Photographed at Gold’s Gym, Venice, California

Sebastien Large

Age: 35  Weight: 165

Height: 5’11”

Sample workout, arms: dumbbell hammer curls, 4 x  8-10; dumbbell curls, 4 x 8; preacher curls, 4 x 6-8; concentration curls, 4 x 6-8; rope cable extensions, 4 x 8-10; weighted bench dips, 3 x failure; overhead dumbbell extensions, 4 x 6-8; barbell skull crushers, 4 x 8-10

Bodypart split: Monday: legs, calves abs; Tuesday: chest, traps, obliques; Wednesday: biceps, triceps; Thursday: legs, calves, abs; Friday: chest, shoulders, traps, obliques; Saturday: back, abs

Factoids: I am a former gymnast and soccer player. I graduated from culinary school and have lived all over the world. My hobbies include photography, theater, movies, martial arts, cooking, traveling and acting, and I was recently cast in a new TV series, “Sangre Negra.”

Contact: fashionconnexions@gmail.com

Caro Lion

Age: 31  Weight: 135

Height: 5’4”

Workout strategy: My workouts are always changing! I get bored easily with routine, so I mix things up a lot. They are a fusion of weight training, dance, basic gymnastics and a lot of stretching.

Bodypart split: I do three full-body weight-training workouts a week. I don’t train quads, however, because I ride my bike a lot and I’m genetically blessed with large quadriceps. I used to work out five days a week on a more typical bodybuilder split, but once I got my body shape to where I like it, I switched to doing more outdoor activities, which keeps things exciting and refreshing.

Factoids: I love movement! I love my body! I love eating! I ride a unicycle. I do handstands. I’m a singer. I do clothing resale on eBay. I’m a mystic. I have many nicknames, including  TSG—Tattooed Stretchy Girl—Saturn Girl, Galaxy Girl, all given to me by my friends at Gold’s!

Contact: Fortezza811@gmail.com

Fitness: Grishina the Queena—Pole fitness was the much ballyhooed new sport at the Arnold Sports Festival, which took place in Columbus, Ohio, on February 27 through March 2, and astonishing as those athletes were, they had to take a backseat to Oksana Grishina, who climbed a pole of her own to slide past defending champ Tanji Johnson and into the Fitness International title. The routines were particularly good this time, with Ryall Graber, Allison Ethier, Michelle Blank, Amanda Hatfield, Whitney Jones, Bethany Cisternino, Danielle Ruban and Melinda Szabo getting high marks from this reporter. Not to be overlooked, however, was veteran Regiane DaSilva, whose two-sided “Barbie Girl” performance was the best we’ve seen from her perhaps ever. It—and her improved physique—brought her into second overall, while Tanji, whose last-minute routine switch, which was inspired by the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl win, proved her undoing, had to settle for third.

Cisternino, who won the physique round (Grishina won the routines, natch), took fourth in the lineup of 14, and Trish Warren turned in a solid performance to round out the top five.

Figure: If it ain’t broke—After Olympia champ Nicole Wilkins pulled out of the Figure International due to injury a couple of weeks before the show, there was little question that it was defending champ Candice Keene’s to lose, and she didn’t. Some wondered whether defending runner-up Heather Dees would look good enough to challenge for the win in the lineup of 17. She didn’t—which is to say that she repeated in the runner-up spot and so was not exactly chopped liver. Those places were pretty well established in the callouts. The suspense, then, came in the form of placings three through five. The judges worked Candice Lewis, Camala Rodriguez McClure and Ann Titone in every possible combination, but who did they really like for third? Lewis, third at this show last year with her pretty physique, was perhaps the most conditioned we’ve seen her, abs and all—which was not to say that she was “ripped.” Titone and her tiny waist, 11th last year, have been steadily moving up, and her presentation was spot on. Still, the judges seem to have a predilection for Camala’s balanced, statuesque body (she was sixth last year), and I was not surprised to see her end up in the third spot. Titone took fourth, her best showing ever at a major competition, and Lewis was fifth.

Wilkins might not have been onstage, but she certainly had an effect on the lineup. Everyone seemed to be trying to match—or beat—the conditioning she displayed in winning the Olympia last fall. If I had five bucks for every pound of leg mass lost in that effort, I’d be a wealthy woman.

Bikini: The cult of Kalt—Lest you think that the changing of the bikini guard at the Olympia—where Ashley Kaltwasser and Yeshira Robles outsassed established champs like Nathalia Melo and India Paulino—was a fluke, the judges made themselves clear in Columbus. Kaltwasser got a unanimous thumbs-up for first (they like her; they really like her), while Robles landed solidly in second. What’s up with that? I found myself defending the judges’ choice in a contest wrap-up video with Dave Palumbo and Tad Inoue at RxMuscle.com. If she’s “not as conditioned” as some of the others and they choose her, perhaps that’s the point. Ashley’s 5’5’ physique features a long torso and a tiny waist flaring out to a rounded…. Well, you get the idea. Whatever your theory, the cult of Kalt is definitely in fashion.

Moving up in the lineup of 16 was everybody’s favorite, Amanda Latona, who earned her best placing yet at a major by taking third. Melo, who won the Olympia in 2012, was fourth; Stacey Alexander landed in fifth; and defending champ Paulino had to settle for sixth.

Best moment—Celebrating my 20th trip to what is now called the Arnold Sports Festival, and as always it was action packed. Because of the projected tearing down of the venerable Veterans Memorial Auditorium, more than the usual number of memories were triggered. I recall how much the event has changed (no more lunch for the media after the men’s judging) and how much remains the same (Arnold’s corny charm as he interviews the winners—did he really check out the figure champ?). This year’s most special moment took place on Saturday night when my boss, IRON MAN Publisher John Balik, received the Arnold Lifetime Achievement Award. I was totally farklempt even before he thanked us all in his thoughtful acceptance speech. Well done, Mr. Balik. And well deserved.

It may not be Thursday as you’re reading this, but it is as I write, and it’s shaping up to be full of faces from the past charging ahead into the future. The late ’90s figure prominently, but let’s fast-forward to a couple of weeks ago. I was perusing the Los Angeles Times TV page and noticed a blurb for a new reality show starting that night on the Sundance Channel: “Loredana, Esq.” Even before I saw the photo that accompanied it, I knew it was Loredana Nesci.

I met her at  the ’99 NPC California Championships, where she took second in her class in fitness. An LAPD officer who had recently left the force, she was heading to law school shortly and had things to say about what she’d seen as a cop and how she hoped to help people as an attorney. She got my attention with that and also with her clever, brash “Barbie Girl”-to-Wonderwoman routine. Loredana had no stage experience but a lotta guts, which she demonstrated, along with a gift for improv, when she forgot her routine but kept on dancing. It was the heyday of fitness—before figure, before bikini. Her routine had significance, Loredana explained, because the blond Barbie becomes the dark-haired heroine, certainly a sentiment to which this brunette could relate.

It was a single, memorable encounter, and I came away with the impression that the girl was going places. Indeed.

Nesci practiced law in Connecticut after earning her degree but found she missed her friends in L.A. In 2005 she moved west and hung out her shingle in Redondo Beach. Almost immediately she attracted attention from producers looking to the law for the next big reality trend. Suggestions included Loredana as a judge and in a practice with other lawyers, but nothing clicked until a friend, Laura Keats, put together a sizzle reel right from Nesci’s practice.

Need an attorney? Loredana, Esq., rides the mean streets of Southern California’s south beach area like a legal lone ranger, taking up the cases of decent folks who do dumb things. She’s there for you, but don’t you dare lie or, say, leave out the most important part. “You need to turn yourself in,” she calmly orders a client who neglected to mention what the police had found at his house. It’s easy to see why her independent style and take-no-prisoners attitude attracted producers. Her personal story, including her life with partner Robert Reagan and their four-year-old son, Rocco, is compelling as well. I’m not big on reality shows, but after viewing the pilot, I’m hooked.

Plus, I can’t help noticing that her arms are still totally ripped. “I incorporate fitness into my life,” said Nesci, who started weight training at “18 or 19” but nowadays tends toward bike riding and bodyweight movements—long sets of pushups performed while thinking through thorny legal matters. She’s also big on high-intensity interval work and, of course, “Rocco curls.”

“Once in a while I’ll do weights,” she said, “but I move fast—I like to get in a cardio element.”

Even the casual observer can see that Loredana is moving fast on all fronts. “There’s a lot of opportunity for law and entertainment to work together,” she said. No kidding. “Loredana, Esq.” is proving her right—Monday nights on the Sundance  Channel. Check your local listings.

More Fit Moms

Another face from the heyday of fitness clicked back on my radar recently. A suggestion from my friends on “The Fitness View” at RxMuscle.com that I do a Where-are-they-now? segment on Timea Majorova seemed like an easy assignment. For one thing I had seen but not talked with the former fitness champ and frequent IRON MAN cover model when she’d served as trophy presenter at our NPC IRON MAN Naturally competition in January. For another, I knew she was, literally, just a few miles away in Brentwood, a tony, suburban village on L.A.’s west side, tucked between the cities of Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. It is a darned nice place to live—idyllic, if you will—which I couldn’t help thinking as I was winding my way up Sunset Boulevard, to what turned out to be the wrong Starbucks, for my meeting with Timea and her almost-two-year-old daughter, Charlize.

Timea is a woman who, through fitness, made her dreams come true. She’s from another kind of village, one in southeastern Czechoslovakia (Slovakia now) that was so small, she had to take a bus two towns over to go the gym. Nevertheless, she scored great success, becoming the ’97 IFBB World Amateur Champion, a top pro athlete and an international model and getting to move to Southern California. Educated as a physical therapist, she started weight training at 18 and owes her success to an enviable combination of athletic talent, good looks and hard work. I had enjoyed watching her blossom when she was new to the States, learning English and working with high-end and celebrity clients in the Brentwood gym owned by her then-husband. More than many native-born U.S. citizens I can think of, Timea is someone who knows where she’s been and appreciates what she’s got.

In that sense nothing had changed. I arrived at the right Starbucks at last and lassoed a parking space in time to find Timea and Charlize—“Baby Timie, I call her”—having a good time on the back patio. What was she drinking? I indicated the colorful frozen concoction that “Big Timie” was sipping on. “Green tea,” she replied with a big smile. “Anti-aging, baby!” Introductions were made, photos were taken, and while the adorable Charlize was busy reprogramming my iPhone, her mom and I caught up.

Timea, who retired from competition “at the top” after taking fourth at the Olympia and winning the Hungarian Pro in 2001, is big into anti-aging these days, and it’s not hard to see why. No way is she going to be 40 in October! Clearly, she’s making the most of where life has taken her.

“When I met Jason [Figueroa, Charlize’s dad], it was chemistry from day one,” she said. “He wanted a family. I got pregnant,  but I stayed in shape and kept training clients up to the end.”

The result is a fit-pregnancy video she put out after giving birth at 37. You can find it, along with information on all things Timea, including her fitness-and-nutrition training services, at TimeaMajorova.com. You’ll also find info on the new anti-aging fat burner, Pretty Lean, she’s marketing in collaboration with supplement maven and sometime IM contributor Rehan Jalil.

More products may be in the future, things that promote “endless youth and life,” she said. “I want to be the best 40 I can be.” In addition, she was “just finishing up an e-book about being a fit mom” that also charts her journey from that village in Slovakia.

Sounds like a good read, Big Timie. We can all use few lessons on how to make your dreams come true.

Just Desserts

Speaking of making your dreams come true, for years Carolyn Bryant has been bringing her healthful, high-protein baked goods to contests, trying to turn her talents in the kitchen into more than just a snack for friends in the press pit. Last summer that rocket took off when the yummy Power Pudding I sampled at a photo shoot gave birth to Stay Lean Gourmet Desserts.

White chocolate peppermint cheesecake, German chocolate muffins and gluten-free peanut-butter brownies are just a few of the mouth-watering items pictured on the Houston resident’s Facebook page (Stay Lean Gourmet Desserts). Now she’s even making ice cream—from goat’s milk. Look out Ben & Jerry!

Carolyn’s goodies are available at Fuel Kitchen & Health Bar in Houston (1005 Waugh Dr., 77019), and it’s going well. Said the former Team Universe Heavyweight champ, “I’m too busy in the kitchen to compete.” Kid, that’s one excuse I’ve got no problem with.

Photographed at Gold’s Gym, Venice, California by Jerry Fredrick

Age: 42  Weight: 118

Height: 5’4”

Sample workout (legs): Circuit 1—leg extensions, 3 x 15-20; sumo squats, 3 x 20; leg curls, 3 x 15; Circuit 2—good mornings, 3 x 15; cross-back lunges, 3 x 15; speed skaters, x 45 seconds; leg presses, 3 x 15; Circuit 3—Bulgarian split squats, 3 x 20; jump lunges, x 45 seconds; crossover lunges, 3 x 12; leg presses (narrow), 3 x 15; Circuit 4—adductor machine, 3 x 15; abductor machine, 3 x 15, pop squats, 45 seconds

Titles: ’13 GNC Los Angeles Figure Championships, masters figure 35 and over, A, 1st

Factoid: I was a torch bearer in the Olympic Torch Relay in 1986 and Miss June in the 2000 Hooters Calendar.

Photographed at Gold’s Gym, Venice, California by Jerry Fredrick

Age: 37  Weight: 135

Height: 5’4”

Sample workout: I’m a fan of using a lot of drop sets, supersets and giant sets. For example, I will do alternating biceps curls while seated. I will start with 25-pound dumbbells and do 10 repetitions. Then I will do the same with 20 pounds and then 15 pounds. I finish off with alternating hammer curls with 10 pounders. I do all of that with no rest. After I finish the whole drop set, I rest for about a minute. I do a total of four drop sets.

Bodypart split: I train six days a week, Mondays off. I don’t have a particular routine, per se. I train according to how I feel that day.

Factoids: I’m a former U.S. Marine and high school wrestler. I love playing baseball. My favorite baseball team is the Oakland Athletics. Also, I have been a vegan since May 2012. I eat no junk food and drink no alcohol.

Contact: loretta.heystek@gmail.com; Facebook fan page is www.facebook.com/official.loretta.heystek.fanpage

The Fitness International battle, in which Oksana Grishina and Tanji Johnson will once again duke it out without Adela Garcia in the way, should be intense. Last year Tanji prevailed, but at the Olympia in September Oksana took second over Tanji (behind Adela). Two weeks later at the Arnold Europe, Tanji, who had brought her best routine in years, beat Oksana. Then, at the Europa Phoenix, with Tanji not in the lineup, Oksana took the top prize. Are you getting the picture? The physique round may be only a third of the score, but it often makes the difference. Can Grishina, who won the routines in all-of-the-above cases, break the bridesmaid habit in Columbus? No reason why not.

A lineup of 15 leaves room for newer faces and repeat challengers like Whitney Jones, Babette Mulford and Melinda Szabo, along with all the usual top-six suspects. Fitness does indeed live.

We’re back with IRON MAN’s celebrated women’s news-’n’-gossip page—Pump & Circumstance—and just in time to talk about the lineups for the ’14 Arnold Sports Festival pro shows, which were announced just before Christmas. It’ll be hot battles in all the events, although the hottest story may be the dropping of women’s bodybuilding in favor of men’s 212-and-under bodybuilding. Not surprisingly, much of the buzz has been from those who are unhappy with the decision, but I wonder if any have considered that maybe Jim Lorimer and company looked at their program, saw they had one men’s competition and four women’s and decided it was time to even it out a little. It’s not as if they swapped the female flexers for men’s physique.

None of the contests that will take place at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio, on February 28 and March 1 (the last time for the Vets, which will be torn down; the contest moves to the Greater Columbus Convention Center in 2015) will be fiercer than the Bikini International. All five players will be back from the Olympia upset—in which relative newcomers Ashley Kaltwasser, Yeshaira Robles and Stacey Alexander took the top three over defending champ Natalia Melo and runner-up India Paulino. They’ll all have something to prove, but are we in for a rematch or a rerun?

I had my suspicions about the Olympia results—that Paulino and Melo looked a bit lean from the front next to the three fresh faces. According to the IFBB’s Sandy Williamson, who was the head judge, “It came down to who was in the best shape. It was pretty unanimous that the top three were in the best shape.”

Regarding Kaltwasser’s one-point win, she said, “They each had areas where they excelled over the others. Ashley has a more athletic body and was in great shape, Yeshaira has probably the best stage presence, and Stacey has a great body but needs a little more stage presence even though she has really blossomed this year.”

So, will Stacey blossom even more in 2014? Will Yeshaira squeeze past Ashley? Will Natalia, possessor of, arguably, the best butt in the biz, and India, who holds the title of “Least Likely Cop Ever,” come back to exact revenge? Your guess is as good as mine.

Photographed at Gold’s Gym, Venice, California

Age: 32  Weight: 200

Height: 5’11 1/2”

Sample workout, chest*: Incline presses, flat-bench dumbbell presses, incline dumbbell flyes, pec deck flyes and machine incline presses—all exercises, 5 x 25, 20, 15, 10, 5; giant set of all exercises x 1

Bodypart split: No splits. I train five to six days a week, one bodypart a day, alternating upper- and lower-bodyparts. Whatever bodypart I’m working I bring to complete fatigue, alternating between compound and isolation moves.

Factoids: I studied public relations and economics at the San Diego State University, a far cry from my current professions— NASM Certified Personal Trainer, SAG-AFTRA actor and NPC men’s physique competitor. I’m also a big foodie and love to cook, particularly my mother’s duck confit.

Contact: facebook.com/brad.brisbin

*From a program created by IFBB men’s physique pro Ian Lauer, CSCS

Photographed at Gold’s Gym, Venice, California

Tony Morris

Age: 36  Weight: 196

Height: 5’10”

Sample workout, chest: Incline dumbbell curls, 1 x 15 (warmup), 4 x 10-12, 8-10, 6-8, 3(3).

Bodypart split: Every week is different, but the one thing that’s the same is the amount of effort I put into each and every set. I start each exercise with a warm up, approximately 70 percent of maximum effort totaling 15 to 20 reps. After that I take every set to absolute muscle failure.

Factoids: I worked with Channing Tatum as a male dancer in Tampa, Florida. Twelve years later I was at the “Magic Mike” premiere with Chan and some of the old group, watching a movie about our lives.

Contact: www.TonyMorrisFitness.com

In the case of Hunter Labrada, it doesn’t take a Ph.D. in nutrition to know that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Considering the accomplishments of his pop, Hall of Fame bodybuilder Lee Labrada, that’s one mighty large apple.

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Not so long ago Hunter’s athletic desires centered around football, where his talents as a 5’9”, 210-pound running back/strong safety at Northland Christian High School in Houston earned him a scholarship to Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. A hamstring injury in his freshman year, however, set the stage for a new, yet very familiar, passion for Hunter, 21, the oldest of the three Labrada offspring (Lee and Robin, married 26 years, are also parents to sons Blade, 17, and Pierce, 14).

These days Hunter has his sights focused on becoming the next Labrada to walk on a bodybuilding stage with the well-known “Mass with Class” standards Lee crafted early in his career, more than three decades back. Though Hunter hasn’t made his debut yet (hold off on the laughter), the kid is clearly a larger, stronger version of Dad.

I caught up with the dynamic duo around 1 p.m. at the crowded Labrada Nutrition booth at the ’13 Olympia Expo in late September. Good timing; we were able to use their lunch break to head out to a quiet (okay, quieter) spot, where Lee and Hunter opened up about Hunter’s long-term goal of being recognized as one of the top professional physique artists in the world.

LT: Hunter, when did you first realize how revered your dad was in bodybuilding?

HL: You know, I saw the Olympia medals, the Arnold Classic medals around the house, but I never thought much about it. I’d say I was around 12 years old, and I went to my first Arnold Classic. I was about three feet behind him, walking through the crowd, and I saw this impressive wave of whispers, people saying, “Oh, my God, that’s Lee Labrada. That’s Lee Labrada!” I was not into bodybuilding at the time, but that got my attention. Eventually I came to realize how incredible a bodybuilder he was. It’s been a blessing to have such a legend in my corner.

LT: Lee, did you talk much about bodybuilding when Hunter, Blade and Pierce were growing up, perhaps suggesting a like-father, like-son scenario?

LL: Not at all. At home I wanted to be Dad, not a bodybuilding icon, to them. Of course we worked out—we have a gym in our home—and since they were little, they’ve seen me and Robin train.

LT: Hunter, when you were in high school a few years back, I wrote about your football exploits. Things have changed.

HL: Yes, football was my first passion, all through middle school and high school. I was head over heels, 100 percent in love with football. But I went through a transition my senior year, when I suffered a hamstring injury. I had to adjust my training, working around the injury, and eventually ended up doing what people would call a bodybuilding-split workout.

It got to the point where I started loving lifting for football more than playing football. I signed a letter of intent to play at Bentley University, just outside Boston. I did go my freshman year but ended up not playing. It was a great experience, but it was a little too far from home—and a little too cold—for me.

Photographed at Gold’s Gym, Venice, CA

Age: 43  Weight: 277

Height: 6’

Sample workout: Leg extensions, 3 x 30; reverse hack squats, 3 x 20; seated leg curls, 3 x 30; leg presses, 4 x 20

Factoid: I got into competitive bodybuilding to challenge myself more and have a bigger goal for my workouts.

Photographed at Gold’s Gym, Venice, CA

Age: 26  Weight: 148

Height: 5’7”

Sample workout: Decline presses, 4 x 8-10; flat-bench presses, 4 x 6-10; weighted dips, 4 x 6-12; DB bench presses, 4 x 6-10; DB pullovers, 3 x 8-12

Factoids: My dad was my biggest influence. He inspired me to train hard and never give up. I own Bishoy’s Gym in Los Angeles, and I won the ’05 INBA Natural Universe and the ’10 Natural Olympia contests.

Contact: Send e-mail to
BishoyHannaFitness@hotmail.com

Photographed at Gold’s Gym, Venice, California by Jerry Fredrick

Sandy Lieu

Age: 25  Weight: 98

Height: 4’10”

Sample workout, lower body: Squats, 3 x 8-12; leg presses, 3 x 8-12; leg extensions, 3 x 8-12; leg curls, 3 x 8-12; hyperextensions, 3 x 8-12; split jumps + pop squats, 3 x 15-20

Factoids: I am OCD when it comes to organizing and cleanliness. I’m currently working on launching my website,
CutieBootyFit.com.

Emmanuel Delcour

Age: 33  Weight: 200

Height: 6’2”

Sample workout, shoulders and arms: Tri-set, 3 rounds: lateral raises x 15, DB front raises x 15, DB delt kickbacks x 15; tri-set, 3 rounds: military presses x 15, EZ-curl-bar curls x 15, rope extensions x 15; tri-set, 3 rounds: close-grip bench presses x 15, machine preacher curls x 15, 4-way neck machine x 15 (each way); cardio: bike, 35 minutes

Factoid: I work as a private French chef, cooking organic French fusion food, while also being a trainer and nutritionist.

Age: 66

How many days a week do you train? Three days on/one off or sometimes four on/two off. My workouts typically last 45 minutes to one hour.

How many sets do you do per bodypart? Heavy week about 10; light week 15 or 16. I do four or five sets per exercise, and I like 10, 8, 6, 4, 3 reps.

Do you do cardio? I do 15 minutes three times a week regularly.

In the off-season, when you’re trying to build muscle, what is your diet like? Solid, compact meals eight times a day. I eat every two hours—beef, half a chicken, potatoes, rice, soups, eggs and fresh sour bread. I eat about 2,800 to 3,000 calories a day.

Do you use a protein supplement? Yes, GAT Supertein protein. Love the chocolate. I also use their amino caps, Jet Mass and Recovery formula.

What do you like least about training? I love everything about training!

From the first it was clear that Casey Bunce had a story to tell. The question: “What do I need to know about you before we do this interview?” His answer: “I’m very determined, and I love my family.”

Determination is the word, all right. Though he’s earned two first-place finishes at Seattle’s prestigious NPC Emerald Cup, the 33-year-old, 245-pounds-in-contest-shape gym owner from Corona, California, has taken the long road in his bodybuilding career—and, as his bio would suggest, in life. That he’s triumphed this far shows just how determined the 6’ superheavyweight is.

“I was in recovery for over a year, first with a wheelchair, then a walker and crutches. My leg was severely atrophied.”

Raised in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley—not so far as the crow flies from the Riverside County town of Corona but a million miles in lifetime experience—Bunce spent his high school years in Las Vegas and in Lake Havasu, Arizona. He majored in kinesiology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and eventually moved to Washington state before coming to Corona, where he opened Construction Zone Fitness this year. Along the way he held numerous jobs—account executive at a mortgage bank and regional sales manager for electrical equipment, to name a couple—before making his way back to what he really wanted to do.

Casey’s contest résumé is short but impressive: In 2003 he took third in the heavyweights at the Gold’s Gym Classic and in ’04 was heavyweight champ at the Emerald Cup. Four years later, at the ’08 Las Vegas Classic, he earned another top trophy in the heavies, and after placing well at the California Championships in 2011, he moved up to superheavyweight, scoring another class win at Emerald Cup in 2013.

That four-year gap is the key to Bunce’s story, at least the part that features his true grit in the gym and on the contest platform.

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RS: Did you have a sports background?

CB: I played baseball and football, starting from the age of eight. I have always loved being competitive.

RS: When did you start working out? 

CB: In high school, when I starting playing football, but the football program didn’t make you lift weights, and I started to lift at home with my dad. He was very big into it and had all the necessary equipment in the garage. My dad was a very strong and large man, so I always wanted to be like him!

RS: When did you start competing? 

CB: After playing some college football, I joined a gym in Kirkland, Washington, and started working out more, focusing on more detailed workouts vs. the strength and power movements I was used to doing in the football program. I became workout partners with  a former Marine named Gary Hardin who competed in bodybuilding. After a few weeks he told me that I would make a good bodybuilder. I said, “Okay, what the heck? Let’s give it a try.” Gary guided me slightly, and with my science and nutrition knowledge from school I did a diet and preparation plan and was on my way to my first bodybuilding show [the ’03 Gold’s Classic].

RS: You were out of commission for several years. What happened?

CB: In 2005 I was prepping for the USAs. I’d just come off my win at the Emerald Cup and was feeling good about doing very well. I was at a birthday party and had an unfortunate incident with some bad people who showed up. They beat me up severely, kicking in my knee—and all over jealousy. It just goes to show that you have to pick the people you are going to have in your life very wisely. I had to undergo a major surgery and have my knee rebuilt with donor ligaments.

RS: How long before you could train legs again?

CB: I was in recovery for over a year, first with a wheelchair, then a walker and crutches, and, finally, toward the middle of the second year, I was able to work out that leg with light weights and get back into the gym on a normal schedule. My leg was so severely atrophied that it took another year and a half to get it close to the same size as the other leg; to this day it is still smaller, and if I do not train it regularly, it starts to atrophy. In April 2012 I had to have another surgery to help repair some of the left-over damaged cartilage.

RS: How did it feel to get back onstage?

CB: It was amazing! I am not going to lie—it was bittersweet. I was so happy to be doing what I loved again and that I came right back with a win, but at the same time I felt that if it had not been for that injury, I would be farther along with my bodybuilding career—who knows maybe even a pro—rather than feeling like I was starting over. That has passed now, and I just feel blessed that I can have the chance to get back onstage and be doing what I am passionate about.

RS: What are your competition goals now? Pro card?

CB: I would love to try for a pro card. Right now I am just taking it slowly, one show at a time. I may do the ’14 USA, but I am thinking of competing in December at the NPC Excalibur in Culver City, California, so I can get more comfortable being onstage as a superheavyweight. I know I need to work on my hamstrings and back width.

RS: How would you describe your training style?

CB: I really wouldn’t call the way I train a style. I just try to constantly mix it up. I believe that the muscle responds well to a new stimulus, so I try to add different movements and weight and rep ranges every week and keep it different than the previous week. That way I feel I can maximize my gains, keep my workouts short and still yield good results.

[For more on his training, see the sidebar on page 88.]

RS: How about your diet? How do you approach eating for mass gaining? For contest prep?

CB: My diet doesn’t change too much during my bulking periods because I try to stay fairly lean during the off-season. I just eat a few more higher-glycemic carbohydrates. Then I switch those to low-glycemic carbs when I cut down for the show. My body responds to certain foods very well, so I don’t change things much. That way I don’t get any surprises. My approach is very basic—I try to eat a well-balanced diet and add a few supplements to aid in nutrition. I do try to have one or two cheat meals a week to keep myself and my family sane. [Laughs]

RS: You mentioned how important your family is.

CB: Yes, I love my family! I am married to a wonderful woman named Yvonne; she is the reason I have become a better man. We have five kids. I have a beautiful stepdaughter, Amanda, who is 24-years old. I have a son, Dru, who is 16; I have a stepson, Nick, who is 15; and then my two youngest—twin boys, Jonathan and Jacob—are 14.

RS: Talk about your gym, Construction Zone Fitness.

CB: I have always been a personal trainer. Even when I had different jobs in different industries, I always seemed to be training people for extra money, and I loved it. When I moved back to California, I started building up my clientele, and then when the opportunity came, I jumped on it and bought the gym I was training people at. I wanted to make the gym bigger and busier, so I called some friends in Issaquah, Washington, Pete and Apple Grubbs, who own Construction Zone Fitness. We put our heads together and came up with an agreement. Now we have a Southern California location in Corona.

We are a fitness-oriented, family friendly facility. We do mostly weight loss and group fitness, and of course we do contest prep, nutrition coaching and education. We also work with [pro fitness star] Tanji Johnson at Save Fitness. Tanji and her coaches help a lot of our competitors with their posing, and they also do seminars.

RS: How do you juggle the activities and pressures of being a business owner, family man and competitive bodybuilder?

CB: It is very tough—that is for sure! I guess I just try to stay organized, focused and, most important, patient. Sometimes things get hectic, and that is just how life is. So if I can just try to be patient, things tend to work themselves out. If I let the stress get to me, it will effect all aspects—my family, my business, even my gains in the gym—so I try to pick my battles and not let too much of the little stuff get to me.

Editor’s note: To contact Casey Bunce, write to casey@czfitnessocal.com.  IM

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Photography by Jerry Fredrick
Photographed at Gold’s Gym, Venice, CA
Height: 5’6”

Weight: 136 off-season; 130 contest

Training: Sunday: quads; Monday: rest; Tuesday: upper body; Wednesday: glutes, hamstrings; Thursday: upper body; Friday: rest; Saturday: yoga

Sample bodypart (back): Wide-grip pulldowns, 3-4 x 10-12; Hammer Strength rows, 3-4 x 10-12; Hammer Strength pulldowns, 3-4 x 10-12; seated cable rows, 3-4 x 10-15; hyperextensions, 3-4 x 20-25

Factoids: The mother of three boys, she trains with her husband.

Bench press specialist Joe Mazza has made history by becoming the first man ever to hold records in raw, single-ply and multi-ply classifications.

The 165-pound powerlifting phenom set the all-time single-ply benching record in the 165-pound class on January 27 at the RPS North American Championships in Newark, New Jersey. Having already set the max bench press records in the multi-ply (705 pounds) and raw (482 pounds) divisions over the past three years, Joe pressed out 635 pounds in a single-ply shirt at the North Americans meet to crush the old record of 619.

A member of Team MHP for more than a decade, Joe has established himself as the best bench presser in history by simultaneously holding the all-time world record in three separate classifications.

For more information about Joe Mazza, Team MHP or any of the performance supplements Joe uses on a daily basis to be the best bencher on the planet, visit MHPStrong.com.

Photography by Jerry Fredrick
Location: Gold’s Gym, Venice, CA

Height: 5’7”    

Weight: 125

Why did you start training? I wanted to challenge myself, mentally and physically, with something new! As an athlete—a former gymnast—I have never done such a specific training program as this before. It’s a program where nutrition, workouts and lifestyle come together to sculpt the body with a focus, detail and purpose. I love it.

Training: Five days a week weights, six to seven days a week cardio

Bodypart split: Monday: plyometrics; Tuesday: back, core; Wednesday: chest, biceps, calves; Thursdays: legs, yoga; Friday: shoulder, triceps, calves

Sample bodypart routine (shoulders): Lateral raises, 3 x 15; front raises, 3 x 15; rear-delt raises, 3 x 15; handstand pushups, 3 x 10; seated rows, 3 x 11; presses, 3 x 15

Diet: I eat six meals a day. All meals are nutritionally balanced, clean and healthy. My diet consists of oats, sweet potatoes, chicken, fish, sometimes steak, green veggies, salads, avocados and almonds.

Factoids: I love to sing! I got one of my degrees in opera performance. So you might find me singing or humming randomly throughout the day. I was also an international elite gymnast as a child. I loved tumbling, flipping and twisting. To provide balance and a bit of serenity in my life, I do yoga. It keeps me in the moment, calm and focused.

Contact:

Facebook: facebook.com/1maggielane
Twitter: MaggieLane123
Instagram: MaggieLane123

Former high school and community college soccer standout. Cover girl of such noted publications as Import Tuner, Glamfit, Ruckus and, of course, IRON MAN’s April ’13 issue, where she appeared with Ben Booker. Model and actress, appearing in “Entourage,” “CSI: NY,” “America’s Got Talent,” “90210” and a national Skechers commercial. Winner of the 2012 Powertec Model & Fitness competition (her first-ever); top pick in the 2013 WWE Diva Search.

Oh, yeah, Eva Marie also stars in the popular E! reality show, “Total Divas,” which is set to roll its third season on September 7. No wonder this rising star, still shy of her 30th birthday, changed her hair color from the black she displayed on the 2013 cover to the fiery red you see here. Talk about bringing the heat!

Don’t let this stunning 5’8”, 125-pound diva fool ya, however. She grew up in Concord, California, a self-described tomboy. (With a father who served in the Marines and three older brothers, did she have any other choice?)

A devout San Francisco Giants fan, she’s on the road more than President Obama. So I was fortunate to track her down on a mid-July day for a 30-minute phone interview to find out where she’s been, where she’s at and where she’s going.

Eva Marie, talk to me.

LT: As the saying goes, you’re much more than just a pretty face.

EM: [Laughs] I was always athletic as a kid. When you are the youngest of four kids, and the other three are brothers, it’s almost automatic that you grow up as a tomboy. When I was little, my mother put me into dance; when I saw the boys playing sports, I just followed in their footsteps.

LT: After finishing your soccer career at Diablo Valley College, you attended California State University, Fullerton, shining in the classroom as you earned a degree in business. How did you make the transition into the world of entertainment?

“When you are the youngest of four kids, and the other three are brothers, it’s almost automatic that you grow up as a tomboy.”

EM: After college I moved to Los Angeles and started modeling and acting. Since my brothers always were watching the WWF, now the WWE, I followed wrestling too. One day I got a call to audition for the Diva Search. I told my brothers about it, and they were like, “Oh, my gosh, this is something you should definitely go for.”

The last callback was actually getting into the ring to see if you could handle the physicality that the job demands. The first day I went for the tryout, I fell in love with it. I knew this was my dream job.