I really love the speeches given by the TED organization, you learn about huge advances in new technologies and a lot about what makes thing tick. I don’t know why they aren’t required watching for every man, woman and child on this planet as the more we know, the more we can do to help one another solve the world’s issues.
Bacteria
We all know that bacteria play a vital role in our lives, without them, we would starve and die rather quickly as they help with food digestion and play a pivotal role in just about every aspect of our lives. Sure, they can be bad, very bad, but usually, the little bacteria that inhabit our bodies are good.
Interesting bacterial facts
there are a trillion human cells that make-up a human body
there are 10 trillion bacterial cells on or in the human body
humans have 30 000 genes
3 000 000 bacterial genes playing a direct role in your life
bacteria talk to one another to co-ordinate “attacks”
bacteria are able to quickly adapt to new environments that would normally kill them
bacteria are the oldest living creatures on Earth
bacteria can be our best friend and worst enemy, so they need to be respected
bacteria work for free!
The Bottom Line
Humans are like the Earth, they can be confused as being alive but are really homes for other organisms to live on.
The Myth. The Legend. Servio "The Myth" Oliva showing-off his incredible 23 inch arms!
In the world of bodybuilding where legends such as Lou Ferrigno, Casey Viator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mohammed Makaway, Casey Viator, , Lee Labrada, Ron Coleman, Jay Cutler, , Lee Haney, Lee Priest, Dorian Yates, Weider, Mentzer and “Barbarian” Brothers, Mike Katz, Dexter Jackson, Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray still cast a dominating shadow over this sport, one man, still maintains the biggest of them all. He is called Sergio “The Myth” Oliva.
Sergio Oliva’s early years
Few people realize that Sergio was a Cuban born on July 4th, 1941 and got into bodybuilding rather by accident. He was a soldier in the war against communism but lost, so he headed for the beach where a few friends introduced him to weight lifting.
Sergio Oliva’s legend begins
After less than a year of training, he was able to perform clean & jerks in excess of 400lbs, which was more than double his weight at the time. Considering he was still a teenager at this time made it all the more impressive. He caught the eye of the Cuban government and in 1961, he represented Cuba in the Pan American Games. During these games, he sneaked-out and sought asylum in an American Consulate, which was granted.
Sergio Oliva enters the mainstream bodybuilding community
In 1963, after moving from Miami, Florida to Chicago Illinois to work at a foundry, his legend started to grow due to his shier power and strength at the local gym he exercised at. Apparently, he was lifting more weight than anybody thought was possible and word began spreading quickly in the bodybuilding circles. He decided to give a competition a try and a year later, became “Mr. Illinois”! After a few competitions, he gathered enough steam to compete in an IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding) sanctioned event in 1967, blowing away the competition! He won both the Mr. World Contest and Mr. Universe that year followed by winning Mr. Universe yet again three consecutive years later! He was so impressive at the time that he won the 1968 Mr. Olympia completely uncontested, nobody could even come close to the physique he had developed in only four years of being in the sport! He won an impressive number of contests during this years as a competitive, professional bodybuilder which is still talked about to this day!
Here is a listing of all the competitions he entered:
1963 Mr Chicago
1964 Mr Illinois
1964 Mr America – AAU, 7th
1965 Junior Mr America – AAU, 2nd
1965 Junior Mr America – AAU, Most Muscular
1965 Mr America – AAU, 4th
1965 Mr America – AAU, Most Muscular,
1966 Junior Mr America – AAU, Winner
1966 Junior Mr America – AAU, Most Muscular
1966 Mr America – AAU, 2nd
1966 Mr America – AAU, Most Muscular,
1966 Mr World – IFBB, Overall Winner
1966 Mr World – IFBB, Tall, 1st
1966 Mr Universe – IFBB Winner
1966 Olympia – IFBB, 4th
1967 Olympia – IFBB, Winner
1967 Universe – IFBB, Overall Winner
1968 Olympia – IFBB, Winner
1969 Olympia – IFBB, Winner
1970 Mr World – AAU, Pro Tall, 2nd
1970 Olympia – IFBB, 2nd
1971 Universe – Pro – NABBA, Tall, 2nd
1972 Olympia – IFBB, 2nd
1972 Mr. Galaxy – WBBG
1973 Mr International – IFBB, Professional, 1st
1974 Mr International, Professional, 1st
1975 Olympus – WBBG, Winner
1976 Olympus – WBBG, Winner
1977 World Championships – WABBA, Professional, 1st
1978 Olympus – WBBG, Winner
1980 World Championships – WABBA, Professional, 1st
1981 Pro World Cup – WABBA, Winner
1984 Olympia – IFBB, 8th
1984 Pro States Championships – WABBA
1985 Olympia – IFBB, 8th
Sergio’s physical achievements!
Sergio’s body was truly aspiring and the symmetry he achieved was at least 20 years ahead of his competitors at the time. Considering he was rather short at 5ft9 compared to the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger (6ft2) and Lou Ferrigno (6ft5), he still managed to more than hold his own against these monsters of the sport at the time. He was also about the same weight as far taller competitors and his body was so amazing that he even gave Arnold his first and only loss of his career! His arms measured an incredible 23 inches unflexed with impressive 20 inch forearms. His chest was almost as large as Arnold Schwarzeneggers at the time (58 inches) and yet, he still managed to maintain an incredibly slim waist of 28 inches! His legs where like massive tree trucks measuring an incredible 33 inches… again, he BLEW AWAY the competition in just about every category! His arms where so massive, considering his overall body size, that they where usually described as pythons, which is maybe where Hulk Hogan got his idea of describing his arms in the same manner.
Sergio Oliva later in life
Sergio entered the police force after many years of competition and became a family man at the age of 43. He, like many great legends, bowed-out of the sport, having earned the respect of fellow athletes for pushing the sport of competitive bodybuilding into a new era, that of the “genetic freaks” that would soon dominate the arena. He also wrote a book in 2007 which is difficult to get.
Sergio “The Myth” Oliva Videos
(great summary of an amazing man)
(Sergio posing at the 1984 Olympia)
(Sergio posing at the 1985 Olympia)
Like father like son?
It doesn’t end there, Sergio Oliva Jr. is really starting to make inroads within the bodybuilding community as well, here is one of his videos… impressive and given a few years, I am sure he will continue in the legacy of his father.
Sergio Oliva Trivia
Sergio Oliva was shot by his x-wife 5 times!
Sergio’s first job in America was that of a TV repairman
Sergio is still the only bodybuilder to ever win and hold, the top standings in four competitive bodybuilding federations at the same time! (IFBB, AAU, NABBA, WBBG)
Once Cuba’s weightlifting team got wind of his escape, the entire team followed suit
Sergio’s competition weight was normally between 240lbs and 255lbs, which, even by today’s standards, is enormous considering the low body fat he maintained during these events
The Bottom Line
Legends come in all sizes and shapes, Sergio’s just happens to be among the largest!
I can’t think of any entertainer who has had more ups and downs over the course of a career that lasted several decades than David Hasselhoff. The “Hoff’s” career has spanned several industries from television to music, movies to now, the internet!
David Hasselhoff: The Early Years
Born David Michael Hasselhoff in Baltimore, Maryland on July 17th, 1952, little did his parents know they had just created a phenomena that would revolutionize an entire industry! He was born in a family of four sisters so he always had attention thrown upon him so at the age of seven, it seemed natural at the time that he began taking acting, dancing and singing lessons. By the time he got out of his teenager years, he was already standing at six foot four and was beaming to become a huge pop star. He has already stared in a number of school plays and did the rounds of several dinner theater circuits before being discovered in California.
David Hasselhoff: Television Career takes off!
Although he had planned on doing musicals on Broadway at first, he soon caught the attention of an “The Young and the Restless” scout while in California in 1973 and, in 1975 began his first role portraying Dr. William “Snapper” Foster, Jr. till 1982. He then struck gold when he got the role of Michael Knight in “Knight Rider” which shot him into cult status, he would play this role for four years till 1986 when the series ended. Although still in heavy syndication, this was the first show for “The Hoff” to be seen abroad, it played in over 80 countries and set the state for his success abroad.
David Hasselhoff: Musical Career takes off!
Not wanting to rest on his previous success, he was eager to transform his career into the pop world and, in in 1989 launched his “Looking for Freedom” song which stayed at the number one spot on the German charts for eight weeks! He toured extensively around Europe hundreds of concerts attended by millions of dedicated fans. He would later release 8 records which involved extensive touring and promotional events. He never let his extreme success get to his head, often capable of making fun of his image along the way.
David Hasselhoff: The Worldwide Phenomena that is Baywatch!
David Hasselhoff was approached by NBC on the heels of reviving his television career after extensive success with both his previous “Knight Rider” show and his developing his pop-icon status abroad. The name of the show was “Baywatch” and it changed his life forever in 1989. The show had a simple premise, he played “Mitch Buchannon” and the show chronicled the beach life full of beautiful woman and men running around with nothing but bathing suits. Although the show was canceled after the first year it was on television, he had a stroke of pure genius and acquired the rights to “Baywatch” to continue developing the show with a few partners. The show became an instant worldwide phenomena that lasted over a decade, had almost a billion weekly viewers and continues to be syndicated around the world even to this day through its various spin-offs. One of the huge breakout stars of the “Baywatch” show was Pamela Anderson who, herself, has been incredibly successful in creating a worldwide following of her own since the show ended.
David Hasselhoff: Other Roles
In between his busy television and musical careers, David Hasselhoff has appeared in a number of other television and movie projects. From “Revenge of the Teenagers” in 1976 to Anaconda 3 which is currently in production, he has amassed an extensive and impressive portfolio. (See more here)
David Hasselhoff: Awards and Recognition
David Hasselhoff has achieved incredible success and, as a result, a number of distinctions. In 1983, he won a “Peoples Choice Award” for his role as Michael Knight in “Knight Rider. In 1996, he was awarded his own star on the “Walk of Fame” in Los Angeles, California and in 2005, he won “International Star of the Year” by Bollywood!
David Hasselhoff the Humanitarian
His schedule might be loaded but he still finds ample time to spread good cheer to those less fortunate, especially children who are terminally ill or handicapped around the world. He also runs his own charity called “Race for Life” and has hosted numerous charitable events.
David Hasselhoff: Internet Phenomena
Having conquered the television, theatrical and musical scene, David Hasselhoff has recently began conquering the Internet, producing rather fantastical music videos and selling everything “Hoff”. Here is a glimpse of some of his works!
David Hasselhoff: Trivia
There are a number of very interesting facts about David Hasselhoff that you may not be aware of, here are a few:
in 1994, his first heavily promoted, pay-per-view concert meant to ignite his popularity in the United States happened to be the same day that O.J. Simpson drove his friends famous white Bronco down the Los Angeles highway
in 2004, he appeared as himself in SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
he believes that Knight Rider was a larger worldwide hit then Baywatch, though both live on in syndication
has a listing in Guinness Book of World Records under “Most Watched TV Star in the World” due to his roles in Knight Rider and Baywatch
has a keen interest in politics, sometimes comparing himself to Tony Blair
has appeared in South Park
fought John Tesh in MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch
1989, New Years Eve, he performed “Looking for Freedom” on the Berlin Wall
has a musical in Australia based on his life
is an avid outdoors and sports fanatic
The Bottom Line
When success came to “The Hoff’s” door… he ANSWERED IT!
In the world of strong men where there are is strong and followed by STRONG… Mariusz Pudzianowski is FREAKISHLY “Bill Kazmaier” STRONG. What I find most interesting of all, even with all the advances in drugs, nutrition and lifting techniques, he isn’t leaps and bounds over what Bill Kazmaier was able to achieve decades earlier.
Mariusz Pudzianowski’s early years
Mariusz Pudzianowski was born on February 7th, 1977 in Biala Rawska (Poland) in a family that was not adverse to weight lifting as his father was a famous weight lifter. Mariusz began training to be the strongest man in the world at the age of 13 and with the guidance of his father quickly excelled in developing his incredible strength and abilities to competition levels.
Mariusz Pudzianowski is incredible, at around six feet tall (depending on the source) and weighting in just under 300 pounds, this guy is HUGE by any definition. He entered his first strongmen competition in Poland and finished a very respectable fourth. He returned in competition in 2002 and won that years events hands down and blew away his competition in 2003. He was then kicked out for a year due to testing positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2004 but returned to win his third title in 2005. He narrowly missed first place standing in 2006 but took back the first place finish in 2007. He is one of only two other strongmen to have ever achieved first place four times. Mariusz Pudzianowski has a personal best bench press of a little over 600 pounds (275kg), squat of just under 800 pounds (360kg) and is capable of deadlifting 900 pounds (410kg), still not surpassing what Bill Kazmaier was able to do in competition but astonishing never the less.
Mariusz Pudzianowski vs Bill Kazmaier
It’s a very badly kept secret that the world of strongmen, no matter what has done to “clean-up” the sport, that these guys are about as natural as flying elephants, both of these guys will require a lifetime supply of hormone replacement therapy. Bill Kazmaier won the strongmen competition three times while Mariusz Pudzianowski has done this feat four times and he is young enough to achieve this goal a few more times as well! Their strength is super human to begin with, they come from a very gifted genetic pool which they have chosen to supplement in order to become the absolute best at what they do. I have nothing but respect for both of these guys… they screw convention and do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals. What I do find fascinating is that Bill Kazmaier, for all his strength, seems to have a very different body type then Mariusz Pudzianowski. At least to my eyes, Bill Kazmaier is an extreme endomorph with his wide bone structure and higher bodyfat percentage while Mariusz Pudzianowski seems like an extreme mesomorph with his low bodyfat percentage and great defined musculature. I am unsure how much anabolic supplementation plays into this but I do know that reaching over two grams a week changes the body into an extreme fat burning machine while at the same time, extreme mass accumulator. The only caveat is if you can stand hearing your liver frying and the incredibly high blood pressure long enough to feel this benefit. Another thing I find interesting is that the strong men of the previous generation where never shredded during competition… they where big like a fridge. The guys you see in today’s competitions are actually rather well defined in comparison, gone are the bear bellies and beards, replaced with shaved bodies and defined abs. You see this change in bodybuilding as well, compare Arnold Schwarzenegger to Ron Coleman physique wise and it’s astounding the inroads that “supplementation” have achieved. Arnold looked amazing and huge at 220-230 pounds, Ron Coleman dwarfs him by a solid 50 pounds (if not more) in competition. They where both juiced, the techniques where simply not as honed as they are today. Ironically, these inroads haven’t been seen in the world of strongmen competitions regarding enormous advances in strength.
Have strongmen reached the outer limits of strength?
Many decades have come and gone now where records where constantly being broken thanks to supplementation of all types but in the past 20 years, although improvements have been done, I don’t see the monumental leaps that these sports and others use to have. I am willing to state that the Mariusz Pudzianowskis and Ron Colemans of this world are showing us that our bodies do have limits which even they are unable to surpass. Consider this, the heart in an 18 year old, 120 pound man is the same as in a 30 year old man weighting 3 times that gives us a window at how amazing our bodies really are. Our bodies are able to adapt to incredible burdens placed upon them, I can’t helped but be astonished at this. The next step towards increasing our strength? It has to be through genetic manipulation. Steroids improve what is already there and nutrition, although anabolic in itself, has it’s limits as well… only by modifying the messages between cells can we surpass today’s feats of strengths by another huge bound. Where will that lead us? I really hope I live long enough to find out… and possibly benefit from as well. Will there be a day when soldiers are made up of 7ft tall men weighting 450 pounds that dwarf even the top physiques that these guys have achieved? I believe there will but it has to start at the moment of conception before genetically limiting information is passed on through the bodies cells. Morals and ethics may stop some, but not others.
Mariusz Pudzianowski training video
The Bottom Line
Pioneers come in all shapes and sizes but regardless of the methods chosen, you can’t help but be inspired by their achievements.
In the world of strongmen, the legend of Bill Kazmaier lives on due to his incredible super human strength and his ability to get a crowd hyped up as he impressed them with his raw power.
Bill Kazmaier’s early years
Bill Kazmaier was born in Burlington, Wisconsin on December 30th, 1953. He played football for the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 1973 season but then left for the pursuit of powerlifting.
Bill Kazmaier’s brute strength achievements
To say that he was a powerful man is an understatement, he was known to have dumbbell curled 100 pounds 41 times in a row with one arm, curling 315 pounds 15 times and even became the first man to ever do all of MacGlashen stones! Here are more impressive numbers, he was able to do a 925 pound squat with an injury and performed a 907 pound deadlift! He also performed regularly as part of his training 900 pound triple squats and 633 pound triple bench presses! At this time, there where no bench shirts or suits that are used by many powerlifters today, this was just raw power.
A few years later, in 1979, he won both the American Powerlifting Championship and IPF (International Powerlifting Federation) championship. Bill Kazmaier’s incredible strength blew away the competition when he was the first person to ever bench press over 300kg (661 pounds) in competition and achieved an incredible career best of 1 100kg (2 425 pounds) in raw powerlifting without the use of a powerlifting shirt.
Following this success, Bill Kazmaier was invited to compete in the Worlds Strongest Man competition, which he won 3 times in a row (1980, 1981, 1982). He so much dominated the field that he wasn’t invited back until several years later where he placed a respectable 2nd (1988) and 4rd (1989). He had suffered a major pectoral tear that required him to retire away from strength based competition for a few years.
Bill Kazmaier: later in life
Bill Kazmaier later dabbed in the world of wrestling who, like Andre the Giant, could have easily torn his competitors to shreds but decided instead to play the game, never winning a championship and loosing several times. This is a testament to his ability to not take himself too seriously. He even played briefly for the Green Bay Packers and opened a gym which closed in 2005.
Bill Kazmaier Trivia
He was known for his varacious apetite, at over 300 pounds, he could eat just about anybody under the table, nowhere was this more impressive then his ability to consume a thousand goldfish in one shot in which he would simply drink out an aquarium.
Bill Kazmaier Multimedia Tribute
The Bottom Line
Bill Kazmaier was to powerlifting what Arnold Schwarzenegger was to bodybuilding, both giants in their respective fields.
The LegendaryLife.com Blog is all about making not only the most out of your life but making it a successful one. Be warned though, it may cause you to think about things that others do not want you to.
I can’t think of any entertainer who has had more ups and downs over the course of a career that lasted several decades than David Hasselhoff. The “Hoff’s” career has spanned several industries from television to music, movies to now, the internet!
In the world of strong men where there are is strong and followed by STRONG… Mariusz Pudzianowski is FREAKISHLY “Bill Kazmaier” STRONG. What I find most interesting of all, even with all the advances in drugs, nutrition and lifting techniques, he isn’t leaps and bounds over what Bill Kazmaier was able to achieve decades earlier.
In the world of strongmen, the legend of Bill Kazmaier lives on due to his incredible super human strength and his ability to get a crowd hyped up as he impressed them with his raw power.
