No one, but on one, can match Bill Grant when it comes to an awesome display of muscle power. His legendary posing routine - a potent mixture of high-tech, mega-muscle, and pounding sound - showcases a physique that is still unparalledled in today's Bodybuilding world. But how can so much meat be packed on one frame without appearing bulky and unbalanced? That, my friend, is what sets Bill Grant apart from the crowd. He's artfully built a physique that appeals to everyone…and therein lies the secret of his outstanding success as a Bodybuilder.

Born 40 years ago in Orange, New Jersey, Bill found Bodybuilding fame during the "Pumping Iron" years of the mid to late Seventies. His outrageous posing presentation, not to mention his rather unique personality, has won him fans the world over, and now in 1987, he's highly respected as a Bodybuilding veteran of considerable talent. Age has done little to slow the mand down. At a recent photo session, Bill unveiled a body that's definitely build for speed - he's living proof that Bodybuilders don't get older, they only get better!

This past summer, Bill took part in the Pro Muscle Bodybuilding and Fitness Training Camp, the very first of its kind held in the United States. The project was an unqualified successs, due in no small part to Bill's expertise as head counselor. Now actively seeking an acting career, Bill is still forging ahead as a Bodybuilder - and if determination, good looks, and tons of muscle are any criteria, Bill Grant will continue ot be top man.
Bill doesn't do interviews very often…but he welcomed the opportunity to reveal the more personal side of his nature. For over an hour, we dug deep into the legend that is Bill Grant. What we found was a man who knows what it takes to be a champion. He's truly one of a kind.

MTI : What kind of sports interested you as a kid? Have you always been on the husky side?

BG : Well, I really didn't participate in a lot of sports, but the ones I did play, I enjoyed. I ran track in high school, and I played baseball. I also wanted to be on the football team, but they didn't have a uniform small enough to fit me! I was only 4 foot 10 inches tall and 110 pounds. That isn't exactly prime material for a football player. But I played baseball and was a miler, and then I started working out…that's basically my athletic background in the nutshell.

MTI : What made you decide to take up weight training?

BG : As I said, I was 110 pounds, and 4 foot 10 - and at 14 years of age, I was literally one of the smallest guys in high school. I was forever getting my butt kicked, and after the local girl on the block chased me up a tree, I decided I'd better do something about the way I looked…. about trying to get myself a little bigger. I was also inspired by the muscle magazines and especially by the Steve Reeves films. I knew I could have a decent body someday if I buckled down and put in the effort.

MTI : So when did you cross the line from casual Weight Lifting to serious competitive Bodybuilding?

BG : It wasn't a matter of crossing any line - I was seriously into Bodybuilding from the stat. I didn't always have competition in mind, but I was always serious about Bodybuilding. I didn't even think about competition until I was coaxed into it by a training friend named Randy Coyle. He pushed me into my first event at 17, which was the Mr. High School New Jersey contest. I was fifth place. My first title was Jr. Mr. Suburban. That had to be in 1964 or so - around there.

MTI : And, of course, you eventually took the America.

BG : Yeah, I did. Let me put it to you this way: winning the WBBG America title was probably one of the best experiences of my life. I mean, it took me seven years of hard work. That's equivalent to Jimmy Connors winning the grand slam in tennis after having tried for five or six years. I had that same feeling; you know, after competing, training, and finally reaching the top. It was a rush.

MTI : In your early days, how did your family react towards your desire to become a Bodybuilder? Did they understand where you were coming from?

BG : My mother didn't. She always felt that if I was gonna do anything, I should plan other sports, so I could make some real money. She thought there was no money at all in Bodybuilding, and that it was a waste of time. She didn't like the idea of me going into the gym and working out - she really thought that nothing could come of it. But my two sisters encouraged me, as did my father. Now my mother accepts it, but she still kinda stands back, you know, like the old mother syndrome: stand back and be proud when you're not around. But when you are around, it's "why are you still doing this?"

MTI : Something tells me that you didn't have it too easy back then.

BG : Too easy? Man, it was a struggle. I mean, nothing came easy to me as a kid. We weren't poor, but there just wasn't enough money in the coffers to support a growing Bodybuilder - paying gym fees and buying vitamins, stuff like that. I had to earn money by working at a car wash or doing whatever I could on the side. One of my sisters had a job, and she helped me out…she'd pay me to do her chores. It was touch and go for a long time. But despite the hardships, I still managed to achieve my Bodybuilding goals.

MTI : If you had to name a specific person, whom would you say has played the most significant role in your Bodybuilding career?

BG : The main person who helped me get off the ground was Randy Coyle. This was a guy who took me when I was 14 years old, showed me exactly what I needed to do and then helped me do it. He gave me the right kind of diet, he even showed me how to train properly, which was the most important thing. And as I said earlier, he was the one who encouraged me to go for my first Bodybuilding contest.

MTI : You've been lifting now for over 20 years, and I'm sure you've seen a lot of changes in the iron game. Any comments?

BG : It's changed a hell of a lot. It's lost its sense of camaraderie. Whenever money gets involved in something, it tends to change people. And in this case, it's changed the way the sport is run and the way Bodybuilders think and feel. I can remember when I started out, when I first moved to California and trained at Gold's, we all had a great time. At 10 o'clock in the morning, we'd go to the beach for some sun, and then we'd all eat together, and party together. We saw one another socially. Today, the younger Bodybuilders aren't doing that. It's more of a "do for yourself" type of think - no one cares any more. You can't get anything from the younger Bodybuilders. They're growing up in an entirely different and selfish atmosphere. We're into an era now where steroids are being abused more and more. I'm not trying to sound like Mr. Goody-goody here, cause I'm not. But I've been very careful. I've been traiing for 27 years, and I'm still around. I've seen guys come and go through the abuse of a lot of different substances, but today it's mainly from steroids. I've seen people with liver disfunctions, kidney failure, hepatitis, you name it.

MTI : Is there a "dark side" to Bodybuilding that's pretty much kept from the public?

BG : Yeah, there's a dark side to the Bodybuilding world. It's probably something I shouldn't talk about…I'd have to go in-depth, and I'd have to name names. It wouldn't be good for them, and it wouldn't be good for me politically - so I won't go into it.

MTI : If young Bodybuilders come to you for advice, what's the first thing you'd tell them?

BG : First of all, watch your mouth. Watch what you say. It's a very political business, and things that you say can and will hurt you. What you really need to do is train, set a goal, and try to reach that goal while keeping your mouth shut. Think positively. Don't come off cocky - just be confident. There is a difference. A lot of time the judges and public don't like Bodybuilders who are cocky, and they really want to see them fail - and sometimes they even do things to guarantee that failure.

MTI : As a black Bodybuilder, do you feel that judges have treated you differently? Is there a double standard for whites and blacks in the iron game?

BG : That's a very touchy question. I do kinda feel that those particular things are happening. You can't help in this day and age to see those things going on. I mean, I've been in the business a long time, and I know the politics, and I know that most people think that blacks aren't sellable, especially in Bodybuilding. It is a business, after all, and it's no longer a sport for fun. There are people who make a considerable amount of money off Bodybuilders, and it all comes down to who can sell the most products. And basically, they want the blonde-haired, blue-eyes California surfer look. I really don't believe in that. Bodybuilders, in general, could care less about who's in that magazine, or who's holding up that can of protein powder. They just want to see the best guys in Bodybuilding; it doesn't matter if they're black, white, or whatever.

MTI : You're 40 years old now - yet you could easily pass for a man in his early 30's. Are you improving with age?

BG : Bodybuilding is the only sport where you get better with age. It's like fine wine… the older it is, the better it tastes. It's the same thing with Bodybuilding. The muscles have a change to reach maturity, which no amount of steroids can ever bring about. Only hours put into the gym, hitting that iron, and doing those reps - that's what's gonna build mature muscle, and that takes time, that comes with age. The younger Bodybuilders think they can get the same results from a bottle. Hah! They can forget it. It's not gonna happen. Oh, they look good, they look hard, they look ripped. But it's not mature, solid muscle, and that only comes with hard work.

MTI : Man oh man, your arms look like slabs of beef! What's your best body part, and what's your weakest?

BG : Oh, biceps are my best, of course. I'd have to confess that my calves are the weakest, basically because I never thought I could make them grow. Therefore, I never put a lot of energy into them like I did my arms. If I had put half as much effort into my calves 27 years ago, they'd be a hell of a lot bigger. Now I've learned that my calves will grow. I put an inch and a half on them last year, and maybe in the next year I can pack on another inch and a half and get them more in par with the rest of my body.

MTI : We've heard that you've officially withdrawn from competition…

BG : There's absolutely no truth to that! They haven't seen the last of Bill Grant. MacArthur said "I Shall Return." Well, I say the same thing: I shall return to the top of the Bodybuilding hill! Given the opportunity, given the right atmosphere and conditions, I will be able to get myself in the best shape I've ever been in. At this particular point, I'm concentrating on other things and other careers, so it's been hard for me to put all my energies into training for a Bodybuilding contest. But time is on my side, and I've never been totally out of shape - so it won't take me long to get back into the battle and win big.

MTI : Sounds like you're still a badass dude.

BG : Well, I'm a very serious Bodybuilder. It's my profession, and I take it seriously. You've heard that old saying, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going?" That's exactly what I'm all about…that's Bill Grant. I'm tough.

MTI : Is it true that you're considering a second career as an actor?

BG : Yes, and I'm planning that right now. As a matter of fact, I recently did a movie, and I just completed a video for Motown called "The Last Radio Station." I've also appeared on many talk shows in the New Jersey area, mostly to promote the Pro Muscle Bodybuilding and Fitness Training Camp that was held in Lawrenceville, New Jersey this past summer. I'm pursuing better agencies to represent me, and I'm concentrating on acting a lot more.

MTI : Will your size hinder you as an actor?

BG : It'll limit me as to what I can really do. I mean, when you're 5 feet 10, 215 pounds, it's kinda hard to cast you as a swimmer or a gymnast. So I'm handicapped in that way. I find myself playing tough guys and wrestlers and football players, but that's okay. I feel I'm a very good actor, and in time people will realize I have talent. They'll see that I'm not just a Bodybuilder, not just used for my muscles, but that I also have other marketable talents.

MTI : Since you're an actor as well as a Bodybuilder, do you find yourself attracted to the Terminator type of vehicle?

BG : Yeah, I like action films…you know, Commando and Rambo. Those are stories that I'm best suited for, so I'm drawn to them. I like romantic films, too, as long as they're not too mooshy-mooshy or too tear jerking. I like films that are gonna give me a very "up" feeling when I leave the theatre.

MTI : Are you into music at all?

BG : Oh, yeah. Rock music, disco music, classical music - any kind of music, really. I can't take too much rock, but I like it once in a while. It's not something I would buy for myself. I basically like disco - it fits me for my posing. I'm an all-around person when it comes to music, or anything else, for that matter. I can easily adjust to any type of atmosphere or culture.

MTI : You were one of the chosen few who appeared in Pumping Iron, the movie…did it help to boost your career in any way?

BG : Pumping Iron didn't open any particular doors for me - not like it did for Arnold and some of the others. I just happened to get involved because I was a big name at that time. They wanted to use all famous Bodybuilders, and I was one of the most well known. I was a natural. I didn't appear that much in the film; I only appeared in the last part, which was done in Johannesburg, South Africa at the Mr. Olympia contest.

MTI : Because of Pumping Iron, Bodybuilding has become the newest American Pastime.

BG : It's so accepted now because not only are hard-core musclemen doing it, but you have people in the professional fields who are Bodybuilding. You have famous actors…hell, even the President has a gym in the White House! All these important people are getting into fitness, and suddenly it's a trend, it's health. People want to feel good about themselves, and this is what it's all about. That's why Bodybuilding is the fastest growing sport in the world today.

MTI : This summer, you participated in a rather unique event: the Pro Muscle Bodybuilding and Fitness Training Camp. What can you tell us about it?

BG : My involvement with the Pro Muscle Bodybuilding and Fitness Training Camp was simply this: Dave Zelon approached me sometime last year and asked if I'd be interested in being the camp's first head counselor. Well, I looked at it as a great opportunity. Dave and I have been involved with each other for several years, and he has an excellent track record. The camp was gonna be done in the right fashion, and I didn't have to worry about my reputation being on the line. I realized this was a big risk we were taking, but the way Dave handles projects; I just knew we were in for a good time. I t was a very successful enterprise, and it did a lot for me. I think this is gonna be the wave of the future!

MTI : Let's get personal here for a moment - are you as out-spoken as you seem?

BG : You could say that I am. I do involve myself with the politics behind Bodybuilding, and sometimes that's been to my detriment.

MTI : What about politics in general?

BG : I like to listen to politicians. I'm very interested in what they have to say, because many never say anything. Politicians evade questions, they evade issues, and a lot of them don't do what they're elected to do. They can promise the moon, but delivery is another matter.

MTI : Speaking of politics, a hot topic has always been nudity and Bodybuilding. Care to express your opinion?

BG : I guess nudity and Bodybuilding is like nudity and anything else: as long as it's done in good taste, I don't see anything wrong with it. I think people have to get the stigma out of their minds that nudity is dirty or bad. That's just the American culture, the "American Way"…if someone's nude, then it must be dirty. The human body is a beautiful thing! I just came back from a three-year stay in Europe, and people there look at nudity a hell of a lot differently than people in America do. I used to walk on the beaches in Denmark and Sweden, and girls would run by without any tops on, and on one would look at them as anything funny, strange, or different. The police didn't arrest anyone on the beaches simply because they were naked. We were born naked, and we're all gonna die that way. What's the big deal?

MTI : So you wouldn't agree that Bodybuilders should be penalized for posing in the nude.

BG : That depends upon whether or not their photos are in poor taste, or whether they're gonna give the sport of Bodybuilding a bad name. Personally, I don't mind posing nude when the photos are done tastefully and artistically. If you were gonna pose for, say, Michaelangelo, that's certainly not lewd. Some old lad y wouldn't say, "My God, he's naked!" Just look at the statue of David - is that pornographic? No, of course not…even though it's a full-frontal nude!

MTI : It's strange, but despite your good looks, charisma, and consistently massive build, I've seen very little of you recently in the Bodybuilding press.

BG : That's an interesting observation. Maybe you should write Flex and Muscle and Fitness and ask them why. I'm around, I haven't disappeared. A lot of people would probably like me to disappear (laughs), but I'm not going anywhere. I don't know why you haven't seen that much of me. But in the future you will see a lot more. I'm expanding, not only in my Bodybuilding career, but into other fields, such as acting. I'm trying to move further away from Bodybuilding - not that I'm gonna get out of the scene completely - it's just that I'd like to test other waters.

MTI : Whatever happens, we wish you the best of luck, Bill. You sure as hell deserve it.

BG : Thanks for the vote of confidence. And I'll do my best not to disappoint you.

Magazine: Muscle Training Illustrated, June 1978

Department: The Americans In Paris

Section: Magazine Feature

Article: When the Going Gets Tough by: Rob Labbe