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.

Now the questions must be asked – what does Wolf do to get his game back on track? According to the Muscular Development.com forums, member The Mayor of Bodybuilding has stated that Wolf is confirmed to compete in the 2010 New York Pro on May 8.

While that is a fairly prestigious show, it is quite a ways away from the Arnold or O. That may be just what Wolf needs in order to qualify for the Olympia a few months later. but he is not an automatic by any means to even win in Manhattan. Last year, Evan Centopani took first place against a pretty good line-up that featured Markus Ruhl, Dennis James, Silvio Samuel and Hidetada Yamagashi.

So does Wolf concentrate on preparing for the Big Apple or does he go ‘balls to the wall’ for the Arnold and quiet all the naysayers? Weighing the differences, unless he finishes high in Columbus (minimum in the top six), it would be viewed as a failure for him and it may be difficult to get back into contest shape two months later. If he then qualifies for the Olympia, he would have to get back on stage four months after that and peaking two or three times in a year is a tough task for anyone, especially someone who is coming off a huge disappointment and is probably in dire need of a mental boost.

If Wolf is committed to the New York pro, then he probably will not compete in Ohio. That will lead to some criticism but it could be the best decision for him at this time.

He said that his “good” arm measure 21 inches and his “bad” arm – his left, which he had recent surgery on – is 21 inches. Not too bad for a guy who stands at 5’4″. On a video on MD.com, Priest commented that the 202 is all about conditioning and that he had won shows in the past at 199 and 198 pounds.

He also called himself a “rebel” and a “loose cannon,” as well as a “guy who speaks his mind.” That is the Priest that bodybuilding fans have come to love and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“With Infinite Labs an MD behind me, you’re  going to see on hell of a comeback,” Priest commented on the video clip.

Priest, when in condition, is one of the most impressive bodybuilders on the circuit. Because of his short stature, he appears huge and should be the widest person on stage in the 202. The mass that he possesses is amazing and he also has a small waist to give him a great look.

You can view the long layoff in two ways: that it will be too long for him to get back into the swing of things or that his body is well rested from not having to go through the dieting process for what is going to be eight years. Figure on a little bit of each being reality and Priest may need a few contests to reach his full potential once again.

Here’s a vote of confidence that by the third time out, Priest, 38, will dominate the 202 class. Hopefully he competes in a show or two as a warm-up and qualify for the Olympia, where he may just have enough to dethrone English and take his place at the top.

LEE PRIEST CONTEST HISTORY:

2006 PDI Night of Champions Britain, 8th

2006 PDI Night of Champions, 9th

2006 IFBB Grand Prix Australia, 2nd

2006 IFBB Arnold Classic, 6th

2006 IFBB Ironman Pro, 1st

2005 IFBB Iron Man Pro Invitational, 2nd

2005 IFBB Arnold Classic, 4th

2005 IFBB Grand Prix Australia, 7th

2004 IFBB San Francisco Pro Invitational, 2nd

2004 IFBB Ironman Pro, 2nd

2003 IFBB Mr. Olympia, 15th

• 2002 Mr. Olympia – 6th
• 2002 San Francisco Pro Invitational – 1st
• 2002 SAN FRANCISCO GRAND PRIX – 1st
• 2002 IFBB Arnold Classic – 4th
• 2002 IRONMAN PRO INVITATIONAL – 2nd
• 2001 Ironman 7th, after bad virus

• 2000 Mr. Olympia 6th Place
• 2000 Night of Champions 5th Place Night of Fixes
• 1999 Ironman 6th Place
• 1999 Mr. Olympia – IFBB, 9th
• 1999 Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB, 6th
• 1998 Olympia – IFBB, 7th
• 1997 San Jose Pro Invitational – IFBB, 4th
• 1997 Olympia – IFBB, 6th
• 1997 Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB, 2nd
• 1997 Grand Prix Spain – IFBB, 3rd
• 1997 Grand Prix Russia – IFBB, 9th
• 1997 Grand Prix Hungary – IFBB, 3rd
• 1997 Grand Prix Germany – IFBB, 3rd
• 1997 Grand Prix Finland – IFBB, 9th
• 1997 Grand Prix England – IFBB, 6th
• 1997 Grand Prix Czech Republic – IFBB, 5th
• 1997 Arnold Classic – IFBB, 7th
• 1996 San Jose Pro Invitational – IFBB, 6th
• 1996 Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB, 4th
• 1995 South Beach Pro Invitational – IFBB, 4th
• 1995 Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB, 3rd
• 1995 Florida Pro Invitational – IFBB, 4th
• 1995 Arnold Classic – IFBB, 9th
• 1994 San Jose Pro Invitational – IFBB, 7th

• 1994 Night of Champions – IFBB, 12th
• 1994 Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB, 4th
• 1994 Arnold Classic – IFBB, 7th
• 1993 Niagara Falls Pro Invitational – IFBB, 9th
• 1990 World Amateur Championships – IFBB, LightWeight,4th
• 1990 World Amateur Championships – IFBB, 4th
• 1990 Mr Australia – IFBB, Overall Winner
• 1989 Mr Australia – IFBB, Overall Winner

Here is a little snippet that Gregg wrote on the video’s You Tube page:

Its still up in the air waiting for the contract with MD but here is yet another trailer for the “Ramblin Freak” TV show. Gregg Valentino is the most popular columnist in the sport of Bodybuilding with 2 columns in Muscular Development magazine.

Take a sneak peek at one of the trailers that Gregg has put together to introduce the show to the fans:

This show will be a combination of the serious and not so serious side of the sport of bodybuilding. Anyone can do a Q&A session with a pro, but how many can do it the way Gregg can?

Here is a few more descriptions that Gregg posted on the MD “No Bull” forum:

YO’, WATCH THE WHOLE THING!!!!…IT STILL MAY HAPPEN IF THE MONEY & CONTRACT COME THROUGH ( ITS ALWAYS SOMETHING) ….ENJOY, THERE’S A FEW CLIPS INSIDE…LOTS OF CRAZY SHIT WE HAVE ON FILM THAT’S NOT IN THIS TRAILER , THE CLIPS ARE WAITING FOR THE CONTRACT TO BE CASHED IN….

YES ITS WHAT WE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR YEARS…IT WAS THE BOSS BLECHMAN’S IDEA AND I GOT TOLD TO GO AHEAD WITH IT, BUT WHEN THE FINANCING PART CAME INTO PLAY THERE WAS A FEW STUMBLING BLOCKS……WE HAD A REAL EDITOR AND FILM MAKER BUT IT COST MONEY……IT GOT PUT ON THE BACK BURNER BECAUSE OF THE MONEY ISSUE, EVEN THOUGH WE GOT SOME FILM ALREADY IN THE TANK…….

ITS OLD FOOTAGE , I JUST STUCK THE COLEMAN THING IN THERE…..IT MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN, I HAVE REAL TV STUFF ( NOT INTERNET BULLSHIT ) COMING SOON TOO……ITS ALL A MATTER OF DOLLARS & CONTRACTS….

Stay tuned for more information on “Ramblin’ Freak TV.” Updates can be found on the Muscular Development boards and right here on MuscleSport Mag.

On May 30, Allen weighed 295 pounds and was looking huge without that puffiness that some bodybuilders are still sporting eight weeks out from a show. The Garden State native felt that he was giving back at the event. “I just wanted to come out here and show that I’m one of New Jersey’s finest and mingle with the fans and show some support,” he said. He was unquestionably the largest person there and deservedly received a lot of attention. He was cordial and friendly and had a lot of fun with the youngsters that were in attendance, something that can go a long way in ensuring that the next generation of bodybuilding fans will be represented.

This weekend, Allen will be looking to earn his pro card and faces a line-up of over 500 competitors in Las Vegas. He seemed to be on his way in 2008 when he took the overall at both the NPC Atlantic States and Junior Nationals but apparently hit a wall after that. Allen finished ninth in his two next shows, the USAs and Nationals, and missed out on two chances of walking out with his pro card.

Afterwards Allen did admit that he may have been “burnt out” and was going through some personal issues that affected his preparation and performance. He then went on a new nutritional program and won the PDI Night of the Champions at a ripped 286 pounds.

Allen listened to some of the recommendations of the judges to fill out his frame and went away from the keto diet. He felt that he was depleted at the two main shows in ’08 and is more comfortable filling out, saying on one of his recent MDTV videos, “A big man like me has to start eating like a big man.”

The video was filmed nine days out of the USAs and Allen looked incredible. As he said, “I’ve never felt this good. I’m 290 pounds dry and we didn’t cut the sodium yet or the water.” Allen has been competing for 10 years and has the experience to take it to the next level. He will walk on that stage in Nevada competing in the Super Heavyweight division and more than likely will be the largest man there. He will stand out and receive a great ovation and hopefully the judges will agree with the fans.

2009 NPC USA CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE

Thursday, July 23rd:
6:30pm @ the Weigh-Ins – Men’s Bodybuilding

8:00pm @ the Weigh-Ins – Women’s Bodybuilding, Figure, Fitness, Bikini

Friday, July 24th:
9:00am @ the Final Weigh-Ins/Check-Ins

4:30pm @ the Prejudging Men’s Bodybuilding & Bikini
MD PLAY BY PLAY with Shawn, Flex, Team MD Members & We Welcome Our On-Line Community!!!

To cut a long story short and to stop the rumors available on the internet, we have decided to publish this official statement concerning Serge Nubret’s health state.

On March 19 2009, our father was discovered home, in a coma by firemen. He was immediately transfered to the Lariboisiere hospital. Since that, Serge Nubret is under the supervision of the hospital’s medical staff. For now, the diagnosis is a hypoglycemic coma probably due to a malfunction of the pancreas. The explorations continues while Serge Nubret is in rehabilitation. We will keep you informed of any change in its health state.

Meanwhile, we suspend the website. Thank you for your understanding and support.

His children.

He was hospitalized and then supposedly suffered a stroke, which was not confirmed. There was even a rumor that Nubret had passed away. Approximately a month later, a forum on the (deleted upon request) reported that he may have been poisoned and that his daughter was his primary care physician:

*(Deleted Upon Request – Please Check the Editor’s Note at End for More Information)

A day later, the same forum member posted the following:

*(Deleted Upon Request)

And then on the Muscular Development forum, the following was reported as being from a “friend of Serge Nubret”:

Dear Friends of Serge,

Tommy and I are putting together a card to send to Serge from all of his
friends and fans to show him love and support. Serge has been in the hospital since March 18 when he was poisoned at Pascale’s apartment and sent to intensive care toxicology.

A police investigation has been going on for the past several weeks to fully examine all who were involved and the cover up at Lariboisiere Hospital (where Serge had been sedated/drugged into a state of coma/confused trance where he did not recognize anyone for over a month and could not move or talk).

His daughter, Karine, an anesthetist, was the doctor in charge of him. No one was allowed to see him.When the police became involved, Serge’s condition started to improve immediately–less than 24 hours later he started to recognize people again after the drugs/sedation were ceased.

He is still unable to talk or move very much. Police District 10 is not giving out much information right now because of protocol/security procautions; some of his family are currently under investigation.

Before Serge was poisoned, he was in one of the best conditions of his life. His physique looked similar to and weighed the same as it had decades earlier at his best.

Because he had no heart attack/stroke and his heart/brain MRI was also normal, we are hoping for recovery of memory and health and that there
is no permanent damage from being poisoned, drugged and sedated. Please send him positive energy and prayers.

Thank you.

The latest word came on July 17 when the Bodybuilding.com forum included this post, supposedly from Nubret himself:

my children poisened me to take my money books and land

they drugging me so I canot talk and lies why i am here
i canot walk i dont want die in hopital
hopital know this and cover up everyting pleas get me out

serge

We have reprinted all of the above posts in their original form, misspellings included.

What exactly happened to Nubret remains to be seen, but one thing that we know for sure is that he was training and looking fantastic for someone his age right before he was felled. The likely speculation was that Nubret was using performance-enhancing drugs for his ‘comeback,’ if you will, which caused him to become ill in the first place. Even if he was using anything, his possible grave present condition would appear to have more causes.

MuscleSport Mag has contacted the IFBB and the person who sent the information to Muscular Development asking for any details or at least clarification on what is and what is not true in this situation.

——————————————————————————————————————————

*EDITOR’S NOTE

Please be advised that the above article has been modified upon request of someone close to the situation. While we take our journalistic responsibilities seriously and understand that the information that was originally included is very important, we are also showing an amount of respect to the requester.

The safety of Serge is of the utmost importance and once we receive more information and feel it is the right time to publicize it, we will then of course follow up on this most interesting story. Not being able to verify certain aspects of the situation surrounding Serge has been frustrating, to say the least, but we feel that the route we have chosen to take will be the best one in the long run.

Please understand that this is a real-life situation and we as a media outlet do not want to keep our readers in the dark, but the sketchiness of this entire scenario has left us guessing, as well.

Greene, while being bigger than Jackson, has the appearance of a smaller bodybuilder due to his narrow waist and small joints. He took home the Arnold Classic championship over the larger Victor Martinez and Branch Warren.

This year in Las Vegas, the best of the best will be on the stage at The Orleans Arena and amongst the much larger competition, Jackson will find it difficult to repeat. Not only will The Blade be facing the aforementioned Cutler, Martinez and Warren, but Markus Ruhl has recently announced that he will be bringing his monster build to the Olympia. Let’s not forget Phil Heath, who finished in third plce a year ago at his rookie O.

The 5’11″, nearly 300-pound German finished in third place at the New York Pro in May and originally intended on retiring from the sport. But as reported by Muscular Development, Ruhl has changed his mind and will be furthering his career. The 36-year-old will make his legions of fans extremely happy with this decision and brings great presence and character to the stage.

With an offseason weight that can get up to an amazing 340 pounds, Ruhl has a few ‘rules’ that he lives by. It was by no accident that he became the “Freakazoid,” and after hearing some of his training methods it will be no surprise.

Ruhl believes in straight sets using heavy free weights and not resting on his laurels. He believes that getting stronger and going heavier will build more size. As far as reps and sets go, he will go as heavy as he can for as low as four to six reps. Using this method, Ruhl can blow out 25 to 30 sets per body part without feeling that he is overtraining. He also trains to failure, something that he feels makes or breaks the growth spurt.

By hitting each muscle so hard, Ruhl only trains one body part per day. By doing so he can assure that each one will get the maximum effort.

Proper nutrition is just as important as training to Ruhl and he consumes approximately 7,000 calories per day, which includes 400 to 500 grams of protein. Even with all of these calories, Ruhl makes sure to keep his diet clean and it consists of chicken, beef, fish, rice and potatoes.

This may be his last hurrah so expect Ruhl to come in looking more massive than ever before. He will leave a lasting impression with size never seen before even more so than a top six placing.

Although this is the offseason for them (with Coleman rumored to be making a comeback this year), all three appeared to be much bigger than the last time they were on the stage, and not entirely in a good way. Jackson, who has always been in exceptional condition while competing in multiple contests a year, looked the best out of the three and apparently has decided to put on more size to compete against a big line-up. 

Cutler, who has always had enough size, seems to be inclined to put on more mass instead of honing what he already possesses. As far as Coleman goes, if he decides to return he has a lot of work ahead of him. He looked extremely wide in the middle and even softer than he has ever in the past. 

Either way, having these three men in the same auditorium is a special occassion and it will be very interesting to compare the pictures from June to the ones in September at the Mr. Olympia. 

(Cutler photo from 2008 Mr. Olympia)

To see Atlantic States photos, visit the coverage by Muscular Development:

http://www.musculardevelopment.com/browse/index.php?mode=contest&eventcode=1327

Called the MD Block Party, Bob Bonham’s Strong and Shapely Gym was transformed into a mini-expo and barbeque. Turkey burgers and turkey hot dogs were on the grill in the parking lot all day long and the line to get some grub was omnipresent.

It was a double-celebration with the mecca of the Garden State celebrating its 25th anniversary.

‘The Ramblin’ Freak’ himself, Gregg Valentino, was all over the place and conducted a boatload of interviews with what seemed like everyone there. He also was the host of a seminar with  a panel of Lee Priest, Guy Cisternino, Eugene Mishin and rapper Mellie Mel, who sported some nice guns and takes his training as serious as his music.

In the photo, MuscleSport Mag Founding Editor with Gregg Valentino.

http://mdtv.musculardevelopment.com/content/view/2065/225/ – Part One of the Video

http://mdtv.musculardevelopment.com/…view/2071/225/ – Part Two of the Video

Being a personal friend of Gregg’s and having spoken to him about this appearance for months now, I had figured that – for the most part – he would be portrayed the way he has been in a number of other mainstream media outlets the past few years. For the first part of the story that held true. The reporter spoke to Chris Bell, director of “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” and – in a part that should have made the cutting room floor – a brief word or two from Dan Clark who played ‘Nitro,’ one of the original American Gladiators who has admitted to being a steroid user for 20 years. Clark admitted that he didn’t know Gregg personally but was at a loss to comprehend how he does not have any side effects from his extended use of anabolics and stated that Valenino was a “walking side effect.” This claim was totally refuted when ESPN put Valentino through a battery of medical tests and, according to the reporter, he is in overall good health. 

At one point during the story, the screen goes black and states, ‘One month later,’ and Valentino is again being interviewed and breaks down emotionally. This is due to the fact that he is estranged from his teenage son and that his daughter saw him on a school film talking about drug and steroid abuse. That was it for him and Valentino had an epiphany. 

The man who has always been connected to steroids does not want to talk about them any longer and feels that they are ruining the sport of bodybuilding. On camera he is seated in front of his computer at home and was writing his “Ramblin’ Freak” column for the June issue of Muscular Development magazine. This one would be different, he said, and didn’t care if people would consider him a sell-out for writing what he did. 

As soon as the segment ended, I called Gregg and to my surprise he was not watching it but rather out on the road somewhere in his car. He told me that he was “nervous” to watch it but wanted to make sure that it was done properly and in good taste, especially the parts about his children. 

For those of you that do not know Gregg and he is just a guy you read about in the magazines, he is the most down-to-earth and honest guy out there. His knowledge of the history of the sport of bodybuilding is vast and deep and he is far from just ” The Man Who’s Arms Exploded.” Being funny, witty and having street smarts are just a few of the traits that make him who he is. 

Gregg compared the way he feels now to a recovering alcoholic that never wants to see a bottle again. Although he has been talking about this for some time now with me, I was still surprised to see this side of him come out in the media. He may have made a name for himself due to steroids, but he is so much more than that and I for one feel that it is about time that everyone gets to see the ‘new Gregg,’ if you will, and not just the ones who know him away from the game. 

Gregg Valentino E:60

E:60 Gregg Valentino Preview