PROS------How did it all begin?

Hey, this question is for the pros out there......I was wondering if you all could tell a little about how you became the monsters that you are......like when you were in high school, were you already yoked? When did you 1st juice? How fast did your body respond to the weights? What made you want to be a pro bb? What is life like now? Was it worth it?


Thanks.
-Ivan the curious one-

i really dont think that there are that many "true" pro's on the boards. though I am sure that are a quite a few aspiring ones.

greekmadness said:

i really dont think that there are that many "true" pro's on the boards. though I am sure that are a quite a few aspiring ones.

Click to expand...

lol

bump--i dont ever want to be a pro--but some insight on what it took to get there would be cool--ie--cycles, relationships lost, cost of food, management issues etc........

Exactly superman. Even if you aren't a pro, it still takes a toll on what you mentioned above.

moose

started training at 17 weighing 155pd I was a top sprinter in my country then tore my quad from my bone as tendons weren't strong enough to hold muscle at that time. Started jucing at 18 went from 178pd to 247pd in my first 10week course. Most that was water of course but thought 70pd in under 3 months wasn't bad gain so kept on going. 26 now and no where near as big hard and ugly as I wanna be I do always think what if had used my drug knowledge in my sprinting how far would I have gone ? but thats life. Totally enjoy BB and couldn't think of anything better to do

kiwi

I was 15. Just bought this new track pants that were all the rage in '89. It was Wednesday evening, so I didn't know where to show them off. I remembered that a friend asked me to go to the gym with him, so I thought 'Perfect place to show my pants off!!!'
So, I went to the gym. I wrapped my hand around a dumbell at the rack and that was it. I absolutelly loved the feeling of that in my hand.
I was 127lbs when I started training at 5'10. I had 10.5" bis and I couldn't press the 10lbs dumbells LOL
Now, I am 5'11, my usual off season weight is 280, comp 240. Turned pro at 26.
Started gear at 17 and 9 months. I got tired of losing the teen shows, and there was 2 more shows just before my 18th birthday, and I thought that they would make good shows to win, so I did my first cycle while I was dieting. And I won

My life

I started lifting at 12, first show at 16, started juice at 22, turned Pro at 29, went to jail at 32, divorced at 33, met girl of my dreams at 36, will win Olympia at 39.

what the fuck did you do time for--i'm sorry i dont follow the ifbb headlines that closely--so clue me in--if you want pm it to me

You still wearing the sexy track pants Big A ? Phil how about this for goal bro be the first to win both the Olympia and Masters Olympia in the same year ?

KIWI----my GOD that is a HUGE weight gain!!! You started juicing at 18 weighing 178, then EXPLODED to 247?!?!? What in heaven's name were you taking?? I bet your quads developed nicely despite the injury; because of your sprinting days.. You look HUGE now ---of course you have superhuman genetics you lucky bastard! I am sure you worked your ass off too, live in Cali? what is your weight? what is your next show? Will you share cycle info?



Big A------so your body obviously responded well to the iron...where did you grow up at? And which muscle seemed to take the longest / hardest to develope? Which area was the easiest? what do you yourself admire most about your physique?? If there was anything you could go back and change, what would it be? ( I WON'T even ask Phil this Q lol!)


Phil-------I remember seeing you in lots of mags, do you remember the days when you saw other bb's in mags? What was it like meeting Arnold? Since you started lifting at the age of 12, was there somebody else who was paving the way for you ---like an older brother who was really into bbing, or did you just want to make sure you got chicks in Jr. High? OR did you always want to be a pro bb, and it was your dream which became a reality?

When will the pump be out?

superman1975 said:

what the fuck did you do time for--i'm sorry i dont follow the ifbb headlines that closely--so clue me in--if you want pm it to me

Click to expand...

For gear - your pathetic US laws at work. Obviously Phil is a danger to society for using gear so stick him in jail for a while

BIGKIWI said:

You still wearing the sexy track pants Big A ? Phil how about this for goal bro be the first to win both the Olympia and Masters Olympia in the same year ?

Click to expand...

I wish I kept them as a momento! "These are the pants that started it all!" LOL

Remember those Adidas trackies withe fluoro orange and yellow stripes on the side? That's them!

BIGKIWI said:

. Started jucing at 18 went from 178pd to 247pd in my first 10week course. Most that was water of course but thought 70pd in under 3 months wasn't bad gain so kept on going.

kiwi

Click to expand...

holy fucking shit. NOW THAT is a CYCLE!!!

Ivan said:

Big A------so your body obviously responded well to the iron...where did you grow up at? And which muscle seemed to take the longest / hardest to develope? Which area was the easiest? what do you yourself admire most about your physique?? If there was anything you could go back and change, what would it be? ( I WON'T even ask Phil this Q lol!)

Click to expand...

I started at 127lbs. I started on gear at 163. I started HIT at 183 which prompted to put on me 51lbs in the first 4 months. Then insulin /GH/gear combined brought me to 280. Of ocurse that is over a decade.
My arms are pathetic. My shoulders are 62" around with a 28" waist at comp time, so that makes my arms look really skinny. Added to the fact that I have long biceps, not too good. My weaknesses are my arms and my back thickness. I have very wide shoulders, small waist, wide full lats, good sweep on the thighs and excellent calves. I have ALWAYS been told that I have 'beautiful' shape and I've always been accused of having calf implants (never even injected anything into them, all natural).
If I could go back, I would have concentrated on bodybuilding better so I could have turned pro earlier and done well early. Or I would have waited until I was financially secure and then done bb properly. Problem was that I was always going back and forwards between the two so I have never even come close to the potential I have in both. Still, I am young (shut up KIWI!) and now I am concetrating on my companies while bb is on the backburner and then I'll hit bb fully again properly.

HAHAHH

GOOD IDEA BIGKIWI, OK, I WILL DO IT!!! ahhahhahahhah
I WENT TO JAIL, WELL, BASICALLY, FOR TRYING TO GAIN ANOTHER 10 POUNDS WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT. MY EX WIFE IS STILL IN THERE AND SHE CAN ROT THERE FOR ALL I CARE. SHE IS THE ONE WHO BASICALLY CAUSED THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
I ALWAYS LOVED LOOKING AT THE MUSCLEMAGS. I REMEMBER THE DAYS WHEN I THOUGHT STEVE DAVIS WAS HUGE. I WAS TOTALLY AMAZED AT ARNOLD IN PUMPING IRON, AND LOU AS THE HULK. I THINK MY FAVORITE ALL TIME, BESIDES DORIAN YATES, HAS GOT TO BE VINCE TAYLOR. WHEN HE CAME OUT OF NOWHERE TO WIN THE NATIONALS, I HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE, IT WAS AMAZING!!!

Re: HAHAHH

PHIL HERNON said:

I THINK MY FAVORITE ALL TIME, BESIDES DORIAN YATES, HAS GOT TO BE VINCE TAYLOR. WHEN HE CAME OUT OF NOWHERE TO WIN THE NATIONALS, I HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE, IT WAS AMAZING!!!

Click to expand...

1990 - I remember the first time that I saw a video of Lee Haney at the '88 Olympia. I thought I was going to pass out when he did his back shot! It looked like melted plastic - absolutely unreal!

1992 - Lee Haney on stage - gobsmacking!

1993 - Lou Ferigno on stage - 1,500 people screaming at the top of their lungs. I didn't think they could yell any louder. Then he hits a most muscular... Backstage, he walked straight towards me and I wanted to say hello. Instead, his entire presence (6'3 at 350lbs) was so overwhelming I was in a daze and all I could do was move to the side as he walked by.

1994 - I see the video of the '93 Olympia. Dorian walks on stage - freakiest thing ever. Then he turns around and does a rear lat spread as the camera zooms in... This is the year when he walked on stage at 257 and the biggest of all the other pros was 225.

1997 - I walk in this room. Nasser is sitting at a table on my right. I see him, I burst out in laughter uncontrollably. The reason - I couldn't believe my eyes and the laughter was my uncontrollable reaction to the sight - he was soooooo wide at 320, he made me look narrow although I had almost 60" shoulders.

2001 - my first pro show. At the competitors meeting, I was looking at everyone and I thought - damn they are good, but not that 'unreachable'. Then Dennis James walks in (he was late) stuffing his face with an entire huge frosty cake. He was wearing a low cut top and I never before saw an upper chest that was parallel to the floor! I was gobsmacked! And then he draws the number to be on stage next to me...

enjoyable reading guys..



even though i'm no pro. (i hope to be someday)

the most amzing thing i ever saw in person was the 2001 Arnold classic. When ronnie coleman turned around and hit his back double bi. I literally got chills down my spine.

before i had never been to a pro show and only seen magaizines.

Big A said:

For gear - your pathetic US laws at work. Obviously Phil is a danger to society for using gear so stick him in jail for a while

Click to expand...

BigA-dont get me started!
Makes me sick to know that happened to a good
guy like Phil, and current bros like Jeeves.

Some real nice stories of how you got your inspiration, fellas-keep em coming!

Big Phil Didnt the feds go after every one that won the Nationals for like 3 years in a row the prior two years before you won. Its like they just staked out every bodbybuilder that won the show. I thought it was Paul Demayo, You and damn Im getting old my memory dont remember if the other was Craig or what.

Anyways I cant wait to see you back in action Phil I used to look at you in all the mags man you are awesome. I think jealousy from people outside the sport sucks I guess for even those of us who are just big but not pros as well.

A buddy of mine who I train with sometimes cause we live far apart will be a pro in a couple of years. He grows like a weed. His father was a top European Pro in the early years. He got some good genetics I dont think they are everything but makes life a lot easier. Great reading in these posts. MM