FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Los Angeles – May 20, 2013 – Global Proving Ground (GPG), a fast rising worldwide combat sports organization, and Bodybuilding.com, the largest online retailer of health and fitness supplements, are partnering up to bring you a new reality-based sports show, Warrior Island. “We cast the show by having millions of fans vote on Youtube, Facebook & Twitter with our unique social networking platform” states show’s creator James Jefferson. Warrior Island maroons these elite fighters on an island in the Pacific Ocean, where they must train old school martial arts with the Martial Arts Masters from around the world. Masters Renzo Gracie, Dan Severn, Chung Chow, Relson Gracie and Ron Van Clief will instill knowledge and skill within these fighters. The Director and Producers describe the show as Enter the Dragon meets Blood Sport in this highly anticipated Hollywood production from veteran Director Ben Perry and Executive Producer Steve Tornabene. With expert fitness and nutrition training by Bodybuilding.com‘s Phd Jim Stoppani and action movie star Silvio Simac Warrior Island fighters will have every advantage to improve their abilities before the fights begin. The fighters must then fight in an open soft pit to stay on the island and continue to strive to become champion of Warrior Island!

“Bodybuilding.com is just the strategic partner we needed to launch our TV show and we are also excited about them being part of our worldwide fight league, Global Proving Ground,” said Warrior Island creator, James Jefferson. “Bodybuilding.com  is the online industry leader in health and fitness supplements. Their goals align perfectly with GPG and will help us take Warrior Island to the next level.”

“We are truly excited about partnering with GPG and Warrior Island,” said Ryan DeLuca, CEO and founder of Bodybuilding.com. “Mixed martial arts is exploding in popularity and involves some of the most physically fit athletes in the world. Keeping a competitive edge is key for these athletes,” said DeLuca, “by using proper training, nutrition and supplementation. So many of our customers love MMA, our partnership with GPG is a natural fit.”
For more information on Global Proving Ground and to see the contestants of Warrior Island, please visit http://www.globalprovingground.com

About Global Proving Ground (GPG)

Global Proving Ground (GPG) is the ideal platform for fighters of all martial arts disciplines to showcase their skills on a global level. It is THE place for promoters, sponsors, television producers, match makers and fight managers to discover new elite fight talent. GPG offers skilled combat sports athletes of all disciplines useful tools to help showcase their skills and advance their careers. It is also a place for fans to show support for their favorite amateur and professional fighters. More info at GlobalProvingGround.com

About Bodybuilding.com

Bodybuilding.com is the world’s largest online sports nutrition store, based in Meridian, Idaho. Offering more than 9,900 health & fitness supplements and accessories, shipping to more than 155 countries. Bodybuilding.com helps more than 26 million people every month achieve their health, fitness and appearance goals, by offering over 28,000 pages of FREE information, including more than 20,000 articles and 8,000 videos, expert online trainers, and new content added daily. For more information please visit www.bodybuilding.com.

Charlotte Parker, publicist to the stars in the world of bodybuilding and fitness for many years, called me Thursday to ask if I would emcee the Memorial for Joe Weider, set for Sunday, April 14, in Santa Monica, CA. She didn’t have to finish the query before I gladly accepted this honor. I handled similiar duties for memorials for Joe Gold in 2004 and Robert Kennedy last June, but this comes with a different twist–the invitation-only gathering will be able to be viewed by fans all over the globe, thanks to Bodybuilding.com, as they will provide a live webcast, beginning at 1 p.m. (PST).

"Bodybuilding fans from around the world will be able to share in this amazing memorial," says John Hardesty, Vice-President for Digital Publishing at Bodybuilding.com. "We are honored to have been chosen as the exclusive outlet for this historic broadcast and will present it exactly as it happens. Joe Weider’s contributions for fitness and bodybuilding cannot be overstated. Without Joe, none of us would be here."

Of course, the major address at the gathering will be given by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who referred to Joe as his "dear friend and mentor…a titan in the fitness industry and one of the kindest men I ever met." It was Joe, as most know, who initially brought Arnold to the United States from Austria. As Joe said at the time, "Every sport needs a hero, and Arnold was the right man."

And Joe was the right man to to help make that become a reality.

Stubborn. Stupid stubborn. And, because I was cursed with such behavior, I nearly blew my chance to meet—and work– for Joe Weider.

It was nearly 30 years ago—April 1983—to be exact. I had been a professional sportswriter right out of college and, after the newspaper closed its doors, I moved on as Sports Information Director at Cal State L.A for the next five years. I also taught in both the Journalism and PE Departments. When the SID job was eliminated, I stayed on another 12 years as a member of the Department of Physical Education faculty.

A buddy I’d met at the gym several years earlier would always push me to contact Joe. “You’d be perfect for his magazines,” the friend quipped. “You have the combination of being a professional journalist, and a professional in the field of physical education.”

Finally, I relented, and made the call. And, to my surprise, a lunch meeting with Joe was quickly set up by his secretary, for the following Friday. More than a bit nervous, I hit the road for my 45-minute drive to the Weider Headquarters in Woodland Hills. I arrived 30 minutes early (it’s called Type A personality, fans) to make sure I wasn’t a minute late. No matter—Joe didn’t show.

The secretary apologized, but I was too ticked—and immature—to pay heed. I sped home, calling my buddy immediately, and told him what transpired. Soon after the phone rang; it was Joe’s secretary. She apologized, and asked if we could reschedule for the following Friday. Stubborn, stupid stubborn set it. I said no!

Minutes later the phone rings again. It was Joe’s secretary calling back. “Mr. Teper, Joe would like to speak with you.” This time around “honored” replaced stupid stubborn, and here I was, talking to the Master Blaster himself! The godfather of fitness. The guy who played such a major role in popularizing weight training, the use of supplements and vitamins, and workout equipment. The creator of the Mr. Olympia, for gosh sakes! He was apologetic for the mix-up, and asked to meet for lunch next Friday.

Those were among the longest seven days of my life. I have to admit, a part of me wondered if Joe forgets about me again. Like he wasn’t a dude with a lot on his plate. No worries…he was there, right on time. He was well dressed, complete with dress slacks, white shirt and tie, and was very courteous as he reached for my hand and said, “Very glad to meet you, Lonnie.”

Joe drove me to his favorite eatery, noted for its fish, not too far from the office (don’t remember the name of the place). Stubborn no longer, I didn’t let on what I thought of the choices, and ordered halibut. It was good; if I order fish these days, halibut it is.

We got down to business; I went over my writing background, and told Joe I thought I’d be a good fit for his publications. Had a great idea for a story for Muscle & Fitness: how so many athletes in the 1950s and 1960s had to lift weights in secret so their coaches wouldn’t find out. You know, the old, erroneous muscle-bound theory. He agreed it would be a promising piece—BUT wanted me to turn in a sample of my work to see if my writing could strike a chord with his target audience.

Stubborn makes a comeback. “I don’t ‘audition’ at this point of my career, Joe,” I said. “You don’t have to worry, I know who your audience is…I’ve been part of it for years.”

To be honest, I don’t recall what was said next, but we finished an enjoyable lunch, talked about what I liked—and didn’t find so appealing—about his magazines. Needless to say, I was very careful not to spend much time on the latter.

I went ahead with my article, titled it “Can’t Weight to Train” (featuring Otis Chandler, former Publisher of the Los Angeles Times and a premier collegiate shot putter and weight lifter), and it ran a few months later. That started a string of stories I wrote for Muscle & Fitness, Flex and eventually Sports Fitness over the next three of years.

However, I wasn’t getting consistent assignments, so I took the opportunity to join the staff at IRON MAN when John Balik and Michael Neveux bought the publication in 1986. But I would see Joe at various events, particularly the Mr. Olympia that he created back in 1965.

I emceed my first Olympia in 1993 in Atlanta. In Chicago in 1996, Joe saw me at the hotel and said, “Lonnie, no time for jokes this weekend, since you are emceeing all four shows (Mr. Olympia, Ms. Olympia, Fitness Olympia and the Masters Olympia.” During intermission, Joe approached me and said, “Lonnie, where are your jokes?…we need to make this more entertaining.”

Yes, we lost quite quite a man when Joe Weider passed away from heart failure on Saturday, March 23, at 93 years of age. Joe had been in very poor health for some time, so his passing was not a surprise to those who knew him. But, that doesn’t change the fact that people are having trouble dealing with the death of a true icon that influenced so many lives in the world of fitness and nutrition.

And, of course, perhaps Weider’s greatest achievement was having the insight to invite a young bodybuilder from Austria named Arnold Schwarzenegger to move to the United States, where he financed the move and helped Schwarzenegger boost his career in bodybuilding, business and acting.

“Joe became a father figure to me,” said Schwarzenegger in an article by Greg Botehlo of CNN.” He advised me on my training, on my business ventures, and once, bizarrely, claimed I was a German Shakespearean actor to get me my first acting role in “Hercules in New York, even though I barely spoke English.”

Despite being diagnosed with a heart condition, amyloidosis, 12 years ago, Weider never slowed down, according to his publicist, Charlotte Parker. “He was generous, loving, full of life,” Parker says in the CNN article. “He was a great man.”

Gone, but never forgotten. Thanks for all you did, Joe Weider. It was a great ride. R.I.P.

Reports of Nasser El Sonbaty’s death have been greatly exagerrated over the past few years. Unfortunately, the latest news hitting the internet on Thursday appears to be valid: El Sonbaty, 47, passed away, allegedly from malaria, leading to kidney failure, this week. I’m not sure where his death took place, but based on a couple of UTube videos I just perused, Nasser was living in Cairo, Egypt. In the video I saw, dated February 28, Nasser was training a client and looked healthy and in good spirits. He (and Kevin Levrone) was missing in action at the recent Arnold Classic, where I called out on stage all the previous winners of the event in honor of the 25th Anniversary; I was told he was in Egypt. El Sonbaty, who lived in San Diego for many years, also passed on the 20th Anniversary celebration in 2008.

“The Beast from the Middle East”, as I tagged him (although he may not have actually been from the area–it had a nice ring to it), was one of the premier professional bodybuilders in the world in the 1990s, when the quality of competitors was the best, depth wise, in the history of the sport. At 5’11″ and about 270 pounds, Nasser finished second in the 1997 Mr. Olympia in a very controversial loss to Dorian Yates, who was making his final appearance on stage. Nasser won the Arnold Classic in 1999; in total El Sonbaty competed over 50 times in the pro ranks and was featured on numerous covers of bodybuilding publications worldwide.

I knew him well; he had a great sense of humor and, not to be outdone by yours truly, would come up with his own “Zilla” nicknames for many of his opponents. He was also an extremely intelligent man, well versed in several languages.

You left us way too early, big fella. R.I.P.

NATIONAL PHYSIQUE COMMITTEE AND GASPARI NUTRITION ANNOUNCE NOVEMBER ATHLETES OF THE MONTH

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA (February 15, 2013) – The National Physique Committee and Gaspari Nutrition have announced six competitors as the November Athletes of the Month – Brian Yersky, Juanita Blaino, Angela Skeels, Nicole Sims, Toni West and Vincent Fiore. All six of the winners won Overall titles at the NPC Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia last November.

Each month, NPC President Jim Manion selects the Athletes of the based on in-person analysis and on the information provided by contest promoters across the country and featured in the NPC News Online Contest Roundups.

For complete profiles and galleries of the November NPC Athletes of the month, go to www.npcnewsonline.com.

About the November Athletes of the Month:

- Men’s Bodybuilding: Brian Yersky, 30, has been competing on the national-level stage since 2006, placing in the top five seven times. The 2007 Collegiate National Super Heavyweight winner, Yersky competed in six pro qualifiers before earning his IFBB Pro card at the Nationals.

- Women’s Bodybuilding: Juanita Blaino, 43, took a 16-year break from competition before returning in 2009. A patrolwoman with the County Sheriff’s Department, Blaino finished second in the Heavyweights at the 2010 Nationals before winning the class and Overall last November

- Figure: A mother of three, Nicole Sims won her class and the Overall at the Nationals. The win was a dramatic from Sims’ first attempt at earning a pro card, when she failed to place at the 2011 USAs.

- Bikini: Angela Skeels didn’t place at the USA Championships last summer, but that didn’t little to discourage her. Skeels rebounded in a big way four months later by winning her class and the Overall at Nationals.

- Men’s Physique: A former college lacrosse player at Oneonta State in New York, 24-year-old Vincent Fiore proved to be a quick study in the Men’s Physique Division. Fiore earned his IFBB Pro card by in just his fourth competition.

- Women’s Physique: Toni West tried her hand in both the bodybuilding and figure divisions before moving over to Women’s Physique this year. West, 33, competed in just one previous physique contest before winning her class and the Overall at Nationals.

Season’s Greetings from 619 MUSCLE! This year’s annual 619 MUSCLE Long Beach Holiday Bash will be even bigger and better than the last! Hundreds of sports-nutrition fanatics will gather at 619 MUSCLE Long Beach, 3200 East 59th St., to participate in a long list of exciting events, guest appearances, contests, demos, and raffles with tremendous prizes!

• Gaspari Nutrition’s $500 Pump Your Guns Contest!
• $300,000 worth of cars on display! “It will be a surprise!” Last year we had the General Lee!
• Female Strength Extravaganza with American- and potential World- record holders!
• Extreme Calisthenics Demonstrations!
• Big Back Grips Pull-Down Contest!

Our list of industry superstars includes lots of celebrity guests and surprise guest posers! David Bourlet will be covering the event for Muscular Development and Lonnie, “the Swami” Teper will be covering for Ironman Magazine. Steve “The Kingsnake” Kuclo will be our guest poser and Flex Lewis is the 2012-212 Olympia Champion and will be making a special appearance at the Gaspari booth. More updates to come as industry superstars and superheroes continue to RSVP!

Once again we’re giving the gift of hope and much needed money and support to the 1736 Family Crisis Center. All 619 MUSCLE Holiday Bash proceeds from raffle ticket sales will go directly to the center, women, children, and families who rely on the Center for help. Last year the representative from the Center was completely shocked and very appreciative of the tremendous support our sports-nutrition community gave to them!

Share our 619 MUSCLE Holiday Bash Event Link to spread the word!
Or LIKE our facebook page and VISIT our page for more info!

To our vendors: the 619 MUSCLE family extends a warm appreciation and extended invitation you, the inspirational giants who continue to ignite success in our industry. It is truly a blessing to be involved in this industry with all of you!
Table-Booth space is FREE for vendors who agree to donate a portion of  sales to the 1736 Family Crisis Center, make a product donation for raffles, or donate an unopened toy for the Toys-4-Tots drive!

Those registered: Thank you in advance for your participation and support! Please, even if you have already signed up please email Khay or Martin Rosemond as soon as possible to reserve your booth space. In your e-mail please let us know:
•      How many chairs you will need at your table
•       Are you bringing any of your sponsored athletes?
•      If you will donate product so that we can assign it to a specific event.

In appreciation for all your support and friendship! Can’t wait to see you at the Holiday Bash!

For more information about 619 MUSCLE or  our Long-Beach Annual Holiday Bash, please contact us!

Martin and Khay Rosemond
619 MUSCLE, Long Beach
3200 East 59th St
Long Beach, Ca 90805
562-366-0411 Store
310-489-9487 cell
martin@619musclelb.com

To learn more about the 1736 Family Crisis Center, visit
www.1736familycrisiscenter.org

Lucien Demeille, former publisher of French magazines Pleine Forme and Le monde du Muscle, died in August, according to his wife Josette. Lucien was 85. I never met the man, but heard a lot good things about this extremely talented fella. “Lucien’s magazines reflected the elegance of the man, ” said IRON MAN Publisher John Balik. “Lucien was driven by the aesthetics of French culture–he felt, as so many of us still do today, that Steve Reeves was the ultimate physique. Both Lucien and Bob Kennedy expressed themselves through their artistic talents.” Talented indeed–Doris Barrilleaux told me Sunday night Demeille actually did all of the art work that appeared in his publications.

“Lucien was instrumental in developing Culturisme–the term used for bodybuilding in those days–from the 1940s on,” said his wife, Josette, in an email. “His anatomical drawings are well known in Europe and beyond for more than half a century. He never ceased drawing…he authored several books, including the best seller, Exercise de musculation.”

Josette says Lucien was an outstanding athlete all of his life (swimming and rowing were two of his passions) and had to hit the weights behind his rowing trainer’s back because it was considered taboo during those times. She also revealed that, up to 1956, Lucien was a singer in the famous jazz orientated group Les 4 de Paris. Most of his friends were musicians.

“First and foremost Lucien was a cultured individual, a gentleman who, in spite of his multiple talents, remained level-headed, modest and friendly,” Josette writes. “Even-mooded, with a strong sense of humor, kind and gregarious. It was a pleasure to share his life. Our common venture lasted over 25 years when he passed away…our only regret: that we had not met much earlier in life!”

I wish I could have met him, too, Josette. Special. Real special. R.I.P.

Arnold Strongman Classic champion Mike Jenkins, who is currently in training for the World’s Strongest Man competition, has joined Team MHP as a sponsored athlete.

Mike has been a fast rising star in strongman, winning the Arnold Classic Amateur Strongman meet in 2010 to qualify to turn pro. Earlier this year, he shocked the strength world by winning the 2012 Arnold Strongman Classic in only his second attempt (having placed second in 2011). Two weeks later, he won the Giants Live competition in Australia to qualify for this year’s World’s Strongest Man.

“I’ve always looked up to the MHP strongmen like Phil Pfister, Zydrunas Savickas and Brian Shaw,” Mike said. “MHP is truly the brand of the strongest man on the planet and it is great to be part of Team MHP.”

Along with notable strongman lifts like a 455 lb. log lift and a world record 7 reps at 255 lbs. in the 1-arm Circus Dumbbell Press, the 6’6”, 400 pounder excels in traditional lifting. His personal bests include an 825 lb. deadlift max and 10 reps with 775 in the squat.

Mike currently resides in Harrisburg, PA, where he is the owner of Catalyst Athletics, a sports performance facility for high school athletes. Watch for more news, training videos and other information about Mike coming soon on the MHP website and Facebook page.

Here’s a shot of Todd Jewell, last year’s Nationals overall champ, at about 275 pounds, taken 10 days out from Saturday’s pro show in Tampa, Florida. Although pre-contest favorites include Hidetada Yamagishi, Shawn Rhoden, Toney Freeman and Roelly Winklaar, I think Jewell, IF he shows up in his best ever condition, can do same damage in this field.