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“The Day Joe Carrero Beat Ronnie
Coleman”
Newsletter No. 4
The Day was Saturday
July 11, 1991. The Contest was the 1991 NPC USA Bodybuilding
Championships. The place was Los Angeles, California; the Mecca of
Bodybuilding, the place where historical Bodybuilding events occurred,
and still do, and the Greatest Bodybuilders of all time go head to head
to compete for the most sought after Bodybuilding Titles on the planet!
On this day, unbeknownst to the World at the time, two up and coming 28
year old Nationally Recognized Bodybuilding Champions would meet on the
stage. On this day, in Los Angeles, California, History would be made.
Joe Carrero would DEFEAT the individual who would go on to become one of
the Greatest Bodybuilders of all time; the current Eight Time Mr.
Olympia, the Incredibly Massive, always a Dominating Force, The Great
Ronnie Coleman!
The previous year, 1990, had been very successful for me; Joe Carrero
had dominated and captured the 1990 NPC California State
Light-Heavyweight Division. I weighed in at a Massive, Hard as a Rock,
Ripped 196 lbs.! However, making weight in the Light-Heavyweight Class
was beginning to become an issue for me; the maximum bodyweight one can
weigh in this very competitive class is 198 ¼ lbs. I knew that my body,
my physique, was screaming to become bigger and better! As I have
mentioned numerous times, I am only 5’6 1/2” tall, however my physique
was ready to take it to the next level; A Heavyweight that was Massive,
Hard as a Rock, Ripped and still Symmetrical; A Physique that would
cross the line of World Bodybuilding and put to rest the perception that
all Heavyweight competitors had to be over 6 feet in height. I was on a
mission, no I was Possessed with the concept of being the Most Massive,
Shredded, Symmetrical Heavyweight Bodybuilding Champion the World had
ever seen! All on my 5’6 1/2” physique!
The year between winning the California State Light-Heavyweight Class,
and the approaching USA Championships, I decided to put the “Body to the
Iron”, training as heavy as I had ever trained in my entire life! I was
moving some Big Weights! Incline Dumbbell Fly’s with 140 lb. dumbbells
for reps, Bent-Over Barbell Rows with 405 lbs. for reps, Cable Rows with
450 lbs. for reps, Barbell Curls with 275 lbs. for reps, Squats with 650
lbs. for reps, and the list went on! I was consuming anywhere from five
to seven thousand calories per day with an average of 250 – 350 grams of
protein per day to assist my muscles with the recovery process after
such heavy, intense workouts. The results were incredible; the day
before I was to begin tapering down for the competition I weighed in at
a massive 238 lbs.! Remember I am only 5’6 1/2”! I knew that I had
achieved what my body desired, craved, and salivated for; I was no
longer a Light-Heavyweight, I was a Heavyweight contender!!!
The following months of tapering down prior to the competition was the
same at times, yet different; my entire preparation had to be adjusted
to compensate for my newly gained muscle tissue. The weights that I
lifted were heavier than I usually would lift prior to competition, and
my protein intake was mathematically calculated to accommodate muscle
repair during my very intense three to four hour competition weight
training sessions. I made adjustments accordingly; even though at this
stage in the game, eleven years of competition and experience, I knew my
body inside out; I had never been a Heavyweight competitor before. I
listened to my body, and was able to adjust without any mistakes. One of
my very best friends in the world, Kevin B. and I were training
partners. Kevin was also a competitive Bodybuilder having won many
Titles along the South East Coast and now in California; he was a threat
to deal with for anyone who had to stand anywhere near him on the stage;
Kevin gave new meaning to the term “Ripped”, you could literally see the
blood pumping through his vascularity when he competed! Kevin is a no
nonsense Bodybuilder much like myself, so to say that the teamwork was
incredibly intense, would be the understatement of the year!
I was ready! I set out for Los Angeles, vehicle packed with meals
labeled and prepared by me for easy consumption. I felt like the Great
warrior Hannibal of ancient Carthage beginning the long journey through
the treacherous Alps, destination Rome. The Romans knew that Hannibal
was on his way, but they were mistaken as to the path that he had chosen
to get there. Joe Carrero was beginning his journey to do battle on the
National stage, but not as a Light-Heavyweight competitor. Joe Carrero
was now and forever, a Heavyweight competitor! My strategy worked; at
weigh-in, I weighed in with the Heavyweight Class at a Massive 214 LBS.!
I was by far the shortest competitor in the class, however, per square
inch; I was just as much of an ominous threat to deal with as the 6 foot
plus contenders. All total there were 32 Heavyweight Competitors with
some of the most talked about names at the time; athletes who had won
every show one can imagine, but now they were ready to go head to head
for that sought after – Pro Card! Names like Mike Matarazzo, Ken
Wheeler, Dean Caputo, and of course Joe Carrero and Ronnie Coleman. I
knew that this was going to be the ultimate test to determine if I had
made a calculated judgment by listening to my body and mind, training
like a man obsessed with being the best, Number One! I was ready for
Battle; and I knew it! I had read afterwards in many prestigious Muscle
Magazines that this was one of the most impressive USA Championships
Heavyweight Class in the history of bodybuilding.
When the stage cleared, the crowd of elated fans went home, and the
auditorium was once again silent; I had placed 12th in the 1991 NPC USA
Bodybuilding Championships Heavyweight Class. Not what I had planned,
however, I did leave 20 other competitors behind me! I thought to
myself, “Not bad being the shortest Heavyweight in the Class at my first
attempt as a Nationally Ranked Heavyweight competitor. Just wait until
they see me next year!!!”
After the competition, I decided to do
what I always do; I decided to inquire with some of the National judges
that I knew and had the utmost respect for; to this day I continue to
have the utmost respect for them and their opinions on judging
physiques. After all, Bodybuilding is a very Subjective Sport; what one
may view as the “perfect physique”, another may have a totally different
opinion on the matter. I was very was excited, yet exhausted, as anyone
who has ever competed in a Bodybuilding Competition can relate to.
Nothing in this great world that we are privileged to live on could ever
prepare me for what I was about to hear; after consulting with several
judges, it was unanimous, they all thought that I was Too Big for my
Height!!! The only word that was running through my mind at the pace of
a Kentucky Derby Race Horse was, WHAT!!! I could not believe what I was
hearing! These several individuals who I looked to for an honest,
unbiased, and accurate analysis to critique my physique were telling me
words that I could not at the time, and still cannot to this day
comprehend: Too Big! This is Bodybuilding for Heavens Sakes! Hence the
term, Body – Building… They told me that they appreciated my physique
more as a Light-Heavyweight, more of a Classic Style Physique. Today,
2006, this is unheard of, this is insanity, and this is just down right
incorrect! However, this was 1991, so I listened carefully. The
following year I had to go against everything that my mind, my
conscious, my body and soul wanted; I had to burn off Muscle Tissue that
I had worked so hard to gain for an entire year of my life. How I
accomplished this will be told in another story… The gist of the
outcome, I did… In 1992 I won the NPC JR USA Light-Heavyweight Class at
a ripped 196 lbs. I was the only Class Winner to dominate his class and
win with a Unanimous Score; all First Place votes!
Shortly thereafter, I decided to retire from competitive Bodybuilding to
pursue my education and go back to College followed by a Career in
Business. However, I will never forget what is now in the Bodybuilding
History Archives; 1991 NPC USA Bodybuilding Championships – 32
Heavyweights in the Class: 12th Place, Joe Carrero, 14th Place, Ronnie
Coleman! The Day Joe Carrero Beat Ronnie Coleman!!!
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