Robby Robinson to Michael Phelps

robbyrobinson — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:40:40 +0000

The Black Prince Reaches Out to the Olympic Swimming Champion

By Robby Robinson

MuscleSport Mag is lucky enough to have the one and only Robby Robinson as a contributor to our publication. We hope you all enjoy his input, as we certainly did.

Dear Michael,

Congratulations on your Olympic sweep. Your athleticism was truly awe-inspiring to watch. I asked my friend Joe Pietaro at MuscleSport Mag and New York Sportscene magazine to forward this letter to you.

When I learned of your 12,000 empty calorie eating regime, I became concerned not only about your health and longevity as an athlete, but also about the billions of people around the world that you are now in a position to influence. It wasn’t so much the quantity of calories that was a shock, as their quality. One can argue that your diet has worked for you so far, but your short-term choices can lead to serious long-term consequences. Massive quantities of refined carbohydrates at one sitting trigger the pancreas to excrete an over-abundance of insulin, creating the possibility of becoming a diabetic. And while fats in your meals will help slow that reaction a bit, your fats, from what I read, are all saturated. They will deposit in your arteries and give you high cholesterol. Being an athlete does not negate the effect of these foods, but being young allows you to get away with it for now.

Look at Mark Spitz, who has attested to having had a spicy, high fat diet, and who now has high cholesterol. What good is $50-million-and-counting if you are unhealthy? In all the publicity outlining your program, I have also heard nothing about your water consumption. Water is the vehicle that drives nutrients into your muscles. The performance of muscles and their resistance to injury is absolutely dependent upon the quality and quantity of water consumed. Don’t count the cups of coffee I heard you drink as water. Having been an athlete all my life, and spending 27 as professional bodybuilder, I‘ve seen too many athletes in ALL sports wind up with health problems.

Determined not to end up that way myself, I studied everything I could find on nutrition and dietary supplements to ensure my health down the road. Now at 62 and in the best shape of my life, I feel it my obligation of giving you some unsolicited advice.

Michael, if you had more complex carbohydrates with fiber, swapped in good fats like nuts, avocado, essential fatty acids like flaxseed oil and fish oil and spread your meals out into smaller ones, you would have just as much energy, but with better recovery and staying power in those last-day-events. A calorie is not just a calorie. Food, along with dietary supplements and hard work, is the fuel that propels your body into a natural anabolic state, in other words, a fat burning, muscle-building mode. Otherwise, you’re breaking your body down.

Tyson Gay can now testify to breaking down after consuming McDonald’s for much of his 29 years. When he pulled up lame in the 200 meters, I knew he was done for. His bad choices have resulted in broken dreams. His coach Jon Drummond should have known better and condemned the bad eating habits. Hopefully, he can learn how to turn his failure into something positive by making changes. I believe I speak for the whole world in saying we would love to see you both in four years at the London Olympic games.

Please don’t let your ego lead you into believing you are superhuman, and that being called an American Hero, without being a role model, has meaning. The Boys and Girls Club that you support needs role models that will help them in their programs combating childhood obesity. Their 4.8 million kids need guidance in the sea of misinformation on nutrition. Endorsing McDonald’s and Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes is undoubtedly the wrong message to send kids and athletes who look for leadership by example.

Best Regards, Robby Robinson

Robby Robinson won the IFBB Mr. America, Mr. World, and Mr. Universe titles on his way becoming one of the most dominant professional bodybuilders of the 1970s. During his high school years, Robinson excelled as a track star and football player, setting numerous track and field records that have yet to be broken at a high school level. He competed in over 60 competitions over a 27-year span and was the Masters Olympia overall champion, beating Lou Ferrigno, the first year that the event was held in 1994. Working in Los Angeles with young athletes, Robby and associate Arden Nutt have currently used these principles to help swimmer Andi Murez make the Junior National Team. Visit his blog at www.Robbyrobinson.net.

Robby Robinson Still Waging War at 62

Joe Pietaro — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:34:16 +0000

“The Black Prince” Throws Barbs at Arnold and Weider, Steroids in Bodybuilding and Baseball

To be considered one of the pioneers and a legend in your sport is something that can never go away. Even if he never picked up a weight again, Robby Robinson would always be one of the elite bodybuilders of all time.

While most men at the age of 62 find more time to sit around than exercise and have a diet that make their doctors turn red, the man known as “The Black Prince” still busts it in the gym and has not ‘enjoyed’ as much as piece of pie in over 20 years.

Never one to not speak his mind during the ‘golden age of bodybuilding,’ Robinson still has that trait and it is part of what has made him so great while being understood in certain circles. He has his own opinion on some of the biggest names in his sport and others, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Weider, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds.

“I love my sport, but the business has to come out of the hole,” Robinson said. “All the money that ‘The Classic’ – they used to call it the ‘Arnold Classic’ – is making, that you only have a $150,000 paycheck?

“Bodybuilders have come up to me recently and said they’re not happy,” continued Robinson. “They deserve more. From the Weiders and from the Governor. No disrespect.”

Back in the 1980s, Robinson actually moved out of the United States to “escape the destructive politics of the business,” having strong feelings about corruption in bodybuilding and steroid abuse.

“There’s a lot of drugs in the sport,” he said. “To be 300 pounds and come down to 260 or 250… I think the government ought to do something.” Robinson made his point clear, but also was up front about his own use. “I never took drugs when I came here (to California from Florida) in 1975. The first time I got involved was two weeks before Mr. World. I took the shot – which was primo depot – and remembered going home and sitting down and the whole room started spinning.”

During his competing days, Robinson would not use steroids during the offseason, but said that when he was eight weeks out, he would take something every two weeks.

“I still practiced that until I retired,” he said. “Recently, B-12 was low in my body, and I know that was from steroid use.”

Regarding the popularity of the sport, Robinson feels that the powers that be are deliberately holding it back. “They’re trying to keep it down because of the drugs,” he said. “We’re not in a big light. It’s more of a sub-culture, a cult sport. It’s (stopping steroids) going to take away from it. The government will get involved – like (Roger) Clemens and (Barry) Bonds.”

Robinson feels that the baseball players named in the Mitchell Report are getting a “bad rap,” and all the injuries this season are not a coincidence.

“Take (Jason) Giambi,” he said. “When you use that stuff (steroids), you get blown up. When you stop, you’re weaker.

“Barry (Bonds) got nastier,” continued Robinson. “I love the guy, but c’mon!”

Very opinionated. Very intelligent. And very charismatic. That’s Robby Robinson. A bodybuilder who says that he will continue working out “until the end of time,” and no one would argue that.

Photo courtesy of Robby Robinson. (left to right) Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ed Corney, Robby Robinson, Mike Mentzer, Ken Waller

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Robby Robinson to Michael Phelps

Robby Robinson Still Waging War at 62