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The Hardcore Twelve!
Written by Steve Colescott
Saturday, 28 November 2009 03:39
The sports of powerlifting, bodybuilding and strongman competition seem to attract a colorful crowd. With literally millions of participants and a monthly carousel of athletes being profiled in each of the multitude of monthly muscle and strength magazines, a handful of athletes have stood out over the past three decades. They stand out for their trailblazing lifting, their unique personalities and their dominance of the competition. All were driven by their hunger to be bigger and stronger. Most importantly, each of these iron icons stands out because of their ability to inspire us. For this reason, we call them... THE HARDCORE 12!
The Barbarians
I included David and Peter Paul not just for what they accomplished, but for the trend that they helped popularize. We're not talking about "grunge" here (this isn't GQ magazine you're reading); even though their training attire of torn flannel shirts, worn T-shirts and heavy construction boots, are still commonplace in hardcore gyms throughout the world. The real trend the Barbarians popularized was not one of trendy clothing or social posturing, but one of lifestyle and attitude.
Getting bigger and stronger was their focus. The Barbarians trained for training's sake. They didn't build themselves up to monstrous size just to win trophies, they trained because they loved to get under dangerously heavy weights and would do whatever it took to push greater poundages. If breaking a PR meant you needed someone to pummel you in the face for a pre-set psyche-up, then punch away!
One of the earlier articles on the Barbarians related the brothers' outcast status in their hometown in Rhode Island, training their necks on a Friday night while their friends were all out partying. David and Peter Paul didn't even TRY to fit in. They not only let their quest for ultimate strength set them apart from society; they reveled in their outcast status.
The Barbarians never competed in bodybuilding (although many tried to goad them into it). Why lose size for a title? They never entered a power meet. Every day in the gym was a lifting contest for them. Despite never competing in either sport, they epitomized the power-bodybuilder for most of us coming up in that era.
The Barbarians knew no limits when it came to lifting. At around 250-260 pounds, they were known for loading machines to the max and then attaching additional 45s to the weight stack (or standing on the stack for added resistance). Reports of them squatting 465-pounds for twenty reps, performing reps in behind-neck-presses with excess of 315 pounds, t-bar rows with eleven 45-pound plates piled on, or barbell curls with 275-pounds were commonplace. They pushed the limits and it inspired us to attempt the same.
Defining quote: "There is no over-training; just undereating, undersleeping and lack of will."
Memorable story: "David was trying to get psyched for a set. He charged up to Ali Malla and told him to punch him. Ali gave him an open-handed slap but David thought it didn't hurt enough, so he asked for a second one. Ali drew back and drilled him in the face, causing him to stumble backwards. The impact was so hard that tears were running from his eyes. He smiled though because now he was ready for his set." (from personal interview with Mike Christian)
Ed Coan
When asked exactly how to reach one's potential in lifting, words like "consistency," "passion" and "dedication" are often applied. When asked for the best example of these traits in action, one needs to look no further than the greatest powerlifter of our time, Ed Coan. Ed's entire lifestyle is based around getting the most out of his workouts, recuperating from them, and pushing it further the next day.
Coan came into powerlifting with all the subtlety of a cruise missile. At the 1983 USPF Nationals, Ed Coan stunned the powerlifting world by coming second in the 181-pound class to power legend Mike Bridges while still a teenager. Since then he has dominated the sport - collecting thirteen national championships, eleven world titles and nearly sixty world records. He has totaled a mind-boggling 2463 while weighing 220 pounds. His top squat is 1038 pounds. His best competition bench press is a respectable 578, (although he has done 585 in the gym). In the deadlift, he has pulled an earth-shaking 901 pounds. While these lifts have since been beaten, Coan did them in the years before triple-ply engineered bench shirts and support gear bumped lifts by up to a hundred pounds.
Outside of being the "Michael Jordan of powerlifting," Coan has impressed his fans by being a true champion in how he deals with others. He is an enthusiastic teacher, generously sharing his lifetime of knowledge with other lifters at all levels.
Defining quote: "I cough up a lot of bloody hockers when I squat in the 700s. Strangely enough, it's not a problem when I am using over 800-pounds."
(Overheard in a conversation in the gym with fellow champion Rob Wagner)
Ronnie Coleman
While no one doubted that Ronnie Coleman had great genetics when he entered the pro ranks, no one (including himself) knew he would go on to become a bodybuilding legend. His climb up the bodybuilding ranks was gradual, winning the IFBB World Championships heavyweight class in 1991 and struggling as a professional, not winning his first pro contest until 1995.
In 1998, Coleman hit his stride, winning five out of six pro shows and putting Kevin Levrone and Flex Wheeler on notice. Still, when Dorian Yate's retirement left the Olympia title undefended, few thought Coleman would snatch the Sandow from heir-apparent Wheeler. Once the title was his, Coleman guarded it closely, pushing his physique to a monstrous 285-pounds.
While his genetics are undeniable, it is his Spartan work ethic that sets him above the competition. Some of his regular accomplishments in the gym include: barbell lunges the length of the parking lot with a 225-pound bar; 805-pound doubles in the deadlift; flat dumbbell presses with a pair of 200-pounders for twelve reps; bench presses with 495 for five reps; 855-pound squats, front squats with 585-pounds for sets of five; leg presses with 2,250 for sets of eight; bent rows with 495 for eight reps; t-bar rows with 585 for nine and alternate curls with 75-pounders for sixteen reps. He has forged every pound of muscle on his physique through intense effort.
After eight consecutive Olympia wins, training at Ronnie's level took its toll and eventually injuries relegated him to second place at the 2006 Olympia and a fourth in 2007. His competitive spirit however makes retirement impossible and rumors of a return to competition seem likely since the intensity of his training has changed little in recent years.
Defining quote: "'Aint nuthin' but a peanut."
Memorable story: Going from not making the top fifteen in the Mr. Olympia in 1992, to dominating the contest from 1998 to 2005, Ronnie Coleman has displayed the humility and perseverance that makes him respected by every bodybuilder. When he collapsed to the floor upon winning his first Olympia, every fan in the audience felt like one of their own had emerged victorious.
John DeFendis
Sustained focus is John DeFendis' greatest trait, whether that involves three-months of ultra-strict dietary deprivation or four hours of gut-wrenching intensity in the gym. When DeFendis sets himself on a one-track targeted goal NOTHING stands in his way. All factors are ignored in his laser-like focus, whether they are personal demons, social commitments, financial considerations or natural disasters.
His tales of "Intensity or Insanity?" training with Steve Michalik are legendary. Their workouts incorporated forty to sixty sets per bodypart, with poundages that most lifters couldn't even budge for a single set. Training sessions included a grab bag of supersets, giant sets, drop sets, vomiting, hospitalization, and unprecedented growth and muscle density. Where some have experienced that, Michalik and DeFendis both had the passion and hunger to pull it off on a daily basis. The dozens of "wannabe" training partners they left in their wake didn't.
In the process, DeFendis built a physique that combined rugged, powerful thickness with God-given shape and pleasing lines. His muscle density is unparalleled to this day. This allowed him to step out of retirement after a long competitive hiatus to demolish all favorites in the 1988 NPC USA championships.
Ultimately, for DeFendis, bodybuilding was not about collecting trophies. It was about enduring everything it took in the gym and the sacrifices in his life to get on that stage. When DeFendis uses the word "champion," it has a different, deeper meaning. His version of the word implies lifelong dedication and inhuman levels of sacrifice for an ideal greater than mere individual glory. It is in that day-to-day internal battle, that constant uphill Sissiphian struggle that a champion is made.
Despite redirecting his focus on a career as Florida's top personal trainer, DeFendis still trains in his "Intensity or Insanity?" style and looks about four weeks from getting on stage year-around.
Why? Because being a champion is not just a catchphrase for him, it's the very core of his identity.
Memorable story: DeFendis should have never asked his mentor Mr. America winner Steve Michalik, what it would take for him to win the USA Championships on their visit to Jones Beach. Michalik answered by holding his student underwater until rendered unconscious. The words of wisdom imparted later to DeFendis by his insane mentor: "When you want to win as badly as you wanted that breath of air... then come back and see me! That's what it will take for you to be the best!"
Defining quote: "It didn't matter to me that I was waking up at 5:00 in the morning to eat egg whites so that I could be at the gym by 6:30, and it didn't matter that I was dragged through the last half of the workout like the gladiator in the chariot scene from the movie Ben Hur. What did matter was the fact that I was training with Mr. America and that even though he was mentally and physically beating the living shit out of me day after day, I was improving dramatically."
Mike Francois
It's a classic story - "boy goes to the seminary to become a priest, boy meets girl, boy leaves the seminary to become one of the greatest bodybuilding champions of all time!"
Winning a US national-level bodybuilding title is an impressive accomplishment. The fact is though, if you count each of the class winners, we get about a dozen of those a year (seven or eight of which get an IFBB pro card). Few of these make much of an impact once they enter the pro scene. Francois was a notable exception. After winning the heavyweight and overall at the 1993 NPC Nationals, he went on to win his pro debut, the Chicago Pro Show. He followed this up with victories at the San Jose Pro Show, Night of Champions and the Arnold Classic. In the process, he beat such pro heavy-hitters as Flex Wheeler, Nasser el Sonbaty, Ronnie Coleman, Vince Taylor, Kevin Levrone and Lee Labrada.
Mike Francois mixed modern physique standards with a work ethic common in earlier eras. Like lifters of old, he not only concentrated on the basic power movements but would even train at times with powerlifters. Being from Columbus, Francois trained for periods with Louie Simmons' crew of elite lifters at Westside Barbell, earning the respect of powerlifting‘s top champions.
Being a true power-bodybuilder, Francois ushered in a return to hardcore training basics. In the gym, he would deadlift up to 800-pounds and has squatted 735 for sets of five. Powerful quads and thick spinal erectors were just a part of his overall contest-winning physique. Because of his popularity, hundreds of young lifters were introduced to heavy rack deadlifts and the power-bodybuilding training style.
Although his professional career was cut short by colitis (a chronic digestive disease), Francois has not left the bodybuilding world. He still lifts regularly, promotes the Mike Francois Classic (which is becoming one of the Midwest's top amateur qualifiers) and has helped numerous top bodybuilders prepare for National-level competition.
Defining quote: "Within myself I have a great drive."
Memorable story: "Every time I would leave Westside Barbell, I would drive back with my seat almost fully reclined since my back was so tight. I don't know how I managed to avoid wrecking my car. I could barely see over the dashboard to steer but I needed to get home to eat. The training was rough but result-producing."
Kirk Karwoski
Karwoski is powerlifting's raging bull. Where Ed Coan focuses his intensity towards the precision execution of his lifts, "Captain Kirk" attacks the bar with the unbridled rage of a category-5 hurricane. Early lifting footage of Karwoski shows sloppy form but an ability to manhandle huge weights through a mixture of natural genetics, unbridled rage and pure strength of will.
This brute strength led to a world record 1,003 pound squat in the 275-pounds class, increasing the record a full hundred pounds! Renowned for his squat (he has done a half-ton for two reps in training), Karwoski also has deadlifted 825 and benched 585 in the gym, in the era before the "advances" in lifting gear that record holders enjoy today. As a side effect, he built a huge 275-pound (at close to 10% bodyfat) physique that would not be out of place in a physique contest.
Old powerlifters never seem to retire (unless forced by injuries) and Karwoski is no exception. After eight years off a meet platform, The Captain returned, competing raw (with no support gear, save a lifting belt) to score a 826 squat, 463 bench press and a 771 deadlift. In the process of his squat attempt, he tore the vastus internus on his right leg, which didn't keep him from pulling his big deadlift. It remains to be seen if he will compete again.
Karwoski has also given back to the sport, mentoring numerous rising stars and coaching national teams. In addition to his encyclopedic knowledge of the sport, he is also an authority on the strip clubs in the vicinity of each national meet.
Defining quote: "Most powerlifters share some common defects. We, as a whole, for whatever reason, love to punish, beat and torture ourselves beyond the limits of mind and body."
Other defining quote: "If you touch that bar, I'm going to kill you!" (to a spotter)
Memorable story: The off-stage exploits of Karwoski are numerous and legendary, but since the statutory limit on many of these has not run out, the fact that he has squatted five reps with 800-pounds in the gym is the most impressive.
Bill Kazmaier
Although spending time as an IPF World Champion powerlifter, professional wrestler and football player, Bill Kazmaier is best known for his three-year reign as the World's Strongest Man. It is even speculated that the organizers decided not to invite him back for a number of years to avoid a one-man dominance. His legendary battles with Jón Páll Sigmarsson for the WSM title have made reruns of the competition still popular a decade later.
As a powerlifter, Kaz set a long-standing bench record of 661-pounds (although he reportedly benched 633 for a triple in the gym). It wasn't until improved support gear came into play that this record was broken. In addition, he posted a 925-pound squat, a big 887-pound deadlift and a 2,425 total.
If these accomplishments were not enough, Kaz follow in the old-time strongman tradition by performing a number of exception strength feats. He inflates hot water bottle to bursting with his lungs, rips phonebooks and license plates in half, and rolls frying pans up into coils with his bare hands. He is one of a handful of men able to lift and press the Thomas Inch dumbbell, an unwieldy 172-pound dumbbell with an excessively thick 2½-inch handle, making gripping the weight a supreme challenge. In fact, standing upright with the weight (a one-handed deadlift) is a popular test of strength among elite lifters.
Not only does Kaz possess single-rep strength, he has repped-out with big poundages: barbell curls with 315 for fifteen reps, 500 pounds in the bench press for 15 reps, 17 reps in shoulder presses with 121-pound dumbbells and ten reps with 800 in the squat!
In his fifties, Kaz still possesses a lean powerful build, in close to the best (if not the biggest) condition of his life. Lean but still thickly muscled, his 23-inch guns seem to have lost little of their size. He is active as a speaker, exercise equipment distributor and product spokesman. Always a gracious and humble champion, he is revered and admired by two decades of iron athletes.
Defining quote: "Yeah, I actually think I am the strongest man who ever lived. Yes, I'll make that statement." (in an WSM interview)
Memorable story: So dominant was Kazmaier's competitive nature that when entering a goldfish-eating contest with a cash prize, he swallowed an all-time record 1,000 live fish, even though that number quadrupled that of the runner-up. Kaz's strategy? Rather than fish them out one at a time, he gulped down the fish and water together.
Tom Platz
Tom Platz brought a new level of professionalism to bodybuilding, bringing bodybuilding closer to the level of world-class athletes in mainstream sports such as baseball and tennis. As spokesman and athletes' rep for Vince MacMahon's short-lived WBF, Platz's influence is still being felt, with dozens of athletes receiving endorsement contracts, a state of affairs nonexistent before the WBF.
Platz was far from being a "stuffed suit" executive though. He was, first and foremost, a hardcore "in-the-trenches" lifter. In this capacity, he increased awareness of our ability to push our limits in both training and in physique freakiness. His quads were decades ahead of their time, displaying fullness and cross-striation in areas where others didn't even have development.
His hamstring separation is stupefying, with deep crevasses and paper-thin shrink-wrapped skin causing the tissue to stand out in bold relief.
Most impressively, the heavy-legged Platz managed to bring his upper body up to nearly the level of his legs in order to capture a controversial third-place finish in the '81 Olympia. This was to the outrage of the audience, who acknowledged Platz as superior in physique, conditioning and presentation than both the winner and runner-up.
Platz eloquently spoke about the spiritual side of training but, rather than waxing on about "enlightenment" and achieving peace, his deep inflections were geared towards more immediately practical ends - pushing his body to brutally harsh levels of gym performance. Refraining from incense and mantras, the Golden Eagle invoked high-rep squatting as his means to transcend to another level.
His squat poundages include a single with 855 (in full-depth high-bar bodybuilding style), 635 pounds for 8-12 reps, routinely squatting 300-400 pounds for sets of 25-50 reps (with his best being 515 pounds for 30 reps) and he has even squatted 225 pounds for ten-minutes straight. Give that a try and tell me you don't have a religious experience.
Defining quote: "When I walked out on stage I wanted to make the judges drop their pencils and say, ‘WHAT in the hell is that?!?'"
Memorable story: In the early seventies, Platz arrived in California with less than $50 in his pocket, lived in small apartment in Santa Monica with over a dozen other guys but knew he wanted to be a champion bodybuilder.
Benny Podda
Benny "the Beast of the East" Podda is the quintessential "Rocky" story applied to bodybuilding. With modest physical potential but enough heart for a battalion of warriors, he pushed his body to the very edges of its potential. In the process, he won the light-heavyweight class at the 1983 USA Championships, along with a handful of top-five placings in other national-level shows. More importantly was the army of Podda fans he attained due to his hardcore training and colorful personality.
Lacking a graceful structure or beautiful lines, Podda won shows by virtue of extreme shredded and vascular muscularity and thickness. His frame was so crowded with muscle and sinew that he resembled a muscled fireplug. At a height of 5'6 and up to 255-pounds of powerful muscle, Podda was known as a ferocious and powerful trainer. His workouts included squatting with up to 850 pounds, deadlifting 800 and 500-pound bent rows. More than just a low-rep man, Benny reveled in his ability to block the burning pain and oxygen debt that accompanies high reps as well. Hearing that Platz occasionally would perform 50-rep squat sets with 315-pounds, Benny took things a few steps further, reproducing that for FIVE sets each leg workout.
Legend has it that in his early competitive years, Podda lived in a small windowless room, his furnishings consisting of a bedroll and a stack of books. His Spartan lifestyle was a purposeful attempt to avoid distractions from his goals. So devoted was he to his goals that "The Beast" would wake up three hours before his 6:30 AM workout to perform Taoist meditation.
As intense as his training was, Podda was equally intense as a performer. It was common for members of the crowd at every one of his guest-posings to cry out "Bleed for us Benny!" to which Podda would tense and strain until his high blood pressure-aided sinuses would burst, causing a hemorrhage of blood to spurt from his nostrils. (He is currently rumored to be living as a hermit in a cave in California).
Defining quote: "Sometimes the workouts are so hard you think your eyeballs are going to pop right out of your head."
Memorable story: Jim Manion, who owned the gym in which Podda trained (Manion's Gym in Carnegie, PA), relayed the following story to me:
"I arrived back at the gym from doing some errands to find the front desk manager in a panic. Benny had been doing heavy seated cable rows with the full stack and three or four 45-pound plates added on. The weight was a total of 470-pounds. A couple reps into his set, the cable abruptly snapped, causing the handle to crash into Benny's face. He split the bridge of his nose open and blood was gushing everywhere. So I told the desk guy, ‘Ferchrissakes, just drive him to the hospital then.' He said, ‘I would, but he refuses to leave until he finishes his workout.'"
Jón Páll Sigmarsson
A charismatic showman, Iceland's Jón Páll Sigmarsson, known as the Viking Warrior, shaped the World's Strongest Man contest into what it is today. He dominating the sport in the eighties with four WSM overall wins (in '84, '86, '88 and ‘90), and six World Muscle Power Championships (‘85-87, ‘89-91). His most impressive feat may be winning the Pure Strength challenge against the great British strongman Geoff Capes and then American legend Bill Kazmaier, winning eight out of ten events.
The Icelander was a natural in front of the camera. His aggressive proclamations and witty comments backed up his intense desire to win. Sigmarsson drew inspiration from stories of his Icelandic Viking ancestors and focused this into his drive to excel. His victory cry of "I am the Viking! I am the strongest!" would send the crowd into a frenzy.
Sigmarsson was also adept at the other iron sports, winning the Commonwealth Highland Games in Scotland (1986), the European Powerlifting Championships and even competing in Olympic lifting earlier in his career. He was also a champion bodybuilder, his lean 6'3" 294-pound physique winning both 1984 Icelandic Bodybuilding Championships and an IFBB pro card.
Dying at only 33 years of age, we will never know how many more titles this charismatic champion would have won or the ultimate level his strength may have reached.
Defining quote: "I think you will see me switch on the crazy switch later in the competition." (from World Strongest Man coverage)
Memorable story: Sigmarsson was known to have said, "There is no point on being alive if you cannot deadlift." Ironically, Jón Páll Sigmarsson clinched his inclusion in The Twelve by dying in gym combat. In 1993, he suffered a massive heart attack while repping out in heavy deadlifts in his gym.
Dorian Yates
Yates was constantly pushing the envelope, both in the gym and with his physique. Nicknamed "the Shadow," Dorian would retreat from the spotlight to his Birmingham, England-based Temple Gym and systematically recreate his already Olympia-dominating physique. Guest-posing a few months out from the Olympia at mid-300s bodyweight, competitors would declare that Yates had blown it; he would never be able to get into championship shape in time. Each time, the Shadow proved them wrong.
Yates was passionate about training, making each workout into a competition, and when Dorian competed, nothing kept him from winning. Never one to rest on his "best in the world" laurels, Yates appeared each year with dramatic muscle gains and bigger bodyparts. Some may argue his conditioning or lines may have been better in one particular year or another, but no one can competently claim that his physique did not indicate a year of ass-busting effort had taken place since his previous title defense.
This level of effort came with a price. His final Olympia appearance was severely hampered by a disfiguring triceps and lat tear. He competed with injuries, not allowing excuses to force him out of his title. After a final win, he retired on his own terms but continues to train (and intends to ALWAYS do so). Yates was in it to win, not just collect a check. He was, and is, a competitor. If he were to choose to reenter the Olympia ten years after his retirement, one would be foolish to count him out.
Defining quote: "The Americans seem to be quite complacent and laidback, especially with their training. When I go to America it seems like I never see anyone really training very hard in the gyms where, back in England, there's more of a working-type ethic. The guys in the gym are really going for it and really training hard. They might not have the sophisticated kind of facilities they have in the States but there's a lot more heart and a lot more guts."
Honorable Mentions
Johnnie Fuller: "You can either train hard or you can train long." Well, DeFendis and Michalik proved that not to be true. Fuller also fits into the sixty-sets per bodypart workout club but adds dietary strictness that would make Ghandi look like a binge-eater.
Rich Gaspari: Perhaps Gaspari did more to push his genetics than any man to ever win an IFBB pro show. On the way, he showed us that a thick, densely muscled physique could also be ripped to shreds. The Dragonslayer may have just missed snagging the Olympia crown multiple times, but his attitude and accomplishments inspired more lifters than three average Sandow-holders combined!
Louie Simmons: It may have taken him thirty years, but Louie finally joined the 900-pound squat club - and at over fifty years of age! Few things could inspire like sustained determination like that. Not only has he personally pushed himself to new levels of strength, but he epitomizes the thinking man when it comes to training. No man since Dr. John Zeigler has been responsible for helping lifters put more weight on their totals.
Jeff King: Legs like Platz and a neck that looks like a 21-inch bundle of steel cables. Although he seemed like a sure-fire future Mr. Olympia, Jeff was perhaps the freakiest bodybuilder that most people have never heard of.
Bertil Fox: I know what you're thinking - Fox got screwed just because he pulled an O.J. Simpson. Not quite. The Brutal One made the "honorable mentions" because of his thickly muscled frame and prodigious strength. He missed The Twelve because he let himself wither down to nothing for his double-homicide trial. If Fox wants to die a hardcore legend, he should try to snap the hangman's rope by weighing a shredded 270!
Magnus ver Magnussen: This four-time World's Strongest Man winner also has racked up two European Powerlifting Championships with an impressive 880-pound squat, 604-pound bench press, 825-pound deadlift and three-lift total of 2233-pounds. He has continued the Icelandic tradition of strength pioneered by the great Jón Páll Sigmarsson.
Andreas Munzer: Noted as one of the most hard-training athletes, Munzer was able to go from a man known for being shredded, to a MASSIVE and shredded champ. R.I.P. brother.
Mike Mentzer: This one-time mass god didn't seem to train in his later days due to his obsession over philosopher Ayn Rand. "Alex, give me L. Ron Hubbard to block."
Branch Warren: Certainly the next to step into the role left open by Mike Francois and Dorian Yates, Branch eschews the beach-bod for freakish vascularity, prodigious strength, and plenty of thick and grainy mass.
Chuck Vogelpohl: What could be more hardcore than spending two decades as the de facto alpha dog at Westside Barbell? How about an 800-pound deadlift and being the first man to squat half-a-ton at 220-pounds (the first time anyone under 275 has done it).
Steve Michalik: The vomit-covered path of devastated training partners locked this guy an honorable mention spot. His unfortunate talkshow admissions that "whizz fizz made me an A-hole" make us drop him to "honorable mention" status.
Dave Palumbo: Using his brain to push muscle mass to the next level, and being persecuted by judges all the while...
Vic Richards: Incredibly full muscle bellies and mass that was a decade ahead of its time. Vic was as huge and strong as they come but you shouldn't talk about being better than the Olympians if the only contest you've ever won is the national championship in a starvation-ravaged third-world country.
Casey Viator: Imagine what it would be like to be the best-built man in the country (we all have). Now imagine achieving that goal while still a teenager. At nineteen years of age, Casey Viator was the youngest Mr. America winner ever. The clincher? All of the men on this list have experienced injuries in their quest for greatness but only Casey can proudly claim to have lost half a finger during training. Hell yeah!
Mike Miller: Mike "Rage" Miller's tattoo ("Never demand what you cannot take by force") says it all. He leads the Pennsylvania chapter of the Metal Militia with a 1,200 pound squat and 755-pound bench press.
Don Ross: The Ripper did everything he could to pack on mass, made fun of those that did aerobics, ate plenty of red meat and died young - sounds like he covered all his bases.
Tim Belknap: Although he earned his reputation as a world class A-hole, Belknap carried a level of mass that foreshadowed the polypharmacists that followed him.
Gary Taylor: This British World's Strongest Man winner was huge, ungodly strong and even once had a leg crushed by a 700-pound tractor tire that flipped the wrong way during an event. To clinch things, this guy works and trains in a prison!
Written by Steve Colescott
Saturday, 28 November 2009 03:39
The sports of powerlifting, bodybuilding and strongman competition seem to attract a colorful crowd. With literally millions of participants and a monthly carousel of athletes being profiled in each of the multitude of monthly muscle and strength magazines, a handful of athletes have stood out over the past three decades. They stand out for their trailblazing lifting, their unique personalities and their dominance of the competition. All were driven by their hunger to be bigger and stronger. Most importantly, each of these iron icons stands out because of their ability to inspire us. For this reason, we call them... THE HARDCORE 12!
The Barbarians
I included David and Peter Paul not just for what they accomplished, but for the trend that they helped popularize. We're not talking about "grunge" here (this isn't GQ magazine you're reading); even though their training attire of torn flannel shirts, worn T-shirts and heavy construction boots, are still commonplace in hardcore gyms throughout the world. The real trend the Barbarians popularized was not one of trendy clothing or social posturing, but one of lifestyle and attitude.
Getting bigger and stronger was their focus. The Barbarians trained for training's sake. They didn't build themselves up to monstrous size just to win trophies, they trained because they loved to get under dangerously heavy weights and would do whatever it took to push greater poundages. If breaking a PR meant you needed someone to pummel you in the face for a pre-set psyche-up, then punch away!
One of the earlier articles on the Barbarians related the brothers' outcast status in their hometown in Rhode Island, training their necks on a Friday night while their friends were all out partying. David and Peter Paul didn't even TRY to fit in. They not only let their quest for ultimate strength set them apart from society; they reveled in their outcast status.
The Barbarians never competed in bodybuilding (although many tried to goad them into it). Why lose size for a title? They never entered a power meet. Every day in the gym was a lifting contest for them. Despite never competing in either sport, they epitomized the power-bodybuilder for most of us coming up in that era.
The Barbarians knew no limits when it came to lifting. At around 250-260 pounds, they were known for loading machines to the max and then attaching additional 45s to the weight stack (or standing on the stack for added resistance). Reports of them squatting 465-pounds for twenty reps, performing reps in behind-neck-presses with excess of 315 pounds, t-bar rows with eleven 45-pound plates piled on, or barbell curls with 275-pounds were commonplace. They pushed the limits and it inspired us to attempt the same.
Defining quote: "There is no over-training; just undereating, undersleeping and lack of will."
Memorable story: "David was trying to get psyched for a set. He charged up to Ali Malla and told him to punch him. Ali gave him an open-handed slap but David thought it didn't hurt enough, so he asked for a second one. Ali drew back and drilled him in the face, causing him to stumble backwards. The impact was so hard that tears were running from his eyes. He smiled though because now he was ready for his set." (from personal interview with Mike Christian)
Ed Coan
When asked exactly how to reach one's potential in lifting, words like "consistency," "passion" and "dedication" are often applied. When asked for the best example of these traits in action, one needs to look no further than the greatest powerlifter of our time, Ed Coan. Ed's entire lifestyle is based around getting the most out of his workouts, recuperating from them, and pushing it further the next day.
Coan came into powerlifting with all the subtlety of a cruise missile. At the 1983 USPF Nationals, Ed Coan stunned the powerlifting world by coming second in the 181-pound class to power legend Mike Bridges while still a teenager. Since then he has dominated the sport - collecting thirteen national championships, eleven world titles and nearly sixty world records. He has totaled a mind-boggling 2463 while weighing 220 pounds. His top squat is 1038 pounds. His best competition bench press is a respectable 578, (although he has done 585 in the gym). In the deadlift, he has pulled an earth-shaking 901 pounds. While these lifts have since been beaten, Coan did them in the years before triple-ply engineered bench shirts and support gear bumped lifts by up to a hundred pounds.
Outside of being the "Michael Jordan of powerlifting," Coan has impressed his fans by being a true champion in how he deals with others. He is an enthusiastic teacher, generously sharing his lifetime of knowledge with other lifters at all levels.
Defining quote: "I cough up a lot of bloody hockers when I squat in the 700s. Strangely enough, it's not a problem when I am using over 800-pounds."
(Overheard in a conversation in the gym with fellow champion Rob Wagner)
Ronnie Coleman
While no one doubted that Ronnie Coleman had great genetics when he entered the pro ranks, no one (including himself) knew he would go on to become a bodybuilding legend. His climb up the bodybuilding ranks was gradual, winning the IFBB World Championships heavyweight class in 1991 and struggling as a professional, not winning his first pro contest until 1995.
In 1998, Coleman hit his stride, winning five out of six pro shows and putting Kevin Levrone and Flex Wheeler on notice. Still, when Dorian Yate's retirement left the Olympia title undefended, few thought Coleman would snatch the Sandow from heir-apparent Wheeler. Once the title was his, Coleman guarded it closely, pushing his physique to a monstrous 285-pounds.
While his genetics are undeniable, it is his Spartan work ethic that sets him above the competition. Some of his regular accomplishments in the gym include: barbell lunges the length of the parking lot with a 225-pound bar; 805-pound doubles in the deadlift; flat dumbbell presses with a pair of 200-pounders for twelve reps; bench presses with 495 for five reps; 855-pound squats, front squats with 585-pounds for sets of five; leg presses with 2,250 for sets of eight; bent rows with 495 for eight reps; t-bar rows with 585 for nine and alternate curls with 75-pounders for sixteen reps. He has forged every pound of muscle on his physique through intense effort.
After eight consecutive Olympia wins, training at Ronnie's level took its toll and eventually injuries relegated him to second place at the 2006 Olympia and a fourth in 2007. His competitive spirit however makes retirement impossible and rumors of a return to competition seem likely since the intensity of his training has changed little in recent years.
Defining quote: "'Aint nuthin' but a peanut."
Memorable story: Going from not making the top fifteen in the Mr. Olympia in 1992, to dominating the contest from 1998 to 2005, Ronnie Coleman has displayed the humility and perseverance that makes him respected by every bodybuilder. When he collapsed to the floor upon winning his first Olympia, every fan in the audience felt like one of their own had emerged victorious.
John DeFendis
Sustained focus is John DeFendis' greatest trait, whether that involves three-months of ultra-strict dietary deprivation or four hours of gut-wrenching intensity in the gym. When DeFendis sets himself on a one-track targeted goal NOTHING stands in his way. All factors are ignored in his laser-like focus, whether they are personal demons, social commitments, financial considerations or natural disasters.
His tales of "Intensity or Insanity?" training with Steve Michalik are legendary. Their workouts incorporated forty to sixty sets per bodypart, with poundages that most lifters couldn't even budge for a single set. Training sessions included a grab bag of supersets, giant sets, drop sets, vomiting, hospitalization, and unprecedented growth and muscle density. Where some have experienced that, Michalik and DeFendis both had the passion and hunger to pull it off on a daily basis. The dozens of "wannabe" training partners they left in their wake didn't.
In the process, DeFendis built a physique that combined rugged, powerful thickness with God-given shape and pleasing lines. His muscle density is unparalleled to this day. This allowed him to step out of retirement after a long competitive hiatus to demolish all favorites in the 1988 NPC USA championships.
Ultimately, for DeFendis, bodybuilding was not about collecting trophies. It was about enduring everything it took in the gym and the sacrifices in his life to get on that stage. When DeFendis uses the word "champion," it has a different, deeper meaning. His version of the word implies lifelong dedication and inhuman levels of sacrifice for an ideal greater than mere individual glory. It is in that day-to-day internal battle, that constant uphill Sissiphian struggle that a champion is made.
Despite redirecting his focus on a career as Florida's top personal trainer, DeFendis still trains in his "Intensity or Insanity?" style and looks about four weeks from getting on stage year-around.
Why? Because being a champion is not just a catchphrase for him, it's the very core of his identity.
Memorable story: DeFendis should have never asked his mentor Mr. America winner Steve Michalik, what it would take for him to win the USA Championships on their visit to Jones Beach. Michalik answered by holding his student underwater until rendered unconscious. The words of wisdom imparted later to DeFendis by his insane mentor: "When you want to win as badly as you wanted that breath of air... then come back and see me! That's what it will take for you to be the best!"
Defining quote: "It didn't matter to me that I was waking up at 5:00 in the morning to eat egg whites so that I could be at the gym by 6:30, and it didn't matter that I was dragged through the last half of the workout like the gladiator in the chariot scene from the movie Ben Hur. What did matter was the fact that I was training with Mr. America and that even though he was mentally and physically beating the living shit out of me day after day, I was improving dramatically."
Mike Francois
It's a classic story - "boy goes to the seminary to become a priest, boy meets girl, boy leaves the seminary to become one of the greatest bodybuilding champions of all time!"
Winning a US national-level bodybuilding title is an impressive accomplishment. The fact is though, if you count each of the class winners, we get about a dozen of those a year (seven or eight of which get an IFBB pro card). Few of these make much of an impact once they enter the pro scene. Francois was a notable exception. After winning the heavyweight and overall at the 1993 NPC Nationals, he went on to win his pro debut, the Chicago Pro Show. He followed this up with victories at the San Jose Pro Show, Night of Champions and the Arnold Classic. In the process, he beat such pro heavy-hitters as Flex Wheeler, Nasser el Sonbaty, Ronnie Coleman, Vince Taylor, Kevin Levrone and Lee Labrada.
Mike Francois mixed modern physique standards with a work ethic common in earlier eras. Like lifters of old, he not only concentrated on the basic power movements but would even train at times with powerlifters. Being from Columbus, Francois trained for periods with Louie Simmons' crew of elite lifters at Westside Barbell, earning the respect of powerlifting‘s top champions.
Being a true power-bodybuilder, Francois ushered in a return to hardcore training basics. In the gym, he would deadlift up to 800-pounds and has squatted 735 for sets of five. Powerful quads and thick spinal erectors were just a part of his overall contest-winning physique. Because of his popularity, hundreds of young lifters were introduced to heavy rack deadlifts and the power-bodybuilding training style.
Although his professional career was cut short by colitis (a chronic digestive disease), Francois has not left the bodybuilding world. He still lifts regularly, promotes the Mike Francois Classic (which is becoming one of the Midwest's top amateur qualifiers) and has helped numerous top bodybuilders prepare for National-level competition.
Defining quote: "Within myself I have a great drive."
Memorable story: "Every time I would leave Westside Barbell, I would drive back with my seat almost fully reclined since my back was so tight. I don't know how I managed to avoid wrecking my car. I could barely see over the dashboard to steer but I needed to get home to eat. The training was rough but result-producing."
Kirk Karwoski
Karwoski is powerlifting's raging bull. Where Ed Coan focuses his intensity towards the precision execution of his lifts, "Captain Kirk" attacks the bar with the unbridled rage of a category-5 hurricane. Early lifting footage of Karwoski shows sloppy form but an ability to manhandle huge weights through a mixture of natural genetics, unbridled rage and pure strength of will.
This brute strength led to a world record 1,003 pound squat in the 275-pounds class, increasing the record a full hundred pounds! Renowned for his squat (he has done a half-ton for two reps in training), Karwoski also has deadlifted 825 and benched 585 in the gym, in the era before the "advances" in lifting gear that record holders enjoy today. As a side effect, he built a huge 275-pound (at close to 10% bodyfat) physique that would not be out of place in a physique contest.
Old powerlifters never seem to retire (unless forced by injuries) and Karwoski is no exception. After eight years off a meet platform, The Captain returned, competing raw (with no support gear, save a lifting belt) to score a 826 squat, 463 bench press and a 771 deadlift. In the process of his squat attempt, he tore the vastus internus on his right leg, which didn't keep him from pulling his big deadlift. It remains to be seen if he will compete again.
Karwoski has also given back to the sport, mentoring numerous rising stars and coaching national teams. In addition to his encyclopedic knowledge of the sport, he is also an authority on the strip clubs in the vicinity of each national meet.
Defining quote: "Most powerlifters share some common defects. We, as a whole, for whatever reason, love to punish, beat and torture ourselves beyond the limits of mind and body."
Other defining quote: "If you touch that bar, I'm going to kill you!" (to a spotter)
Memorable story: The off-stage exploits of Karwoski are numerous and legendary, but since the statutory limit on many of these has not run out, the fact that he has squatted five reps with 800-pounds in the gym is the most impressive.
Bill Kazmaier
Although spending time as an IPF World Champion powerlifter, professional wrestler and football player, Bill Kazmaier is best known for his three-year reign as the World's Strongest Man. It is even speculated that the organizers decided not to invite him back for a number of years to avoid a one-man dominance. His legendary battles with Jón Páll Sigmarsson for the WSM title have made reruns of the competition still popular a decade later.
As a powerlifter, Kaz set a long-standing bench record of 661-pounds (although he reportedly benched 633 for a triple in the gym). It wasn't until improved support gear came into play that this record was broken. In addition, he posted a 925-pound squat, a big 887-pound deadlift and a 2,425 total.
If these accomplishments were not enough, Kaz follow in the old-time strongman tradition by performing a number of exception strength feats. He inflates hot water bottle to bursting with his lungs, rips phonebooks and license plates in half, and rolls frying pans up into coils with his bare hands. He is one of a handful of men able to lift and press the Thomas Inch dumbbell, an unwieldy 172-pound dumbbell with an excessively thick 2½-inch handle, making gripping the weight a supreme challenge. In fact, standing upright with the weight (a one-handed deadlift) is a popular test of strength among elite lifters.
Not only does Kaz possess single-rep strength, he has repped-out with big poundages: barbell curls with 315 for fifteen reps, 500 pounds in the bench press for 15 reps, 17 reps in shoulder presses with 121-pound dumbbells and ten reps with 800 in the squat!
In his fifties, Kaz still possesses a lean powerful build, in close to the best (if not the biggest) condition of his life. Lean but still thickly muscled, his 23-inch guns seem to have lost little of their size. He is active as a speaker, exercise equipment distributor and product spokesman. Always a gracious and humble champion, he is revered and admired by two decades of iron athletes.
Defining quote: "Yeah, I actually think I am the strongest man who ever lived. Yes, I'll make that statement." (in an WSM interview)
Memorable story: So dominant was Kazmaier's competitive nature that when entering a goldfish-eating contest with a cash prize, he swallowed an all-time record 1,000 live fish, even though that number quadrupled that of the runner-up. Kaz's strategy? Rather than fish them out one at a time, he gulped down the fish and water together.
Tom Platz
Tom Platz brought a new level of professionalism to bodybuilding, bringing bodybuilding closer to the level of world-class athletes in mainstream sports such as baseball and tennis. As spokesman and athletes' rep for Vince MacMahon's short-lived WBF, Platz's influence is still being felt, with dozens of athletes receiving endorsement contracts, a state of affairs nonexistent before the WBF.
Platz was far from being a "stuffed suit" executive though. He was, first and foremost, a hardcore "in-the-trenches" lifter. In this capacity, he increased awareness of our ability to push our limits in both training and in physique freakiness. His quads were decades ahead of their time, displaying fullness and cross-striation in areas where others didn't even have development.
His hamstring separation is stupefying, with deep crevasses and paper-thin shrink-wrapped skin causing the tissue to stand out in bold relief.
Most impressively, the heavy-legged Platz managed to bring his upper body up to nearly the level of his legs in order to capture a controversial third-place finish in the '81 Olympia. This was to the outrage of the audience, who acknowledged Platz as superior in physique, conditioning and presentation than both the winner and runner-up.
Platz eloquently spoke about the spiritual side of training but, rather than waxing on about "enlightenment" and achieving peace, his deep inflections were geared towards more immediately practical ends - pushing his body to brutally harsh levels of gym performance. Refraining from incense and mantras, the Golden Eagle invoked high-rep squatting as his means to transcend to another level.
His squat poundages include a single with 855 (in full-depth high-bar bodybuilding style), 635 pounds for 8-12 reps, routinely squatting 300-400 pounds for sets of 25-50 reps (with his best being 515 pounds for 30 reps) and he has even squatted 225 pounds for ten-minutes straight. Give that a try and tell me you don't have a religious experience.
Defining quote: "When I walked out on stage I wanted to make the judges drop their pencils and say, ‘WHAT in the hell is that?!?'"
Memorable story: In the early seventies, Platz arrived in California with less than $50 in his pocket, lived in small apartment in Santa Monica with over a dozen other guys but knew he wanted to be a champion bodybuilder.
Benny Podda
Benny "the Beast of the East" Podda is the quintessential "Rocky" story applied to bodybuilding. With modest physical potential but enough heart for a battalion of warriors, he pushed his body to the very edges of its potential. In the process, he won the light-heavyweight class at the 1983 USA Championships, along with a handful of top-five placings in other national-level shows. More importantly was the army of Podda fans he attained due to his hardcore training and colorful personality.
Lacking a graceful structure or beautiful lines, Podda won shows by virtue of extreme shredded and vascular muscularity and thickness. His frame was so crowded with muscle and sinew that he resembled a muscled fireplug. At a height of 5'6 and up to 255-pounds of powerful muscle, Podda was known as a ferocious and powerful trainer. His workouts included squatting with up to 850 pounds, deadlifting 800 and 500-pound bent rows. More than just a low-rep man, Benny reveled in his ability to block the burning pain and oxygen debt that accompanies high reps as well. Hearing that Platz occasionally would perform 50-rep squat sets with 315-pounds, Benny took things a few steps further, reproducing that for FIVE sets each leg workout.
Legend has it that in his early competitive years, Podda lived in a small windowless room, his furnishings consisting of a bedroll and a stack of books. His Spartan lifestyle was a purposeful attempt to avoid distractions from his goals. So devoted was he to his goals that "The Beast" would wake up three hours before his 6:30 AM workout to perform Taoist meditation.
As intense as his training was, Podda was equally intense as a performer. It was common for members of the crowd at every one of his guest-posings to cry out "Bleed for us Benny!" to which Podda would tense and strain until his high blood pressure-aided sinuses would burst, causing a hemorrhage of blood to spurt from his nostrils. (He is currently rumored to be living as a hermit in a cave in California).
Defining quote: "Sometimes the workouts are so hard you think your eyeballs are going to pop right out of your head."
Memorable story: Jim Manion, who owned the gym in which Podda trained (Manion's Gym in Carnegie, PA), relayed the following story to me:
"I arrived back at the gym from doing some errands to find the front desk manager in a panic. Benny had been doing heavy seated cable rows with the full stack and three or four 45-pound plates added on. The weight was a total of 470-pounds. A couple reps into his set, the cable abruptly snapped, causing the handle to crash into Benny's face. He split the bridge of his nose open and blood was gushing everywhere. So I told the desk guy, ‘Ferchrissakes, just drive him to the hospital then.' He said, ‘I would, but he refuses to leave until he finishes his workout.'"
Jón Páll Sigmarsson
A charismatic showman, Iceland's Jón Páll Sigmarsson, known as the Viking Warrior, shaped the World's Strongest Man contest into what it is today. He dominating the sport in the eighties with four WSM overall wins (in '84, '86, '88 and ‘90), and six World Muscle Power Championships (‘85-87, ‘89-91). His most impressive feat may be winning the Pure Strength challenge against the great British strongman Geoff Capes and then American legend Bill Kazmaier, winning eight out of ten events.
The Icelander was a natural in front of the camera. His aggressive proclamations and witty comments backed up his intense desire to win. Sigmarsson drew inspiration from stories of his Icelandic Viking ancestors and focused this into his drive to excel. His victory cry of "I am the Viking! I am the strongest!" would send the crowd into a frenzy.
Sigmarsson was also adept at the other iron sports, winning the Commonwealth Highland Games in Scotland (1986), the European Powerlifting Championships and even competing in Olympic lifting earlier in his career. He was also a champion bodybuilder, his lean 6'3" 294-pound physique winning both 1984 Icelandic Bodybuilding Championships and an IFBB pro card.
Dying at only 33 years of age, we will never know how many more titles this charismatic champion would have won or the ultimate level his strength may have reached.
Defining quote: "I think you will see me switch on the crazy switch later in the competition." (from World Strongest Man coverage)
Memorable story: Sigmarsson was known to have said, "There is no point on being alive if you cannot deadlift." Ironically, Jón Páll Sigmarsson clinched his inclusion in The Twelve by dying in gym combat. In 1993, he suffered a massive heart attack while repping out in heavy deadlifts in his gym.
Dorian Yates
Yates was constantly pushing the envelope, both in the gym and with his physique. Nicknamed "the Shadow," Dorian would retreat from the spotlight to his Birmingham, England-based Temple Gym and systematically recreate his already Olympia-dominating physique. Guest-posing a few months out from the Olympia at mid-300s bodyweight, competitors would declare that Yates had blown it; he would never be able to get into championship shape in time. Each time, the Shadow proved them wrong.
Yates was passionate about training, making each workout into a competition, and when Dorian competed, nothing kept him from winning. Never one to rest on his "best in the world" laurels, Yates appeared each year with dramatic muscle gains and bigger bodyparts. Some may argue his conditioning or lines may have been better in one particular year or another, but no one can competently claim that his physique did not indicate a year of ass-busting effort had taken place since his previous title defense.
This level of effort came with a price. His final Olympia appearance was severely hampered by a disfiguring triceps and lat tear. He competed with injuries, not allowing excuses to force him out of his title. After a final win, he retired on his own terms but continues to train (and intends to ALWAYS do so). Yates was in it to win, not just collect a check. He was, and is, a competitor. If he were to choose to reenter the Olympia ten years after his retirement, one would be foolish to count him out.
Defining quote: "The Americans seem to be quite complacent and laidback, especially with their training. When I go to America it seems like I never see anyone really training very hard in the gyms where, back in England, there's more of a working-type ethic. The guys in the gym are really going for it and really training hard. They might not have the sophisticated kind of facilities they have in the States but there's a lot more heart and a lot more guts."
Honorable Mentions
Johnnie Fuller: "You can either train hard or you can train long." Well, DeFendis and Michalik proved that not to be true. Fuller also fits into the sixty-sets per bodypart workout club but adds dietary strictness that would make Ghandi look like a binge-eater.
Rich Gaspari: Perhaps Gaspari did more to push his genetics than any man to ever win an IFBB pro show. On the way, he showed us that a thick, densely muscled physique could also be ripped to shreds. The Dragonslayer may have just missed snagging the Olympia crown multiple times, but his attitude and accomplishments inspired more lifters than three average Sandow-holders combined!
Louie Simmons: It may have taken him thirty years, but Louie finally joined the 900-pound squat club - and at over fifty years of age! Few things could inspire like sustained determination like that. Not only has he personally pushed himself to new levels of strength, but he epitomizes the thinking man when it comes to training. No man since Dr. John Zeigler has been responsible for helping lifters put more weight on their totals.
Jeff King: Legs like Platz and a neck that looks like a 21-inch bundle of steel cables. Although he seemed like a sure-fire future Mr. Olympia, Jeff was perhaps the freakiest bodybuilder that most people have never heard of.
Bertil Fox: I know what you're thinking - Fox got screwed just because he pulled an O.J. Simpson. Not quite. The Brutal One made the "honorable mentions" because of his thickly muscled frame and prodigious strength. He missed The Twelve because he let himself wither down to nothing for his double-homicide trial. If Fox wants to die a hardcore legend, he should try to snap the hangman's rope by weighing a shredded 270!
Magnus ver Magnussen: This four-time World's Strongest Man winner also has racked up two European Powerlifting Championships with an impressive 880-pound squat, 604-pound bench press, 825-pound deadlift and three-lift total of 2233-pounds. He has continued the Icelandic tradition of strength pioneered by the great Jón Páll Sigmarsson.
Andreas Munzer: Noted as one of the most hard-training athletes, Munzer was able to go from a man known for being shredded, to a MASSIVE and shredded champ. R.I.P. brother.
Mike Mentzer: This one-time mass god didn't seem to train in his later days due to his obsession over philosopher Ayn Rand. "Alex, give me L. Ron Hubbard to block."
Branch Warren: Certainly the next to step into the role left open by Mike Francois and Dorian Yates, Branch eschews the beach-bod for freakish vascularity, prodigious strength, and plenty of thick and grainy mass.
Chuck Vogelpohl: What could be more hardcore than spending two decades as the de facto alpha dog at Westside Barbell? How about an 800-pound deadlift and being the first man to squat half-a-ton at 220-pounds (the first time anyone under 275 has done it).
Steve Michalik: The vomit-covered path of devastated training partners locked this guy an honorable mention spot. His unfortunate talkshow admissions that "whizz fizz made me an A-hole" make us drop him to "honorable mention" status.
Dave Palumbo: Using his brain to push muscle mass to the next level, and being persecuted by judges all the while...
Vic Richards: Incredibly full muscle bellies and mass that was a decade ahead of its time. Vic was as huge and strong as they come but you shouldn't talk about being better than the Olympians if the only contest you've ever won is the national championship in a starvation-ravaged third-world country.
Casey Viator: Imagine what it would be like to be the best-built man in the country (we all have). Now imagine achieving that goal while still a teenager. At nineteen years of age, Casey Viator was the youngest Mr. America winner ever. The clincher? All of the men on this list have experienced injuries in their quest for greatness but only Casey can proudly claim to have lost half a finger during training. Hell yeah!
Mike Miller: Mike "Rage" Miller's tattoo ("Never demand what you cannot take by force") says it all. He leads the Pennsylvania chapter of the Metal Militia with a 1,200 pound squat and 755-pound bench press.
Don Ross: The Ripper did everything he could to pack on mass, made fun of those that did aerobics, ate plenty of red meat and died young - sounds like he covered all his bases.
Tim Belknap: Although he earned his reputation as a world class A-hole, Belknap carried a level of mass that foreshadowed the polypharmacists that followed him.
Gary Taylor: This British World's Strongest Man winner was huge, ungodly strong and even once had a leg crushed by a 700-pound tractor tire that flipped the wrong way during an event. To clinch things, this guy works and trains in a prison!
