear to the wall to hear what the fuck was going on. It went something like this, "Kimmy I feel small, they're going to laugh at me, I don't want to go out there." Kim was reassuring him, "Greg, you're the biggest guy they have ever seen, they will love you, c'mon you can do it." This went back and forth until he finds his mojo and calls out, "I'm ready"
I introduce him, he brings the house down. All is good.
We had a young guy in the show called Ahmad Popol, a refugee from Afghanistan, He was a good kid that hung around the gym and loved to compete. He was about 120lbs. So we brought him out to pose with Greg who was agreat sport about it. As a promoter I was spruiking "The world's biggest bodybuilder meets the world's smallest bodybuilder!" The crowd loved it and we had a great show.
He was a nice guy and easy to work with, despite overheating, lacking confidence and being out of breath most of the time.
Man severe case of Bigorexia!
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the weird world of bodybuilding.
no wonder you claim to have tons of stories like these. BBs are fascinating human beings.
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Ok time for some more old pics that you would not have seen.
Munzer and Milos backstage somewhere on the road.
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Levrone ruling the stage. i think this may have been the day we got drinking after the prejudging. (See earlier story)
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Hey Tony,
Time for a coffee.....I was looking at all these photos thinking that I would like to sit down with you and put together a book for Dohertys with all these cool photos and comments from you through out..... I think everyone in OZ would want a copy of what you have... I know I do...
What u think?
Travis
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Milos looked awesome there. True pussyslayer looks
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Hey Tony,
Time for a coffee.....I was looking at all these photos thinking that I would like to sit down with you and put together a book for Dohertys with all these cool photos and comments from you through out..... I think everyone in OZ would want a copy of what you have... I know I do...
What u think?
Travis
What do I think?
I think you're right, it is time for a coffee.
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Cool ass pic of Milos
What a cool guy, I'll always remember when I met him
such a positive and confident man
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Great Kovacs story.
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97 was the year of Kovacs,I remember reading about him in flex with him on the cover haha kovacs was a freakin Monster! Thanks Tony!
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So here is a little story and a tribute to Kovaks.
The first time I met Greg was in Buffalo New York, I had traveled there with Sonny for his pro debut. It was the old Niagara Falls Pro show and I got to MC it, so it was a very memorable show for me. There were guys there from the WWF representing Vince McMahon and trying to steal talent from the IFBB ranks. They talked briefly to Sonny, a giant Samoan would have been a huge draw for them. He wasn't interested as he had waited his whole career to turn pro and was over the moon to be a part of the IFBB.
This huge kid from Canada came and introduced himself, he loved Sonny's physique and declared himself a fan. Sonny was rapt as he had only been there one day and didn't have a big fan base. This kid was Greg Kovacs who talked about his dream of turning pro one day. It wasn't until years later that Greg was the biggest bodybuilder on the planet, that he reminded us of that meeting all those years ago.
When I had him guest posing in Melbourne in '97 he was huge, the first 400lber, made famous by those Muscletech adverts. I remember a few things from the tour. He had his wife Kim with him, she fussed over him like nothing I had ever seen. Greg was a real sweater and when he ate would sweat up a treat. As soon as head would bead up on the forehead she would go into a panic "Greg, Greg, wait up, wait up, oh Greg" She would tear into his bag and out with a towel to wipe his brow and a little portable battery operated fan. She would sit there holding the fan and wiping his brow until he was done eating. From memory, she even chopped up his food and would have spoon fed it to him if required.
I remember going backstage to get him to come out and pose. I knocked on his change room door loudly, "Hey Greg, your on, lets do it!" No answer, again I knocked, "Hey Greg, your on, lets go!" I hear a muffled reply, "I'll be out soon". So this goes on for about 10 minutes, still he won't come out. So I went into my change room adjacent to his and put my ear to the wall to hear what the fuck was going on. It went something like this, "Kimmy I feel small, they're going to laugh at me, I don't want to go out there." Kim was reassuring him, "Greg, you're the biggest guy they have ever seen, they will love you, c'mon you can do it." This went back and forth until he finds his mojo and calls out, "I'm ready"
I introduce him, he brings the house down. All is good.
We had a young guy in the show called Ahmad Popol, a refugee from Afghanistan, He was a good kid that hung around the gym and loved to compete. He was about 120lbs. So we brought him out to pose with Greg who was agreat sport about it. As a promoter I was spruiking "The world's biggest bodybuilder meets the world's smallest bodybuilder!" The crowd loved it and we had a great show.
He was a nice guy and easy to work with, despite overheating, lacking confidence and being out of breath most of the time.
perkele i missed this post. Really entertaining to read lol. Cant belive that a guy like kovacs at that time feels small. More of storys like this td. Awesome thread.
How was milos? He gets alot of shit here but i never understood why, people that have met him all say he had a really good attitude.
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Milos a good guy true his wife took him for some change, but had to get out of town or go to jail bottom line.
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Milos a good guy true his wife took him for some change, but had to get out of town or go to jail bottom line.
yeah to bad, he seemed to enjoyed his life with the gym and weider contract he had before the paul chua incident etc.
Dobt understand why people dont like him here..he was by far one of the posters here that gave the best advices and tips
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Watched a qualifier today on channel 5 (in the UK) for the WSM 2013 from Australia,and in a couple of clips the guys were wearing Dohertys gym t shirts.Worldwide fame now Tony.
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Watched a qualifier today on channel 5 (in the UK) for the WSM 2013 from Australia,and in a couple of clips the guys were wearing Dohertys gym t shirts.Worldwide fame now Tony.
It is always a buzz to see my brand worldwide. In fact about 20% of our eBay sales are international now. Lately we have been getting a lot of enquiries about doing gyms around the world.
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flex was narrow as fuck but compared to heath, his hipbones were even narrower that's why it still looks good
Flex looks like gym rat with years of gh abise showing on face, in a good way.
How tall is he exactly?
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It is always a buzz to see my brand worldwide. In fact about 20% of our eBay sales are international now. Lately we have been getting a lot of enquiries about doing gyms around the world.
TD
when are you bringing back some proper happy pants with the Dohertys logo?
, you know the 90's style happy pants
they were excellent to wear and train in
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TD
when are you bringing back some proper happy pants with the Dohertys logo?
, you know the 90's style happy pants
they were excellent to wear and train in
Haha, never!
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Flex looks like gym rat with years of gh abise showing on face, in a good way.
How tall is he exactly?
5' 10"! Gym Rat with GH abuse wtf does that mean?
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5' 10"! Gym Rat with GH abuse wtf does that mean?
I agree, weird comment.
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Yeah Buddy!
Greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.)
looked/looks terrible
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i dont understand how many ppl consider ronnie the greatest of all time with his more than one clear weakness!!.. so the best physique in the history of mankind was with no calves and had gyno??.. abs shape too was not good..
sure his overall package makes him one of the best ever but not the very best or the second best at least..
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what a fantastic thread! I want more more more!
;D
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i dont understand how many ppl consider ronnie the greatest of all time with his more than one clear weakness!!.. so the best physique in the history of mankind was with no calves and had gyno??.. abs shape too was not good..
sure his overall package makes him one of the best ever but not the very best or the second best at least..
I GUESS FROM THE SHEER/CONDITIONED.FREAKY MASS...LEGS,CHEST,BACK,ARMS
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I agree, weird comment.
I meant flex looks goopd now and healthy.
You guys remember a video where ray bashed flex for suggesting to quit bbing after stopping to compete. Sugar ray ended up doing that and wheeler even after all the time in the hospital looks like he still got it in.
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i dont understand how many ppl consider ronnie the greatest of all time with his more than one clear weakness!!.. so the best physique in the history of mankind was with no calves and had gyno??.. abs shape too was not good..
sure his overall package makes him one of the best ever but not the very best or the second best at least..
Easily , most professional wins and tied for most Olympia wins , duh ???
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Easily , most professional wins and tied for most Olympia wins , duh ???
this is in case we are talking about the best record not the best physique.. for example jay cutler's career record is much better than flex wheeler's,.. does this mean he his physique is better!!!..
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Let me clear this up before it turns into a full on 200 page debate.
Ronnie Coleman is the best bodybuilder of our time. He took his physique further with size, condition and freaky mass than anyone else. Every other pro I have ever spoken to holds him in awe and agrees that no one else even came close.
I remember interviewing Ronnie in 2005 and i asked him would he or anyone else beat his 2003 version, he just laughed and said, "Nope, not even me"
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Let me clear this up before it turns into a full on 200 page debate.
Ronnie Coleman is the best bodybuilder of our time. He took his physique further with size, condition and freaky mass than anyone else. Every other pro I have ever spoken to holds him in awe and agrees that no one else even came close.
I remember interviewing Ronnie in 2005 and i asked him would he or anyone else beat his 2003 version, he just laughed and said, "Nope, not even me"
I remember watching a BSN promo video interview of Ronnie.
Real humble guy when he mentions that god has a place for everyone and how his failure in a lot of other career pursuits led to him becoming a great bber.
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Let me clear this up before it turns into a full on 200 page debate.
Ronnie Coleman is the best bodybuilder of our time. He took his physique further with size, condition and freaky mass than anyone else. Every other pro I have ever spoken to holds him in awe and agrees that no one else even came close.
I remember interviewing Ronnie in 2005 and i asked him would he or anyone else beat his 2003 version, he just laughed and said, "Nope, not even me"
wont argue more about this in order not to ruin your good thread but imho the freakiest physique ever is something and the best ever is another thing.. for me the best physique EVER must be at least complete with no clear weak points..
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wont argue more about this in order not to ruin your good thread but imho the freakiest physique ever is something and the best ever is another thing.. for me the best physique EVER must be at least complete with no clear weak points..
So who ever had no weak points?
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this is in case we are talking about the best record not the best physique.. for example jay cutler's career record is much better than flex wheeler's,.. does this mean he his physique is better!!!..
You said you couldn't grasp how he is considered the Greatest of All Time , NOT that he has the greatest physique of all time. I definitely don't feel he has the best physique of all time but no denying the record.
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You said you couldn't grasp how he is considered the Greatest of All Time , NOT that he has the greatest physique of all time. I definitely don't feel he has the best physique of all time but no denying the record.
so we both agree on the same thing and this saves the thread ;D
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So who ever had no weak points?
i think lee labrada had a pretty much complete physique
no glaring weakness
everything symmetrical and balanced
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i think lee labrada had a pretty much complete physique
no glaring weakness
everything symmetrical and balanced
he will tell you he was small and so.. even if we shall select a huge guy with a freaky condition to be the best ever i see dorian (before his biceps injury) and lee hany both above ronnie.. dorian in 93 was very complete.. lee haney was close to perfection at his very best.. some ppl say his arms and legs were somehow small but i dont see them this way,.. yes a little overpowered by his back and chest but still good and can't be considered real weak points.. same thing can be said about dorian's shoulders and chest being overpowered by his back because we are talking about the best back ever and they still looked good enough to go with it.. these can't be real weak points like in ronnie's case..
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Frank Zane and Samir come to mind as having no glaring weaknesses.
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Frank Zane and Samir come to mind as having no glaring weaknesses.
I'd add Bob Paris to this list
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Watched your Max Muscle show yesterday on Aurora. Great story on that fella in his 50' , Aussie fella originally from Finland.
Inspirational.
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So who ever had no weak points?
1993 Yates is about as close as it gets.
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Any more stories Tony? How about feeding the pro's on diets when they come to a show?
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this is a great thread!!!!
would love to hear more from Tony!!!!
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Any more stories Tony? How about feeding the pro's on diets when they come to a show?
So what I do every year is have food waiting for the pros when they land. Australian customs does not allow any food through, so we have to be ready. I learned a long time back that the easiest way to deal with dieting athletes is to make clean food available and easy to access. The days they arrive we have chicken fillets, lean steak, turkey, fish grilled fresh with no additives. We have steamed rice, sweet potato and greens ready to go. Then I put them in serviced apartments rather than a hotel, that way they have full kitchens in every room, a stove, fridge, pots and pans etc. There is a 24 hour supermarket right across from my main gym so it works well.
The most I have ever seen anybody eat is Kai, he can put down more protein a single meal than anyone I have ever met.
Strangest request was Craig Titus who needed 12 cans of regular full sugar coke to have after competing to rehydrate.
Chris Cormier and Dexter both ate Thai chilli chicken, full of salt and Asian sauces and still won the show, so much for clean food!
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ok Tony.......I have several questions for you.
How many pro shows have you mced?
what is your favorite exercise in the gym?
what was titus like when you were around him?
what else did dex and cormier eat while they were in Australia?
how did you get involved in promoting bbing shows?
thanks in advance.
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ok Tony.......I have several questions for you.
How many pro shows have you mced?
Pro shows About 20-25 in Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK and India
Amateur over 100
what is your favorite exercise in the gym?
Don't really have a favourite exercise, just love training and try to do something every day
what was titus like when you were around him?
He was pretty cool around but I could see something simmering below the surface, I will tell some stories later. Having said that he was a stand up guy and proved that to me on a few occasions.
what else did dex and cormier eat while they were in Australia?
Pretty much anything they wanted, not really diet food which was funny cause they always beat the guys that were stressing about clean food.
how did you get involved in promoting bbing shows?
Long story, will tell that one later.
thanks in advance.
Cool, keep the questions coming
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what is your daily diet like?
what do you like pre workout?
what do you like post workout?
who is your favorite bber of all time?
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We had Rick Flair in at our City Gym about 2-3 years ago.
I had instructed my staff that the Hulk Hogan wrestling show was in town, so if any of them came in they were to be looked after. This usually involves free training and a couple of Doherty's Gym tee shirts etc.
So in walks Rick Flair that night, tanned up, peroxide blond hair, looking very Hollywood and the young guy at the desk had no idea in the world who he was. Young David charged him the $10 casual fee and sold him a couple of tees. While he was training someone came out to David and said, "Hey that's pretty cool, Rick Flair is training here" So David called me a bit rattled not knowing what to do. When he had finished training he sheepishly apologized and refunded his money for the clothes and workout. Rick was really cool and laughed it off.
From then on I called out "Whooo" every time I saw David, who unfortunately was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident a little while later at just 21.
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what is your daily diet like?
what do you like pre workout?
what do you like post workout?
who is your favorite bber of all time?
1. My daily diet is pretty basic. I eat 3 times on average.
Meal 1 Grilled chicked, 3 poached eggs, feta and a slice of sourdough toast.
Meal 2 Grilled chicken salad, avacado, lettuce, chicken and feta.
Meal 3 Steak and white rice
Sometimes I have a shake before bed, maybe 2-3 times a week.
2. I train on an empty stomach, all I have is 2 strong Italian coffees, I get up at 5 or 6 and seldom eat before 9AM.
3. Post workout is meal one, see above. I sip water and BCAAs while I train.
4. Favourite bodybuilder. That's a difficult one.
Inspiration = Arnold He was the first bodybuilder I ever saw on TV and it changed my destiny in an instant.
Old Timer = Sergio I thought he was incredible, just years ahead of his time.
Best I have seen = Ronnie, seriously no one comes even close to his level and probably wont for many years to come.
Best mate = Chris Cormier, my biggest supporter when no one else believed in my vision. Friend for life.
Best company = Phil Heath, he loves talking good shit. We hardly ever discuss bodybuilding, which is so refreshing. We talk about family, cars, sport, life, fast cars, custom cars, more cars. Cool fucker all the way.
Most interesting = Kai, he is possibly the most talented human I have ever met. I cant say more here but this guy has a lot to offer the world. Spend quality time with Kai and you will walk away a better person.
Genetic freak = Kevin, dude is from another planet. I still believe he could get in ridiculous shape and shake it all up.
Hardest working = Dorian, he won by grit, discipline and using everyone elses weaknesses as his fuel. Did it all on his own terms, period!
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1. My daily diet is pretty basic. I eat 3 times on average.
Meal 1 Grilled chicked, 3 poached eggs, feta and a slice of sourdough toast.
Meal 2 Grilled chicken salad, avacado, lettuce, chicken and feta.
Meal 3 Steak and white rice
Sometimes I have a shake before bed, maybe 2-3 times a week.
2. I train on an empty stomach, all I have is 2 strong Italian coffees, I get up at 5 or 6 and seldom eat before 9AM.
3. Post workout is meal one, see above. I sip water and BCAAs while I train.
4. Favourite bodybuilder. That's a difficult one.
Inspiration = Arnold He was the first bodybuilder I ever saw on TV and it changed my destiny in an instant.
Old Timer = Sergio I thought he was incredible, just years ahead of his time.
Best I have seen = Ronnie, seriously no one comes even close to his level and probably wont for many years to come.
Best mate = Chris Cormier, my biggest supporter when no one else believed in my vision. Friend for life.
Best company = Phil Heath, he loves talking good shit. We hardly ever discuss bodybuilding, which is so refreshing. We talk about family, cars, sport, life, fast cars, custom cars, more cars. Cool fucker all the way.
Most interesting = Kai, he is possibly the most talented human I have ever met. I cant say more here but this guy has a lot to offer the world. Spend quality time with Kai and you will walk away a better person.
Genetic freak = Kevin, dude is from another planet. I still believe he could get in ridiculous shape and shake it all up.
Hardest working = Dorian, he won by grit, discipline and using everyone elses weaknesses as his fuel. Did it all on his own terms, period!
TOP NOTCH POST TONY...
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Dorian was great, I liked him, but felt bad that he never really revealed his diet, contest prep or drug use. I heard from my trainer Ron Love that he was very very disciplined with his diet no matter what. Were you around him at the time and do you remember what he ate?
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Dorian was great, I liked him, but felt bad that he never really revealed his diet, contest prep or drug use. I heard from my trainer Ron Love that he was very very disciplined with his diet no matter what. Were you around him at the time and do you remember what he ate?
ya, that would have been interesting to know.
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Dorian was great, I liked him, but felt bad that he never really revealed his diet, contest prep or drug use. I heard from my trainer Ron Love that he was very very disciplined with his diet no matter what. Were you around him at the time and do you remember what he ate?
any story about ron love?
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Dorian was great, I liked him, but felt bad that he never really revealed his diet, contest prep or drug use. I heard from my trainer Ron Love that he was very very disciplined with his diet no matter what. Were you around him at the time and do you remember what he ate?
Dorian's discipline was his greatest strength. I remember interviewing him back then and I asked how he kept beating the genetic freaks like Flex Wheeler, Levrone etc. His answer was simple. it went something like this.
"While they are missing workouts and having days off, I'm training even harder. When they cheat on their diet I go harder, when they go out and party, I grab an early night. You see I know they are weaker than me and that what allows me to beat them"
I had Dorian guest posing at a show 3 weeks after his first Olympia win, he was eating tuna straight out of a can, I asked why he was doing that, his reply revealed what a decent man he was. "those people have paid to see me and I wouldn't want to rip them off."
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Dorian's discipline was his greatest strength. I remember interviewing him back then and I asked how he kept beating the genetic freaks like Flex Wheeler, Levrone etc. His answer was simple. it went something like this.
"While they are missing workouts and having days off, I'm training even harder. When they cheat on their diet I go harder, when they go out and party, I grab an early night. You see I know they are weaker than me and that what allows me to beat them"
I had Dorian guest posing at a show 3 weeks after his first Olympia win, he was eating tuna straight out of a can, I asked why he was doing that, his reply revealed what a decent man he was. "those people have paid to see me and I wouldn't want to rip them off."
YES kev and wheeler were genetic freaks,so was he mentally/physically not as pretty as them but that post said a lot about him.cool.he had an aura about him and he posed his body to his greates strengths,had some impressive signature poses.
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Dorian's discipline was his greatest strength. I remember interviewing him back then and I asked how he kept beating the genetic freaks like Flex Wheeler, Levrone etc. His answer was simple. it went something like this.
"While they are missing workouts and having days off, I'm training even harder. When they cheat on their diet I go harder, when they go out and party, I grab an early night. You see I know they are weaker than me and that what allows me to beat them"
I had Dorian guest posing at a show 3 weeks after his first Olympia win, he was eating tuna straight out of a can, I asked why he was doing that, his reply revealed what a decent man he was. "those people have paid to see me and I wouldn't want to rip them off."
1992 Australia I was there.
Yates walks out and there is silence for the first few seconds. Nobody could believe it.
That was the year he over dieted so two weeks after the show he had basically just filled out. He was very lean still and HUGE.
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1992 Australia I was there.
Yates walks out and there is silence for the first few seconds. Nobody could believe it.
That was the year he over dieted so two weeks after the show he had basically just filled out. He was very lean still and HUGE.
Yes I still remember that vividly, first time I have seen an audience shocked into silence.
I had always said that pics didn't do him justice, well that's what the audience found out that day.
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Great stuff Tony
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When Ron Love trained me, I spent another hour after pestering him with questions every single time ;D
He ate very clean year round and there was very little variation in his diet. Eggwhites, chicken and brocolli 6 times a day for example all prepacked in tupperware. I thought you are supposed to eat like that so when dieting I would eat very monotonous as well. Every day.
The fluctuations in his shape came from experimenting with different compounds, diuretics, etc.
Training was light weights, strict form, 15 sec breaks and it was gruesome. I was beat. A workout never lasted past 30 min. That was it.
He aslo taught me about cycles with just deca and equipoise. For a certain look. The only other time I ever heard someone promoting this stack was disgusted in his last radio interview. No wonder I think he is very good at what he does. He understands how certain compounds give you a certain look.
(http://i53.tinypic.com/11279mw.jpg)
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TD
thanks for answering all those questions
great info
do you have any pics of the Dorian guest pose from 92 you could please post up>?
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Tony great thread!
Regarding Sonny (RIP) I know you mentioned he ate a "high" carb diet and was always in great pre-contest shape-he and Milos were tight, do you think at that time they were using insulin?
They both trained with great volume and always said bodybuilders from the US were lazy and they both did not believe in over-training! I read in some older 90's mags and spoke to Milos in person several times... they used to do up to 25-30 sets for smaller body parts like arms-chest-shoulders and even more for back and legs...think genetics or 'supps' helped them with this diet-training protocol?
What about Lee Priest, he also was a higher volume guy when it came to workouts...and I also know he liked his sweets and junk food-even pre-contest!
Miss the shapes of de Mey, Paris, Labrada, Haney, Christian, Ray, Levrone, Cottrell, Clairmonte Sarcev and Philly's own Alq Gurley....to me these were the "Golden Ages of Bodybuilding." No offense to Yates, Cutler, Coleman, Heath, Wolfe and Greene. All of these guys also earn a great deal of respect for the "freakishness" they brought to the stage!
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Tony great thread!
Regarding Sonny (RIP) I know you mentioned he ate a "high" carb diet and was always in great pre-contest shape-he and Milos were tight, do you think at that time they were using insulin?
They both trained with great volume and always said bodybuilders from the US were lazy and they both did not believe in over-training! I read in some older 90's mags and spoke to Milos in person several times... they used to do up to 25-30 sets for smaller body parts like arms-chest-shoulders and even more for back and legs...think genetics or 'supps' helped them with this diet-training protocol?
What about Lee Priest, he also was a higher volume guy when it came to workouts...and I also know he liked his sweets and junk food-even pre-contest!
Miss the shapes of de Mey, Paris, Labrada, Haney, Christian, Ray, Levrone, Cottrell, Clairmonte Sarcev and Philly's own Alq Gurley....to me these were the "Golden Ages of Bodybuilding." No offense to Yates, Cutler, Coleman, Heath, Wolfe and Greene. All of these guys also earn a great deal of respect for the "freakishness" they brought to the stage!
I cant speak on behalf of Milos, however I think he has been pretty open about what he used on himself.
Sonny did not use insulin with Milos when they trained. To my knowledge he only used it for 2 days here, forgot to eat the second time and ended up in a coma. Fortunately he recovered fully and never used it again.
he just didn't need it.
In Sonny's first Olympia and had never seen HGH or anything exotic in his life. He used less than $1000 of "supps" that year and finished top 6. He just laughed about big dosages and budgets.
I have no idea what Lee did but I know he always trained very hard and did a lot of sets. I believe he will always train, he is a lifetime bodybuilder.
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Kick ass thread. Appreciation tits.
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Great thread Tony!!
This kind of stuff is great for re-enforcing the old drive to train hard.
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HEY TONY.......DID YOU EVER HAVE ROBBY ROBINSON OR ANDREAS CAHLING POSE AT YOUR SHOW?
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How is that badass pickup doin, you still have it.
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How is that badass pickup doin, you still have it.
Just gone in for repairs, I cooked the gear box.
Picking it up tomorrow.
1200nm of torque (whoops)
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Genetic freak = Kevin, dude is from another planet. I still believe he could get in ridiculous shape and shake it all up.
expand a bit more on this Tony
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TD
i heard a story about Levrone
i think it was the 2003 Oz Pro show he was totally drunk getting off the plane?
could barely stand??!!
also 2009 or 2010 pro show , the one Dexter jackson won- anyway apparently the story goes he and Melvin anthony were kicking up a stink about the serviced apartment you had arranged, they were wanting a 5 star hotel. they were making a big fuss, DJ was saying how could a mr O be treated that way.
true or not?
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TD
i heard a story about Levrone
i think it was the 2003 Oz Pro show he was totally drunk getting off the plane?
could barely stand??!!
also 2009 or 2010 pro show , the one Dexter jackson won- anyway apparently the story goes he and Melvin anthony were kicking up a stink about the serviced apartment you had arranged, they were wanting a 5 star hotel. they were making a big fuss, DJ was saying how could a mr O be treated that way.
true or not?
Levrone story, pretty true but had been unwell and alcohol made it worse. Had to put him on a drip between prejudging and finals to rehydrate him after he had been vomiting so much.
Melvin never kicked up a stink and Dexter likes 5 star everything. He wasn't fussed about serviced apartments like the others had. The others like it because they can cook clean food etc and it is a nice place, 4 star and very relaxed. Dexter can dry out on room service, so he preferred the Hilton. DJ had nothing to do with it.
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Is this true about Dorian? I seem to recall hearing a relatively recent interview w/ him where he said that he went literally years w/out cheating on his diet. He didn't really say what the diet was though. How is it in this day and age he's never been pinned down about this?
dorian revealed in his book that he typically ate 3500-3800 cals pre contest and 4500 cals offseason. got this info from his british heavy duty book.
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Tony did you ever hear of any pros talk about fertility or having kids? Dont have to mention names if you dont want but curious to know if the hear use has affected them.
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Mr Australia, Inflation, Melbourne, 1980. Photo: Rennie Ellis
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Mr Australia, Inflation, Melbourne, 1980. Photo: Rennie Ellis
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=493468.0;attach=556244;image)
looks like nassar enjoying himself in the audience
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When Ron Love trained me, I spent another hour after pestering him with questions every single time ;D
He ate very clean year round and there was very little variation in his diet. Eggwhites, chicken and brocolli 6 times a day for example all prepacked in tupperware. I thought you are supposed to eat like that so when dieting I would eat very monotonous as well. Every day.
The fluctuations in his shape came from experimenting with different compounds, diuretics, etc.
Training was light weights, strict form, 15 sec breaks and it was gruesome. I was beat. A workout never lasted past 30 min. That was it.
He aslo taught me about cycles with just deca and equipoise. For a certain look. The only other time I ever heard someone promoting this stack was disgusted in his last radio interview. No wonder I think he is very good at what he does. He understands how certain compounds give you a certain look.
(http://i53.tinypic.com/11279mw.jpg)
Very insightful, thanks for sharing
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You're welcome. I can also tell you about talking for 2 hours with Sonny Schmidt in 1995 while he was eating a steak on a slice of bread wrapped in toilet paper. That was so Romania post communism when the paper towels did not invade the market yet haha..
Met Charles Clairmonte at almost 280lbs and thought he was the biggest thing I have ever seen... pics don't do him justice.
In the same Powerhouse gym was training Stan Frydrych who won the +50 Master Mr Olympia... he taught me about the importance of red meat in the diet and gave me tips on what butcher to go to to get good deals. Also used deca a lot.. good guy Stan.
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You're welcome. I can also tell you about talking for 2 hours with Sonny Schmidt in 1995 while he was eating a steak on a slice of bread wrapped in toilet paper. That was so Romania post communism when the paper towels did not invade the market yet haha..
Met Charles Clairmonte at almost 280lbs and thought he was the biggest thing I have ever seen... pics don't do him justice.
In the same Powerhouse gym was training Stan Frydrych who won the +50 Master Mr Olympia... he taught me about the importance of red meat in the diet and gave me tips on what butcher to go to to get good deals. Also used deca a lot.. good guy Stan.
Never heard of Stan Frydrych till now. Impressive back then:
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Hey Tony,
Just caught Fat Tony and Co, ....
How much trobule did Sonny get in for being involved with that business?
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Hey Tony,
Just caught Fat Tony and Co, ....
How much trobule did Sonny get in for being involved with that business?
He got 5 years. Got released when he was very ill and died within days. It was very sad. He kept complaining about this lump under his arm and shoulder to prison authorities. They just kept saying it was an old injury to get over it. By the time he was diagnosed properly, November 29th it was an advanced cancer that had got into his lungs. He died on Jan 25th, just 7 weeks later. I was visiting him in the prison hospital the day he got his diagnosis and he knew he was fucked. When they tipped him out with just days to live, they didn't even give him proper pain relief. We had to go to a mission to get morphine to comfort him as he died.
Saddest fucking time I can remember. He has been gone for 10 years.
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Tony did you ever hear of any pros talk about fertility or having kids? Dont have to mention names if you dont want but curious to know if the hear use has affected them.
Never been much discussion but over and over top pros have had healthy kids, so I don't think it seems to be a factor. Ronnie has about 8 kids so that kind of sets the subject straight.
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He got 5 years. Got released when he was very ill and died within days. It was very sad. He kept complaining about this lump under his arm and shoulder to prison authorities. They just kept saying it was an old injury to get over it. By the time he was diagnosed properly, November 29th it was an advanced cancer that had got into his lungs. He died on Jan 25th, just 7 weeks later. I was visiting him in the prison hospital the day he got his diagnosis and he knew he was fucked. When they tipped him out with just days to live, they didn't even give him proper pain relief. We had to go to a mission to get morphine to comfort him as he died.
Saddest fucking time I can remember. He has been gone for 10 years.
tony very sad indeed :-\,,u must have been great friend to him.
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He got 5 years. Got released when he was very ill and died within days. It was very sad. He kept complaining about this lump under his arm and shoulder to prison authorities. They just kept saying it was an old injury to get over it. By the time he was diagnosed properly, November 29th it was an advanced cancer that had got into his lungs. He died on Jan 25th, just 7 weeks later. I was visiting him in the prison hospital the day he got his diagnosis and he knew he was fucked. When they tipped him out with just days to live, they didn't even give him proper pain relief. We had to go to a mission to get morphine to comfort him as he died.
Saddest fucking time I can remember. He has been gone for 10 years.
Never knew that... how sad. Met Sonny a few times during his heyday... seemed like a very decent man.
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cool pics,thanks for sharing them.i really like the old school pics
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Charles Clairmonte definitely owned one of the best physiques of all time!!!
some of the finest arms in the history of bodybuilding!!
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He got 5 years. Got released when he was very ill and died within days. It was very sad. He kept complaining about this lump under his arm and shoulder to prison authorities. They just kept saying it was an old injury to get over it. By the time he was diagnosed properly, November 29th it was an advanced cancer that had got into his lungs. He died on Jan 25th, just 7 weeks later. I was visiting him in the prison hospital the day he got his diagnosis and he knew he was fucked. When they tipped him out with just days to live, they didn't even give him proper pain relief. We had to go to a mission to get morphine to comfort him as he died.
Saddest fucking time I can remember. He has been gone for 10 years.
Didn't knew that story. May he rest in peace now.
Thanks for sharing.
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Tony, how did they get away with that? The prison doctor must have had an obligation to at least follow up with routine tests...his family would just about have a case for a law suit I would imagine...
Long time ago now, but still shocking at best...
There were pics of him on our gym wall in NZ...right down in the deep south!.....he came for a visit a few years before I got into the gym..."Powerdome" good gym name:)
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This photograph is from March 1994, interviewing the great Flex Wheeler at the IFBB Southern States show. The reason this is significant to me is that it was this night that I announced that Doherty’s Gym was going to open in Brunswick 2 weeks later on April 8th. Which means that it is 20 years ago today that it all really started for me.
I knew that this was my last shot at it, as I had nothing and owed about $200,000 which was loaded against my parents home. They had backed me from day one and I had let them and everyone close to me down. I had pissed it away and partied like a rockstar, thinking I was shit hot. Thinking I was bulletproof, a success in my own mind. Truth is, I was delusional, dazed and way, way ahead of myself.
I opened the doors on April 8th without a single member, no staff, no money in my pocket, nothing in the bank. I had no idea how I would get through the first week, let alone the first year. I just waited for someone to come in and train and after a few hours, a young couple came in and joined up. That first day I had about 10 people come in but no one else joined. This went on for a while and I just kept at it. Kept showing up, day after day, week after week.
The first year I sold everything to keep the doors open, house, cars, furniture, you name it, I lost it. The phone or power got cut every month, at least. I had no where to live and no car, all I had was a vertical grill and a rice cooker. I slept on the couch at the gym for that first 12 months, I would get up in the morning and walk up to the main road to get a paper and a coffee. This way it looked like I had actually come from somewhere. Then I would walk to the gym to open up at 6AM. I would work through to 9 or 10PM, most days on my own until everyone had left, once again I would lock up and pretend to head home until everyone had gone, then sneak back and let myself back in.
I developed a saying that I still use to this day. “Don’t worry about what you can’t do, worry about what you can do.” So with that in mind, when I couldn’t afford to buy new equipment, I would buy a can of paint. When no one came in, I would move everything in the gym. I would dust, clean, re-arrange everything. After a while, people would come in and say, “Hey you are always doing something.” That inspired me more, I thought if people come in and I’m sitting around or complaining, they will pick up on that crap energy. If they come in and I’m busy, they will know I care.
Slowly I started to straighten myself out, killed the ego, got back into heavy training, lost the ponytail and kicked myself until I got up and about. I realise now, how far I had fallen and how close I came to falling through the cracks. I knew that from then on, I would give life everything I had. By that I mean, I made a deal with myself that I would never have regret, or die wondering. No more excuses, no blaming others, no turning back.
I’m writing this for anyone doubting themselves. Anyone thinking about giving up, or thinking they don’t deserve success. For the ones out there that have made stupid mistakes and bad choices. For everyone that has been told they are no good, everyone that has been written off and laughed at. You must never quit, never give in, never let the doubters wear you down. You gotta be tough, you have to stop worrying about what others think. You have to find it within yourself. You have to hold your head up high and stay humble, no matter what, you have to grind. You have to get up every day and attack it like it is your last day, your last chance. When you put you head down at night, you have to know you did everything today, that you could to move forward. Sometimes it will seem fruitless, useless and slow. That is when you dig in harder, you must trust the process, trust yourself and most of all believe in yourself, I mean deep down inside where no one else dwells, that’s where you have to believe in yourself.
Grind hard - Don’t quit!
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NICE STORY..ALL THE BEST..YOU LIVED YOUR DREAM OR CLOSE TO IT ..
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GREAT POST TONY.......I LOVE YOUR PASSION!!
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NICE STORY..ALL THE BEST..YOU LIVED YOUR DREAM OR CLOSE TO IT ..
what he said. really like your stories
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Lol nice story. People that have met benfatto all say he is a nice guy thst tskes his time to talk to the fans...thst pic of him is unreal. Thats how they should look
I met and talked with Benfatto in the mid 90's at World Gym in Venice. Very humble and truly a nice guy. Definitely an inspiration.
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Looks like someone punked Kevin Levrone on Wikipedia.
Nice filmography listed ha ha
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This photograph is from March 1994, interviewing the great Flex Wheeler at the IFBB Southern States show. The reason this is significant to me is that it was this night that I announced that Doherty’s Gym was going to open in Brunswick 2 weeks later on April 8th. Which means that it is 20 years ago today that it all really started for me.
I knew that this was my last shot at it, as I had nothing and owed about $200,000 which was loaded against my parents home. They had backed me from day one and I had let them and everyone close to me down. I had pissed it away and partied like a rockstar, thinking I was shit hot. Thinking I was bulletproof, a success in my own mind. Truth is, I was delusional, dazed and way, way ahead of myself.
I opened the doors on April 8th without a single member, no staff, no money in my pocket, nothing in the bank. I had no idea how I would get through the first week, let alone the first year. I just waited for someone to come in and train and after a few hours, a young couple came in and joined up. That first day I had about 10 people come in but no one else joined. This went on for a while and I just kept at it. Kept showing up, day after day, week after week.
The first year I sold everything to keep the doors open, house, cars, furniture, you name it, I lost it. The phone or power got cut every month, at least. I had no where to live and no car, all I had was a vertical grill and a rice cooker. I slept on the couch at the gym for that first 12 months, I would get up in the morning and walk up to the main road to get a paper and a coffee. This way it looked like I had actually come from somewhere. Then I would walk to the gym to open up at 6AM. I would work through to 9 or 10PM, most days on my own until everyone had left, once again I would lock up and pretend to head home until everyone had gone, then sneak back and let myself back in.
I developed a saying that I still use to this day. “Don’t worry about what you can’t do, worry about what you can do.” So with that in mind, when I couldn’t afford to buy new equipment, I would buy a can of paint. When no one came in, I would move everything in the gym. I would dust, clean, re-arrange everything. After a while, people would come in and say, “Hey you are always doing something.” That inspired me more, I thought if people come in and I’m sitting around or complaining, they will pick up on that crap energy. If they come in and I’m busy, they will know I care.
Slowly I started to straighten myself out, killed the ego, got back into heavy training, lost the ponytail and kicked myself until I got up and about. I realise now, how far I had fallen and how close I came to falling through the cracks. I knew that from then on, I would give life everything I had. By that I mean, I made a deal with myself that I would never have regret, or die wondering. No more excuses, no blaming others, no turning back.
I’m writing this for anyone doubting themselves. Anyone thinking about giving up, or thinking they don’t deserve success. For the ones out there that have made stupid mistakes and bad choices. For everyone that has been told they are no good, everyone that has been written off and laughed at. You must never quit, never give in, never let the doubters wear you down. You gotta be tough, you have to stop worrying about what others think. You have to find it within yourself. You have to hold your head up high and stay humble, no matter what, you have to grind. You have to get up every day and attack it like it is your last day, your last chance. When you put you head down at night, you have to know you did everything today, that you could to move forward. Sometimes it will seem fruitless, useless and slow. That is when you dig in harder, you must trust the process, trust yourself and most of all believe in yourself, I mean deep down inside where no one else dwells, that’s where you have to believe in yourself.
Grind hard - Don’t quit!
great stuff TD
keep up the great work, you deserve all your success
you should bring back the pony tail ! ;D
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Kick ass thread. Appreciation tits.
Luckiest movile phone on the planet.
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I have been on the road the last 2 weeks, MC at Arnold Classic in Rio then up to Pittsburgh to interview everyone for www.npcnewsonline. Off to Birmingham this week for BodyPower Expo and then I will get this thread back on track.
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He got 5 years. Got released when he was very ill and died within days. It was very sad. He kept complaining about this lump under his arm and shoulder to prison authorities. They just kept saying it was an old injury to get over it. By the time he was diagnosed properly, November 29th it was an advanced cancer that had got into his lungs. He died on Jan 25th, just 7 weeks later. I was visiting him in the prison hospital the day he got his diagnosis and he knew he was fucked. When they tipped him out with just days to live, they didn't even give him proper pain relief. We had to go to a mission to get morphine to comfort him as he died.
Saddest fucking time I can remember. He has been gone for 10 years.
used to see him train at Venice. Big guy w great shape. I remember him n Flex sitting on one of those tables that have the metal legs that fold down. U see them now made out plastic. Anyway we all know those tables aren't the sturdiest. They were both sitting on the table under a tent at the Redondo beach performing arts center at the maybe 91? Iron man pro. I thot for sure the table was gonna snap. This was back in the day wen Shawn was bitching that the iffb xray Flex' calves for implants. Shawn must notta know about synthol back then I guess. Anyway they were both in spandex looking like things from another planet.
But guess who the hit of the whole show was? Some huge unknown mf'er strolling around in a pink izod shirt. His name was Paul Dillet.
Btw, first time I ever saw Paul I was driving to the Mecca n was coming down the road where the brick house or wutever the f its called is. Almost to intersection by Mecca n this giant with shoulders n arms like I've never seen is walking down the road. I almost wreck my car. This was back wen Venice was crawling w the best n he stood out. That's wen he first started working out there.
Months later my gf kept said she hated that guy cuz he kept hitting on her.
Good ol days for sure.
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keep the stories coming......please!
very good material here!!
looking forward to more blasts from the past!
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+1
Thanks (merci) :)
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I got much more, just been busy. Who do you want to hear about?
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I got much more, just been busy. Who do you want to hear about?
random funny storys you witnessrd or heard involving famous bodybuilders
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I got much more, just been busy. Who do you want to hear about?
BENFATTO/LABRADA
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BENFATTO/LABRADA
x2
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Great thread Tony, keep those pics coming! I trained at the first Golds Gym in Florida for years, Golds Gym in Sunrise Florida! The owner Ken Beley was good friends with Grymko! He told me all kinds of stories about him how he loved to party, said he was a great guy! Never got to meet him though! Saw Grymko in the 1980 Pro Florida Show! He got 4th place he was the biggest guy onstage!
Trained there a few times in the late 80s
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On tour with Nasser late 90s.
Nasser was a great guest and very funny even if it was at the expense of everyone else. He hung shit on just about every other pro and although it could seem he was full of hate, a lot of it was tongue in cheek. He would would tell the most incredible and unbelievable stories of the other pros. Sometimes I think he would just see how far he could go before you knew he was bullshitting.
He also had a kind side that he didn't like anyone to see. We went to this restaurant on Sydney Road one night, it was Nepalese from memory and a family was working very hard to keep the doors open. They had the Dad cooking, the Mum serving and a few little kids out the back on broken furniture and on the floor watching a tiny little TV. You could see they were doing it hard and basically had nothing. When we were leaving Nasser said he had forgotten something and went back inside. I watched through the window as he handed over a couple of hundred bucks to the Mum. He came outside and never said a word about it. I thought that showed a lot of class.
Another time in a different restaurant, much more upmarket, we got really bad service. One of us complained when the food came out cold or undercooked or something. Nasser quickly paid the bill and said we are leaving, convinced that chefs spit in your food if ever you complain. With a dead pan, straight face, he warned me to always leave a restaurant in this situation, no exceptions.
On one tour, we had had quite a few bottles of beer on the last night, we had an early start and I dropped him off at the hotel late in the night. After a few hours I returned to get him to the airport. I was exhausted, hungover and just made it out of bed. There he was as fresh as could be, no hangover, all packed up and waiting at the front. When we got to the airport he handed me a big envelope full of 8 X 10 pictures that he had been selling on the tour. He had stayed up and signed every one of them, maybe 50-60. Some he even had left a message like, "Train Hard ............. Your friend, Nasser" leaving blank spaces for their names. When I asked him what they were for, he said "please give them out to the fans that coould not afford to come to the show"
He could be cutting with his opinions and stories but then had this kindness that I have seldom seen.
RIP Nasser.
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thanks for these great pics and stories about Nasser Tony
i have heard of many similar stories of nasser's kindness and generosity from other fans
great thread TD and keep it going!
Nasser was kind, humorous, so intelligent...a man so misunderstood. He will always be the uncrowned champion. His legacy will live on forever.
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BENFATTO/LABRADA
I cant tell you too much about Labrada, except that when he competed in the Olympia in Finland, he blew my mind. See I had always thought of him as a little guy. In fact I didn't rate him at all. When he walked out and matched it with Dorian and Kevin I was shocked. Dude was wide, thick and skinless. After that I really rated him as one of the best. Always pleasant to talk to at shows and expos.
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Benfatto was a really nice guy but absolutely bat crazy at contest time. When he came into Australia he had enough prescription sleeping tabs for about 3 years. He got caught at customs and his defense was that they were available over the counter at home in South Africa and it made good financial sense to buy in bulk.
At the 2006 Australian Grand Prix a mate of mine came home from the casino as drunk as hell at about 2:30 in the morning. Staggering back to the contest hotel, he could see a disheveled figure doing laps of the perimeter of the hotel in the distance. We he got closer he could see the guy had on slippers and a dressing gown and was walking with great purpose and fury.
Yep, Francis, getting in some last minute cardio the night before the big show.
Whatever he did, he had better condition at 48 than most people have in their life. A great guest and a funny, humble man.
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Tony did you ever meet Bob Paris? what was he like? always loved his Modern Steve Reeves like shape..
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THANKS FOR LABRADA/BENFATTO..
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GREAT STUFF TONY.....MUCH APPRECIATED!!!
EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT BOB PARIS!
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(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=493468.0;attach=568236;image)
Awesome shot....you don`t see builds like these anymore. :(
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great stories, best bodybuilding decades of my life where 80,s n 90,s, great times
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Tony did you ever meet Bob Paris? what was he like? always loved his Modern Steve Reeves like shape..
I had Bob Paris in Melbourne back in 1989 when we had an Australian Pro. He placed 3rd behind Strydom and Robbie Robinson. Was very quiet and easy to work with but did not really get to know him. No stories sorry.
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How about Mike Quinn, Tony? Ever had any dealings with him back in the day?
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How about Mike Quinn, Tony? Ever had any dealings with him back in the day?
That is the one pro I do not know and have had nothing to do with.
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I had Bob Paris in Melbourne back in 1989 when we had an Australian Pro. He placed 3rd behind Strydom and Robbie Robinson. Was very quiet and easy to work with but did not really get to know him. No stories sorry.
thanks Tony. Great thread.
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Any stories about The Wingett brothers? What about guy Grundys calves? I remember Louie's calves were implants in 93 weren't they? I also hung out a few times with Sonny and he was awesome, never seen calves like his. Great thread Tony. Thank you.
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Tony, are you working at the Sydney comp in September? Or the Qld one is OCT?
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That is the one pro I do not know and have had nothing to do with.
Thanks anyway mate - and thanks for the thread. Great reading.
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(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=493468.0;attach=568236;image)
Awesome shot....you don`t see builds like these anymore. :(
exactly right!!! labrada looks like a statue there!!!
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I had Bob Paris in Melbourne back in 1989 when we had an Australian Pro. He placed 3rd behind Strydom and Robbie Robinson. Was very quiet and easy to work with but did not really get to know him. No stories sorry.
how did bob look when he was in oz?
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Here is a random story. Around 1995 in our Union St Gym, we had a guy who fancied himself a fair bit. He was a self titled Maui Thai champion. A Filipino that thought he was an American Indian and with an Irish name. One day he challenged Sonny's brother Pale to a spar. He instructed Pale that he would show him a thing or two about speed, skill and fighting power. Now Sonny's whole family could fight and were bought up in the family's traveling boxing tent, so had fought since they were kids. Pale had serious skill and could fight like 10 men, he had the most accurate left hook that I have ever seen. He had completely double jointed hands, every knuckle, the whole bit. Just before he launched his best shots, he would squeeze both his fists at once and they would crack like a bad back. So Paddy comes in throwing kicks and punches everywhere, showboating and showing off like a pro. Pale swayed, leaned, laughed, cracked his hands and let go a left hook that started at his hips. He hits this guy so hard the whites of his eyes were blood red before he hit the ground, out cold! Once were realised he wasn't dead we laughed so hard that it hurt. Good times.
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Haha to bad no one didnt filmed it
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TD
did you have much to do with Grant Clemesha from west australia?
i heard that he was a real arrogant douchebag in the gym and a real bully when he trained @ Worlds Gym in south perth
but when this twink random guy challenged him to step outside because Grant started using the bench the random guy was already using, Grant pussied out
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TD
did you have much to do with Grant Clemesha from west australia?
i heard that he was a real arrogant douchebag in the gym and a real bully when he trained @ Worlds Gym in south perth
but when this twink random guy challenged him to step outside because Grant started using the bench the random guy was already using, Grant pussied out
I always found him to be a stand up dude. He was a fucking good bodybuilder winning his pro card at 116kg (255lb) I honestly never heard anyone call him arrogant or a douchebag. Pity he did not keep at it, might have been a good pro. Sometimes twink guys make up stories, I think Grant would have snapped his neck.
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Tony, how about Shane Stratton............I used to live in Pattaya 10 years ago and we traiend and hung out together for a while. They guy was a tank and we super strong.
He got pissed off because he won the nationals twice and the Universe and they wouldnt give him his pro card so he flagged it
Fun times:)
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Shane was a good guy, he worked for me for a while and always showed up on time. He was good company, had quite a following and was a real guru to those that he trained. He went in a pro qualifier one year and lost to Mark Lampard. It could have gone either way on the day. I remember he took it badly and don't think competed again. He would have won it the next year and probably had the mind set to be a good pro. He relocated to Thailand with his wife who was a very good figure competitor, I think they had a daughter. Last I heard he had taken up motorcycle racing and was still living overseas.
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I believe Shane's wife is Diane Jardim and she won a Ms World title in the 90's
They had a rottweiler they named after Nasser :)
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Hey Tony, how about BJ Johns. I remember he died very early. Did you know him? How about Marc Rainbow?
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I believe Shane's wife is Diane Jardim and she won a Ms World title in the 90's
They had a rottweiler they named after Nasser :)
Correct, I think they had a daughter. have not seen them in years.
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Hey Tony, how about BJ Johns. I remember he died very early. Did you know him? How about Marc Rainbow?
BJ Johns was a ripper. He lived at above my shop for a while and worked out of my gym in the early days. He was the most likeable guy ever. Wicked sense of humor and really knew haw to have a laugh.
I was so sad when he died. They had moved to Sydney. He had a really nice fiance, Ange and I just remember her being devastated.
Mark Rainbow was another comedian. He used to post here at getbig. He did my proshow one year and was the life of the party. I saw him in New Zealand this year and he was doing OK.
They were both originally from New Zealand.
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Great topic.. AWESOME PICTURES!!! ;D
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message removed.
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Tony, did you have anything to do with Warren Thin. He was Mr NZ about 7 times in the 80s 90s.....secondly, who was the best bodybuilde to come out of NZ........this question awaiting droppingplates approval haha
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BJ Johns was a ripper. He lived at above my shop for a while and worked out of my gym in the early days. He was the most likeable guy ever. Wicked sense of humor and really knew haw to have a laugh.
I was so sad when he died. They had moved to Sydney. He had a really nice fiance, Ange and I just remember her being devastated.
Mark Rainbow was another comedian. He used to post here at getbig. He did my proshow one year and was the life of the party. I saw him in New Zealand this year and he was doing OK.
They were both originally from New Zealand.
do you ever see lee priest in oz?
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did makkawy ever visit oz?
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do you ever see lee priest in oz?
I have seen him at a couple of expos etc. He is always polite and I am the same to him. No hard feelings from me.
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did makkawy ever visit oz?
Not that I know of.
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To the OP, you've certainly had an interesting life filled with memories. Excellent.
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Tony, did you have anything to do with Warren Thin. He was Mr NZ about 7 times in the 80s 90s.....secondly, who was the best bodybuilde to come out of NZ........this question awaiting droppingplates approval haha
Don't know Warren Thin, great name for a bodybuilder though.
Best from New Zealand is Moe, although he was not born there.
Best local I have seen with the most potential, Darren Onekawa.
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classic :D
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Tony, do you remember Ray Nobile?
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Tony, do you remember Ray Nobile?
No mate, where from?
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No mate, where from?
Bulgaria by way of Scotland... He mentions you in his new eBook (In a good way) :)
Maybe you promoted a contest he was in (I believe) or something to that effect...
http://www.strength-oldschool.com/topic/2691-ray-nobile-my-life-in-the-iron-game/
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Bulgaria by way of Scotland... He mentions you in his new eBook (In a good way) :)
Maybe you promoted a contest he was in (I believe) or something to that effect...
http://www.strength-oldschool.com/topic/2691-ray-nobile-my-life-in-the-iron-game/
I just read his article, I promoted the world police and fire games in Melbourne in 1995. He was there for the powerlifting and had a run in with a guy that was a jerk then and still is 20 years later. Sounds like a good guy, thanks for the link.
TD
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Bulgaria by way of Scotland... He mentions you in his new eBook (In a good way) :)
Maybe you promoted a contest he was in (I believe) or something to that effect...
http://www.strength-oldschool.com/topic/2691-ray-nobile-my-life-in-the-iron-game/
A great read.
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hey toney , how about gary strydom, did you ever have any dealings with him, i always thought he had a hell of a physique, and from what ive
read hes one of the few pros that managed there money well.
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A great read.
yes agreed , ray has been there and wore the t shirt.the articles on strength old shool are great,however ray has brought out an ebook telling his story in more detail and his wife marions story,marion won the first britains strongest woman in 2003 and won her countrys bodybuilding championships in 2006.the book is on sale over on strength old school ror 5 euros. there is also chapters on the various diets and training routines he used for his powerlifting and bodybuilding succeces.]
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used to see him train at Venice. Big guy w great shape. I remember him n Flex sitting on one of those tables that have the metal legs that fold down. U see them now made out plastic. Anyway we all know those tables aren't the sturdiest. They were both sitting on the table under a tent at the Redondo beach performing arts center at the maybe 91? Iron man pro. I thot for sure the table was gonna snap. This was back in the day wen Shawn was bitching that the iffb xray Flex' calves for implants. Shawn must notta know about synthol back then I guess. Anyway they were both in spandex looking like things from another planet.
But guess who the hit of the whole show was? Some huge unknown mf'er strolling around in a pink izod shirt. His name was Paul Dillet.
Btw, first time I ever saw Paul I was driving to the Mecca n was coming down the road where the brick house or wutever the f its called is. Almost to intersection by Mecca n this giant with shoulders n arms like I've never seen is walking down the road. I almost wreck my car. This was back wen Venice was crawling w the best n he stood out. That's wen he first started working out there.
Months later my gf kept said she hated that guy cuz he kept hitting on her.
Good ol days for sure.
Ha ha ha i remember you mentioning in another thread that Paul didn't stop hitting on your gf, he was known for being a stud always on the hunt... It must have been mindblowing seeing him for the first time in early 90s, monster like we will never see again...
Thread delivers, thanks mr. Doherty...
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hey toney , how about gary strydom, did you ever have any dealings with him, i always thought he had a hell of a physique, and from what ive
read hes one of the few pros that managed there money well.
I have seen him at a couple of expos etc. He is always polite and I am the same to him. No hard feelings from me.
What did you think?
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hey toney , how about gary strydom, did you ever have any dealings with him, i always thought he had a hell of a physique, and from what ive
read hes one of the few pros that managed there money well.
Strydom was incredible. He won a pro show we did here in 1989ish, beat Robby in a close contest. I had him guest pose around that time and he was 128kg (282lbs) in crazy condition.
He was very intense in a motivating kind of way, he made a lot of people realise just how hard you needed to train to make it to the top.
When he was at his best, he was the great white hope and had a personality to match his physique. Made a lot of money and managed it well. Still in incredible shape 20 years later.
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Sorry I have been missing from my thread.
Been on the road, went to Olympia and did all the backstage interviews for www.npcnewsonline.com
Then went to Arnold Madrid, then judged in Dubai. Got home promoted my state show. Leave tomorrow for China pro.
Interesting fact: You cannot access getbig.com in Dubai. Blocked by govt or state.
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Sorry I have been missing from my thread.
Been on the road, went to Olympia and did all the backstage interviews for www.npcnewsonline.com. Then went to Arnold Madrid, then judged in Dubai. Got home promoted my state show. Leave tomorrow for China pro. Interesting fact: You cannot access getbig.com in Dubai. Blocked by govt or state.
Now that is interesting. Hope you had a great trip traveling around!
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Sorry I have been missing from my thread.
Been on the road, went to Olympia and did all the backstage interviews for www.npcnewsonline.com
Then went to Arnold Madrid, then judged in Dubai. Got home promoted my state show. Leave tomorrow for China pro.
Interesting fact: You cannot access getbig.com in Dubai. Blocked by govt or state.
So we are banned in Dubai, India?
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So we are banned in Dubai, India?
Yes but now I am in mainland China and getbig is allowed, however facebook, twitter, instgram and even google are banned.
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no wonder we havnt seen you in the gym
great thread mate
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Yes but now I am in mainland China and getbig is allowed, however facebook, twitter, instgram and even google are banned.
Are you still doing Max's Muscle Tv?
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Am on page 12 at the moment. But just wanted to chime in and say THANK YOU Mr. Doherty for a wonderful thread !!! And I truly mean that !! :)
Now back to my reading lol
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This photograph is from March 1994, interviewing the great Flex Wheeler at the IFBB Southern States show. The reason this is significant to me is that it was this night that I announced that Doherty’s Gym was going to open in Brunswick 2 weeks later on April 8th. Which means that it is 20 years ago today that it all really started for me.
I knew that this was my last shot at it, as I had nothing and owed about $200,000 which was loaded against my parents home. They had backed me from day one and I had let them and everyone close to me down. I had pissed it away and partied like a rockstar, thinking I was shit hot. Thinking I was bulletproof, a success in my own mind. Truth is, I was delusional, dazed and way, way ahead of myself.
I opened the doors on April 8th without a single member, no staff, no money in my pocket, nothing in the bank. I had no idea how I would get through the first week, let alone the first year. I just waited for someone to come in and train and after a few hours, a young couple came in and joined up. That first day I had about 10 people come in but no one else joined. This went on for a while and I just kept at it. Kept showing up, day after day, week after week.
The first year I sold everything to keep the doors open, house, cars, furniture, you name it, I lost it. The phone or power got cut every month, at least. I had no where to live and no car, all I had was a vertical grill and a rice cooker. I slept on the couch at the gym for that first 12 months, I would get up in the morning and walk up to the main road to get a paper and a coffee. This way it looked like I had actually come from somewhere. Then I would walk to the gym to open up at 6AM. I would work through to 9 or 10PM, most days on my own until everyone had left, once again I would lock up and pretend to head home until everyone had gone, then sneak back and let myself back in.
I developed a saying that I still use to this day. “Don’t worry about what you can’t do, worry about what you can do.” So with that in mind, when I couldn’t afford to buy new equipment, I would buy a can of paint. When no one came in, I would move everything in the gym. I would dust, clean, re-arrange everything. After a while, people would come in and say, “Hey you are always doing something.” That inspired me more, I thought if people come in and I’m sitting around or complaining, they will pick up on that crap energy. If they come in and I’m busy, they will know I care.
Slowly I started to straighten myself out, killed the ego, got back into heavy training, lost the ponytail and kicked myself until I got up and about. I realise now, how far I had fallen and how close I came to falling through the cracks. I knew that from then on, I would give life everything I had. By that I mean, I made a deal with myself that I would never have regret, or die wondering. No more excuses, no blaming others, no turning back.
I’m writing this for anyone doubting themselves. Anyone thinking about giving up, or thinking they don’t deserve success. For the ones out there that have made stupid mistakes and bad choices. For everyone that has been told they are no good, everyone that has been written off and laughed at. You must never quit, never give in, never let the doubters wear you down. You gotta be tough, you have to stop worrying about what others think. You have to find it within yourself. You have to hold your head up high and stay humble, no matter what, you have to grind. You have to get up every day and attack it like it is your last day, your last chance. When you put you head down at night, you have to know you did everything today, that you could to move forward. Sometimes it will seem fruitless, useless and slow. That is when you dig in harder, you must trust the process, trust yourself and most of all believe in yourself, I mean deep down inside where no one else dwells, that’s where you have to believe in yourself.
Grind hard - Don’t quit!
One of the greatest and most motivating posts I've ever had the pleasure of reading in my whole life.
Almost felt as if you were speaking to me personally through the computer screen as I read this.
Amazing. Just amazing. You've got a fan in me, Tony.
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used to see him train at Venice. Big guy w great shape. I remember him n Flex sitting on one of those tables that have the metal legs that fold down. U see them now made out plastic. Anyway we all know those tables aren't the sturdiest. They were both sitting on the table under a tent at the Redondo beach performing arts center at the maybe 91? Iron man pro. I thot for sure the table was gonna snap. This was back in the day wen Shawn was bitching that the iffb xray Flex' calves for implants. Shawn must notta know about synthol back then I guess. Anyway they were both in spandex looking like things from another planet.
But guess who the hit of the whole show was? Some huge unknown mf'er strolling around in a pink izod shirt. His name was Paul Dillet.
Btw, first time I ever saw Paul I was driving to the Mecca n was coming down the road where the brick house or wutever the f its called is. Almost to intersection by Mecca n this giant with shoulders n arms like I've never seen is walking down the road. I almost wreck my car. This was back wen Venice was crawling w the best n he stood out. That's wen he first started working out there.
Months later my gf kept said she hated that guy cuz he kept hitting on her.
Good ol days for sure.
I can't imagine seeing Dillet in his prime. Had to be a sight to see for sure.
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Question, Tony. Just because I'm a huge fan of Kai and I LOVE to eat myself. You mentioned in an earlier post that Kai was a very large eater. What exactly have you witnessed him eat throughout the day and / or a sitting ?
Thanks and keep coming with the awesome stories !!! 8)
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Tony, do you know what year is the real year of Sonny Schmidt's birth?
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Tony, do you know what year is the real year of Sonny Schmidt's birth?
Hi Joe, he was born September 1953 and died January 2004 aged 50.
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Are you still doing Max's Muscle Tv?
Yes just coming to the end of our 7th series.
Started over 10 years ago and now on free TV every week.
You can watch on youtube as well. Every episode is archived here.
http://muscletv.tv/
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Hi Joe, he was born September 1953 and died January 2004 aged 50.
Thank you. The reason I asked is this reference in Flex:
# F 1-96 p 155 Sonny did not know how old he actually was
until birth records surfaced three weeks before this
contest [ on Sep 9, 1985Masters Olympia] and he learned he was three years older than
he had thought..
So he thought he had been born in 1956?
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Yes just coming to the end of our 7th series.
Started over 10 years ago and now on free TV every week.
You can watch on youtube as well. Every episode is archived here.
http://muscletv.tv/
nice.A PHA training circuit? I think so.. keeps the blood flowing throughout the whole body.
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Thank you. The reason I asked is this reference in Flex:
# F 1-96 p 155 Sonny did not know how old he actually was
until birth records surfaced three weeks before this
contest [ on Sep 9, 1985Masters Olympia] and he learned he was three years older than
he had thought..
So he thought he had been born in 1956?
No, the truth is, he always knew how old he was and where and when he was born.
He didn't want to do the masters for 2 reasons.
1. He didn't want the girls to know he was over 40.
2. He thought the judges might treat him differently in the open if they knew his age.
When he turned pro, he was around 36 so we wound back the clock from day one.
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Tony - am I right in thinking you have some of the Watson fat grip dumbbells in your gym?
If so, how are they holding up in a hardcore bodybuilding environment where they'll get slammed on their edges?
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Tony - am I right in thinking you have some of the Watson fat grip dumbbells in your gym?
If so, how are they holding up in a hardcore bodybuilding environment where they'll get slammed on their edges?
No not yet.
I will have them in the new year. I think they will be OK here as we teach the members to respect the equipment and pretty much have a no dickhead policy.
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No not yet.
I will have them in the new year. I think they will be OK here as we teach the members to respect the equipment and pretty much have a no dickhead policy.
Even so your'e going to find after a supine press type movement, even if they put them down semi sensibly, the threads on the heavier will bells will wear away. I don't think a 60kg plus one would last in a busy hardcore gym. At the lighter weights they are awesome.
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Awesome thread Tony!! Thank-you for sharing!!
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Thanks for the memories. You looked great, too.
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I have been through boxes and boxes of photos that I have taken over the last 25 years of promoting and had them all scanned. Thought I would start a thread where I can share some pics most of you will have never seen. I will tell a few stories as I go, it's funny how a pic can remind you of a time and place and even bring back stuff you may have forgotten.
These are my own photos that I have dug out after many years.
Here we go!
I've read/skimmed look at the entire thread and want to offer my humble THANKS for posting this great stuff
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This is the best thread on getbig, EVER.
none better ;)
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none better ;)
Thanks Howard, glad everyone is enjoying it. I better lift my game and post some more pics and stories.
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This photograph is from March 1994, interviewing the great Flex Wheeler at the IFBB Southern States show. The reason this is significant to me is that it was this night that I announced that Doherty’s Gym was going to open in Brunswick 2 weeks later on April 8th. Which means that it is 20 years ago today that it all really started for me.
I knew that this was my last shot at it, as I had nothing and owed about $200,000 which was loaded against my parents home. They had backed me from day one and I had let them and everyone close to me down. I had pissed it away and partied like a rockstar, thinking I was shit hot. Thinking I was bulletproof, a success in my own mind. Truth is, I was delusional, dazed and way, way ahead of myself.
I opened the doors on April 8th without a single member, no staff, no money in my pocket, nothing in the bank. I had no idea how I would get through the first week, let alone the first year. I just waited for someone to come in and train and after a few hours, a young couple came in and joined up. That first day I had about 10 people come in but no one else joined. This went on for a while and I just kept at it. Kept showing up, day after day, week after week.
The first year I sold everything to keep the doors open, house, cars, furniture, you name it, I lost it. The phone or power got cut every month, at least. I had no where to live and no car, all I had was a vertical grill and a rice cooker. I slept on the couch at the gym for that first 12 months, I would get up in the morning and walk up to the main road to get a paper and a coffee. This way it looked like I had actually come from somewhere. Then I would walk to the gym to open up at 6AM. I would work through to 9 or 10PM, most days on my own until everyone had left, once again I would lock up and pretend to head home until everyone had gone, then sneak back and let myself back in.
I developed a saying that I still use to this day. “Don’t worry about what you can’t do, worry about what you can do.” So with that in mind, when I couldn’t afford to buy new equipment, I would buy a can of paint. When no one came in, I would move everything in the gym. I would dust, clean, re-arrange everything. After a while, people would come in and say, “Hey you are always doing something.” That inspired me more, I thought if people come in and I’m sitting around or complaining, they will pick up on that crap energy. If they come in and I’m busy, they will know I care.
Slowly I started to straighten myself out, killed the ego, got back into heavy training, lost the ponytail and kicked myself until I got up and about. I realise now, how far I had fallen and how close I came to falling through the cracks. I knew that from then on, I would give life everything I had. By that I mean, I made a deal with myself that I would never have regret, or die wondering. No more excuses, no blaming others, no turning back.
I’m writing this for anyone doubting themselves. Anyone thinking about giving up, or thinking they don’t deserve success. For the ones out there that have made stupid mistakes and bad choices. For everyone that has been told they are no good, everyone that has been written off and laughed at. You must never quit, never give in, never let the doubters wear you down. You gotta be tough, you have to stop worrying about what others think. You have to find it within yourself. You have to hold your head up high and stay humble, no matter what, you have to grind. You have to get up every day and attack it like it is your last day, your last chance. When you put you head down at night, you have to know you did everything today, that you could to move forward. Sometimes it will seem fruitless, useless and slow. That is when you dig in harder, you must trust the process, trust yourself and most of all believe in yourself, I mean deep down inside where no one else dwells, that’s where you have to believe in yourself.
Grind hard - Don’t quit!
This is very easily one of the best posts ever made on this board!!
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This photograph is from March 1994, interviewing the great Flex Wheeler at the IFBB Southern States show. The reason this is significant to me is that it was this night that I announced that Doherty’s Gym was going to open in Brunswick 2 weeks later on April 8th. Which means that it is 20 years ago today that it all really started for me.
I knew that this was my last shot at it, as I had nothing and owed about $200,000 which was loaded against my parents home. They had backed me from day one and I had let them and everyone close to me down. I had pissed it away and partied like a rockstar, thinking I was shit hot. Thinking I was bulletproof, a success in my own mind. Truth is, I was delusional, dazed and way, way ahead of myself.
I opened the doors on April 8th without a single member, no staff, no money in my pocket, nothing in the bank. I had no idea how I would get through the first week, let alone the first year. I just waited for someone to come in and train and after a few hours, a young couple came in and joined up. That first day I had about 10 people come in but no one else joined. This went on for a while and I just kept at it. Kept showing up, day after day, week after week.
The first year I sold everything to keep the doors open, house, cars, furniture, you name it, I lost it. The phone or power got cut every month, at least. I had no where to live and no car, all I had was a vertical grill and a rice cooker. I slept on the couch at the gym for that first 12 months, I would get up in the morning and walk up to the main road to get a paper and a coffee. This way it looked like I had actually come from somewhere. Then I would walk to the gym to open up at 6AM. I would work through to 9 or 10PM, most days on my own until everyone had left, once again I would lock up and pretend to head home until everyone had gone, then sneak back and let myself back in.
I developed a saying that I still use to this day. “Don’t worry about what you can’t do, worry about what you can do.” So with that in mind, when I couldn’t afford to buy new equipment, I would buy a can of paint. When no one came in, I would move everything in the gym. I would dust, clean, re-arrange everything. After a while, people would come in and say, “Hey you are always doing something.” That inspired me more, I thought if people come in and I’m sitting around or complaining, they will pick up on that crap energy. If they come in and I’m busy, they will know I care.
Slowly I started to straighten myself out, killed the ego, got back into heavy training, lost the ponytail and kicked myself until I got up and about. I realise now, how far I had fallen and how close I came to falling through the cracks. I knew that from then on, I would give life everything I had. By that I mean, I made a deal with myself that I would never have regret, or die wondering. No more excuses, no blaming others, no turning back.
I’m writing this for anyone doubting themselves. Anyone thinking about giving up, or thinking they don’t deserve success. For the ones out there that have made stupid mistakes and bad choices. For everyone that has been told they are no good, everyone that has been written off and laughed at. You must never quit, never give in, never let the doubters wear you down. You gotta be tough, you have to stop worrying about what others think. You have to find it within yourself. You have to hold your head up high and stay humble, no matter what, you have to grind. You have to get up every day and attack it like it is your last day, your last chance. When you put you head down at night, you have to know you did everything today, that you could to move forward. Sometimes it will seem fruitless, useless and slow. That is when you dig in harder, you must trust the process, trust yourself and most of all believe in yourself, I mean deep down inside where no one else dwells, that’s where you have to believe in yourself.
Grind hard - Don’t quit!
Tony, thank you for sharing this. Congratulations on all your success. Great story,and great words of wisdom. Certainly one of the best I've ever read here in 16 years. 8)
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awesome thread
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hey tony
merry Christmas to you and have a great 2015
any chance you can please put up some pics from ROnnie's visit to you just after he won his 8th O?
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Saw you the other day Tony on channel 5 over here in the UK,presenting the prizes to the strongmen at the australian giants live event.
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Here`s the episode
http://www.channel5.com/shows/worlds-strongest-man-2014/episodes/australia-fitexpo-melbourne-qualifier
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hey tony
merry Christmas to you and have a great 2015
any chance you can please put up some pics from ROnnie's visit to you just after he won his 8th O?
Here we go. I will find some more later
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I've posted these before but here they are again.
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Some never seen shots of the New Zealand Pro in 2001.
We all got as drunk as hell after this show, Chris got the drunkest and Ronnie had a good go as well. Funniest weekend I have ever had.
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INSANE MASS...IN HID PRIME..PAID FOR IT THO,,,
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INSANE MASS...IN HID PRIME..PAID FOR IT THO,,,
Fukkit...
It was worth it!!
8) 8)
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Ideal for some but for me nothing to do with shape and symmetry... :-\
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This is...
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Ideal for some but for me nothing to do with shape and symmetry... :-\
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=493468.0;attach=592792;image)
Kinda like one of those decorative fountains the ooze melted chocolate.
Except this one looks more like boiled shit bubbling up over a coiled toilet dwelling turdsnake.
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Only just discovered this excellent thread - couldn't tell you the last time I sat through and read an 18-page thread on Getbig. Great stuff, interesting stories and some good pics.
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8)
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Zane at his best winning the 1979 Olympia
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Fanny packs RULED!
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Zane at his best winning the 1979 Olympia
Great Video Howie ..
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Sweet Thread Tony!
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8)
Just a little more leg separation and I'd say that's perfection.
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Amazing how good frank zane looked.
And at a relatively light Bodyweight.
In that 1979 Olympia video it's the best I have seen him.
Thanks for posting.
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Amazing how good frank zane looked.
And at a relatively light Bodyweight.
In that 1979 Olympia video it's the best I have seen him.
Thanks for posting.
the guy was amazing ,posed his body to its best features...
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Zane at his best winning the 1979 Olympia
Great stuff, Howie.
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Terrible tread !
But what is the strange thing hidden behind Titus ???
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great thread ;)
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Hey everyone, sorry I have dropped off posting old pics. That last year I have been travelling so much more than normal. Promoting the Arnold Classic has been kind of life changing. I have visited so many cities and countries to see every expo I can and to learn. Plus doing the security detail for the expos with Arnold, MCing shows and interviewing for NPC News online. Things have quietened down for now so I will post some more pics and share a few stories. In the mean time, i will post some shots of travelling and working with Arnold.
TD
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some more
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The Rise and Fall of Bill Pettis, the Man With “The Biggest Arms in the World”
His biceps once trumped Arnold’s. As other Gold’s Gym icons parlayed their physiques into fame and fortune, Bill Pettis took a different route—one that landed him on the Venice Boardwalk
http://www.lamag.com/longform/rise-fall-bill-pettis-man-biggest-arms-world/
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The Rise and Fall of Bill Pettis, the Man With “The Biggest Arms in the World”
His biceps once trumped Arnold’s. As other Gold’s Gym icons parlayed their physiques into fame and fortune, Bill Pettis took a different route—one that landed him on the Venice Boardwalk
http://www.lamag.com/longform/rise-fall-bill-pettis-man-biggest-arms-world/
That's a sad story.
Thanks for posting it.
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This was a really cool day, I had Kevin Levrone in Australia early 90s to guest pose and he didn't know that Sonny would be in Melbourne at the time. So when I bought Sonny up on stage Kevin was genuinely touched and we had a great on stage chat with a few laughs. They knew each other really well from being on the road especially the European Grand Prix circuit. They had a great respect for each other and Sonny had some great Kevin stories.
My favorite one went something like this. They were at a seminar at a gym in Germany doing a Q&A type talk when one of the fans asked Kevin how strong he was, he answered, "pretty strong". They kept asking how many sets and reps etc. He finally answered by suggesting that they set up a bench and weights to find out how strong he was. Sonny said that completely cold, no warm up he benched at 4 plates a side and smashed out an easy 20 reps. Sonny and they fans could not believe their eyes and Kevin just kept on with the seminar like nothing special had happened.
thats awesome
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Hey Tony, how about BJ Johns. I remember he died very early. Did you know him? How about Marc Rainbow?
Marc is a funny guy for sure. He went through a serious amphetamine problem and fucked up his life a lot but is now getting his shit together although probably still has way too high blood pressure from orals that make him retain water.
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The Rise and Fall of Bill Pettis, the Man With “The Biggest Arms in the World”
His biceps once trumped Arnold’s. As other Gold’s Gym icons parlayed their physiques into fame and fortune, Bill Pettis took a different route—one that landed him on the Venice Boardwalk
http://www.lamag.com/longform/rise-fall-bill-pettis-man-biggest-arms-world/
sad story. thanks for the link mate.
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This is very easily one of the best posts ever made on this board!!
agreed.
Tony I may have had you pegged for the bloke you used to be....
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A quick appearance from Bill Grant near the end of this clip:
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Tell Arnold to post here Toni
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Tell Arnold to post here Toni
I'm sure he'll be happy to post here, Jamie. ::)
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Tell Arnold to post here Toni
He's way too straight for you
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Hey everyone, sorry I have dropped off posting old pics. That last year I have been travelling so much more than normal. Promoting the Arnold Classic has been kind of life changing. I have visited so many cities and countries to see every expo I can and to learn. Plus doing the security detail for the expos with Arnold, MCing shows and interviewing for NPC News online. Things have quietened down for now so I will post some more pics and share a few stories. In the mean time, i will post some shots of travelling and working with Arnold.
TD
good stuff keep rolling
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8)
Great shot of Serge.
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I feel bad for Bill Pettis. :(
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I feel bad for Bill Pettis. :(
x2 one must hope than the more succesful muscle beach dudes would give him a bit of help...
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Here are some shots from 97 Arnold that have not been seen.
Flex.
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Francois and Vince. Arnold 97.
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Tony, you are a class act. Thank you for all of your professional pictures and stories.
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That angle really shows how dense and thick Francois' back was..
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Great pics Tony
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Arnold is pointing out the size of Flex' biceps implants-to-be.......
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=493468.0;attach=648367;image)
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We had Rick Flair in at our City Gym about 2-3 years ago.
I had instructed my staff that the Hulk Hogan wrestling show was in town, so if any of them came in they were to be looked after. This usually involves free training and a couple of Doherty's Gym tee shirts etc.
So in walks Rick Flair that night, tanned up, peroxide blond hair, looking very Hollywood and the young guy at the desk had no idea in the world who he was. Young David charged him the $10 casual fee and sold him a couple of tees. While he was training someone came out to David and said, "Hey that's pretty cool, Rick Flair is training here" So David called me a bit rattled not knowing what to do. When he had finished training he sheepishly apologized and refunded his money for the clothes and workout. Rick was really cool and laughed it off.
From then on I called out "Whooo" every time I saw David, who unfortunately was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident a little while later at just 21.
I worked for Ric years ago, before going back to college.
I can tell you firsthand, Ric is one of the most standup guys and all-around genuinely good human beings that you could ever hope to meet.
Truly one of the best men to ever grace the business.
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Here is a shot of Big Louie I took at his Olympia comeback in Helsinki. There was so much hype around his return and he didi not disappoint. Over 300b and peeled.
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Here is a shot of Big Louie I took at his Olympia comeback in Helsinki. There was so much hype around his return and he didi not disappoint. Over 300b and peeled.
Great picture, that was an amazing comeback.
A few days ago I had a discussion with a friend about Lou's comeback. Being in the best shape of his life, we were both surprised that he didn't won the Master's 'O in '94.
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He pitched a big stink about that loss to Robby.
Boyer was a rightful third, but the first two spots could have gone either way, IMO.
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vince Taylor and francois both underrated imo.
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these your dbs, saw them on watson's gym equipment site... ??? ??? ???
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these your dbs, saw them on watson's gym equipment site... ??? ??? ???
same dbs as dlb's dbs
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these your dbs, saw them on watson's gym equipment site... ??? ??? ???
Yes they are mine. Made by Watson in the UK. Thick handles and best dumbbells I have ever used.
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Yes they are mine. Made by Watson in the UK. Thick handles and best dumbbells I have ever used.
They must cost a fortune. Up to how much weight do you have them?
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They must cost a fortune. Up to how much weight do you have them?
I have 10 - 50 kg in 2.5 kg increment.
Just ordered 50-75kg for March.
Yes you always pay for quality.
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I have 10 - 50 kg in 2.5 kg increment.
Just ordered 50-75kg for March.
Yes you always pay for quality.
That's sweet, I hope your clients treat them well.
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Yes they are mine. Made by Watson in the UK. Thick handles and best dumbbells I have ever used.
Thick bar training is great but too hard on me now. Ten years back I would use up to 3.5 inch thick bars on chest training and sometimes for barbell curls and 2 inch for dumbbell work. No more. It hurts too much. But it was great fun while it lasted! ;D
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Thick bar training is great but too hard on me now. Ten years back I would use up to 3.5 inch thick bars on chest training and sometimes for barbell curls and 2 inch for dumbbell work. No more. It hurts too much. But it was great fun while it lasted! ;D
The preferred bar thickness is very personal. I prefer a thin one for back movements, but a thick one for pressing movements since the weight is better distributed on the surface of your hand. That's why a pair of thick bar grips is a nice accessory.
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Yes they are mine. Made by Watson in the UK. Thick handles and best dumbbells I have ever used.
surely belles of beauty... :D :D :D :D :D
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The preferred bar thickness is very personal. I prefer a thin one for back movements, but a thick one for pressing movements since the weight is better distributed on the surface of your hand. That's why a pair of thick bar grips is a nice accessory.
I tried a pair of "Fat Grips" (SP?) the other day on BB Curls and close grip benches. It was okay. I used to use a 3+ inch bar about 12 years ago for those movements. I like thick bar training but need to be careful. Dammit! ;D
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I tried a pair of "Fat Grips" (SP?) the other day on BB Curls and close grip benches. It was okay. I used to use a 3+ inch bar about 12 years ago for those movements. I like thick bar training but need to be careful. Dammit! ;D
I have a pair of Manus grips who are almost the same as Fat gripz. Once you get used to it, you can increase the weights with your pressing movements, but you've got to leave your ego at the door during curls/rows. With most movements, I experience an improved mind/muscle connection & burn in the target area.
In the beginning, your forearms will hate you, but later they will thank you...
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I have a pair of Manus grips who are almost the same as Fat gripz. Once you get used to it, you can increase the weights with your pressing movements, but you've got to leave your ego at the door during curls/rows. With most movements, I experience an improved mind/muscle connection & burn in the target area.
In the beginning, your forearms will hate you, but later they will thank you...
Nice input DP.......seriously.
I've been wondering about straps and stuff in general for many yrs.
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Nice input DP.......seriously.
I've been wondering about straps and stuff in general for many yrs.
Straps are fine for heavy back training, since your back will always be stronger than your gripping strength. Just don't use them for every set.
Don't make the mistake to buy the cheapest one. It should be a long, wide & thick pair.
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Great picture, that was an amazing comeback.
A few days ago I had a discussion with a friend about Lou's comeback. Being in the best shape of his life, we were both surprised that he didn't won the Master's 'O in '94.
I think his calves kept him from winning. Too much speculation of being surgically enhanced. Probably was but IMO was the winner.
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I have a pair of Manus grips who are almost the same as Fat gripz. Once you get used to it, you can increase the weights with your pressing movements, but you've got to leave your ego at the door during curls/rows. With most movements, I experience an improved mind/muscle connection & burn in the target area.
In the beginning, your forearms will hate you, but later they will thank you...
My elbows hated me. I got to a single rep with a 3+ inch bar and 150 lbs. Not much weight for most people but for me it was brutally hard. I also did some 2 inch thick DB tossing and catching with up 50s and that was HARD. I prefer Dinosaur Training and H.I.T. to any other style but have to be careful.
About 14 years ago I would take work breaks and throw a 3+ inch thick piece of brass we had laying around the shop (about 10 inches in length) about 8 or so feet in the air and alternate catching and throwing it until I couldn't do it any more. FUN! I highly recommend this movement for grip and bicep power. I need to find my Dinosaur Training book and get inspired... I got out my Mike Mentzer book and it is helping to fuel the passion too.
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My elbows hated me. I got to a single rep with a 3+ inch bar and 150 lbs. Not much weight for most people but for me it was brutally hard. I also did some 2 inch thick DB tossing and catching with up 50s and that was HARD. I prefer Dinosaur Training and H.I.T. to any other style but have to be careful.
About 14 years ago I would take work breaks and throw a 3+ inch thick piece of brass we had laying around the shop (about 10 inches in length) about 8 or so feet in the air and alternate catching and throwing it until I couldn't do it any more. FUN! I highly recommend this movement for grip and bicep power. I need to find my Dinosaur Training book and get inspired... I got out my Mike Mentzer book and it is helping to fuel the passion too.
Interesting to hear, since I've never heard of someone who performs plyometric training for arms. This kind of training is highly effective for explosive strength/functional strength training, but -with all respect- since you're already at a certain age, I would not recommend this type of training and the same goes for HIT. In fact, I wouldn't recommend HIT to anyone, since it's too taxing on your joints & CNS, it's a guaranteed road to problems.
However, I have to give credits to Mike, since he was the first one who encouraged me to THINK about, and to apply LOGIC to training. However, practice combined with logic is your best teacher.
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Interesting to hear, since I've never heard of someone who performs plyometric training for arms. This kind of training is highly effective for explosive strength/functional strength training, but -with all respect- since you're already at a certain age, I would not recommend this type of training and the same goes for HIT. In fact, I wouldn't recommend HIT to anyone, since it's too taxing on your joints & CNS, it's a guaranteed road to problems.
However, I have to give credits to Mike, since he was the first one who encouraged me to THINK about, and to apply LOGIC to training. However, practice combined with logic is your best teacher.
If I train to failure now, it's with so light a weight as to require upwards of 20 reps to reach that point. As previously stated, I train now to keep myself out of a hospital. ;D
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If I train to failure now, it's with so light a weight as to require upwards of 20 reps to reach that point. As previously stated, I train now to keep myself out of a hospital. ;D
OK, but regardless the weight/reps, training TO failure EACH time/day isn't the best thing you can do, not for hypertrophy/strength, not for your joints and not for your CNS. However, now I understand why you're so grumpy almost all the time ;D
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OK, but regardless the weight/reps, training TO failure EACH time/day isn't the best thing you can do, not for hypertrophy/strength, not for your joints and not for your CNS. However, now I understand why you're so grumpy almost all the time ;D
;D
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This was a really cool day, I had Kevin Levrone in Australia early 90s to guest pose and he didn't know that Sonny would be in Melbourne at the time. So when I bought Sonny up on stage Kevin was genuinely touched and we had a great on stage chat with a few laughs. They knew each other really well from being on the road especially the European Grand Prix circuit. They had a great respect for each other and Sonny had some great Kevin stories.
My favorite one went something like this. They were at a seminar at a gym in Germany doing a Q&A type talk when one of the fans asked Kevin how strong he was, he answered, "pretty strong". They kept asking how many sets and reps etc. He finally answered by suggesting that they set up a bench and weights to find out how strong he was. Sonny said that completely cold, no warm up he benched at 4 plates a side and smashed out an easy 20 reps. Sonny and they fans could not believe their eyes and Kevin just kept on with the seminar like nothing special had happened.
::)
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Dorian's first ever USA show, New York Night Of Champions 1990 with Beneziza who won the show. I got to MC the contest which was a big thing for me at the time, I went from a small country town in Australia to the Beacon Theater on Broadway.
Wish I'd have seen dorIan in person.
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is this your gym ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
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Dorian's first ever USA show, New York Night Of Champions 1990 with Beneziza who won the show. I got to MC the contest which was a big thing for me at the time, I went from a small country town in Australia to the Beacon Theater on Broadway.
that has to be a cool memory right there.
Surreal to see so many BBers that have passed.
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is this your gym ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
Sure is
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that has to be a cool memory right there.
Surreal to see so many BBers that have passed.
Yes my friend, it was very cool announcing Dorian for the first time ever in USA.
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Nice to see you back Tony. I would like to compliment you for the great stage design and lightening during the last AC, it brings back memories to the Ironman Pro.
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/03/14/26A1C62700000578-0-image-m-85_1426346339139.jpg) (http://cdn-flex0.heartyhosting.com/sites/flexonline.com/files/styles/gallery_slide_612xany/public/2015%20Arnold%20Australia/C_Lowthian_150314_AAF1_0001_4372.jpg?itok=YASajq0a)
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Nice to see you back Tony. I would like to compliment you for the great stage design and lightening during the last AC, it brings back memories to the Ironman Pro.
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/03/14/26A1C62700000578-0-image-m-85_1426346339139.jpg) (http://cdn-flex0.heartyhosting.com/sites/flexonline.com/files/styles/gallery_slide_612xany/public/2015%20Arnold%20Australia/C_Lowthian_150314_AAF1_0001_4372.jpg?itok=YASajq0a)
Thank you, I put so much effort into that, I'm glad it is appreciated.
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Thank you, I put so much effort into that, I'm glad it is appreciated.
Awesome thread. Just fantastic!
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Awesome thread. Just fantastic!
If I had a ban button right now....
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If I had a ban button right now....
Say that to Donna
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Tony,
Looks like one of your guys:
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Watched the Mutant on a Mission show with your gym Tony, good shit.