Pittsburgh Post-Gazette originally printed 1999

Pumping Up Helps Iron Out Fitness Issues

by Dave Templeton

Those who think I have spaghetti arms are mistaken – unless they’re referring to my noodly complexion. The truth is, my arms don’t look anything like spaghetti.

More like linguine.

I had to clarify that point because my ego was torn asunder while interviewing Cliff Goodrow, a 46-yearol-old Washington man who looks like he’s chiseled from granite and coated with bronze.

This guy makes Greek statues look like computer nerds.

And there I stood, crying inside, looking like the infamous skinny kid getting sand kicked in his face on that comic book beach.  And next to me was Goodrow – who literally could bench me 20 times and twirl me like a cheap baton without breaking a sweat.

Let me pause here to wipe the sand from my eyes.

I relate this because on November 6, Goodrow won the 1999 American Natural Bodybuilding Conference Grand Master’s Championship in Tampa, Florida, where he defeated 10 other regional winners from across the nation for the title.  The grand master’s division is for men 45 and older.

After finishing fifth last year in Boston, he dominated this year’s competition with a physique of a champion bodybuilder half his age.

Consider that Goodrow – at 6 feet, 2 inches tall and 200 pounds with a resemblance to Pierce Brosnan – has 3.2 percent body fat.

“My forte is muscular definition,” he said.

Winning a national championship makes him arguably the most attractively built middle-aged man in 50 states.  But, no, that’s not good enough. He’s like the Bill Gates of body building.  Whether it’s billions or bulges, you never have enough.

“I don’t necessarily feel ideal because there’s always my goal for improvement,” he said. responding to my description.  “I have to work hard to get muscle size”

Goodrow attributes his success to discipline, nutrition and a rigorous training regimen under the tutelage of Billy Beck III, a 22-year old trainer at Strive Fitness and Health in North Strabane.

Beck, also a muscleman, is a walking health and fitness encyclopedia who knows the complicated physics of converting fat to marble.

Beck points to Goodrow’s work ethic and discipline as reasons for success. “Once he has a goal, he organizes everything, takes a plan of action and remains focused. He’s a role model to me.”

Goodrow returns the compliments, proving that this tussle for muscle is a team effort.

“He has tons of enthusiasm and has been the key to my success,” the champ said. “The combination of his knowledge and motivation makes it fun to come in here every day.”

Another factor is Strive, which Goodrow describes as the best facility and staff he’s encountered in his travels across the U.S. and Europe.  Strive has about 80 machines for strength training, barbells everywhere, and 40 treadmills and step climbers, along with 12 full-time, employees. Goodrow calls it “cutting edge.”

Goodrow who teaches fourth grade at Washington Park Elementary School, also teaches strength training, spin training (stationary bicycling) and aerobics classes at Strive.  But as many as six days a week, he heads to Strive before 6 a.m. for his own weight training.

When he’s peaking, he can leg press half a ton and squat 405 pounds of barbells resting on his shoulders.

I attended an early morning session at Strive to watch Goodrow pump iron.  Only at the last minute did I reject the notion of stuffing toilet paper up my sleeves.  But when I wasn’t writing, I crossed my arms and tucked my hands under my biceps to make it appear there was a meatball with my linguine.

On this day, Good did a “low-intensity workout” because he is not preparing for a competition.  I watched him do barbell squats, bench presses, various lifts, curls and pulls, all in an hour with little time to catch his breath.

Back at the office, my calculations indicate that Goodrow conservatively did 36,000 foot-pounds of work, the equivalent of lifting 18 tons one foot off the ground in one hour. He lifts the equivalent of 30 tons an hour.  There are sizable bridges that can’t withstand that tonnage.

“We work every muscle in the body.” Beck said.

My hand was cramping, writing all this down.

Goodrow said he always has exercised. He was a high school gymnast, and ran the Great Race in Pittsburgh a few times. But he began serious body building at age 40 to gain weight and turn a 170-pound beanpole into a piece of human architecture.

He chose natural body building because contestants must take a polygraph test before competing to prove they haven’t used steroids, diuretics or other drugs to enhance their physiques. That’s why his muscles, while large and well-defined, aren’t as billowing as those on some bodybuilders who look like inflated rafts.

Besides weight and aerobic training, diet is key.  He eats 4,000 to 5,000 calories a day.  He spends $225 a week on groceries including high quality cuts of chicken and fish, vegetables and healthy carbohydrates.

For 12 weeks before competitions, he cuts back on his daily intake to 3,200 calories. Although eating less, he significantly increases weight and cardiovascular training all of which makes him a bit cranky.

“Friends and family start preparing for mood changes,” he said.  But his routine has produced results.

In 1996, Goodrow won the ANBC Pittsburgh Natural title in the Masters Divison for ages 35-44, and repeated the title in 1997.  That year, he also won the Westmoreland Naturals title.  After placing fifth at the ANBC national competition in 1998, he returned this year after an intense year of training and earned first place trophies for the grand master’s tall division and the overall grand master’s title.

It took some verbal massaging but finally he admitted, “Feeling healthy is great, but it also is great feeling like you look good.”

And he does.  Beside the muscles his posture is perfect and he slinks through the gym like a leopard.  I’m a guy, so I can’t to descriptive here, but his pictures are worth a thousands guffaws.

But enough about Goodrow.  I was inspired to rush home, put on my fitness gear, and do a few difficult pushups.  After that, I did some serious curls with a tasty baguette and heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes.

It takes effort to maintain these pasta appendages. And pass the Visine.