“I’m going home,” he tweeted on December 29. “Cosmetic surgery was a huge success. I’ll be back on stage in a couple of weeks.”

Coleman further tweeted that he had the operation to add more size to his already massive frame. “It never hurts to get bigger.”

The 5’11″, 330-pound former champion has not competed since placing fourth at the 2007 Olympia but has never officially announced his retirement and seems to enjoy frequent rumors of his impending return. Coleman has kept himself busy with guest posing appearances in the years following his record-tying Sandow run (1998 to 2005), as recent as December’s IFBB Pro  World Masters.

RON COLEMAN CONTEST HISTORY

• 1990 Mr. Texas (Heavyweight & Overall)
• 1991 World Amateur Championships (Heavyweight)
• 1995 Canada Pro Cup
• 1996 Canada Pro Cup
• 1997 Grand Prix Russia
• 1998 Night of Champions
• 1998 Toronto Pro Invitational
• 1998 Mr. Olympia
• 1998 Grand Prix Finland
• 1998 Grand Prix Germany
• 1999 Mr. Olympia
• 1999 World Pro Championships
• 1999 Grand Prix England
• 2000 Mr. Brody Langley
• 2000 Grand Prix England
• 2000 World Pro Championships
• 2000 Mr. Olympia
• 2001 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic
• 2001 Mr. Olympia
• 2001 New Zealand Grand Prix
• 2002 Mr. Olympia
• 2002 Grand Prix Holland
• 2003 Mr. Olympia
• 2003 Grand Prix Russia
• 2004 Mr. Olympia
• 2004 Grand Prix England
• 2004 Grand Prix Holland
• 2004 Grand Prix Russia
• 2005 Mr. Olympia
• 2006 Grand Prix Austria – IFBB, 2nd
• 2006 Grand Prix Holland – IFBB, 2nd
• 2006 Grand Prix Romania – IFBB, 2nd
• 2006 Olympia – IFBB, 2nd
• 2007 Olympia – IFBB, 4th

But they are this time around, and anything less shouldn’t be expected from The Governor!

All four champions from 2011 will return and defend their crowns, not the most usual circumstance when you factor in a number of reasons why this is a special occurrence, indeed. Many competitors skip the Arnold to concentrate on the Mr. Olympia or have no choice in the matter if they suffer an injury. Take Branch Warren, for instance. The Texas native not only won the title last March, but also the Most Muscular Award. Outside of the British Grand Prix a few weeks later (which he also won), Warren will have not had donned the posing trunks in nearly 12 months when he hits the stage at the Arnold. A freak accident caused him to become injured and have to bow out of the Mr. Olympia.

Warren will have his work cut out for him against a line-up that includes Dexter Jackson (a three-time Arnold champion), as well as Dennis Wolf and Evan Centopani, who both finished in the top six a year ago.

In female bodybuilding, it will be once again the great Iris Kyle looking to monopolize the Ms. International first place prize, something that she has been able to do on six prior occasions. “I just take one year at a time,” Kyle said. “I do my homework and try to come in with the package that (the judges) are looking for.”

Of course, Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia will have something to say about that, herself a four-time winner in Columbus and a frequent runner-up to Kyle here and at the Ms. Olympia.

Adele Garcia will look to add a fifth Ms. Fitness International trophy to her growing collection and will have to fend off the likes of Tanji Johnson and Camala Rodriguez.

In 2011, the inaugural Ms. Bikini International took place and Nicole Nagrani was named its first champion. “I feel amazing right now; I’m on top of the world,” Nagrani commented backstage following the win.

The 19-year-old again stood in the winner’s circle at the Olympia and will have to watch out for Sonia Gonzales (second) and Nathalia Melo (third), who were directly on her heels last March.

Perhaps the most interesting battle will take place in figure, where Nicole Wilkins and Erin Stern have gone back and forth in Ohio and Las Vegas the last few years. Wilkins has tasted victory at the last two Ms. Figure International shows and will also have to keep her eyes on Ava Cowan and Cheryl Brown.

Keep in mind that these lists are just the people who have been invited to the 2012 Arnold Classic and there will be some who decline the invite for one reason or another. But competing here is an honor and most will in fact be up there on the stage at the War Memorial come March 2 and 3.

The official lists are as follows:

2012 Arnold Classic (14)
Fouad Abiad
Gustavo Badell
Lionel Beyeke
Matthias Botthof
Evan Centopani
Eduardo Correa
Brandon Curry
Dexter Jackson
Michael Kefalianos
Ben Pakulski
Shawn Rhoden
Branch Warren
Ben White
Dennis Wolf

2012 Ms. International (15)
Maria Rita Bello
Brigita Brezovac
Kim Buck
Tina Chandler
Alevtina Goroshinskaya
Monique Jones
Iris Kyle
Debi Laszewski
Cathy LeFrancois
Zoa Lindsey
Geraldine Morgan
Yaxeni Oriquen
Kim Perez
Alina Popa
Maria Segura

2012 Fitness International (17)
Michelle Blank
Jodi Boam
Myriam Capes
Regiane Da Silva
Tina Durkin
Allison Ethier
Adela Garcia
Oksana Grishina
Tanji Johnson
Diana Monteiro
Julie Palmer
Kayde Puckett
Camala Rodriguez
Daniella Ruban
Kizzy Vaines
Sheri Vucick
Bethany Wagner

2012 Figure International (16)
Jelena Abbou
Teresa Anthony
Cheryl Brown
Krissy Chin
Ava Cowan
Heather Dees
Alicia Harris
Raquel Hernandez
Candice Keene
Gloria Keplinger Tarpley
Sue Knott
Larissa Reis
Erin Stern
Gennifer Strobo
Latisha Wilder
Nicole Wilkins

2012 Bikini International (18)
Jennifer Andrews
Jaime Baird
Abbie Burrows
Juliana Daniell
Sonia Gonzales
Candyce Graham
Diana Graham
Jessica Jessie
Lexi Kaufman
Nathalia Melo
Justine Munro
Nicole Nagrani
India Paulino
Jessica Paxson
Natalie Pennington
Monique Ricardo
Tianna Ta
Christine Vargas

For more information, be sure to visit the official contest website, www.arnoldsportsfestival.com.

 Promoter and Master of Ceremonies will be Legendary Bodybuilder Bill Grant, Mr. America and Mr. World. Bill Grant appeared in the new release of “Pumping Iron” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and has also been featured in numerous movies, television shows and commercials.

The 6^th Annual NPC Bill Grant Bodybuilding, Figure & Bikini Classic will be held at Cedar Beach Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 16, 2011 at 1:00 PM.  It is part of the Lehigh Valley Sports Fest, a 4-day festival of sports that includes 50 athletic events and draws over 10,000 athletes and 150,000 spectators from around the globe. Admission is FREE for all spectators.

The Bill Grant Classic show is a great tradition of old Muscle Beach contests full of muscle and physical beauty. BE A PART OF!

Long-time friend Legendary Bodybuilder Leon Brown, whose famous back shot is seen in the middle pages of Pumping Iron, will return to the Classic once again. Come out to meet and greet Bill Grant and Leon Brown.  Fans will not want to miss out on getting their picture taken with the Bodybuilding Legends.

This event will be held at Cedar Beach Park, S. Ott Street at Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  Registration will begin at 10:00 am, with prejudging starting at 1:00pm and Finals will begin one hour after prejudging. For more information about this event please visit http://www.billgrant.net and www.sportsfest.org.  For additional information about this event please contact Eva Sot 973-420-5695 or ems@billgrant.net.

But then she walked away from the IFBB to join World Wrestling Entertainment.

What seemed like a shock at the time made more sense when you take into consideration that WWE mogul Vince McMahon has deep pockets and his product receives worldwide exposure on television and pay-per-view events every week and month, respectively. It’s hard to blame her for making the move.

Nary a word about Raudoniene was mentioned until this week’s Season 2 finale of NXT when the promos for the third season aired. For those unfamiliar with NXT, it is a 13-week contest of sorts between up-and-coming rookies from Florida Championship Wrestling, the farm team of WWE. Each rookie is paired with a ‘pro,’ who is a WWE superstar.

Season 3 will be the first to pit divas against one another and Raudoniene, whose stage name will be Aksana, has been assigned none other than Goldust as her pro. His real name is Dustin Runnels, and he is the son of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and the brother of “Dashing” Cody Rhodes.

Ruadoniene, 5’5″, looked as awesome as she did on stage in Columbus, Ohio and appears as if she will be able to pull this off. But there will definitely be a few roadblocks, none bigger than the 6’9″ Aloisa.

COMPETITION HISTORY

2006 Motor City Pro                       10th

2007 New York Pro                         1st

2007 Houston Pro                           2nd

2007 Olympia                                   12th

2007 Palm Beach Pro/Am            6th

2008 Olympia                                  3rd

2009 Arnold Classic                      1st

The television set in the Brooklyn home housing the Vale family was similar to many others with adolescent boys growing up in them. Each Saturday morning, the then-World Wrestling Federation broadcasts exploded with cartoon character-like heroes such as The Ultimate Warrior and Lex Luger. As a young child, David Vale took notice to the huge biceps being shown during the battles in the squared circle and wondered to himself, “Wow. I want to be just like them.”

With the guidance of his older brother, Vale later began working out in a gym and had formed himself quite a physique by the age of 19. Needing a push to take the next step, Vale’s brother once again came to his aid. “He made me do that first show,” recalled Vale, 35. “With me being real shy and never doing anything in front of an audience, it was a huge step for me.”

Taking a break during a training session at Richie’s Gym in his hometown of Brooklyn, Vale thought back on the other inspirations that brought bodybuilding into his life. “At first, it was Arnold Schwarzenegger,” he said. “But as I got more into bodybuilding, I started watching guys like Rich Gaspari and Kevin Levrone. They were the ones who really made me want to compete more.”

In his latest show, Vale felt the taste of the winner’s circle for the first time by taking the top spot in the 2010 NPC Atlantic States novice lightweight category. As he basked in the light of victory, he couldn’t help but think back on the six separate occasions when he finished as a runner-up.

But the humble Vale wouldn’t let on. Just another special trait that he possesses.

‘This is Your Magazine’ is merely one of the reasons why MuscleSport Mag is far and wide better than any other publication out there. What other media outlet features the up and coming athlete, the same as if he or she was a professional in their industry? This is the place to get your face and story out there, and who knows what opportunities may arise from that type of exposure?

The 5th Annual NPC Bill Grant Bodybuilding and Figure Classic will be held at Cedar Beach Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 1:00 PM. It is part of the Lehigh Valley Sports Fest, a sporting event drawing thousands of athletes and spectators from around the globe. Admission is FREE for all spectators.

*** NEWS FLASH*** Scott Epstein, former Vice President of the World Body Building Guild (WBBG) Pro & NPC divisions and currently the Executive Director of Publicity Management Services (PMS), a Media Relations/Talent Booking firm has announced his sponsorship for this event by signing guest appearances of top rated current athletes easily recognizable from syndicated TV.

Be on hand to meet and greet Rob Terry, TNA Global Champion & 5X Mr. Wales. Rob, known on the wrestling circle as “The FREAK”, currently wrestles all over the world and is featured multiple times weekly on Spike TV as well as PPV. Fans will not want to miss out on getting an 8×10 glossy photo autographed and/or their picture taken with the TNA wrestling and bodybuilding superstar.

“Rob Terry fully reminds me of Louie (Ferrigno) when he broke into the business, except Rob is clearly much bigger proportionally & already globally recognized in both bodybuilding and wrestling markets, “Epstein says.“ The amount of movie casting personnel and product endorsement people calling is overwhelming so we can be selective to Rob’s true beliefs”.

In addition, PMS will be hosting recent NBC American Gladiator Fury (Jamie Kovac) for the event. Fury worked with Hulk Hogan as a Gladiator and he inspired her to train harder. She has competed in NPC bodybuilding and figure competitions in the past, doing her first “Strongman” shortly, and has developed into a 160 pound lean mean machine. Fury will also be signing autographs and taking pictures with fans.

We will not stop here. Also appearing courtesy of PMS is former WWE/WCW/TNA diva & wrestler Ryan Shamrock. Ryan is in incredible shape and competing in an NPC figure contest the following week. Perhaps she’ll decide to enter this one which based on what we’ve seen recently she would walk with the gold!

This event will be held at Cedar Beach Park, S. Ott Street at Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Registration will begin at 10:00 am, with prejudging starting at 1:00pm and Finals will begin 1 hour after prejudging. For more information about this event please visit http://www.billgrant.net and www.sportsfest.org. For additional information about this event please contact Eva Sot 973-420-5695 or ems@billgrant.net.

Photo courtesy of PMS, Scott Epstein

The 5^th Annual NPC Bill Grant Bodybuilding and Figure Classic will be held at Cedar Beach Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 1:00 PM.  It is part of the Lehigh Valley Sports Fest, a sporting event drawing thousands of athletes and spectators from around the globe. Admission is FREE for all spectators.

*** NEWS FLASH***  Scott Epstein,  former Vice President of the World Body Building Guild (WBBG) Pro & NPC divisions and currently the Executive Director of Publicity Management Services (PMS), a Media Relations/Talent Booking firm has announced his sponsorship for this event by signing guest appearances of top rated current athletes easily recognizable from syndicated  TV.

Be on hand to meet and greet Rob Terry, TNA Global Champion & 5X Mr. Wales.  Rob, known on the wrestling circle as “The FREAK”,  currently wrestles all over the world and is featured multiple times weekly on Spike TV as well as PPV.  Fans will not want to miss out on getting an 8×10 glossy photo autographed and/or their picture taken with the TNA wrestling and bodybuilding superstar.

“Rob Terry fully reminds me of Louie (Ferrigno) when he broke into the business, except Rob is clearly much bigger proportionally & already globally recognized in both bodybuilding and wrestling markets, “Epstein says.“ The amount of movie casting personnel and product endorsement people calling is overwhelming so we can be selective to Rob’s true beliefs”.

In addition, PMS will be hosting recent NBC American Gladiator Fury (Jamie Kovac) for the event.  Fury worked with Hulk Hogan as a Gladiator and he inspired her to train harder.  She has competed in NPC bodybuilding and figure competitions in the past, doing her first “Strongman” shortly, and has developed into a 160 pound lean mean machine.  Fury will also be signing autographs and taking pictures with fans.

We will not stop here.  Also appearing courtesy of PMS is former WWE/WCW/TNA diva & wrestler Ryan Shamrock.  Ryan is in incredible shape and competing in an NPC figure contest the following week.  Perhaps she’ll decide to enter this one which based on what we’ve seen recently she would walk with the gold!

This event will be held at Cedar Beach Park, S. Ott Street at Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  Registration will begin at 10:00 am, with prejudging starting at 1:00pm and Finals will begin 1 hour after prejudging. For more information about this event please visit http://www.billgrant.net and www.sportsfest.org.  For additional information about this event please contact Eva Sot 973-420-5695 or ems@billgrant.net.

Dennis Tinerino
December 23, 1945 – May 7, 2010

FOUR-TIME MR. UNIVERSE AND MR. AMERICA BODYBUILDING CHAMPION

Tinerino died Friday morning May 7 at Northridge Community Hospital in Northridge, California after an 18-month battle with stomach cancer.

Dennis Tinerino was born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York on December 23, 1945, the second son of third-generation Italian-American parents. His family moved to Brownsville, Brooklyn when Dennis was eight years old. His father Carmine was a dockworker and Golden Gloves boxer who took Dennis to his first workouts at the Brooklyn Central YMCA when Dennis was 12 years old.

The legendary bodybuilder won his first title as Mr. Brooklyn in 1964. He followed that up with 11 additional titles, including Mr. New York City, and Mr. America in 1967. After winning Mr. America, he competed in the 1967 Mr. Universe, finishing in second place to an up and coming Arnold Schwarzenegger. He came back to win the NABBA Mr. Universe title in England in 1968. Three more Mr. Universe titles followed in 1975, 1980 and 1981. Tinerino also won the title of Pro Mr. Natural America in 1978.

A regular competitor in the Mr. Olympia contests from 1977 through 1982, his highest finish was second in the heavyweight division in 1979. Throughout his career, Tinerino graced the cover of dozens of bodybuilding and fitness magazines, including Muscle & Fitness, Muscular Development, Iron Man, and Strength & Health. He was also featured in many fitness and training ads, and authored his own weight training manuals.

Tinerino was mentored by bodybuilding legends Bill Pearl and Joe Abbenda. He competed against some of the top name bodybuilders in the golden age of the sport, including Reg Park, Dave Draper, Sergio Oliva, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Franco Columbu and Frank Zane. Best known for his doorwide shoulders and washboard abs, “Dennis was one of the best bodybuilders of his era. His blend of size and shape was a classic combination that took him to Mr. America, Mr. World and Mr. Universe” according to Joe Weider, the “Father of Bodybuilding” and founder of the IFBB (International Federation of Body Building.)

Among other career accomplishments, Tinerino was named to several Halls of Fame, including the AAU Hall of Fame, the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, the Oldetime Barbell & Strongmen Hall of Fame, the National Fitness Hall of Fame, and in 2006, the IFBB Body Building Hall of Fame.

A SAG actor, Tinerino had several roles in TV commercials and movies, including “Hercules in New York,” with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After undergoing a spiritual conversion in 1979, Dennis became an ordained Christian minister and founded Dennis Tinerino Ministries. He traveled the world and preached in dozens of countries including England, Italy, Greece, Japan and Australia, as well as throughout the United States.

In lieu of flowers, gifts can be sent to a memorial fund at www.tinerino.com/donations.asp.

Source: Los Angeles Times, www.tinerino.com.

No, we’re not talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger but he was one of Gunter Schlierkamp’s inspirations.

“The German Giant” may be 40 years of age and six years removed from his last contest, but do not sell him short. “I feel like I’m 30,” the 6’1″ Schlierkamp said on a recent episode of MD Radio. “I was down to 260 and I’ve already put back on about 25 pounds and things are starting to look pretty good.”

During his competing days, Schlierkamp had an offseason weight of  300 and took the stage in the 280 range. He had to drop some of that in order to get the acting roles he was seeking but stayed in excellent condition throughout his hiatus. Once he made the decision to compete again, it was as psychological as it was physical.

“If I didn’t think that I could come back and look as good as I was or even better, then I wouldn’t even think about it.”

Just when Schlierkamp makes his appearance remains to be seen. He is hoping to get back by the end of this year but also is hoping for an invite to the 2011 Arnold Classic, a show that he has competed in on four prior occasions. Perhaps the best year of his career came in 2002, when Schlierkamp finished fifth at the Mr. Olympia in a show won by Ronnie Coleman. Three weeks later, Schlierkamp beat ‘The King’ to win the GNC Show of Strength.

A year later, he once again placed fifth at the O. In 2004 he fell back one spot but in ’05 he came in looking extremely sharp. Many people had him in the top three if not winning the Sandow, but he ended up in fourth. In an October 2008 appearance on MuscleSport Radio, Schlierkamp expressed great disappointment in his placing and even more so after placing 10th at the 2006 Olympia.

That is when he decided to step away from bodybuilding and establish himself in Hollywood. He appeared in a number of television commercials and a few films, most notably “Beerfest” (2006). Even though he is going to compete again, Schlierkamp does not feel as if his acting career is over by any means. In fact, he just hired a new agent.

“I hope that I can create a look that people finally like,” he told host Shawn Ray. “Maybe some movies need a big guy again.” That answer may come in time, but bodybuilding is certainly getting a big guy again.

When Schwarzenegger made his comeback in 1980, he reclaimed his Olympia title. Anything close to that with Schlierkamp is something that would make a great movie.

CONTEST HISTORY

• 1990 German Championships Overall Winner
• 1990 German Championships 1st, Junior Tall
• 1992 European Amateur Championships 1st, IFBB, HeavyWeight
• 1992 German Championships 1st, Heavyweight
• 1993 World Amateur Championships – IFBB 1st, HeavyWeight
• 1994 Grand Prix England – IFBB 8th
• 1994 Grand Prix Germany – IFBB 8th
• 1994 Mr. Olympia – IFBB 19th
• 1995 Canada Pro Cup – IFBB 2nd
• 1995 Grand Prix Ukraine – IFBB 10th
• 1996 Arnold Classic – IFBB 11th
• 1996 Night of Champions – IFBB 11th
• 1996 San Jose Pro Invitational – IFBB 9th
• 1997 Canada Pro Cup – IFBB 6th
• 1997 Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB Disqualified
• 1997 Night of Champions – IFBB 9th
• 1997 San Jose Pro Invitational – IFBB 11th
• 1998 Grand Prix Finland – IFBB 6th
• 1998 Grand Prix Germany – IFBB 6th
• 1998 Night of Champions – IFBB 10th
• 1998 Olympia – IFBB 15th
• 1998 San Francisco Pro Invitational – IFBB 9th
• 1998 Toronto Pro Invitational – IFBB 6th
• 1999 Arnold Classic – IFBB 9th
• 1999 Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB 5th
• 2000 Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB 4th
• 2000 Arnold Classic – IFBB 6th
• 2000 JOE WEIDER’S WORLD PRO CUP 6th
• 2000 Grand Prix England 4th
• 2000 MR OLYMPIA 12th
• 2001 Toronto Pro 6th
• 2001 Night of Champions XXIII 9th
• 2001 Mr. Olympia 15th
• 2001 British Grand Prix 10th
• 2002 Mr. Olympia 5th
• 2002 GNC Show of Strength 1st
• 2003 Mr. Olympia 5th
• 2003 English Grand Prix 3rd
• 2003 Holland Grand Prix 4th
• 2003 GNC Show of Strength 5th
• 2004 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic 4th
• 2004 Mr. Olympia 6th
• 2005 Mr. Olympia 4th
• 2006 Mr. Olympia 10th

As the crowd awaited Lonnie Tepper’s announcement on who would be the runner-up, both women had a moment and exchanged a few words. “We said congratulations, we both look great and we love each other,” Kyle recalled.

Oriquen-Garcia’s name was the one called, and Kyle once again found herself on top of the women’s bodybuilding world. She was presented with $25,000, a Tony Nowak jacket and the first place trophy by not only Arnold Schwarzenegger, but actor Sylvester Stallone. A star-studded special evening, indeed.

“Iris is just cranking,” legendary bodybuilder Bill Grant said. “She’s won every major show.”

Finishing third to sixth, respectively, were Debi Laszewski, Lisa Aukland, Betty Pariso and Dayana Cadeau.

In the Fitness International, Adela Garcia took home the big check and was followed by Julie Palmer, Tanji Johnson, Trish Warren, Oksana Grishina and Camala Rodriguez. Nicole Wilkins Lee is on a roll and added the Figure International to her Ms. Figure Olympia title. Erin Stern was the runner-up, with Heather Mae French (third), Mindi Smith (fourth), Felicia Romero (fifth) and Larissa Reis (sixth) also placing.