Mohamed Makkawy
Mohamed Makkawy was at the top of the bodybuilding world for a while in the late 1980s. While he never won a Mr Olympia title, he did win a good share of IFBB Grand Prix titles in 1982 and 1983. Known for impeccable symmetry, balance, and muscularity, the 5'4″ Makkawy was the epitome of the well-rounded athlete: He was graceful, fluent in many languages, served in the military as a translator, and dominated the pro ranks (albeit for a short time).
He also had perhaps the greatest forearms of all time! He trained with Vince Gironda during his pro streak and might have won the Mr. O title had he persevered. It takes most Mr Olympias several tries before they ultimately win.
Mohamed Makkawy is doing personal training nowadays.
Mike Mentzer
Mike Mentzer was one of those professional bodybuilders that inspired profound thought as much as – if not more than – jaw-dropping awe. He was the epitome of the cerebral strongman, in the same league as Frank Zane.
Mike was not just an awesome bodybuilder; he was a gifted writer, too. I loved reading his articles about High Intensity Training (read one here – Part I: Actualize Your Potential in One Year!, by Mike Mentzer).
Mike almost made it to the top of the professional bodybuilding mountain, coming in second in 1979 to Frank Zane and in fifth the following year to eventual winner, Arnold Schwarzenegger in a hotly-contested 1980 Mr Olympia competition. He retired from competition after the event at the age of 29.
Mike's greatest contribution to the sport was his High Intensity Training (HIT) philosophy, which prescribed low-volume, high effort workouts, using various bodybuilding methods like pre-exhaust, super sets, training to failure, negatives, and the like.
Sadly, Mike Mentzer died in 2001 at the young age of 49. In a strange chain of events, his twin brother, Ray Mentzer, who found Mike dead in their apartment, died two days later.
Mike Mentzer played an instrumental part in my development, not just in my bodybuilding but in my overall personal development. I salute him!
Coming soonLou Ferrigno
Lou started out as a very skinny 6'5″ kid from New York. He began working out as a way to overcome a disability that he suffered as a toddler when he lost his hearing due to an ear infection.
He basically stormed onto the bodybuilding scene as a 21-year-old prodigy, winning several Mr America and Mr Universe contests, then battling Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Mr Olympia in 1974 and 1975. He never beat Arnold.
Lou played a big part in the film Pumping Iron, which pitted him against Schwarzenegger in the 1975 Mr O. While a lot of the movie was theatrics, the documentary did bring the sport of bodybuilding into the limelight and gave it some much-needed exposure to the general public.
Ferrigno then went on to become the Incredible Hulk, starring Bill Bixby.
Lou has also been in quite a few movies, including Hercules and Sinbad, as well as playing a role in The King of Queens, playing himself.
He also made one appearance in The World's Strongest Man contest. He participated with fellow bodybuilder Franco Columbu and they both showed that bodybuilders weren't just about showy muscles; they were indeed very strong.
Lou, of course, has his own web site and does a strong mail order business. He's also written several books, including my personal favorite, The Incredible Lou Ferrigno.
Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler is a 4-time Mr. Olympia winner. He's broad, tan, and ripped to shreds.
I ran across him once at the Arnold Sports Expo quite a few years ago. He'd already won the Mr. O a couple times by then.
He's not tall, but DAYUM he's wide.
The man has some broad shoulders. And he's freaking huge!
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