The buzz was still electric at Bev and Steve's Powerhouse Gym on the Monday following the New York Pro. Photo shoots and contract negotiations dominated the iron atmosphere. These shoots are typical after a major contest as all the bodybuilders and fitness chicks are in top shape. Nutritional supplement companies, magazines, clothing companies, and everyone else use the competition as an opportunity to take some quality photos for their next article, cover, or advertisement. Periodically, these photo sessions also provide the opportunity for the athletes to be signed to different types of contracts, and there were no exceptions at the Syoccet, New York gym. Dave Palumbo and I walked into the gym intending to train chest, but once we saw all the activity, Dave suggested that I don my Yenta hat and get a story.
One of the first things I heard as I walked around was that Jose Raymond was signing with Muscular Development. A note of interest: Jose had already signed a weekend exclusivity contract with MD (to prevent him from talking to us). Apparently, this weekend contract didn’t extend to that Monday, because Jose had been asked to shoot with FLEX Magazine. When Steve Blechman, president and owner of MD, heard that Jose was going to shoot with FLEX, he quickly called Jose and told him that he wanted to sign him immediately to a long-term contract. When we ran into Jose, he was actually waiting for Steve to bring him the paperwork. Jose became part of Team MD shortly thereafter. We at RxMuscle are all happy to see Jose get paid. He’s a real mensch and deserves everything he gets, and much more.
Flex Lewis, the second place finisher of The New York Pro’s 202 contest, was nearby shooting with Per Bernal for Gasp clothing. He told me that he had been 214 just two days out from the NY Pro, and had struggled to make weight. He also introduced me to his younger brother, Shane, who had come all the way from Wales to see him compete. I asked Shane about growing up with Flex:
We had an eventful childhood. We used to get into a few crazy things, and if he done it, I had to do it also. He was a troublemaker when we were growing up, definitely! Everything he wanted to do when he was younger… If he said he was going to do it, he was going to do it. I think he has taken that into bodybuilding as well.
Shane also told me about a story that actually led to Flex’s beginning in bodybuilding:
Flex bought a motorbike, a scrabler, and he hid it from our parents because they didn’t want him having it. Him and his friends would go off and ride it around the fields, and one day he fell off and seriously injured his shoulder. He was in a cast for a long time, and after his cast came off he saw that the other arm was bigger than the other so he started training in the gym at school. After that, he just caught the bug, as they say!
The MuscleMag crew was also in the gym shooting a much fuller-looking Ben “The Showstopper” White. You may or may not have noticed, but if you check out the contest results from the show, you’ll find that Ben White is totally absent from the score sheet. He was visibly off at the pre-judging and didn’t return that night to pose. When I asked him about it, he said, “I messed up. I’m focusing on Toronto. I’ll be back 100% there.” Hopefully Ben gets back into the shape that won the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Show last year in Tampa. If he does, he will be dangerous in Toronto.
Kai Greene was in the middle of his second day of non-stop photo shoots. He looked pretty worn down, and had worked up a good schvitz (editor’s note: Yiddish for sweat). Dave and I approached him to hear his thoughts on winning his second New York Pro title. He was in a contemplative mood, and told Dave that, “I wasn’t at 100% this weekend. I am very happy with the level of support I received from the fans, but I know I can be better for the Olympia.” When Dave pushed him on what he thought he needed to improve, Kai said “People have told me I was still holding water from the front…that I could have been drier.”
If you have any tips, gossips, rumors, or stories email me at Jewbacca@rxmuscle.com!
Edited by Wiry Pyruvity!
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