by Gregg Valentino
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE I LIKE TO STEP OUT OF THE USUAL NUTTY STUFF AND GIVE YOU ALL A TREAT!!!…KEEP IN MIND, I BEEN TRAINING SINCE 1972 AND I WAS EVEN IN THE GYM WHILE ARNOLD WAS TRAINING IN HIS PRIME!!!….YES I’VE BEEN THROUGH AN ERA THAT MOLDED THE SPORT OF BODYBUILDING INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY!!!!….READ & ENJOY!!!!…GV
****DINNER WITH A LEGEND >>LEON BROWN…“If I live to be a 100 years old then I guess I will be the first man to be on stage at 100 years old, I will compete as long as I am alive”.. Leon Brown….
PART#1….THIS PAST CHRISTMAS 2017 I JUST SAT DOWN AND HAD DINNER WITH MY OLD-PAL LEON BROWN AND HIS WIFE DANIELLE, 2 OF THE NICEST COOLEST PEOPLE YOU WILL EVER MEET…I FIRST MET LEON IN THE EARLY 1980’s AND WE BECAME FRIENDS AND OVER THE YEARS I’VE SAT WITH HIIM AND HEARD HIM TELL A TON OF AWSOME ARNOLD STORIES!!!….FIRST LET ME JUST REMIND YOU ALL THAT MY FRIEND .LEON BROWN IS A BODYBUILDING NATIONAL TREASURE!!!…A RARE BUT TRUE LEGEND!!!!….. AT 72 YEARS OLD LEON STILL TRAINS 6 DAYS A WEEK HITTING EACH BODYPART 3 TIMES A WEEK RELIGIOUSLY AND GAG AT THIS FACT: > SOMETIMES IF LEON FEELS A CERTAIN BODYPART NEEDS A LITTLE MORE LOVE HE WILL THEN TRAIN THAT BODYPART FOR A FEW DAYS IN A ROW!!!…..OH YEAH BABE, I LOVE IT, THAT’S “OLD SCHOOL” BABE!!!….AND GUESS WHAT??? >> LEON LEARNED THAT FROM ARNOLD HIMSELF & IT STILL WORKS FOR LEON TODAY OVER 50 YEARS LATER!!!!!……YO’ DO NOT GIVE ME ANY BULLSHIT ABOUT OVER-TRAINING, IT DOESN’T EXIST, THERE IS NO SUCH THING, THERE IS ONLY UNDER RECUPERATION AND IT’S NOT THE SAME THING!!!…PRACTICE MAKES PERFICT SO REMEMBER I TOLD YOU ALL THAT!!!!!!…ANYWAY LEON BROWN IS LIVING PROOF OF THIS ,,,,AS A MATTER OF FACT, LEON IS CURRENTLY OFF A CYCLE ( OH YES ITS TRUE HATERZ ) AND AT 72 YEARS OF AGE LEON BROWN CAN STILL HANG WITH MOST PRO’S TODAY….NOW GET THIS SHIT, ON THE DAY WE WENT TO DINNER TOGETHER LEON HAD JUST TRAINED HIS CHEST FOR THE 4TH DAY IN A ROW AND I GOTTA TELL YA, HIS CHEST LOOKED AS GOOD AS ANYONE ELSE IN THE OLYMPIA LINE UP!!!!……AGAIN, SO MUCH FOR OVER-TRAINING AND RIGHT NOW LEON IS CLEAN TOO (OH YES HE IS HATERZ- EAT IT AND LIKE IT…wink ) …BY THE WAY AT 72 YEARS OLD LEON STILL SQUATS 450 TO 500 POUNDS > 3 TIMES A WEEK!!!…UMMM, OH YES HE DOES!!!!!!…..KINDA GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING YOU EVER READ AND I FOR ONE FUCKING LOVE IT!!!!!. …LEON DOES EVERYTHING INSTINCTIVELY AND HE LOVES TO USE THE TERM “MODERATION”,,,HE TRAINS HARD BUT DOES NOT ANNIHILATE HIS BODYPARTS,,,, INSTEAD HE HITS EACH MUSCLE GROUP HARD AND MORE FREQUENT WITH LOTS OF SETS & LOTS OF REPS,,,,JUST LIKE HIS DAYS OF TRAINING WITH ARNOLD & FRANCO COLUMBO……BY THE WAY, SPEAKING OF FRANCO COLUMBO ,,,, NOT ONLY DID LEON BEAT FRANCO COLUMBO FOR THE MR. INTERNATIONAL ,,,BUT HE ALSO USED TO BE ONE OF FRANCO’S TRAINING PARTNERS!!!!…… AND AS THEY (LEON,,, ARNOLD,,, AND FRANCO) ALL TRAINED TOGETHER JOKESTER – ARNOLD USED TO BREAK FRANCO’S BALLS ABOUT LEON > BEATING HIM!!!……OH YEAH BABE,,ITS TRUE – EVERYDAY IN THE GYM, ARNOLD WOULD REMIND FRANCO THAT LEON BEAT HIM!!!…YA GOTTA KNOW FRANCO COLUMBO (I DO) TO APPRECIATE THAT STORY BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THEY (LEON,,, ARNOLD AND FRANCO) ALL TRAINED TOGETHER,,, FOR A LITTLE WHILE FRANCO WOULDN’T TALK TO LEON!!!… YO IMAGINE THAT SHIT,,,FRANCO HAD SORE FEELINGS BECAUSE LEON BEEAT HIM SO ALTHOUGH THEY WOULD TRAIN TOGETHER ,,,,THEY DIDN’T TALK!!!…LOL…HEY LEON IS A VERY EASY GOING QUIET GUY BUT,,,JOKESTER ARNOLD WOULD NOT LET FRANCO LIVE IT DOWN!!!!,…HEY, I’M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU ALL THE COOL ARNOLD STUFF RIGHT NOW, IM GOING TO TEASE YOU A LITTLE BIT, IM GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL THE ARNOLD STUFF NEXT MONTH IN JUNE!!!…BUT FOR NOW,,,,HERES A LITTLE FUN FACT THAT NOT TO MANY PEOPLE KNOW > LEON BROWN WAS THE FIRST BODYBUILDER TO BE FEATURED IN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED AND THAT WAS IN THE JULY 10th 1972 ISSUE!!!…EVEN ARNOLD GAGGED AT THAT BUT WAS HAPPY FOR LEON AFTER BREAKING LEON’S BALLS ABOUT IT!!!!!…ARNOLD WAS A HUGE BALL BUSTER!!!!…..OH TRUST ME,,,, LEON HAS SOME GREAT ARNOLD STORIES THAT I’M GONNA GET INTO IN JUNE AND TO THIS DAY LEON HAS ARNOLD’S PERSONAL CELL PHONE NUMBER AND THEY STILL TALK AND LAUGH ABOUT THE OLD DAYS TOGETHER!!!!…DAMN,,,I BET ARNOLD HAS FAMILY MEMBERS WHO DO NOT HAVE HIS CELL NUMBER,,, BUT LEON DOES!!!…..AS A MATTER OF FACT WHEN LEON AND ARNOLD TALK ON THE PHONE, IT IS ARNOLD WHO ALWAYS STARTS TALKING ABOUT BODYBUILDING AND THE GOOD OLD DAYS!!!……I LOVE IT BECAUSE LEON BRINGS OUT THE YOUNG BODYBUILDER IN ARNOLD, > THE BODYBUILDER WE ALL REMEMBER & IDOLIZE!!!….I WOULD LOVE TO BE A FLY ON THE WALL LISTENING INTO THAT CONVERSATION!!!…… WHEN I WAS HANGING OUT WITH LEON, HE SHOWED ME A CHRISTMAS LETTER ( NOT CARD, ACTUAL HAND WRITTEN LETTER ) HE GOT FROM ARNOLD WRITTEN BY ARNOLD HIMSELF TO LEON AND DANIELLE JUST 2 DAYS BEFORE WE HAD OUR DINNER TOGETHER!!! ……UNDERSTAND THIS, EVERY YEAR AT THE ARNOLD CLASSIC, ARNOLD GIVES LEON A SPECIAL “ONE OF A KIND” ARNOLD CLASSIC JACKET AND ARNOLD EVEN HAS LEON WALK AROUND AND HANGOUT WITH HIM!!!…..YO LET ME JUST TELL YA,,,I MUST NOW GIVE PROPS TO ARNOLD FOR HIS LOVE & LOYAL FRIEND OF LEON BROWN…YES, ITS TRUE, ARNOLD HAS NEVER FORGOTTEN HIS OLD FRIEND LEON BROWN AND ARNOLD HIMSELF WILL BE THE FIRST ONE TO TELL YOU THAT HE HAS A WARM SPOT IN HIS HEART FOR LEON…THEY MET AS YOUNG BODYBUILDERS AND FROM DAY ONE OF ARNOLD BEING HERE IN AMERICA BACK IN THE LATE 1960’s AND THEY HIT IT OFF RIGHT AWAY AND THEY HUNGOUT TOGETHER,,, ATE TOGETHER,,, TRAINED TOGETHER,,, AND PARTIED TOGETHER IN ARNOLDS APARTMENT!!!…OH YEAH BABE – IT’S TRUE,,,AND I LOVE IT LEON LOVES AND RESPECTS ARNOLD AS MUCH AS ARNOLD LOVES AND RESPECTS LEON!!! … LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ON HOW MUCH ARNOLD LOVES LEON BROWN > TO THIS DAY > EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE LEON GETS SOMETHING SENT TO HIM IN THE MAIL FROM ARNOLD!!!….AS A MATTER OF FACT ONE TIME LEON & DANIELLE CAME HOME TO FIND A BOX SITTING THERE AT LEON’S APARTMENT DOOR ….LEON WASN’T SURE WHAT TO MAKE OF IT, AND HE WAS ACTUALLY AFRAID TO OPEN THE BOX TILL DANIELLE READ THAT IT WAS FROM ARNOLD……SO LEON THEN OPENED THE BOX AND FOUND A RARE COLLECTORS “ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER GOVERNOR’S BEER STEIN”…..IMAGINE THAT SHIT,,,A GIFT FROM ARNOLD LEFT AT YOUR FRONT DOOR STEP???…….DAMN!!!!……AND LETS NOT FORGET IT WAS ARNOLD WHO HAD THE PRODUCERS OF THE MOVIE “STAY HUNGRY” CALL LEON AND TELL HIM THEY WANT HIM IN THAT MOVIE!!!…ONE AGAIN ARNOLD WAS LOOKING OUT FOR HIS BUDDY!!! THE FUNNY PART OF THE STORY IS THAT LEON ACTUALLY THOUGHT IT WAS A PRANK CALL TILL ARNOLD FINALLY CALLED HIM AND TOLD HIM “LEON GET OUT HERE TO BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA AND DO THE MOVIE WITH ME!!!”……YO’ THAT’S LOVE, AND THAT’S RESPECT FOR YOUR BOY,,,, HEY GOOD LOOKIN OUT ARNOLD!!!! wink…MORE ON THAT STORY NEXT MONTH!!….ANYONE WHO EVER MEETS LEON BROWN SEE’S EXACTLY WHAT ARNOLD SEE’S IN LEON , A VERY EASY GOING & GENTILE MAN WHO LOVES WHAT HE DOES (BODYBUILDING) AND A MAN WHO DOESN’T HAVE A BAD BONE IN HIS BODY!!!!……SO NOW,,,LEON BROWN WHO AT 72 YEARSOLD WILL STEP OUT OF THE TWILIGHT ZONE OF 1966 FROM WHEN HE FIRST STEPPED ON STAGE AS A YOUNG BODYBUILDER AND ONTO THE STAGE SOMETIME AGASIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE!!!..AND NO,,, LEON PROBABLY WILL NOT WIN BUT HE WILL HAVE FUN, HE WILL BE HAPPY AND HE WILL BE DOING WHAT HE LOVES TO DO (COMPETE) …IF HE HAD HIS CHOICE LEON BROWN ONE DAY DIE ON STAGE WHERE HE BELONGS,,, WITH HIS LATS SPREAD AND HIS CHIN IN THE AIR!!! … AND BY THE WAY AT 72 YEARS OLD LEON BROWN COULD STILL HOLD HIS OWN AGAINST GUYS WHO COULD BE HIS GRAND-CHILDREN!!!… AND MEANWHILE,,, SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER WILL BE BUSY WITH HIS ACTING CAREER WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN HE WILL REMEMBER HIS FRIEND FOR 50 YEARS WILL STILL BE “LIVING THE DREAM” ON STAGE SOMEWHERE AND AT THAT VERY MOMENT LEON’S FRIEND ARNOLD WILL SMILE THAT BIG ARNOLD GRIN OF HIS AND HE WILL BE ROOTING IN HIS HEART FOR HIS OLD FRIEND “THE LEGENDARY LEON BROWN” ….AND JUST TO LET YOU ALL KNOW > I TOO WILL BE ROOTING FOR MY OLD FRIEND LEON BROWN SO THAT MAKES 2 OF US ARNOLD!!! … LETS GO LEON BROWN!!!….NEXT MONTH SOME CRAZY COOL STORIES OF LEON BROWN AND ARNOLD TOGETHER…YOU WONT WANT TO MISS THIS…HOW ARNOLD MET LEON…WHO WAS THE BAD ASS – ‘BACK IN THE DAY’ OF GOLDS GYM, (THE GROUCHY- BAD MOOD -TUFF GUY –WHO HATED EVERYONE!!)….ARNOLD & FRANCO DRIVING LEON AROUND CALIFORNIA…MORE STORIES ABOUT TRAINING WITH ARNOLD IN GOLDS GYM!!!….LEON IN A RACIST ALABAMA AFTER BEING WARNED BY ARNOLD ON THE SET OF STAY HUNGRY AND WHAT HAPPENED AT NIGHT!!!….ROGER CALLARD LOSING IT IN THE GYM…..LEON EATING BREAKFAST EVERY DAY WITH A YOUNG ARNOLD AND WHAT THEY BOTH ATE!!!…. AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!!!!!……OH YEAH BABE,,,TRUST ME, IT’S A LOT OF NEW STUFF YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE!!!!…SO SEE YA HERE NEXT MONTH WITH A SPECIAL IRONMAG LABS ’RAMBLIN FREAK’ PROFILE RANT…TILL THEN STOP FUCKIN AROUND,,, STOP BEING A MOMO ,,,,AND FUCK OFF...GV…..“What I’m doing is the thing I want to do. I don’t care what other people think. If the rest of the world disagrees and says I shouldn’t waste my time, I still will be a bodybuilder. I love it. I love the feeling in my muscles, I love the competition, and I love the things it gives me”….. Arnold Schwarzenegger
