Your First Bodybuilder

[hifrommike65]

What was the first time you saw a real live bodybuilder in person? Where were you? How old were you? How did it affect you?

[cook]

Saw Mike Mentzer at mall in around 1978.I had been training about a year but I had been around some really big powerlifters.I don't think it had any affect on me but he was impressive looking.

[the mighty stu]

Met Mike Francious around '95 at an NPC show. He was sitting at a table in the back of the auditorium with his 8x10's, and no one seemed to be bothering him so I took advantage. I had only been training a couple of years at the time, and having no real clue what I was doing (no internet, and very little honesty around the college gym I attended) I pelted him with stupid question after stupid question, and the guy was nothing but polite and cordial. Answered every concern I had, gave great advice, and was just so inspiring seeing how big an IFBB Pro (and a damn good one at that!) was in person.

S

[Mac]

I met Ron Love back in 85 when I competed in the Mr. PA, he was a great guy and took the time to talk about his love of BB. I was 29.

[itsmeyourboy]

The first man I saw was Ronnie Coleman (no easing into it), my jaw literally dropped, couldn't believe the size of his arms and especially his hands

[EvanL]

I met Ben White, I was so nervous I asked him how much it would cost to get his autographed. He laughed and said autographs are free. The following year I met a up and coming Phil Heath and I just remember his forearms were larger than I ever imagined.

[supbro!]

The first bodybuilder I ever met was Chris Cormier clubbing in NYC. Man do I miss those days.

[hulk7510]

branch and trish warren in odessa tx guest posing.made me want to lift harder and up the dosage

[sassy69]

Mike Quinn at the gym he owned in Boca Raton back in the early 90s. Weirdly, I also saw Pete Rose there. Mike looked mindblowingly amazing - first time I'd ever seen a pro rear lat spread fan out. Pete looked like rehab repeat. Acted all that, but sadly, didn't look all that.

[Curt James]

Carlos Rivera at the Lancaster Health Spa in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Carlos was a Mr. Lancaster County and Mr. Central Pennsylvania, iirc. He was of the Franco Columbu mold. Short, incredible V taper.

Scott Naugle was his training partner. 6' to 6'2 with barnyard wide shoulders and a wasp waist. He eventually took the Mr. Lancaster title and Central Penn, again, if I'm not mistaken.

Saw Mike Mentzer training triceps at that same gym. I've told this story before, so forgive me the nostalgia... he was facing away and I assumed it was some super fat guy. Didn't recognize arms that huge as solid. Assumed it had to be a pair of Wal-Mart arms. He turned around and I recognized him as Mentzer. Was a teenager then and too flabbergasted to even ask for a handshake much less an autograph or say even one word. Might have been 1978 or 1979.

My aunt was an LPN at the Ephrata Community Hospital when his mother was a patient there. She got Mike's autograph for me on one of his early Heavy Duty manuals. Seems like yesterday.




This pic was on the front page of the Ephrata Review (local weekly) when Mentzer scored a perfect 300 in Acapulco (1978 IFBB World Amateur Championships).

[weezer]

my first encounter with a bodybuilder was Boyer Cole, I live in La.all my life and my parents grew up in the Lafayette area ,we stopped off at an grocery store and I saw this huge guy that I knew look familiar;got a chance to talk ,pick his brain, and had an great time socializing with one of the nicest guy that I ever met ;went home, kept saying to myself I know I've seen his face before turning on ESPN and there he was, with Flex Wheeler ,Lenda Murray on an old episode of ESPN flex magazine workout.

[Joel's hamburger]

Strydom, late 80's @ supp store autograph signing

[the mighty stu]

Strydom, late 80's @ supp store autograph signing

I sat a couple of tables away from Strydom when I visited the Firehouse Restaurant in Venice in the mid 90's. He was pretty covered up (humongous delts and traps obviously pushing through his shirt XXXL shirt) except for his watermellon sized calves visible beneath his knee length shorts. The fact that a human being could have calves like that just blew my only-been-training-a-few-years-at-the-time mind.

S

[Young Gotti]

PJ braun like 4 or 5 years ago at a local supplement store

hooked me up with some isolyze and species t shirt

[Granite-Dawg]

Not a body builder but had a great physique. Lex Luger came and ate at our elementary school. At that time largest person I had ever seen.