Changes in the Bodybuilding Culture since the 80s

[N.L....M.....]

I did pay for him to sign a poster, but I was ok with that. He was there to earn a living.

When I went up to meet him, he shook my hand and then asked me if I wanted to arm wrestle! That was a thrill. We locked up on a table and my buddy took our picture. He had a nice big smile for the photo too. We talked briefly during that time. He seemed cool to me. Larry Scott, i just walked up to him at his booth and chatted briefly. He was very friendly and I could have talked a lot longer with him but i didnt know what to say! This was at the Arnold back around 2007 or so.

Ronnie Coleman i paid for too. He was very lack luster and not friendly at all. I got the impression that he was physically worn out. He looked half sick.

I met Franco Columbo and got a picture with him he was quiet but very nice to everyone. He had a huge line and wasn’t charging for pictures to be taken. He was only charging like $10 for an autographed picture.
I met Dusty Hanshaw and he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Layne Norton is another guy that was nice as well.
I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve never met anyone in the industry who was an asshole.
I will say that there are a few who come around my gym that have pissed me off because they don’t put their weights back and leave their shit on machines they’re not using. I’d rather them be rude than have poor gym etiquette.

 

[lookslikesausage]

I met Franco Columbo and got a picture with him he was quiet but very nice to everyone. He had a huge line and wasn’t charging for pictures to be taken. He was only charging like $10 for an autographed picture.
I met Dusty Hanshaw and he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Layne Norton is another guy that was nice as well.
I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve never met anyone in the industry who was an asshole.
I will say that there are a few who come around my gym that have pissed me off because they don’t put their weights back and leave their shit on machines they’re not using. I’d rather them be rude than have poor gym etiquette.

The leaving the weights on bars or machines thing has to be the biggest acts of entitlement one could do in a gym setting and sets the bar incredibly high for douchebaggery as in if you're the type of person to leave plates on you're likely an asshole. Back in the day the founder of the Chicken Pound was in the gym one night and loaded up a shit ton of plates on the Leg Press and just up and walked away after his set. The owner of that gym had a reputation for being a hard ass and went on the intercom repeatedly until someone put the plates back. That someone was not the Chicken Pound guy. This was before people constantly did shit like that in the gym and this wasn't some generic Planet Fitness type gym. This was a serious hardcore gym where people came to train and not bullshit (and maybe even had some level of respect for the gym itself) so it was surprising and obviously i never forgot about it.

 

[maldorf]

The leaving the weights on bars or machines thing has to be the biggest acts of entitlement one could do in a gym setting and sets the bar incredibly high for douchebaggery as in if you're the type of person to leave plates on you're likely an asshole. Back in the day the founder of the Chicken Pound was in the gym one night and loaded up a shit ton of plates on the Leg Press and just up and walked away after his set. The owner of that gym had a reputation for being a hard ass and went on the intercom repeatedly until someone put the plates back. That someone was not the Chicken Pound guy. This was before people constantly did shit like that in the gym and this wasn't some generic Planet Fitness type gym. This was a serious hardcore gym where people came to train and not bullshit (and maybe even had some level of respect for the gym itself) so it was surprising and obviously i never forgot about it.

The owner of my favorite gym would give one warning, and if he caught a person leaving on weights again he would revoke their membership. I loved that.

 

[Bio]

When I joined the gym in 1985 it was an independently owned hardcore gym. They eventually moved into a bigger space. It was still hardcore and the two brothers that owned it made sure people had respect for the gym. The dumbbell racks went 5 to 50, 5 to 50, 5 to 210. There was never a dumbbell out of place! The two brothers were exact opposites. One was a hot head and the other made his point in a straight forward way. Both were good guys!! Nobody left weights on the bars, leg press, nothing. I watched the hot head brother throw a 10lb plate in the direction of someone he had just warned moments before. He told him he would revoke his membership if he didn't follow the rules. I trained there for 26 years.

When they closed I went to Bally's which was then bought out by 24 Hour Fitness. Same management staff and they didn't give a shit if people left 8 plates on each side of the leg press, weights on the floor, dumbbells scattered around the gym, etc. There were signs around the gym that said put your weights away but they might as well been written in some undecipherable language. The newer generations never learned respect for the gym. Hardcore has nothing to do with leaving weights and dumbbells scattered throughout the gym.

Now I train at City Sports and I'm 95% done building my home gym. City Sports is much better about the weights but not perfect.

 

[N.L....M.....]

When I joined the gym in 1985 it was an independently owned hardcore gym. They eventually moved into a bigger space. It was still hardcore and the two brothers that owned it made sure people had respect for the gym. The dumbbell racks went 5 to 50, 5 to 50, 5 to 210. There was never a dumbbell out of place! The two brothers were exact opposites. One was a hot head and the other made his point in a straight forward way. Both were good guys!! Nobody left weights on the bars, leg press, nothing. I watched the hot head brother throw a 10lb plate in the direction of someone he had just warned moments before. He told him he would revoke his membership if he didn't follow the rules. I trained there for 26 years.

When they closed I went to Bally's which was then bought out by 24 Hour Fitness. Same management staff and they didn't give a shit if people left 8 plates on each side of the leg press, weights on the floor, dumbbells scattered around the gym, etc. There were signs around the gym that said put your weights away but they might as well been written in some undecipherable language. The newer generations never learned respect for the gym. Hardcore has nothing to do with leaving weights and dumbbells scattered throughout the gym.

Now I train at City Sports and I'm 95% done building my home gym. City Sports is much better about the weights but not perfect.

The owner of my gym charges people $15 each time and they always check the cameras to see who did it but even then people don’t seem to care. It’s crazy. Not to mention the assholes who slam dumbbells to the ground when we literally have mats to set up. I’ve never in my life slammed or dropped a dumbbell on the ground. The gym I go to is truly built with love from the owner down to each piece selected. He even goes out of his way to get pieces for some of the competitors and regulars that he thinks would benefit them.

 

[maldorf]

The owner of my gym charges people $15 each time and they always check the cameras to see who did it but even then people don’t seem to care. It’s crazy. Not to mention the assholes who slam dumbbells to the ground when we literally have mats to set up. I’ve never in my life slammed or dropped a dumbbell on the ground. The gym I go to is truly built with love from the owner down to each piece selected. He even goes out of his way to get pieces for some of the competitors and regulars that he thinks would benefit them.

Thats how it was for me too at my favorite gym. It was like a second home almost. The owner really cared about the gym. Sometimes he would go out early in the night and leave the whole place to me and some other guys to lock up. Once you got to know him he would trust you. We all respected him and valued his friendship. He was an ex marine and retired highway patrolman.

 

[lookslikesausage]

These chain gyms never enforce the rule (putting the weights back) despite having signs. The signs mean nothing if not enforced and they're not going to be enforced because they pay the employees peanuts and they don't get enough to care and who feels like getting into an argument with some asshole? Having the gym a shit mess costs them nothing and means nothing to them (employees and management). Only until someone enforces the rule and when the members have something to lose do they start to follow. It's such a poor mentality but unfortunately for many folks, the only way to get them clean up after themselves is to either fine them or revoke their membership. Seems to be a generational issue as well.

 

[buck]

People are fairly self centered by nature and what they want. When I was the night manager in a gym in the early 90's. I got paid little and it was my job to make sure things looked good when the owners came in in the morning. I would approach and remind people to put their weights away as it was in the contract to follow written rules, they sighed when joining. The second time more sternly i would tell them they would be suspended for a month if i had to talk to them again. Never had to though. Today people would be butt hurt and scream they where being treated unfairly.

 

[N.L....M.....]

People are fairly self centered by nature and what they want. When I was the night manager in a gym in the early 90's. I got paid little and it was my job to make sure things looked good when the owners came in in the morning. I would approach and remind people to put their weights away as it was in the contract to follow written rules, they sighed when joining. The second time more sternly i would tell them they would be suspended for a month if i had to talk to them again. Never had to though. Today people would be butt hurt and scream they where being treated unfairly.

Ive literally watched people get up and walked over to them to ask them to get their weights off a machine and have them tell me that it wasn’t them when they knew I had just watched them use it. When I ask people to stop dropping dumbbells on the floor they stop. I don’t work there but I always pull the weights off the equipment and put the dbs back in order. I treat other people’s property better than I do my own. It’s just being respectful. I don’t go into other people’s homes and expect them to clean up after me. I want it to be like I was never there when I leave

 

[USMuscle9403]

he was a total ass when I met him at LA FIT Expo, gaspari was cool and shredded, jay was cool. big lines , rich piana was there RIP, ronnie was there he looked great this was 2014. Lou was taking 25$ per signature, he wouldn't even look the fan in the eyes once during the signing, he was looking off into space with a mad dog look on his face and basically saying NEXT" halfway through his signature. everyone was upset with his snottiness, he lost me as a lifelong fan that day just as an observer.

I've heard this over and over and over about that big galoot. Yes, I just used the word 'galoot' lol At least 20 for an autograph, I've heard he'll even demand money if you ask for an autograph just seeing him in the street. Meanwhile, I 'shook hands' with Arnold as a kid and whatever folks may think about him, he was amazing with fans

One thing I'll hand to Lou is that for being so tall, he had an awesome physique. But now he's down in everyone's record books as being a total dick, so guess it doesn't really matter! I totally understand a celebrity or semi famous person blowing off fans wanting pics, autographs, etc, but Lou has been a consistent cunt for decades

If you're at a fuckin expo, have some decency to not treat your fans like total shit. THEY'RE PAYING YOU JUST TO BE THERE, MOTHERFUCKER You get paid, regardless, smile for the picture, you deaf cunt

 

[Bio]

Lance Dreher was an underrated bodybuilder that deserves to be remembered!

 

[Nyoco]

1983 NPC Heavyweight contest, Mike Christian showing everyone how not to accept defeat by better men and ruining the trophy lady´s chance of kissing her way through the finalists
Rory Leidelmeyer exemplifies how to graciously react when you lose.

 

[Bio]

1983 NPC Heavyweight contest, Mike Christian showing everyone how not to accept defeat by better men and ruining the trophy lady´s chance of kissing her way through the finalists
Rory Leidelmeyer exemplifies how to graciously react when you lose.

I would have to go back and watch the posing to see who looked better, Rory or Bob, but just standing there it looked like a toss up.

 

[Bio]

Here are some other pictures of Lance Dreher.

 

[N.L....M.....]

1983 NPC Heavyweight contest, Mike Christian showing everyone how not to accept defeat by better men and ruining the trophy lady´s chance of kissing her way through the finalists
Rory Leidelmeyer exemplifies how to graciously react when you lose.

I’ve said it before but the look is something different. The quality and everything. The physiques are just really phenomenal.

 

[Wynn]

**broken link removed**

 

[Dugbet]

Rory looked even better than Bob

 

[USMuscle9403]

Here are some other pictures of Lance Dreher.

That seated biceps curl pic looks like he's got a fuggin softball surgically installed in his arm!

 

[Wynn]

**broken link removed**

 

[Dugbet]

Jorge Betancourt, a wonderful teenager!