My first bodybuilding competition was the NPC Natural South Jersey back in 1995. Natural in the NPC means one year drug free, which isn’t really drug free in my eyes. I was natural mostly due to being scared shitless of what my mother would do if she found out, non the less I was drug free.
Aside from my mom, I had this meathead Nick Depalma take me under his wing, and fortunately, he talked me away from steroids and pushed me to compete with guys who were “on my same playing field” as he put it. We discovered this magazine dedicated to the natural athlete; Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness. I was intrigued and inspired, so I began my journey to become a WNBF Pro.
I feel most comfortable at a bodybuilding event, as I feel like I have grown up on a bodybuilding stage. I have met some of the coolest, most down to earth people throughout my 20 years in the natural bodybuilding world, and in this podcast I chat it up with the new motivated, driven and passionate owners of the WNBF; Nancy Andrews, Bob Smith. Big things to come for the WNBF.
Here are some topics we discussed:
- 1:10: Boston’s snowy winter vs California’s sun rays
- 2:10: Introductions
- 4:09: We lose Bob to technical difficulties but find him eventually 🙂
- 5:50 Great times with the WNBF before upper management lost interest
- 6:30: DePalma steers me away from steroids at age 18 and turns me onto WNBF
- 7:40: Nancy shares her history with the WNBF and what keeps her involved
- 11:55: Anthony’ s history with the NGA / WNBF
- 13:20: New amateur tier system for qualifying to be a WNBF Pro
- 15:15: What differentiates the WNBF form other natural organizations?
- 17:02: Strict Drug testing keeps it fair for all athletes
- 21:15: Bob explains the integrity of the WNBF
- 22:21: Offseason drug testing for WNBF Pros
- 23:00: Cleveland Thomas fails drug test, and returns to beat Shevon Cunningham in the 2014 Worlds
- 25:52: Nancy keeps it real and talks about poor sportsmanship
- 27:37: Anthony speaks of taking Andro prior to the ban in 1999
- 28:25: Bob clears the air regarding the Cleveland Thomas controversy
- 32:30: Bob questions why bodybuilders from other federations don’t compete in the WNBF
- 33:38: Thoughts on the ANBF’s loosely based drug testing
- 36:54: Expectations of growth due to the new Bikini and Mens Physique divisions?
- 40:40: Anthony shares his thoughts on judging the Bikini girls
- 41:59: Sponsorships; RTN, Cellucor and their support for the WNBF
- 46:15: Anthony talks of live broadcasting including podcast from WNBF events
- 49:42: Keeping up with and keeping in touch with the WNBF, including the 2015 competition season
- 57:04: Official announcement of Anthony and Karen’s new Regional Director positions with the WNBF
Links from the show:
- www.AnthonysGym.com
- www.NeClassic.com
- www.cellucor.com
- www.WorldNaturalBB.com
- www.californianaturalmuscle.org
- www.revolutionarynutrition.com