Recordholder Mark Bell says

[basskiller]

Recordholder Mark Bell says taking testosterone played a role in his transformation - and that steroids can be used safely

As a child, Mark Bell acquired the unfortunate, if sometimes accurate, nickname of "Smelly."

He was the shy, fat kid in his upstate New York town, so out of shape by age 11 that he could barely run the length of a football field during Pop Warner tryouts. And, yeah, he was picked on. Neighborhood bullies sought him out.

Then came a bullying incident that transformed Bell's life and body in equal measure, that set him on a career path that included a stint as a professional wrestler and now as a world-class powerlifter, that saw him play a lead role in "Bigger Stronger Faster," a recent documentary about the role of steroid use in athletics.

And it also led Bell to open his dream gym in downtown Sacramento. It's called Super Training, ground zero for serious, no-nonsense lifters in Northern California.

Yes, for all that, Bell can thank some punk kid named Joe Garlup. One day, Bell was tossing around a New York Jets football in a local park when up rode the older dude on his BMX bicycle. Picture it: Garlup, sporting a major mullet and bad attitude, was as chiseled as Bell was puffy. It was 20 degrees out, but Garlup wore a "wife-beater" T-shirt to show off his biceps.

He yanked the ball away from Bell and kicked it well into the woods. The ball was lost, but Bell found a purpose. He began lifting weights with his older brothers, first using Hulk Hogan's Hulkamania Workout Set, then more sophisticated apparatus. Every repetition in every set, he thought about Joe Garlup.

Fast-forward five years: Bell, now 15 and 240 pounds of muscle, finds himself at a neighborhood party. There, across the room, is Joe Garlup.

"He barely recognized me," Bell recalls, laughing. "He was like, 'Don't kick my ass, man.' "

Bell took him out, quickly and cleanly.

"Yeah, I got him back pretty good," he says. "It was sweet revenge."

That story aside, don't draw the conclusion that Bell became the bully he once feared. Rather, he has used weight-lifting to build self- esteem and strength – and teach others to do the same.

Though a solid mound of flesh at 6 feet, 310 pounds, Bell, 31 and a father of two who lives in Woodland, is a genial giant. Downright docile, even.

He's open and talkative, quick to chortle and offer an anecdote. When he takes off his black ball cap and rubs the nubs of his black-haired scalp, you get a glimpse of that erstwhile awkward child tormented by the Joe Garlups of the world.

Such is Bell's lack of guile that he is one of the few powerlifters – or athletes in any sport, for that matter – who has acknowledged using performance-enhancing drugs. His frankness during interviews in his brother Chris' documentary "Bigger Stronger Faster," which drew critical raves, has raised Bell's profile in the sport.

Actually, his profile was pretty high, anyway. Last month, he set an American record with an 826-pound bench press. He is a two-time winner of the California State Championships in the United Powerlifting Association and will go for a third title Dec. 6 in Concord.

He also is among the top five nationally in a sport that involves the squat, bench press and dead-lift. (Powerlifting is different from the Olympic sport of weightlifting, in that the latter features events such as the clean-and-jerk that require speed, form and strength. Powerlifting is almost strictly strength.)

"It's weird," Bell says. "(People) come up to me and say they've tried (steroids), say it like a confession. People were a lot more understanding than I expected. I haven't had any negative feedback from it.

"It's part of this culture. Even for the fans, they may not want to believe it but they kind of know. The bodies and the strength are so out of proportion. And for people not in (powerlifting), I think the movie opened their eyes and made them think there's more people involved than they thought."

Scott Cartwright, Bell's rival and training partner, said Bell expressed what everyone in the sport already knew.

"It was a message that had to be told," Cartwright says. "Yes, there are side effects and bad things that could happen. But it's like any drug. You can take it and be OK. But you can abuse it and blow yourself up, too."

By Sam McManis
smcmanis@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008 | Page 2L

[captainbicept]

Good article. It was an enjoyable read for me.
Thanks.

[Titan]

Very good article.
I think it will take many years to change the general public's mind about steroids.
But if more people like Bell come forward and talk openly about this more then fear and misunderstanding will fade over time.

I understand the legal ramifications in regards to openly admitting using drugs could have on people and their jobs,family life ect, but it must be done.
The same way racial issues took many years to overcome...it must be talked about by more and more of us that use AAS.
Thanks.

[sniperteam]

Great read...I wish more athletes who have used would come out and admit it..I know it takes alot of courage and the risk of legal consequences are very real...but it could help the rest of the country see that steroids are not the demon they have been made out to be...

[rocketw19]

Hey bass is that the guy for that movie bigger faster stronger? Great movie by the way.

[Crankin'steiN]

Apparently I have a movie I need to see.... I live in a bubble I guess....

Great read and it's nice to see some guys are honest about their use!

[bigjay]

I haven't seen the movie either

"15 and 240 pounds of muscle" that correct?

[captainbicept]

Here is more:
Powerlifter Mark Bell Discusses Role of Steroids in Powerlifting | MESO-Rx Steroid Blog

[olded]

Mark Bell is one strong boy. His brother made the movie Bigger,Faster,Stronger and it was great. The sad part is his older brother was shown to have problems in the movie as he wanted to be a WWE superstar. He also states that he tried to take his life once, and his brother and father voiced concerns that he might end up dead. Just saw last week that at 37 Mad Dog which was his nickname was found dead at a detox center. Just whap I read. He had problems with pain killers and dricking as per his brother Chris. It was pretty sad. RIP.

[trip]

Originally Posted by Titan

Very good article.
I think it will take many years to change the general public's mind about steroids.
But if more people like Bell come forward and talk openly about this more then fear and misunderstanding will fade over time.

I understand the legal ramifications in regards to openly admitting using drugs could have on people and their jobs,family life ect, but it must be done.
The same way racial issues took many years to overcome...it must be talked about by more and more of us that use AAS.
Thanks.

my guess is unlikely, 20 years of bad press has an impact on the mind of the masses, if they see and hear something enough on TV, they take it as the truth

look at our car companies, worlwide they sell em like hotcakes, here they struggle, only difference, we've had twenty years of bad press for car companies, every union fight and bad jd powers report get's amped to the max

my guess though is baby boomers will jump on hrt band wagon like no tommorrow, yet, my guess is that is twenty years away

so, 30 years from now the winds will shift