which bb inspired you to train?

[Poker face Ace]

For me I saw a flex mag at my cousins house of nasser el sonbatty. Rip. I saw the pic and bb at that point was my focal point and from there iwas determined to be the best. What about you?

[davidcua]

As far as I'm concerned I saw Maryland Muscle Machine video in my older cousin house since then my favorite bodybuilder is Kevin Levrone and will always be KL.

[LSMUSCL81]

probably dorian yates...in the egg beater ad that used to be on the back of flex mag hahahaa....I still have the magazine with roland czirlock on the cover

[the mighty stu]

Dorian was the newly crowned king when I started, so he definitely was a huge factor. Once I started looking into the history of the sport I looked at the physiques of mentzer, Waller and labrada as something I could aim for.

S

[Puma]

I was and am a comicbook fan and a 1979 issue of Muscle Builder (predecessor of M&F for all the kids out there) had Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk on the cover. I already knew and admired Arnold but Tom Platz and Danny Padilla impressed me in that issue and I started messing around with my brother's plastic cement barbell set in our basement at 12 years old (started real training at 17). Much to my chagrin, he ripped out all the full page photos and hung them up in our basement. I kept the copy for sentimental reasons and eventually found a copy in better condition on eBay.

[Mac]

Dave Draper and being a towhead myself, I wanted to be like him.

I remember this issue.

magcov1lg.jpg

[carrie ann simmons]

sharon109.jpg

Sharon Bruneau!

[Curt James]

Arnold!

I'm also a comic book fan from before I could even read. Arnold and other bodybuilders brought the four-color superheroes to life.

[Mac]

I was 14, and had the obligatory plastic coated cement weights from Sears. The thing I will never forget was my mom, who weighed about 105lbs. pressing the fullset of 75lbs. overhead 10 times like it was nothing. I think I did 5 and weighed the same.

[PA Kodiak]

Growing up as a kid I was a wrestling fan. I admired the physiques of guys like Triple H, Scott Steiner, and Kevin Nash. I actually started going to the gym in order to get in shape for pro wrestling school which I attended for 8 or 9 months until I discovered pro bodybuilding. Jay Cutler was my earliest influence. Once I discovered pro bodybuilding I dropped out of the wrestling school and devoted my training to becoming a competitive bodybuilder.

So short answer; Jay Cutler.

[Curt James]

I was 14, and had the obligatory plastic coated cement weights from Sears. The thing I will never forget was my mom, who weighed about 105lbs. pressing the fullset of 75lbs. overhead 10 times like it was nothing. I think I did 5 and weighed the same.

Same here.

I struggled to bench 40 lbs.

[Jude2]

Arnold for me.

[Puma]

I was and am a comicbook fan and a 1979 issue of Muscle Builder (predecessor of M&F for all the kids out there) had Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk on the cover. I already knew and admired Arnold but Tom Platz and Danny Padilla impressed me in that issue and I started messing around with my brother's plastic cement barbell set in our basement at 12 years old (started real training at 17). Much to my chagrin, he ripped out all the full page photos and hung them up in our basement. I kept the copy for sentimental reasons and eventually found a copy in better condition on eBay.

Too late to edit my post but this was the issue I mentioned...
MuscleBuilder.jpg

[Puma]

Arnold!

I'm also a comic book fan from before I could even read. Arnold and other bodybuilders brought the four-color superheroes to life.

Great to hear, Curt! I actually publish my own comics and my years have been divided between competing in bodybuilding and publishing comics (both are so time intensive that found I could not do both successfully at the same time).

Same here.

I struggled to bench 40 lbs.

As stated, I was part of that plastic cement club as well. Myself and 2 friends would basically do a one rep bench press then add more weight and each do one again and so on until each person lost. Then we did the same for BB curls. Given we were a light, medium and heavy the results were always the same, lol.

[cook]

My senior year in high school.Football was over.We didn't lift weights for football back then.( it slowed you down) anyway I knew I wanted to do something physical I just didn't know what.I was in a bookstore looking through some books and I look up and there is Ed Corney on the cover of pumping Iron.Standing on stage with his hands raised.I thought man he looks awesome.I got the book and learned about Arnold and the rest and I've been training ever since.