Paul Grant
Bodybuilder
Personal info
Born(1943-06-26)26 June 1943
Swansea, Wales
Died23 November 2003(2003-11-23) (aged 60)
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)

Paul Grant (26 June 1943 – 23 November 2003) was a Welsh body builder who won the "amateur tall" category of the Mr. Universe contest in 1973[1] and went on to become an ambassador for the sport.[2][3] Grant also won titles including Mr. Wales, Mr. Britain, Mr. Europe and Mr. World, and placed 2nd in the World Championships two times.[3] Grant was 5 ft 11 and at his peak weighed 16 stones (224 pounds) with a 50-inch chest and 33-inch waist.[3]

Early life

Grant was born in Swansea[2] on 26 June 1943 (he was a twin).[3] He started lifting weights at the age of 16.[3] He spent his childhood years running cross-country, and at age 16 dropped out of school to start his own business - a bread delivery service. In the evenings, he spent time working out and bulking up.[4] He married Christine (née Mason) in 1967 who went on to become Miss Universe Bikini.[3]

Bodybuilding career

Grant moved near Venice Beach, California in the early 1970s where he trained at Gold's Gym with Arnold Schwarzenegger.[3] Schwarzenegger became Grant's friend and they appeared in the 1976 documentary Pumping Iron together.[3] While in California Grant worked for Joe Weider.[3]

Paul competed in the NABBA Universe competition in 1971, placing 2nd in the tall class 1. He was particularly known for his overall muscularity and superb delts, fantastically cut abs and great thigh sweep.

Accomplishments

Year Body Competition Division Placing
1970 NABBA Mr. Universe Tall 6th
1971 NABBA Mr. Britain 2nd
1971 Mr. Europe Tall 1st & Overall
1971 NABBA Mr. Universe Tall 2nd
1971 AAU Mr. World Tall 1st
1971 AUU Mr. World Overall 2nd
1971 AUU Mr. World Most Muscular 2nd
1972 NABBA Mr. Britain 1st
1972 NABBA Mr. Universe Tall 1st
1973 NABBA Mr. Universe Tall 1st
1973 WBBG Pro Mr. World 2nd
1974 IFBB Universe Tall 3rd
1975 IFBB Universe Tall 3rd
1977 IFBB European Amateur Championships Heavyweight 2nd
1977 IFBB Universe Heavyweight 3rd
1978 IFBB USA vs the World Heavyweight 4th

[5] [6]

Diet

For breakfast he would eat four unsweetened Weetabix moistened with a little milk and washed down by a drink of egg powder concentrate mixed with water. During the day he would eat steak, chicken and peas, with a little non-fat ice cream and four more egg powder drinks. He consumed over 9,000 powdered eggs a year.

Retirement

Grant moved back to Swansea where he ran a health food store and then a gym.[3] He was president of the Welsh Federation of Body-Builders for 25 years from 1978, in charge of staging the Mr. Wales and Mr. Britain competitions.[3]

Controversies

View on steroids

Paul had said that he did not take steroids but only because he could put on weight without them. However controversially, he did not disapprove. "All them kids in Biafra are on steroids," he said in an interview in 1973. "Builds them up. Fills them out. Does them good, and that's a fact.”

Health issues and death

Grant developed a kidney disease in his 30s. Because of this, his eyesight was poor and he had to spend three days per week, eight hours a day attached to a dialysis machine. This led to a transplant operation in 1985.

He died at the age of 60 on 23 November 2003.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ "NABBA 1973 Mr Universe result list". Retrieved 2013-12-22.
  2. 1 2 3 "Former Mr Universe dies aged 60". BBC. December 3, 2003.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Paul Grant". The Telegraph. December 3, 2003.
  4. ↑ https://www.trulyhuge.com/paul-grant-bodybuilder.html
  5. ↑ https://www.greatestphysiques.com/male-physiques/paul-grant/
  6. ↑ http://musclememory.com/show.php?s=Paul+grant&g=M
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.