March 1985
Accident!
Sorry to hear that Matt Mendenhall has had a head-on car accident. Word is that he is recovering in hospital. Matt was beaten by Mike Christian at the NPC Championships. Many feel that when in shape Mendenhall is totally unbeatable. We wish him a speedy recovery!
June 1985
August 1986
Thanx Matt!
Well, it happened at World's Gym in Venice, California. Rachel McLish's new Mercedes
was acting up and current beau, Matt Mendenhall crawled underneath to get at the problem
(hence the somewhat greasy forearms). When everything was fixed up, Rachel was ecstatic.
Our favorite bodybuilder got a big hug from the delectable Rachel.
September 1984
Big Matt
Much as I admire Rick Wayne's colorful, no-holds-barred brand of journalism, I must take issue with some of his recent comments about Matt Mendenhall.
In the March Muscle & Fitness, Rick reported on the National Championships and said of the heavyweight competition, "Even before the comparisons began ... Mendenhall had become a forgotten man." Forgotten by whom? And why? Surely this outstanding champion deserves more than a pre-emptory dismissal.
In the May issue, Rick describes Matt as "incredibly large, but in the way of Moby Dick." Okay, Rick, so Matt wasn't in top shape at San Jose, but why didn't you bother to tell your readers why?
For the real story, read Jeff Everson's excellent article in the May issue of Flex. Matt came down with the flu two weeks before the contest, ran a 102º temperature, and couldn't even train the last week! Matt showed up for the experience and because his fans expected him to compete. As Everson rightly says, "A lesser competitor might not have made the trip at all."
I'm all for constructive criticism and incisive reporting, but random shots and unjustified barbs hardly qualify as such. I certainly hope Matt serves up a healthy portion of crow for Rick in New Orleans!
Tom Moore
Madison, WI
March 1985
Alien Arms
I saw Matt Mendenhall place second in the Nationals, and really believed that he should have been first. This isn't to take anything away from Mike Christian, but Matt just has a better overall physique. Which brings me to Jeff Everson's Matt Mendenhall Alien Arms [November 1984]. I wouldn't have believed a word of that article if I hadn't seen Matt's arms in action at the Nationals. They truly were out of this world.
Cheryl Nubret
Houma, LA
May 1985
Chest Superfeature
Please allow me to commend you for the chest superfeature you ran in the January Muscle & Fitness. It was like enrolling in a complete bodybuilding course, reading the wonderful training advice the great IFBB champions outlined in their constructive articles.
Matt Mendenhall's cycle training featured in the same issue was a valuable, tried-and-proven plan for all striving to unlock the storehouse of potential they possess. For a serious, dedicated bodybuilder who has made mistakes in the past, Matt is generous with his advice.
James W. Ayers
Attlia, AL
May 1985
Matt's Cycle
I really enjoyed and profited from Bill Reynold's article, Cycle Training with Matt Mendenhall [January]. I've heard that Matt placed only second to Mike Christian in the National Championships, and even though I didn't see the show I'm sure that Matt was robbed. They broke the mold after he was formed, and there'll never be another bodybuilder to equal massive Matt.
Julian Jegeroff
Louisville, KY
February 1986
Matt's Great!
I couldn't agree more with your description of Matt Mendenhall as "Mr Genetics." (MMI, September) Never, and I do mean never, has there been a man who possessed such favorable genetics for bodybuilding. Talk about classic shape and symmetry! Matt has the potential to achieve the absolute outer limits of physical perfection.
And he's on his way! Matt scored his first big win in the USA Championships in Las Vegas on July 13th. True, he did finish second to a very determined Berry De Mey in the World Games in London. (Apparently, Berry has gotten tired of taking it on the chin from American heavyweights.) But I'm betting on Massive Matt to win a rematch in Sweden on November 4th.
It's particulartly good to see that Matt has fully recovered from that bad car accident last November. He looked great in the TV coverage of the World Games. I expect him to flatten the competition in Miami and win the title which has eluded him since 1982.
I'm looking forward to your coverage of the USA and the World Games. Hope to see Matt on the cover of MMI in the near future.
Tom Moore,
Madison, WI
July 1987
Judge for Yourself
My friends at the gym are taking up a collection to buy Jim Manion a white cane and seeing-eye dog. I've been a bodybuilder for almost 35 years, and I hate to see stupid judging give everyone associated with bodybuilding an image of being a "musclehead."
In the recent Miss Olympia, who could argue with awarding first prize to Cory Everson? She's in a class by herself! But how can anyone with good eyes and brain place Juliette Bergmann behind Clare Furr, Ellen van Maris, Diana Dennis and Mary Roberts? If I took the best body parts of each of these four ladies and combined them, the composite would still be inferior to Juliette's total package! Juliette has a bit more body fat than some of those listed, but it's just enough to give her those rounded lines that are so aesthetic (and feminine). I'm going to enter my grandmother in the next Miss Olympia. She has 0% body fat, since she has been dead 18 and a half years. By Manion's criteria, Grandmother should blow away the competition.
And what of the men's contests? I may be lynched here for saying that a Yankee (Matt Mendenhall) was better in the Men's Nationals than Houston's Pride (Gary Strydom). Gary has an excellent physique, but even Mr Manion says that Matt has the "best genetics" in bodybuilding. So how can Matt lose to anyone unless something is badly wrong with the judging system?
I know you'll say, "But Matt isn't cut." But is being "cut" all that is needed to have a great physique? Manion thinks so, and evidently he packs the judging panels with those who agree with him.
Low body fat is only one factor in physical excellence. It's wrong to ignore other equally valid factors. Matt and Juliette have a good balance of all factors involved. Their low scores indicate a severe imbalance in the judging, and the public will stop buying tickets to physique contests if such ridiculous scoring continues.
On the other hand, a new scoring system could provide some suspense for the fans. (When the outcome is predictable, people get bored.) If, say, John Terilli's aesthetic look might prevail over Lee Haney's mass, possibly that would create suspense and generate renewed interest. From the success of Rocky and The Karate Kid, we know that people like to see an underdog prevail. The public interest in bodybuilding of late is a fad that has peaked and is declining. I want to see it continue, but that will require more intelligence than the current judging criteria would indicate exists.
Garnett Belcher
Pasadena, TX