Changes in the Bodybuilding Culture since the 80s

[DOGGCRAPP]

I am with you Hawkmoon. I used to live and die by the shows on ESPN back in the 80's. Its like you couldnt even wait until the monthly show would come on. American Muscle magazine and there was another one and it was EAST coast based "East Coast Muscle"? I cant remember the name of it but it was about Hardcore New York and New Jersey scene/contests and gym stuff. I think Tom Terwillinger was the commentator. I take it you worked for Lou Zwick at one point.

I trained sometimes with 2 time AAU Mr Massachusetts and also top placer in AAU USA and America...Donnie Lemieux (who is still a good friend today). He was the Alpha Dog in Central Massachusetts and whole bunch of us (Derrick Farnsworth, myself and a slew of other central Mass bbers looked up to him back then). His back was so freaking wide that a fond memory of mine was one big show where this guy from Springfield (Katsikinsis?) was thick as a brick and giving Donnie a run for the overall...and they turned them around and called "Rear Lat Spread" and the crowd gasped and you heard "Whoa!!!" when Donnie hit his shot....Show Was Over!

I had the BUM sweatshirts, the Otomix, the boatnecks with the stringer tanks underneath, Oakleys, Z cavarricci's, whole nine yards. We probably crossed paths at one time or another as I used to see Demayo and friends out at the Palace....Mattarrazzo and I dated some of the same "hanger-ons"...I hit the Grossi' shows up in Boston.

What I see as the biggest thing missing is the camaraderie. I mean you used to really pull for the guys in your gym back in the day. You wanted them to do well in shows. You took pride in "that guy goes to my gym, my gym is hardcore, that guy trains hard, I really want him to do well today"..... thats all but gone...and it sucks. And the whole social media part of things has kind of ruined what used to be a very hardcore mindset. There were no I-phones. And you sure as hell didnt take a Polaroid camera to the gym and say "hey guy over there on the bench, you mind snapping a couple pics of me with my shirt off?"....that was pretty much unheard of. Thats why these young guys dont understand why virtually all the bodybuilding pics that are from the 80's and 90's are either from contests, or photo shoots put on by a photog or magazine.

I started lifting when i was 19 and a half so i got into it late...but quickly inundated myself. Some of the early seminars for myself were Tom Platz, Mike Quinn, and others. I remember going to one of my first shows and Jeff King was guest posing and he was a freaking sight to be seen....I believe he was 287lbs that day...and you just could not get over the volume of his quads. I saw Haney guest pose at his absolute largest. I saw Paul do his Quadzilla routine (in fact i think i have that on VHS tape and probably should put it online for people). Saw Mendenhall, Demayo and Mattarrazzo all guest pose at the MuscleMania in Providence i think it was. One of my first pro shows was the Night of Champions in New York and it was Dorian Yates debut....that was crazy. Lot of legends in that show....Phil Hill, Benazizza, Morant, Schmidt, Padilla, etc....noone knew who the F Yates was when the show started....they sure as hell found out quickly as soon as he walked out!

Here is a pic of Donnie...I dont know if you remember him

 

[opietaylor]

it was the time period which got me hooked. no stupid fucking tatoos or beards. the top guys were gentlemen and respectable; Haney, Labrada, etc. i was fortunate to grow up in our family owned gym. the monthly visit from the guy with the suitcase full of steroids (i was to young) small waist's, v tapers. t-michael. gym music was all hairbands. everyone volume trained, and trained fucking hard.

 

[USMuscle9403]

it was the time period which got me hooked. no stupid fucking tatoos or beards. the top guys were gentlemen and respectable; Haney, Labrada, etc. i was fortunate to grow up in our family owned gym. the monthly visit from the guy with the suitcase full of steroids (i was to young) small waist's, v tapers. t-michael. gym music was all hairbands. everyone volume trained, and trained fucking hard.

Lol the suitcase full of steroids. That's basically what it was. Even if you didn't do anything, if you were around the bigger guys and they trusted you, they'd buy, trade, sell in the locker room or at someone's car in the parking lot. Inject right there, too. And then, you had UGLs here and there but were mostly considered untrustworthy, so much of that shit was either from Mexico, fake or both lol Usually guys got their shit because some guy decided to brave it across the border and it ended up getting to you somehow. Expensive as hell, too. I remember seeing those Sustanon preloads with those enormous pins and thinking, "damn that's gotta fuckin hurt". And they did lol

 

[11111]

I am with you Hawkmoon. I used to live and die by the shows on ESPN back in the 80's. Its like you couldnt even wait until the monthly show would come on. American Muscle magazine and there was another one and it was EAST coast based "East Coast Muscle"? I cant remember the name of it but it was about Hardcore New York and New Jersey scene/contests and gym stuff. I think Tom Terwillinger was the commentator. I take it you worked for Lou Zwick at one point.

I trained sometimes with 2 time AAU Mr Massachusetts and also top placer in AAU USA and America...Donnie Lemieux (who is still a good friend today). He was the Alpha Dog in Central Massachusetts and whole bunch of us (Derrick Farnsworth, myself and a slew of other central Mass bbers looked up to him back then). His back was so freaking wide that a fond memory of mine was one big show where this guy from Springfield (Katsikinsis?) was thick as a brick and giving Donnie a run for the overall...and they turned them around and called "Rear Lat Spread" and the crowd gasped and you heard "Whoa!!!" when Donnie hit his shot....Show Was Over!

I had the BUM sweatshirts, the Otomix, the boatnecks with the stringer tanks underneath, Oakleys, Z cavarricci's, whole nine yards. We probably crossed paths at one time or another as I used to see Demayo and friends out at the Palace....Mattarrazzo and I dated some of the same "hanger-ons"...I hit the Grossi' shows up in Boston.

What I see as the biggest thing missing is the camaraderie. I mean you used to really pull for the guys in your gym back in the day. You wanted them to do well in shows. You took pride in "that guy goes to my gym, my gym is hardcore, that guy trains hard, I really want him to do well today"..... thats all but gone...and it sucks. And the whole social media part of things has kind of ruined what used to be a very hardcore mindset. There were no I-phones. And you sure as hell didnt take a Polaroid camera to the gym and say "hey guy over there on the bench, you mind snapping a couple pics of me with my shirt off?"....that was pretty much unheard of. Thats why these young guys dont understand why virtually all the bodybuilding pics that are from the 80's and 90's are either from contests, or photo shoots put on by a photog or magazine.

I started lifting when i was 19 and a half so i got into it late...but quickly inundated myself. Some of the early seminars for myself were Tom Platz, Mike Quinn, and others. I remember going to one of my first shows and Jeff King was guest posing and he was a freaking sight to be seen....I believe he was 287lbs that day...and you just could not get over the volume of his quads. I saw Haney guest pose at his absolute largest. I saw Paul do his Quadzilla routine (in fact i think i have that on VHS tape and probably should put it online for people). Saw Mendenhall, Demayo and Mattarrazzo all guest pose at the MuscleMania in Providence i think it was. One of my first pro shows was the Night of Champions in New York and it was Dorian Yates debut....that was crazy. Lot of legends in that show....Phil Hill, Benazizza, Morant, Schmidt, Padilla, etc....noone knew who the F Yates was when the show started....they sure as hell found out quickly as soon as he walked out!

Here is a pic of Donnie...I dont know if you remember him

Dante, I know it's not a bodypart that bodybuilders talk much about, but was Jeff King's neck as insane in person as it is some of the pictures floating out there on the internet?

 

[Reload]

I worked at the front desk at World Gym Honolulu fresh out of high school from 88-93. Place was a total dungeon but we put a lot of sweat/blood into the place. Competitive BBers, powerlifters, strippers...it was the mecca at that time. The pros that strolled through, in town as guest posers are too many to mention. There was a hallway filled with hundreds of their autographed & framed photos I was often tasked to get. I met them all personally. Just a star struck kid living the dream. There were also pro wrestlers, movie stars, pro athletes (football, baseball etc.) It was an amazing time in my life. I would have guys show up with huge boxes full of drugs (steroids) that I would stash away for certain "members" under the counter. I rarely paid for any of my cycles and was the guy who knew a guy. I remember when GH first became a thing. When you could easily get pharm drugs directly from the gym pharmacist (Searl Anavar, Syntex Anadrol, Organon Deca, Goldline Test etc.) Coke was everywhere in the late 80's. Nubain was just hitting the scene. I became the shot guy. Could load a full barrel with whatever I was given and inject it painlessly for the guys that had a hard time. I enjoyed keeping the gym open for the female and male strippers getting their workouts in after work. I knew everyone in the industry at the time. The promoters, the judges at the local shows. The athletes. The ones that did literally anything to win. Meeting the Barbarian Brothers was a highlight as was hugging Hulk Hogan (long story). I met and fell in love with Raye Hollitt.lol Soo many good memories and some sad ones losing friends to over doses and destroying their cardiovascular systems with huge (never ending) cycles of steroids and rec drugs. The music, the clothing, the hairstyles...the lifestyle. You woke up and lived it! It wasn't just a workout or something you did for a few hours/day.

I would love to go back in time and relive some of those memories.

 

[alfresco]

Ed Conners.

Listen to this podcast if want to know hat happens back then. Very enlightening. Ed
is very smart, articulate and savvy business man who was very involved in the
body building scene back 'then'. Lots of very entertaining stories and you will
learn a lot about some of your favorite bodybuilders. I know I did.

https://www.bodybuildinglegendsshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Podcast-Ed-Connors.mp3

 

[Wynn]

I am with you Hawkmoon. I used to live and die by the shows on ESPN back in the 80's. Its like you couldnt even wait until the monthly show would come on. American Muscle magazine and there was another one and it was EAST coast based "East Coast Muscle"? I cant remember the name of it but it was about Hardcore New York and New Jersey scene/contests and gym stuff. I think Tom Terwillinger was the commentator. I take it you worked for Lou Zwick at one point.

I trained sometimes with 2 time AAU Mr Massachusetts and also top placer in AAU USA and America...Donnie Lemieux (who is still a good friend today). He was the Alpha Dog in Central Massachusetts and whole bunch of us (Derrick Farnsworth, myself and a slew of other central Mass bbers looked up to him back then). His back was so freaking wide that a fond memory of mine was one big show where this guy from Springfield (Katsikinsis?) was thick as a brick and giving Donnie a run for the overall...and they turned them around and called "Rear Lat Spread" and the crowd gasped and you heard "Whoa!!!" when Donnie hit his shot....Show Was Over!

I had the BUM sweatshirts, the Otomix, the boatnecks with the stringer tanks underneath, Oakleys, Z cavarricci's, whole nine yards. We probably crossed paths at one time or another as I used to see Demayo and friends out at the Palace....Mattarrazzo and I dated some of the same "hanger-ons"...I hit the Grossi' shows up in Boston.

What I see as the biggest thing missing is the camaraderie. I mean you used to really pull for the guys in your gym back in the day. You wanted them to do well in shows. You took pride in "that guy goes to my gym, my gym is hardcore, that guy trains hard, I really want him to do well today"..... thats all but gone...and it sucks. And the whole social media part of things has kind of ruined what used to be a very hardcore mindset. There were no I-phones. And you sure as hell didnt take a Polaroid camera to the gym and say "hey guy over there on the bench, you mind snapping a couple pics of me with my shirt off?"....that was pretty much unheard of. Thats why these young guys dont understand why virtually all the bodybuilding pics that are from the 80's and 90's are either from contests, or photo shoots put on by a photog or magazine.

I started lifting when i was 19 and a half so i got into it late...but quickly inundated myself. Some of the early seminars for myself were Tom Platz, Mike Quinn, and others. I remember going to one of my first shows and Jeff King was guest posing and he was a freaking sight to be seen....I believe he was 287lbs that day...and you just could not get over the volume of his quads. I saw Haney guest pose at his absolute largest. I saw Paul do his Quadzilla routine (in fact i think i have that on VHS tape and probably should put it online for people). Saw Mendenhall, Demayo and Mattarrazzo all guest pose at the MuscleMania in Providence i think it was. One of my first pro shows was the Night of Champions in New York and it was Dorian Yates debut....that was crazy. Lot of legends in that show....Phil Hill, Benazizza, Morant, Schmidt, Padilla, etc....noone knew who the F Yates was when the show started....they sure as hell found out quickly as soon as he walked out!

Here is a pic of Donnie...I dont know if you remember him

Around here that other show was called MuscleSport USA hosted by Tom Terwiliger and the late Steve Stone. The Madison Square Garden Network aired it probably to compete against ESPN.

I remembered I bought one of the Max Muscle grab bags back in the 90's. By the time I ordered what the company was clearing out I got a 2X bag. Most of the clothes were too big so I put them in a storage tote and put them away thinking I would sell them on eBay. I still haven't gotten around to it.

 

[D2]

And Cybergenics was the holy grail of supplements

 

[upeccmi]

I love this thread! I got my first plastic coated cement weight set in '82 or '83 and then Joined the gym in '85 when I was 16. It was a hardcore gym. I was just a skinny kid but guys were cool and taught me how to train. Good Times! Drugs were readily available at the gym, in my case the gym owner...that started in '88. In '87 I went to see a friend of a friend who worked at a Golds Gym to get some Dbol. He worked at the gym and unloaded the contents of his gym bag on the counter. A bunch of AAS on the counter in plain site of everyone and no one cared..LOL! There was a signed picture of Mr. Natural Mike Ashley on the wall. I asked if he trained there, he said, "Sometimes. I sell him GH." I was in steroid heaven! LOL!!

I watched all the shows you guys mentioned. In '91 I remember watching the Junior Nationals on ESPN. Paul Demayo won but the unknown guy in 2nd place really got peoples attention...Kevin Levrone! Kevin went on to win the Nationals that same year and get his pro card!! I have the Jr. Nats show on VHS somewhere. No VHS player to watch it but still have the video somewhere.

Back in the 80's, even with it gaining popularity, it was still an underground endeavor. The Weiders really pushed for a more socially acceptable version of bodybuilding because they were trying to make it an Olympic event.
I think it became less socially acceptable due to the the Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990. AAS became Schedule III controlled Substances. The campaign against steroids was in full effect!! The popularity of bodybuilding continued to grow but the steroid stigma was now attached to it. It wasn't too many years later when the push for fitness came in which appealed to more of the mainstream and gym owners saw the dollar signs. It's hard to blame them. Most hardcore gyms disappeared.

I was at the 1991 Jr National show you have. I did the 91 Jr USA(in Myrtle Beach) that year and a friend of mine was in the Light weight class at the Jr Nats down the jersey shore. I let him stay at my summer house that weekend for the show. I remember all of us wondering who the hell this guy Kevin Levrone came from, freak but a bit off, you could tell he was not peaking for this.

I remember MLO protein...tasted like chalk. I had every color otomix shorts, sneakers. Dedication bodybuilding pants, T-Michaels. First cycle came from a cop who would have it under the seat of his car. Kept Deca and anavar readily available. Everyone wanted to be friends with the big guy as he had the hook ups for the good shit, no underground stuff then.

They even had a tv show back in the 90s, I think it was called American Muscle (somebody should remember this). People would see me on there, as they would show competitions, people would come up to me at the gym. They played reruns for years later.

I do remember my gym, a small place but alot of big guys(Mr America, Mr Canada, Mr NJ) who competed, all guys, maybe 3 girls in the whole place. We were like a family. If one guy had a show 75 people from there would be in the audience. Never experienced this after this place. Busting balls across the gym all workout with no filter. One piece of cardo equipment in the place...a fan bike. My first show, I had to take my 10 speed for long rides to get cardio in.

 

[upeccmi]

ESPNs American Muscle Magazine TV show (80s/early 90s):

 

[hawkmoon]

ESPNs American Muscle Magazine TV show (80s/early 90s):

Here's the segment I did with Penny Price...on her glutes

 

[hawkmoon]

I am with you Hawkmoon. I used to live and die by the shows on ESPN back in the 80's. Its like you couldnt even wait until the monthly show would come on. American Muscle magazine and there was another one and it was EAST coast based "East Coast Muscle"? I cant remember the name of it but it was about Hardcore New York and New Jersey scene/contests and gym stuff. I think Tom Terwillinger was the commentator. I take it you worked for Lou Zwick at one point.

I trained sometimes with 2 time AAU Mr Massachusetts and also top placer in AAU USA and America...Donnie Lemieux (who is still a good friend today). He was the Alpha Dog in Central Massachusetts and whole bunch of us (Derrick Farnsworth, myself and a slew of other central Mass bbers looked up to him back then). His back was so freaking wide that a fond memory of mine was one big show where this guy from Springfield (Katsikinsis?) was thick as a brick and giving Donnie a run for the overall...and they turned them around and called "Rear Lat Spread" and the crowd gasped and you heard "Whoa!!!" when Donnie hit his shot....Show Was Over!

I had the BUM sweatshirts, the Otomix, the boatnecks with the stringer tanks underneath, Oakleys, Z cavarricci's, whole nine yards. We probably crossed paths at one time or another as I used to see Demayo and friends out at the Palace....Mattarrazzo and I dated some of the same "hanger-ons"...I hit the Grossi' shows up in Boston.

What I see as the biggest thing missing is the camaraderie. I mean you used to really pull for the guys in your gym back in the day. You wanted them to do well in shows. You took pride in "that guy goes to my gym, my gym is hardcore, that guy trains hard, I really want him to do well today"..... thats all but gone...and it sucks. And the whole social media part of things has kind of ruined what used to be a very hardcore mindset. There were no I-phones. And you sure as hell didnt take a Polaroid camera to the gym and say "hey guy over there on the bench, you mind snapping a couple pics of me with my shirt off?"....that was pretty much unheard of. Thats why these young guys dont understand why virtually all the bodybuilding pics that are from the 80's and 90's are either from contests, or photo shoots put on by a photog or magazine.

I started lifting when i was 19 and a half so i got into it late...but quickly inundated myself. Some of the early seminars for myself were Tom Platz, Mike Quinn, and others. I remember going to one of my first shows and Jeff King was guest posing and he was a freaking sight to be seen....I believe he was 287lbs that day...and you just could not get over the volume of his quads. I saw Haney guest pose at his absolute largest. I saw Paul do his Quadzilla routine (in fact i think i have that on VHS tape and probably should put it online for people). Saw Mendenhall, Demayo and Mattarrazzo all guest pose at the MuscleMania in Providence i think it was. One of my first pro shows was the Night of Champions in New York and it was Dorian Yates debut....that was crazy. Lot of legends in that show....Phil Hill, Benazizza, Morant, Schmidt, Padilla, etc....noone knew who the F Yates was when the show started....they sure as hell found out quickly as soon as he walked out!

Here is a pic of Donnie...I dont know if you remember him

I don't think I ever met Donnie, but I'm sure his name and reputation were known, if not by me, then definitely my peers.

Funny how even in the same State there were different "scenes". Something else that's unimaginable in today's social media world.

 

[NGL34]

I feel like my era in the late 80s was the last era where BB was still socially accepted, we even had contests on network TV.
We were particularly flamboyant and a lot of people were "all in" with the lifestyle.

I think about how much has changed and wanted to share and see if any other old-timers could reflect on the past and where we are now.

Then:

• Pink boatneck sweathshirts, T-Michael, and striped spandex - as everyday wear
• Corvettes and Porsches; the Mustang 5.0 was the entry level BB car
• Everyone was tanned all the time, salons more plentiful than gyms
• Steroids were "sauce", "beans", or "juice"...and pharma was easy to get and lot of cops were on
• Dan Duchaine was a legendary figure and source of all AAS knowledge
• Carbs were just becoming fashionable, with lots of talk about "protein sparing"
• Supplements sucked and powders all tasted awful. Metabolol II wasn't too bad, nor heavyweight gainer 900.
• We had America Muscle Magazine (who I worked for) and other bodybuilding shows on ESPN (Kiana Tom, Rick Valente..)
• No tattoos or beards, but plenty of mullets and gold chains
• We were, for the most part, fun loving and goofballs with self-deprecatory humor
• Drugs were mysterious and really were an after-thought, so long pre-Internet

Now: (?) younger guys please chime in

You forgot the fanny packs!

Mullet, fanny pack and those goofy m.c. hammer pants- step aside boys! There was gonna be some weights destroyed that day.

 

[DOGGCRAPP]

Dante, I know it's not a bodypart that bodybuilders talk much about, but was Jeff King's neck as insane in person as it is some of the pictures floating out there on the internet?

He just looked freaking awesome....like a Sherman Tank. His quads were Platzian. Looked like the tendons were going to shred when he flexed them. Guy was an absolute beast.

 

[DOGGCRAPP]

Around here that other show was called MuscleSport USA hosted by Tom Terwiliger and the late Steve Stone. The Madison Square Garden Network aired it probably to compete against ESPN.

I remembered I bought one of the Max Muscle grab bags back in the 90's. By the time I ordered what the company was clearing out I got a 2X bag. Most of the clothes were too big so I put them in a storage tote and put them away thinking I would sell them on eBay. I still haven't gotten around to it.

Thats exactly it Wynn....it was Musclesport USA...not East Coast Muscle. I couldnt remember the name of it

 

[Bio]

I was at the 1991 Jr National show you have. I did the 91 Jr USA(in Myrtle Beach) that year and a friend of mine was in the Light weight class at the Jr Nats down the jersey shore. I let him stay at my summer house that weekend for the show. I remember all of us wondering who the hell this guy Kevin Levrone came from, freak but a bit off, you could tell he was not peaking for this.

I remember MLO protein...tasted like chalk. I had every color otomix shorts, sneakers. Dedication bodybuilding pants, T-Michaels. First cycle came from a cop who would have it under the seat of his car. Kept Deca and anavar readily available. Everyone wanted to be friends with the big guy as he had the hook ups for the good shit, no underground stuff then.

They even had a tv show back in the 90s, I think it was called American Muscle (somebody should remember this). People would see me on there, as they would show competitions, people would come up to me at the gym. They played reruns for years later.

I do remember my gym, a small place but alot of big guys(Mr America, Mr Canada, Mr NJ) who competed, all guys, maybe 3 girls in the whole place. We were like a family. If one guy had a show 75 people from there would be in the audience. Never experienced this after this place. Busting balls across the gym all workout with no filter. One piece of cardo equipment in the place...a fan bike. My first show, I had to take my 10 speed for long rides to get cardio in.

Upeccmi that sounds like a great time! You know Dante commented on camaraderie and possibly Hawkmoon as well. I started to address it in an earlier reply and then decided not to. Just like you said, we busted balls, goofed on each other, pushed each other and just had fun. It was the big gym family. We trained hard too but that camaraderie made it even more fun and I met a lot of cool, interesting people over the years, actually decades, and still maintain friendships with some of them. It was like the show Cheers, somebody walked in and the greetings and/or ball busting began...Oh man, good times! Like Dante said, social media has ruined the friendly fun feeling of it being a brotherhood. Guys get too hung up on themselves. Even a number of professional bodybuilders back then seemed like they were having fun and had a lot more personality.

Kevin Levrone took off after the '91Jr. Nats! From 2nd place there, to winning the Nationals later that year getting his pro card, to winning the Night of Champions the next year ('92) and taking 2nd in the Mr. Olympia that same year!! Unbelievable! In the Jr. Nats his hair was slicked back and he had a small pony tail. That look didn't last long. Here's a video of the '91 Jr. Nationals...

Upeccmi are you in that episode of American Muscle that you posted? Cameo Knuer, Cory Everson's sister was so pretty!!

In roughly '96 Achim Albrect moved to my area and trained at the same gym. We had some big guys in there but he set the bar! We were talking one day and I asked what his current weight was and he said, "295". Unbelievably huge!!

 

[hawkmoon]

The camaraderie of the era was definitely something I miss.

When you arrived at the gym people turned around and smiled, walked up greeting you, laughing ensued.
The owners in my first gym where great characters, alternately ball-busting and supporting you.
In my first real gym, Universe in Quincy MA. Mike Aristide owned the place and Joe (last name I forgot).
Joe was a comedian and a chronic piss-taker and riot for it. He would sneak up on people benching 315 and poke them in the ass with a broomstick.
It really was a brotherhood then.

A lot of us would hang out after workouts and chat. Of course we talked about training and stuff, but I remember most conversations being about life outside the gym. I was always happy to see these friendly faces in the gym when arrived after school, being that my Uni, UMASS Boston was 15 mins away and the gym was on the way home.

I developed a lot of great friendships then. I remember everyone getting along, and an incredibly welcoming atmosphere.
Not everyone was close friends of course, but everyone was friendly. Somehow we all managed to train really hard but kept the atmosphere light and jovial. I can't remember a single person I didn't like.

I was at this gym when I first used AAS, so it was a transformation era for me. I still remember using up to 6 A50s a day and incline benching 425 for reps and doing 315 being the neck for set after set. It was crazy. People, especially the "gym elders" gave me a lot of respect and encouragement, everyone was supportive and I probably would not have competed at all if not for them.


I wasn't a night person, so I never went to the Palace in Saugus, where I might have seen Dante as mentioned above.
Us South Shore guys would meet up with guys from other parts of the state at shows and seminars, etc, but I didn't go "out" really ever, though my friends did end up at the Palace plenty of times.

I used to drive up to Everett Golds to see Louie and train in the late 90s. It was a different atmosphere than where I was from.
This is when I used to see Paul DeMaypo and trained with his brother...around the time I did the 1989 New Englands.

Before my first real stint in Japan, back in 94-95, that Gold's was my "other" regular place. Many of the younger guys didn't know me but the older guys did. I was clean for years when I got there and then did a quick 8 week run with a little Duratston and Hemogenin. Steve Cantone, one of the younger guys at the time at Gold's and I got along and he joked about getting me a cycle to see what would happen. After I got that little 8 week run and blew up 25lbs he was amusingly irate. With a big smile and laugh he said he "wasn't gonna help me get nothing thereafter, no f'ing way" or something to that effect. He was a good BB'er and we enjoyed ribbing each other for the short time I was there.

By that time in the 90s, things were getting a little more "cliquey" with those inside and those outside. I was on the border as to many I was not a local guy at the time. There were a lot of other good guys there at the time like Lucio Paolini, Julian, Drew "The Sheriff", and Joel Cutulle.
When I got on AAS for those 8 weeks again, Joel would soon be shouting "T" when I arrived at the gym to announced to everyone that I was on.
Ball-buster extraordinaire. As I type this I realize I may be mixing earlier memories of Golds when I used to visit to see Louie, eat ravioli, and come home with cases of Steris Testosterone - and these later ones, so forgive me if I get mixed up now and then!

There were still connections to be built in the mid-90s, but not as deep or genuine IMO.
At the time my training partner was a good friend, but not a bodybuilder. When he was struggling to help me get the 140s up for shoulder presses, Joel came running and shoved my buddy Dave aside and helped me out. We were quite friendly after that, but nothing touched the brotherhood feeling of the late 80s.

I think the fact that between my earlier days in the late 80s and then the mid 90s was that situation with gear.
This made people more wary and less welcoming of strangers, and I was after all a South Shore guy.

I didn't hang out with anyone at that time and it didn't have the same appeal as earlier years, but some moments like those mentioned above were to be had.

Oh, and a quick memory provoked by Dante's reference to girlfriends; I was no player but did end up with one of Paul DeMayo's exes. She was a Ujena model, gorgeous, and sweet, but a little mental

 

[Nyoco]

Ed Conners.

Listen to this podcast if want to know hat happens back then. Very enlightening. Ed
is very smart, articulate and savvy business man who was very involved in the
body building scene back 'then'. Lots of very entertaining stories and you will
learn a lot about some of your favorite bodybuilders. I know I did.

https://www.bodybuildinglegendsshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Podcast-Ed-Connors.mp3

"Gold´s Gym Venice, where the men are men and women are too" I couldn´t help but laugh when I heard that, thanks for the link alfresco.

 

[lookslikesausage]

I worked at the front desk at World Gym Honolulu fresh out of high school from 88-93. Place was a total dungeon but we put a lot of sweat/blood into the place. Competitive BBers, powerlifters, strippers...it was the mecca at that time. The pros that strolled through, in town as guest posers are too many to mention. There was a hallway filled with hundreds of their autographed & framed photos I was often tasked to get. I met them all personally. Just a star struck kid living the dream. There were also pro wrestlers, movie stars, pro athletes (football, baseball etc.) It was an amazing time in my life. I would have guys show up with huge boxes full of drugs (steroids) that I would stash away for certain "members" under the counter. I rarely paid for any of my cycles and was the guy who knew a guy. I remember when GH first became a thing. When you could easily get pharm drugs directly from the gym pharmacist (Searl Anavar, Syntex Anadrol, Organon Deca, Goldline Test etc.) Coke was everywhere in the late 80's. Nubain was just hitting the scene. I became the shot guy. Could load a full barrel with whatever I was given and inject it painlessly for the guys that had a hard time. I enjoyed keeping the gym open for the female and male strippers getting their workouts in after work. I knew everyone in the industry at the time. The promoters, the judges at the local shows. The athletes. The ones that did literally anything to win. Meeting the Barbarian Brothers was a highlight as was hugging Hulk Hogan (long story). I met and fell in love with Raye Hollitt.lol Soo many good memories and some sad ones losing friends to over doses and destroying their cardiovascular systems with huge (never ending) cycles of steroids and rec drugs. The music, the clothing, the hairstyles...the lifestyle. You woke up and lived it! It wasn't just a workout or something you did for a few hours/day.

I would love to go back in time and relive some of those memories.

Was Curtis Leffler a member of your gym? I used to read about his insane strength in the gym.

 

[Bio]

The camaraderie of the era was definitely something I miss.

When you arrived at the gym people turned around and smiled, walked up greeting you, laughing ensued.
The owners in my first gym where great characters, alternately ball-busting and supporting you.
In my first real gym, Universe in Quincy MA. Mike Aristide owned the place and Joe (last name I forgot).
Joe was a comedian and a chronic piss-taker and riot for it. He would sneak up on people benching 315 and poke them in the ass with a broomstick.
It really was a brotherhood then.

A lot of us would hang out after workouts and chat. Of course we talked about training and stuff, but I remember most conversations being about life outside the gym. I was always happy to see these friendly faces in the gym when arrived after school, being that my Uni, UMASS Boston was 15 mins away and the gym was on the way home.

I developed a lot of great friendships then. I remember everyone getting along, and an incredibly welcoming atmosphere.
Not everyone was close friends of course, but everyone was friendly. Somehow we all managed to train really hard but kept the atmosphere light and jovial. I can't remember a single person I didn't like.

I was at this gym when I first used AAS, so it was a transformation era for me. I still remember using up to 6 A50s a day and incline benching 425 for reps and doing 315 being the neck for set after set. It was crazy. People, especially the "gym elders" gave me a lot of respect and encouragement, everyone was supportive and I probably would not have competed at all if not for them.


I wasn't a night person, so I never went to the Palace in Saugus, where I might have seen Dante as mentioned above.
Us South Shore guys would meet up with guys from other parts of the state at shows and seminars, etc, but I didn't go "out" really ever, though my friends did end up at the Palace plenty of times.

I used to drive up to Everett Golds to see Louie and train in the late 90s. It was a different atmosphere than where I was from.
This is when I used to see Paul DeMaypo and trained with his brother...around the time I did the 1989 New Englands.

Before my first real stint in Japan, back in 94-95, that Gold's was my "other" regular place. Many of the younger guys didn't know me but the older guys did. I was clean for years when I got there and then did a quick 8 week run with a little Duratston and Hemogenin. Steve Cantone, one of the younger guys at the time at Gold's and I got along and he joked about getting me a cycle to see what would happen. After I got that little 8 week run and blew up 25lbs he was amusingly irate. With a big smile and laugh he said he "wasn't gonna help me get nothing thereafter, no f'ing way" or something to that effect. He was a good BB'er and we enjoyed ribbing each other for the short time I was there.

By that time in the 90s, things were getting a little more "cliquey" with those inside and those outside. I was on the border as to many I was not a local guy at the time. There were a lot of other good guys there at the time like Lucio Paolini, Julian, Drew "The Sheriff", and Joel Cutulle.
When I got on AAS for those 8 weeks again, Joel would soon be shouting "T" when I arrived at the gym to announced to everyone that I was on.
Ball-buster extraordinaire. As I type this I realize I may be mixing earlier memories of Golds when I used to visit to see Louie, eat ravioli, and come home with cases of Steris Testosterone - and these later ones, so forgive me if I get mixed up now and then!

There were still connections to be built in the mid-90s, but not as deep or genuine IMO.
At the time my training partner was a good friend, but not a bodybuilder. When he was struggling to help me get the 140s up for shoulder presses, Joel came running and shoved my buddy Dave aside and helped me out. We were quite friendly after that, but nothing touched the brotherhood feeling of the late 80s.

I think the fact that between my earlier days in the late 80s and then the mid 90s was that situation with gear.
This made people more wary and less welcoming of strangers, and I was after all a South Shore guy.

I didn't hang out with anyone at that time and it didn't have the same appeal as earlier years, but some moments like those mentioned above were to be had.

Oh, and a quick memory provoked by Dante's reference to girlfriends; I was no player but did end up with one of Paul DeMayo's exes. She was a Ujena model, gorgeous, and sweet, but a little mental

Hawkmoon you nailed it! The way you described the gym was exactly as I remember it. I think there's a certain age as well, where things really imprint on you. It can be the gym, music, whatever hobby/lifestyle someone is into. Thanks for that great description you gave!! Man I'm feeling nostalgic.