"He has definitely national-level potential, especially if he can bring his upper body up to the level of his legs," Jeremiah told me. "He's got awesome legs!"
The Jeremiah on the other end of the phone was my friend Jeremiah
Forster. Not only is Jeremiah a top-level competitor, but he is a master at getting
top bodybuilders, fitness competitors and regular civilians into shape. Jeremiah
alerts me whenever he spies someone on the rise that might make me consider
dusting off my camera. Since I respect Jeremiah's opinions and know that he
does not tend to be easily impressed, I set up a time to make the two and a
half-hour drive to Kentucky to see the wheels on his latest protégé.
My first meeting with Dave Uhlman took place at the palatial Gold's Gym in
Erlanger, Kentucky a week before the Ohio state championships. We also got
together later (three weeks after the Ohio) at Terry Bryan's Fitness Center in
Cincinnati - where the accompanying photos where taken. That's right, these
photos were taken three weeks (and one vacation to Cancun) after his contest.
The Collegiate Nationals is an undisputed talent showcase, attracting young rising stars from across the country. One unheralded standout from a past contest was not the overall winner, but rather the 28 year-old mass of heavyweight sinew that chased him to a close second place in their class, Brett Becker. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Becker first showed his athletic prowess on the soccer field. As a standout in high school, the 5'9" naturally muscular athlete even got to play a little soccer in Germany. Unfortunately, this dream came to an abrupt conclusion when he tore both of his hamstrings, effectively ending his chance to be the second coming of Pele´. It was at this point that soccer's loss became bodybuilding's gain. In an athlete profile from 2003 (which has not been shared with fans until now) we get to know Becker and learn some of the things it took to build his physique.
"So why do you compete?" I asked, not realizing that for top Masters bodybuilder Dave Marinelli, the question
was ludicrous. At forty-nine years of age, Marinelli has a boyish energy and passion for bodybuilding that can only be described as ‘contagious.' Just ask him about training, nutrition or his successful personal training business and watch him light up like a Vegas casino. Dave Marinelli competes because he is a competitor. After sitting down with him for an hour, it became obvious that his definition of competitor goes far beyond the twelve-week period in which he is dieting for a contest.
I've tried just about every "energy" supplement (stimulant) on the market (and many "off" the market) and it's rare that I come across one worth mentioning. It's actually kind of sad how excited I get when I have something new to try; so when I got my bottle of LG Sciences "E-911," I was a giddy pill-popping overgrown kid. To continue John Romano's theme from last week (SUPPLEMENT CORNER: 9-30-09), we know LG Sciences makes products that work because they're always getting yanked off the market. What better than a stimulant from a company that loves to push the envelope?
"Opened in 1982 and sold in 1997, ‘Better Bodies' was a touchstone for many people for many reasons. It was the right gym at the right time for the right group of people. I still get e mails from former members waxing poetic about what a special time that was..."
--BRIAN MOSS
The above quote is taken from the tribute website recently established for the legendary bodybuilding gym ‘Better Bodies' (www.betterbodies1982.com). It says a lot about a gym when an actual website is set up in its memory rather than to solicit memberships!
Subscribe to RxMuscle on Youtube
