I’ve been actively involved in the sport of Powerlifting since 1976. I’ve won numerous US National Powerlifting Championships, as well as a total of six World Championships. I won my last World Championship at the IPF World Masters in Copenhagen, Denmark in October, 1995. I’m 47 years old and feel as good today as I felt 20 years ago. I attribute my condition to smart training habits developed over the years and to Beverly International supplements.

My fiancee, Nina Tonnu, is a fitness competitor who is training for the Ms Fitness USA Nationals. I decided to put powerlifting on the backburner for a while in order to train with Nina and help her achieve her goal. To develop a better understanding and appreciation for what Fitness / Bodybuilder competitors go through my new goal for 1996 was to compete as a bodybuilder. By backing off Powerlifting for an entire year, I hoped to extend my Powerlifting endeavors a few more years for the future.

I entered my first bodybuilding contest in April of 1996. I had dropped from 215 lb to 188 with, what I thought, was a considerable drop in bodyfat. I felt pretty confident until I saw my competition. I had trained long and hard, posed for hours (which I didn’t really care for) and was defeated before I even stepped on stage for the prejudging. I ended up placing fourth in my division but gained a lot of humility. Keep in mind that as a powerlifter I rarely lost. I was the first man to deadlift over 800 lb in the 220 class. I still hold the IPF record of 838 lb. My best squat in competition is 821 lb. In other words, I was not used to losing, and was not going to give up bodybuilding just yet.

I began training for the natural World Cup Bodybuilding Championships nine weeks out from the show date of November 23, 1996. I had decided to make a few changes from my earlier contest preparation, but the most important change I made was to contact Sandy and Roger of Beverly International.

Here’s the schedule that I followed to prepare for the World Cup competition: Every morning at 5:00 I’d drink a cup of black coffee, pop a Thermadrene and hop on the bike for thirty minutes of cardio. Throughout the day I took Beverly International Amino Acids approximately every three hours to maintain a positive nitrogen balance (a total of 20 - 30 tablets daily), one Thermadrene at 10:00 and another at 3:00. I ate four or five meals daily - high in protein (350 - 400 grams daily), carbs consisting of oatmeal, rice, and potatoes (that Roger eventually eliminated during the final two weeks) and vegetables or salad. I took two tablespoons of Flax Oil daily to ensure that I was getting the essential fats that I needed. I posed daily working on the mandatories and my routine.

My bodyfat dropped from 14.5% to 7.5% during these nine weeks. My conditioning improved immeasureably over my initial attempt at bodybuilding competition earlier in the year. The end result was I won the tall class at the 1996 ANPPC World Cup.

Thanks again to Roger and Sandy for the help they gave me at the Beverly International Nutrition Center, thanks to my fiancee Nina for tolerating me during my dieting cycle, and thanks to Karl and Adam at Bodywerks for allowing me to use their gym. PS Nina’s getting more muscular as the days go by and I’m getting my strength back. My last training session saw me triple 630 (no straps). We’re both using the full Beverly International supplement plan. (I love the Super Pak.) My weight’s up to 205 now and the future’s looking bright.

Spring 1997 Index

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