Do you remember the first bodybuilder you ever saw???

**SpeedoGuido** · 05-12-2009, 04:15 AM

Do you remember the first bodybuilder you ever saw that made a real impression on you???
Mine was Dave Draper "The Blond Bomber" when I was in the 7th grade.
I saw him in an ad in the back of a comic book.
I'm sure I saw Charles Atlas before that, but when I saw Draper he looked superhuman!

I just ordered a signed copy of Dave's book "West Coast Bodybuilding Scene."

**esplendido** · 05-12-2009, 08:53 AM

I remember seeing bbers on the front of Ironman at the corner drugstore in the late 60's. I remember thinking that they must've had surgery to look like that. I couldn't fathom that much muscle on a man.

It was the front cover of Time or Newsweek that impressed my mind the most. It was Arnold, standing sideways, and his arm appeared to block the rest of his upper body. That was somewhere in '75, early '76. I said to myself "THAT'S what I want to look like! I want arms like that!"

**ThePoser** · 05-12-2009, 09:06 AM

I think it was Tom Platz on the cover of MuscleMag

**Leigh Penman** · 05-12-2009, 10:01 AM

It was actually one of Britain's first successful female bodybuilders, Carolyn Cheshire. I was a music journalist at the time, although I was working out and reading the musclemags. After that interview I changed career tracks and moved into bodybuilding magazine writing. That was in the early 80's.
First major US bodybuilder I met at that time was Tom Platz.

**BigJD69** · 05-12-2009, 10:58 AM

In person- my sister's boyfriend!

**tank315** · 05-12-2009, 11:05 AM

1996 was my first Arnold classic and the first person a ran into was Dennis Newman. He, Anthony Clark ,Shannon Sharpe and chris Cormier all got out of a limo on saturday mornining and went into the expo. Dennis was the first to speak and he was hard as a rock. I asked him what he weighed(275lbs) Everyone was cool but it was chris and shannon who hung out with us for about 25 minutes taking us around introducing us to a few people..ie Charles Glass, Rico Mclinton and danny(i forget his last name) That will stick with me for a long time!

Grow Like a Weed!

**sassy69** · 05-12-2009, 11:52 AM

The first one I ever saw in real life was Mike Quinn at his gym in Boca Raton in the early 90s. First time I ever saw someone fan out a gigantic lat spread. Took my breath away. Prior to that I'd seen some of the muscle contests on TV waaaaaaay back in the day. I had no idea who the people were, but I do remember seeing it on TV.

**MichaelWayne** · 05-12-2009, 12:13 PM

Remember seeing Louie and Arnold, but they were past there primes. Same BBing on ESPN a couple times, but never paid attention. First time I really 'looked' at a bodybuilder was seeing Ronnie pressing 200lb DBs and a pic of Jay Culter, who at the time I thought kinda looked like Will Ferrell.

**Blondell** · 05-12-2009, 12:33 PM

My brother kept muscle mags and they never caught my attention until I noticed Cory Everson. She was the first FBB to inspire me to lift hard and heavy!

**bigmikecox** · 05-12-2009, 01:02 PM

At my second show in 1990 Robby Robinson and Janet Tech were the guest posers. Robby was 3 weeks out from the NOC that year and looked like a cartoon character. I had no idea that someone could look like that.

Janet Tech was really popular at that time. It was right after she won the Universe and was getting ready for the Olympia.

**Bennny** · 05-12-2009, 01:05 PM

Lou in "The Incredible Hulk" Although I might have seen Steve Reeves in one of the "Sinbad" movies first. But the first one I recall that made an impression was Lou.

**antonbrn** · 05-13-2009, 12:17 AM

Originally Posted by Bennny

Lou in "The Incredible Hulk" Although I might have seen Steve Reeves in one of the "Sinbad" movies first. But the first one I recall that made an impression was Lou.

Mine was also Lou in the Incredible Hulk.

I also remember seeing him on TV as a competitor for the "Battle of the Network Stars". It was cool seeing him w/o the green paint on running around a track for a race.

**Ninja Loco** · 05-13-2009, 12:49 AM

I was about three or four years old and watching a parade, so that was about 1969 -1970. Then a float came by full of bodybuilders and one of them came over to the edge, did that dancing thing with his pecs and then did some barbell rows. It freaked me out. My dad was always flexing his biceps and I always thought HE was muscular (he wasnt), but not like THAT. I dont remember exactly how muscular or developed that bodybuilder was but it was enough for me to know, even at that age, that most men didnt look like that that werent already on TV. To this day Ive never forgotten that.

**Bryan Hildebrand** · 05-15-2009, 10:16 PM

not so much a bodybuilder as strongman/shot putter Brian Oldfield. always been an inspiration to me. olympic champion.

**FloridaMuscle** · 05-15-2009, 11:33 PM

I used to train at Mike Katz's gym in Hamden, CT. Mike was the first bodybuilder I ever saw. In fact he helped me when ever I had a question and was one of the nicest people I ever met.

**Curt James** · 05-15-2009, 11:55 PM

Charles Atlas in a comic book ad back in the day, of course. But this issue is the one that sealed my fate as a bodybuilding fan:

**thaistyle** · 05-16-2009, 08:06 AM

The first bodybuilders I remember seeing was Steve Reeves in a Hercules movie and Arnold when he made the Conan movies. The one I'll never forget is seeing the Russian Olympic lifting champion Vasily Alexeev.

**The Thinker** · 05-16-2009, 11:42 AM

The first real bodybuilder I saw was my little league football coach in the late 1970s. Coach Elias had tremendous muscularity, size, and was always in great condition. While his physique was not as refined he reminded me of Franco Colombo (height, size, etc...). I don't remember the first pro I met as there are so many. I assume it was in the late 80s.

**MRT** · 05-16-2009, 12:12 PM

No i dont

**sassy69** · 05-16-2009, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by Curt James

Charles Atlas in a comic book ad back in the day, of course. But this issue is the one that sealed my fate as a bodybuilding fan:

If you want to go way back, yep Charles Atlas ads would've been the first:

**sassy69** · 05-16-2009, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by sassy69

The first one I ever saw in real life was Mike Quinn at his gym in Boca Raton in the early 90s. First time I ever saw someone fan out a gigantic lat spread. Took my breath away. Prior to that I'd seen some of the muscle contests on TV waaaaaaay back in the day. I had no idea who the people were, but I do remember seeing it on TV.

I went googling for "whatever happened to ..." Mike Quinn:

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_a...6.hydra#bottom

**esplendido** · 05-16-2009, 01:26 PM

Interesting read. Perhaps his experience is somewhat unique, because I know that some of his contemporaries were juiced year round. That article was from 2004?

**rodneyl** · 05-16-2009, 03:09 PM

Like most "older" guys, I remember Charles Atlas as the first bodybuilding influence I had. Then there was Jack LaLanne on TV and then of course Steve Reeves as Hercules. I was probably 17 then. But one of my favorites and whose physique I would love to have had was, Bill Perl and then of course Arnold.

**willie2** · 05-16-2009, 05:31 PM

Steve Reeves was the 1st one I remember that had any influence on me...Hercules...

**evilive138** · 05-19-2009, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by SpeedoGuido

Do you remember the first bodybuilder you ever saw that made a real impression on you???
Mine was Dave Draper "The Blond Bomber" when I was in the 7th grade.
I saw him in an ad in the back of a comic book.
I'm sure I saw Charles Atlas before that, but when I saw Draper he looked superhuman!

I just ordered a signed copy of Dave's book "West Coast Bodybuilding Scene."

West Coast BBing Scene is a great read man! Makes me wish i would have been around in those days.

Draper was actually the first bodybuilder i really read about. I used to read his site davedraper.com religiously. So i had the same experience except probably 40 years later!

His writing is some of the best around.

**evilive138** · 05-19-2009, 11:46 AM

The first BBer i ever remember seeing though had to be Lou in the Incredible Hulk. In the late 80s when i was a kid i watched that show everyday as well as had all the movies.

I used to walk around my back yard flaring out my shoulders/puffing my rib cage out trying to look big! LOL!

Mouse · 05-19-2009, 12:36 PM

LOL. That Charles Atlas ad is great. I remember those well.

"Thousands are becoming husky - my way"

Great stuff!

Mouse · 05-19-2009, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by sassy69

The first one I ever saw in real life was Mike Quinn at his gym in Boca Raton in the early 90s. First time I ever saw someone fan out a gigantic lat spread. Took my breath away. Prior to that I'd seen some of the muscle contests on TV waaaaaaay back in the day. I had no idea who the people were, but I do remember seeing it on TV.

That was pretty much my first exposure that I can remember. I don't know who the bodybuilders were, I'm sure many of the greats were shown, but I remember watching competitions on ABC's Wide World of Sports My mother would come in and go "Ewwww. They're gross with all those veins".

**sassy69** · 05-19-2009, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by Mouse

That was pretty much my first exposure that I can remember. I don't know who the bodybuilders were, I'm sure many of the greats were shown, but I remember watching competitions on ABC's Wide World of Sports My mother would come in and go "Ewwww. They're gross with all those veins".

LOL I remember exactly that too - they all looked sweaty and were dancing around in little bikini bottoms. When you're 6 yrs old that stuff is funny.