S
Schwarzenegg
Mecca V.I.P.
VIP
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2014
- Messages
- 100
- Points
- 18
So when i first started working out back in 2003 this old gym in my town had a lot of autographed pictures of bodybuilders that had been there before but once you went downstairs in the dungeon/basement it was filled with the animal posters. You know Squat Till You Puke, Shut the F Up and Train posters. The Squat till you puke poster was right in front of the squat rack like right in the middle of the mirror it was there staring back at you as you performed squats or deadlifts. My first supplement I ever bought with my own money was Animal Pak and I remember popping the can open and being welcomed by that nasty ass smell lmao that i've grown to love after all this years. I even have my Owner's Manual that they used to print and send to fans.
Fast forward to 2012 I started posting a lot on their forum and another forum and saw how their company reps were towards their fans and I started becoming an even bigger fan. Found out about the ABC(Animal Barbell Club) events that Animal does where they get together with their fans for a workout. And sometimes they will even bring their athletes to the ABC as well to meet the fans. And Universal always does Road Trips... Now i think to myself what is the whole point of this? ABC, Road Trips... It's all for the fans to meet the athletes and train with them. Sure they go a lot of places on their road trips but it's all for the fans to interact with their favorite athletes. Well it happens that Frank McGrath is one of my idols in bodybuilding along with 3 others(Lee Priest, Ronnie and Arnold already met Lee Priest but I doubt I will ever meet Ronnie or Arnold) and I have always wanted to meet Frank. The guys is the definition of motivation and dedication after his accident and coming back the way he did competing on the Toronto Pro and qualifying for the Olympia that year. Surprised everyone.
In 2013 I almost met Frank and Antoine when they went down to Rio for the Arnold in Brasil but I left a week before the show. I was so pissed! But than they mentioned that they were going to have a Road Trip in their home state of NJ in the summer and I was excited cuz I was going to my first ABC event and meet them. On their very first stop at a supplement store I went there on my bicycle cuz my car was fd up 5 miles.. Totally worth it!
That night I borrowed a friend's car so I could go to the ABC and I met Evan Centopani!
Two days later they came to a gym closer to my house so I again got on my bike and went there to see them. Took me like 30mins to get there but it was awesome. Got to train and meet Universal athletes Callie Bundy, Josh Landry and Josh Halladay. Same for G Diesel who has been with Animal for years and is famous for all the articles he has written and the Diary of a Mad Man. All were super nice with me and all the other fans.
Earlier this year I came back from boot camp and Animal did it again. They brought their newest powerlifter the russian Andrei for a seminar and ABC. Of course I had to go there 30 min drive was worth it since I learned how to squat right and since I been going heavier without the pain. =D
8 weeks ago Animal had another Seminar and ABC and they were suppose to have both Ox and Wrath there of course I was super excited to go. But than last minute something happened and Wrath didn't make it so I was like ahhh i'm not even going than! So I skipped out on it. Than last week I had came back from upstate NY from training with my unit and I found out Animal was going to have another ABC Monday and Yesterday... Frank was finally coming to jersey and i was finally going to meet him! Drove over an hour and a half yesterday.
I had so many questions for him but than I froze on the moment he shook my hand and said "its nice to meet you." Nice to meet me? NO its nice to meet you! No words came out of my mouth other than I'm huge fan. lol It's ok though I got to meet him and he signed my shirt that both Evan and Antoine signed last summer. That shirt is going to be framed and when I one day open my own gym it will be the first thing I hang up on the wall.
- - - Updated - - -
Turns out the picture I was in even made on Flex Magazine back last year but since I was away in boot camp I missed out buying that issue =/
Fast forward to 2012 I started posting a lot on their forum and another forum and saw how their company reps were towards their fans and I started becoming an even bigger fan. Found out about the ABC(Animal Barbell Club) events that Animal does where they get together with their fans for a workout. And sometimes they will even bring their athletes to the ABC as well to meet the fans. And Universal always does Road Trips... Now i think to myself what is the whole point of this? ABC, Road Trips... It's all for the fans to meet the athletes and train with them. Sure they go a lot of places on their road trips but it's all for the fans to interact with their favorite athletes. Well it happens that Frank McGrath is one of my idols in bodybuilding along with 3 others(Lee Priest, Ronnie and Arnold already met Lee Priest but I doubt I will ever meet Ronnie or Arnold) and I have always wanted to meet Frank. The guys is the definition of motivation and dedication after his accident and coming back the way he did competing on the Toronto Pro and qualifying for the Olympia that year. Surprised everyone.
In 2013 I almost met Frank and Antoine when they went down to Rio for the Arnold in Brasil but I left a week before the show. I was so pissed! But than they mentioned that they were going to have a Road Trip in their home state of NJ in the summer and I was excited cuz I was going to my first ABC event and meet them. On their very first stop at a supplement store I went there on my bicycle cuz my car was fd up 5 miles.. Totally worth it!
That night I borrowed a friend's car so I could go to the ABC and I met Evan Centopani!
Two days later they came to a gym closer to my house so I again got on my bike and went there to see them. Took me like 30mins to get there but it was awesome. Got to train and meet Universal athletes Callie Bundy, Josh Landry and Josh Halladay. Same for G Diesel who has been with Animal for years and is famous for all the articles he has written and the Diary of a Mad Man. All were super nice with me and all the other fans.
Earlier this year I came back from boot camp and Animal did it again. They brought their newest powerlifter the russian Andrei for a seminar and ABC. Of course I had to go there 30 min drive was worth it since I learned how to squat right and since I been going heavier without the pain. =D
8 weeks ago Animal had another Seminar and ABC and they were suppose to have both Ox and Wrath there of course I was super excited to go. But than last minute something happened and Wrath didn't make it so I was like ahhh i'm not even going than! So I skipped out on it. Than last week I had came back from upstate NY from training with my unit and I found out Animal was going to have another ABC Monday and Yesterday... Frank was finally coming to jersey and i was finally going to meet him! Drove over an hour and a half yesterday.
I had so many questions for him but than I froze on the moment he shook my hand and said "its nice to meet you." Nice to meet me? NO its nice to meet you! No words came out of my mouth other than I'm huge fan. lol It's ok though I got to meet him and he signed my shirt that both Evan and Antoine signed last summer. That shirt is going to be framed and when I one day open my own gym it will be the first thing I hang up on the wall.
- - - Updated - - -
Turns out the picture I was in even made on Flex Magazine back last year but since I was away in boot camp I missed out buying that issue =/
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