[Music] all right [Music] welcome back to another RX muscle exclusive I am super excited about today's interview of course I'm Dave Palumbo and I'm here with an ifbb legend himself and good friend of mine Kevin levrone welcome to the show man thank you for having me Dave when you asked me to come on man I was like this is long overdue so thanks a lot you know I was thinking I said you know I haven't had Kevin on in a long time and I said uh I gotta you know the the landscape of the bodybuilding world has changed so much over the last couple years I really wanted to get your feedback on it because you know you were one of the guys who you know from the Golden Era who made this Sport and I want to see what you what you feel about where we've come as far as the marketing and far as the opportunity for athletes to go out and create their own brand I think it's phenomenal I think it's it's taking it to another whole another whole Stratosphere as far as far as that's concerned and let's get back to the opportunities as far as for the athletes you know there's a lot of categories out there that the NPC created I think that's great and to see everyone involved you know you travel around the world you see the sport just blowing up I see the sport blowing up all over the entire world so those those those aspects of it I think is it's on it's amazing you know everyone wants to have that opportunity to uh you know to make their brain successful and I think it certainly opened up the floodgates to do that as far as the uh you know hardcore bodybuilding aspect of it I think it's watered down what a down when I say water down I'm talking about as far as the um back in the day when we were there it was this you know we were balls through the walls with our diets we were balls through the walls with training uh we worked out with a lot of free weights I see a lot of guys on the machines now um and of course you know talking about the um you know the the the the gear that they take I mean it's at it's not another whole Stratosphere with that and I think Dave we we really relied on a lot of a lot of diet and a lot of hard work in the basics of what the sport was really built on you know I was talking to Chris aceto the other day about you and we were talking about the Night of Champions uh when you won that and was that 92 yeah 1992. 30 years ago Kevin can you believe it I can't believe how time flies man yeah very long time and uh I mean that physique I asked Chris what he thought about that physique that you brought to that show and this is you'd only been a pro for a year and you know he said that would probably win the Olympia this year uh you know I mean it's it's it was mind-boggling you know what you're what you were able to do with your body and you know I want to talk about the Arnold Classic and your thoughts about that in a minute but I want you to just comment for a minute you in 92 93 I mean you were just like off the charts like I mean you were on fire I mean talk to me about the were you like baffled by the the progress that your body made over those years I was now that I sit back and I look at it I I think that that was pretty incredible and phenomenal but when you're when you're actually in the zone and it's happening too you don't realize what's happening or how quick or fast is happening now that I've retired and I'm sitting back and I'm you know flopping through looking at the pictures it's pretty mind-blowing you know um to get into the preparation of that you know I will get up four o'clock in the morning on an empty stomach I would do like 45 minutes of cardio on a stair stepper before I would eat anything this fasted cardio my target heart rate's over burning fat I would do that for like three months straight you know those are the some of the things that I did I drink a gallon of water a day my first meal will start at uh nine o'clock I would eat every two hours I'll eat in four four thousand eight hundred calories of fish chicken I mean no chicken I was just through Straight fish fish rice and broccoli I didn't eat meat I wouldn't really do any chicken I just stayed I just stayed away from the ketchup it was just a really really strict diet that was my my morning workout and then dieting so by by four or five o'clock in the evening when I got about five meals and I go back to the gym and I spend like an hour two two hours in the gym you know going through chest shoulders and triceps but again working out with free weights you know um bench pressing just just the whole nuts and bolts that you need to build a physique bench squats you know I really didn't do a lot of Dennis but when I trained I trained with free weights and I train real real heavy and this process took me for about you know about three three months leading up to her contest but it was this balls through the walls you know I get home at night time apparently it took me like three hours to go to sleep because my body was just such a shock of training and then there was a lot of things going on with my body also Dave you know I was a hyper responder so my body needed a lot of sleep you know I was sleeping about 10 hours a day right but it was a full-time job of me waking up doing cardio on an empty stomach I would cut my meals off at seven o'clock at night I would be starving just to get that skin uh thin that thin skin you know and it was just strictly all on fish for like three months and um it was it was a lot of sacrifice a lot of pain but I mean that's when I say pain I'm talking about like just uh the mental the mental aspect of it and you know you realize that when your body fat starts dropping you know there was I think at that night a champion I got my body fat tested I was probably about three percent you know legitimate three percent and um you know your your respond time is people ask you a question it takes you a while for everything the process you know and it's just said another level man and um that's I think that's kind of how Chris and I really really connected because you know he he knows what dieting is all about he knows what that fish rice and broccoli can do and uh he's a true Testament of that because that's what he believes in as well so you know what the funny thing was you weren't worried like a lot I see a lot of these guys today am I going to be full enough I need I need three four six hundred thousand grams of carbs a day you wait you ate no carbs you ate just like you said fish and vegetables and look at I mean you have the size but you have that separation in the muscle that was just you could see you suffered you had that suffering look on your face when you're on stairs you know you know we call it the skeleton the skeletons and um you know there were there were times Dave when I was even when I when I would go on tour there's you know we would experience I would experiment with carbs and stuff I dropped out carbs in about two weeks I was just eat fish and lettuce for about two weeks but you know greater the sacrifice is greater the reward you know yeah and I don't think the guys realize that this is what it takes to get that thin skin this is what it takes to get the rips the shreds but you know not only do we shred away the fat between uh the skin we shred away the fat within the muscle yep no intramuscular yeah it's another whole level of dieting but then again you know um what I would go through and what I would feel like on stage I mean I look good but I felt like I didn't have much much to work off of at all do you think that's why the 212 guys that are moving up to the open class are having a lot of success in today's day and age because these are guys that had to make weight these are guys that are dieting harder to you know to get the conditioning and to suck down to that 212 and they know what it is to to go through a contest diet and bring in their best look and I think they're coming in and beating these bigger guys because I I quite frankly think their conditioning is better yeah I mean I have to agree with you with that I was backstage sitting right off the side of Backstage when the guy was walking off and uh I saw the difference you know and you your eyes can't help but gravitate towards what's ripped what's shredded and what's cut you know we don't Size Doesn't Matter you know the leader always said that you know this sport is an illusion you have to create that illusion you know guys like Lee Labrada created the illusion you know guys like Sean Ray created the illusion big is good but you have to have that combination of being shredded with size and shape than if you can carry it carry it carry it like that but it's all all about getting ripped and shredded and that's what that's what we're missing uh today and I think guys like us who came up in that era of the joita era you know we we kind of we know the difference and we kind of look to see that on stage because we compare those guys to what what we're used to seeing what success is rewarded for Kev let me ask you about big Ramy big Ramy two-time Mr Olympia loses the Olympia fifth place uh this past December he decided he is going to do the Arnold Classic is this a good move for him do we think we're going to see rammy re-establish himself and win this show or is this going to pretty much confirm that he is maybe on the decline and and uh maybe he should retire what do you think you know I mean as sad as it is to see him lose you know I was there I mean I it took probably took the win out of his sails because I know the fans and people like me watching that was it was a tough blow thinking far as uh an athlete and a champion wanting to redeem himself that's that's a normal that's probably a normal move for him um who can say what the future will bring for him you know we can we can sit back and we can say well you know he can't do this or this can't be done I mean he's still young I believe he's still young uh time will tell you know what Falls because there was a time day when when I tore my chest and people call me fly by Nate I couldn't come back and I couldn't do this yeah at this stage because it's so it's so fresh of all these things that he's going to at this stage let's I say let's just see where the chips fall you know I mean I wish him nothing but the best and um if he doesn't go in there and win this on a classic then I can't say that it's over for him um why do you think rammy has trouble bringing conditioning to the stage because it seems like that's we probably should have seen him win at least four or five olympias and there's just been yeah shows where he showed up and he just wasn't at his best is it the coaching I can't believe it's the coaching or is it is it the person that's not willing to suffer I mean I think knowing Ramya knowing his personality and I've sit down and I've talked with him he's not as crazy he's not as crazy as somebody like you [Laughter] I mean I'm gonna put it to you straight you gotta you gotta be half crazy you know what I mean to take it to that to that edge and just say you know what I don't give a [ __ ] what happens I'm gonna put my life on the line for the show I've certainly felt like that and I've certainly did that a lot of times I don't think he has the balls and the guts to uh even take it to that place to where he needs to say you know what no matter what happens I'm going to take it and get ripped and get shredded right I just don't think it's in his DNA you know what no one's you know really brought that up that's an interesting point you make uh let me give me your take on uh you know Arnold Schwarzenegger raising the prize money at the Arnold to 300 000 and the response from the athletes which was seeing a lot of guys jumping into the show and what's your take on that I think I think it you guys see that as an opportunity to uh to certainly make money um they're probably looking at the landscape and seeing who's competing and probably trying to figure out if it's worthwhile for them to jump in it or not how stiff the competition is going to be um I I think it's a good move I think they should go out there and make the money I mean it's all about what's the point of being a professional if you're not going to get shape and compete and it's all about getting on stage using it using your physique as as a business because this is a business you know you can't get all emotional and and try to duck shows and and run out of a show because there's competition get out there where the competition is see how good you are and you only got that small window of opportunity I mean you know by the grace of God I made it 14 years in the industry as far as competing but there's a small window for us to make money in this sport so I say you know hats off to the guys that's jumping in it uh go do all the shows you possibly can but do it smart you know um for me you know it was like you get in shape I'm glad we had the European tours because we go from once you get in shape you can maintain it was easier to maintain that [ __ ] right instead of getting in shape you know and then waiting and coming back and just dieting up and down that's that's got to be well you had your you had your special potion too right the alcohol and coffee potion yeah but they've also had you I had you I had you with the loaded guns the knowledge you were the freaking Doctor you you knew more about the the chemical compounds than anybody I've ever ran into in my life and I I never forget what you did for me at the 90s I think it's a 96 I don't know where you dropped down from uh from your home from New York City up up in that area yeah and we spent some time together and I wanted to know about growth hormone and I wanted to know what these guys was doing to stay in the mix you know when you came down and you um you you taught me and you showed me some things that and I really appreciate that man and I went on to win that show and I want to say thank you dude yeah you've been a you've been a huge inspiration to to not only me but a lot of bodybuilders man and you know we we respect you for that and um you're a good man brother good man thank you thank you it means a lot to me appreciate that yeah I have a lot of respect you know I have a lot of respect for you too I know dude thank you now let me ask you another question because you know well first of all Kevin levrone if you would have done the if you were competing in these uh these shows nowadays if you would have done the Olympian in December you absolutely would have done the Arnold right I don't think you would have you would have done it probably even without the 300 000 prize money right yeah yeah I would have did it I would have definitely done it because yeah got my Pro card and you know you're you're in there's nothing wrong with you and you've got to make money shape and why not go do it that's what we do explain to explain to the competitors that may be watching this why it's important to do the big shows like the Arnold like the Olympia because this it's it's not it is about the money but it's also about you know your legacy right I mean yeah I mean you want to you want to follow in the footsteps where the greats have stepped on stage I mean Arnold Schwarzenegger nobody nobody did it better than him I mean he he was he was The Godfather that opened doors for this for all of us pretty much you know with with Joe weeder by his side support so you talk about those huge shows like that you know the production and just the people behind that show and the fact that Arnold was there and get a chance to meet him be around him to learn some things like Dave I I compete at the Arnold Classic because I wanted to win and I wanted to get close to Arnold so that I could learn how to be a better bodybuilder you know that was my purpose for for going and um you know so I think it's very important to if you want to be the best in this sport you gotta you got you got to jump on the bigger the biggest stage in this sport against the best competition in this sport to prove how good you are did Arnold ever give you any uh advice did you ever have a sit-down conversation with him where he said Hey Kevin this is what you should do or this is how you should Advance your career any ever have a conversation like that with them you know Dave I wanted to win an Arnold so bad and that was the first show that I won after I ripped my chest right um I won the show because I wanted to ask Arnold about the business aspect of bodybuilding how did he get in the bodybuilding you know I wanted to just know pick his brain about sure time that he spent with Joe Weider and the only way for me to do that was to win the show because if you do win the show you get the you know you get to do it you get to meet Arnold you get to spend some time with him and the next day after the show I think we did a seminar question and stuff like that so that allowed me to be in front of him and then when I did get in front of Arnold I said Hey listen um uh how did you get into the acting industry you know and I'll never forget it I was walking off stage in Arnold says don't worry we lost Kevin oh there you are sorry he said don't worry I'll have my people contact you and I was like well I don't know I don't know what that meant so I came home and uh two weeks later um his assistant contacted my gym right said Arnold would like to invite you to the movie set up in the days wow I was like what and he had never forgot that he had never forgot it man and I went out there they paid for me to come out and um I spent uh four days with him on that movie Set just picking his brain about this yeah how he got involved with the industry uh we were setting the trailer eating bagels asking about Joe Weider asking about his life back in Austria I just asked him about everything that I possibly wanted to to get right out of my brain questions that I needed to have answered and it was it was a great time good memories man and um to this day he still remembers when I see him what what did you learn from Arnold and what would you say was the most valuable piece of advice he gave you I think I think more than more the most valuable piece is confidence you know being being confident in yourself and not being being afraid to take chances and to take risks and to believe in yourself you know Arnold Arnold's the type of guy that you know he really believes in the things that he says and he believes you know it's the mind the mind can really make some things happen so I think that's that's what I've learned from him to just see where he came from and see where he's at right now it's pretty amazing how and there was no blueprint there was nobody to really teach him so that's a lot of self-belief and confidence within yourself and believing the things that you want to achieve in life you know that's what I learned from him when you decided to become an actor remember and you you did some you started getting into the movies and you were you had a few parts um why do you think that you didn't go all the way with that because I thought you were going to be like the next like you could have been the next big action star I really I really thought you were going to do it did you lose interest in it or or did you hit like a roadblock what what stopped you I I got to California then I realized that how that industry really it works you know it's almost like I was there for six years and then I realized that most people most people up there it's almost like you gotta buy your way in oh really you gotta buy your way in unless you don't have if you have money to invest or somebody to invest in you yeah and you bring in something to that film or that picture you're not going to get a you're not going to get a role if you think back and you look back at you know how Arnold got in I think Joe Weider had a lot to do with that because we had the exposure of the magazine so Rita was able to say Hey listen you know if you put Arnold here I can I can bring more exposure to your movie throughout the whole entire world with the magazine so there's a lot at that level at that level of bargaining you know why would they bring Kevin levrone in like what is he bringing besides you know I mean so you got you gotta like if you got pockets if you got Deep Pockets yeah then you can put money up and and create your own uh your own film and all that stuff in California but if you don't you're going to be cold calling and I I think the other way to get in is you know we what we know is the couch calls you know what I mean [Laughter] did you ever reach out to Arnold to try to get help you get in into Hollywood or is that something Arnold gave you the books Arnold Arnold told me to go out and buy these books he told me to take acting lessons from Marcellus and I did all those things he also hooked me out with Walter Von huni I did every single thing Arnold told me to and um of course it got me it got me into you know a few a few pictures I mean obviously maybe about three or four movies and stuff but once I realized that you know what would it take to get to the next level I just was like you know what my son is turning three I I got to go back home to be a father to my son and priorities had to had to take place instead of me putting you know Kevin in front of you know what I wanted out of life I I had to wake up and come back to Maryland and be a father to my son you probably made the right decision in the long run because you know you're doing very well now with the supplement company and uh you know sometimes we have to put our egos aside I always tell people thank God and I'm sure you feel the same way I didn't have a child while I was actually competing because I would have been the worst dad of all time uh you know I was able to now now that I'm not competing be a good great father to my kids because I'm there for them you know yeah you're a good dad man I see what you're doing Dave and um like I said man you're a role model to a lot of us you know behind you you don't even we don't recognize I mean people's lives that we actually touch and I see what you're doing man and also know that you have you have you know you have a challenge you have surgery coming up and all that stuff yeah yeah praying for you man we're all praying for you brother wish you a speedy recovery I hope you got my text that I sent you yeah I said that yeah I appreciate it you ever need anything man I'm here for you care for your family because you've always been there for me so thank you so much appreciate it um if I drop dead support my family for the right now just kidding Kev I want to ask you I want to go back to the Arnold for a second because there's a couple bodybuilders just want to get your opinion on because you know Andrew Jack is a new guy on the Block he's only been competing for a year kind of reminds me of Ronnie the Ronnie Coleman story you know Ronnie came out of nowhere got his Pro card the first year actually got his program the same year you won the Nationals because he went to the World Championships he was all natural the next thing you know the guy is a pro um do you see any similarities between an Andrew Jack and a Ronnie Coleman or and what do you think his potential is moving forward shape you know I think I think shape and what was his age though Dave how old is he he's a little older yeah I think but he he started late you know so Ronnie started a little later too than everyone else you know yeah I think um I don't know how his I don't know how his yeah I don't know how his training approach is but um definitely definitely Shake man I mean he's uh he's training with psycho Lewis now who was training Sean Rhoden now out in California he moved from Dubai to California he's training with him every day he's actually living in Psycho Lewis's house so yeah I think that's a good move on his part you know I I think it is too I mean there's there's a lot of factors that go in to play you know you talk about Ronnie Coleman Ronnie Coleman turned Pro when he was all natural he was all natural you know I don't know how many guys are doing that nowadays you know very few yeah definitely what do you think uh do you think he's a guy who could win the Arnold Classic can he win the Olympia one day in your mind I never thought Ronnie come will win Olympia I don't think Ronnie did either at home you know that being said I mean anything is possible right right really is yeah what do you think about uh Nick Walker Nick Walker's like you know the like the the new face of the block he's the new Kevin levrone you know who came out of nowhere Nick Walker is scares me he scares me um because of his size um and the mass that he's walking around with you know uh it's it's kind of it's kind of scary man you're like how do you think I I think if I was Nick I would focus on quality quality you know quality will take you far you know like he doesn't need to be any bigger just just tone it down get ripped get shredded try to take what you have that physique you have and just get it top-notch quality you know sizes and everything and size is okay when you're ripped to the Bone and you know you gotta just got to be careful to where he doesn't spill over you know you don't think in other words you think bigger might make his shape worse is what you're really trying to say yeah yeah I I I think I think that's uh for sure what will happen you know quality so my advice to Nick is just focus on quality man you have enough size just bring it in rip bring it in shred it trust me bodybuilders illusion yeah and one more person I wanted to get your opinion on because also another guy who is Ronnie Coleman is reminiscent of that Samson Dowda who's been obviously making some leaps and downs of the improvements he's made over the last three years are incredible he's got the big tall structure small waist uh what do you like about him what what needs Improvement in your mind um I would like to see this the quality as far as the def more more separation Dave initially pretty much yeah conditioning man I think these guys is focus on conditioning you know bringing oops sorry he looks good he looks good and I remember I saw him when I was over in uh Dubai yeah and uh just just the conditioning man he's got small tiny waist and everything he looks good just just the conditioning bring that conditioning you know with that amount of size if you just get ripped and shredded don't be afraid to lose that you know to lose a little more water and a little more you know body fat right just bring that illusion bring it down guys if some of these guys are afraid to uh they got looking at the scale throw the scale in the trash can look in the mirror and judge by the mirror you know I I feel like uh like you're reiterating everything that I say but I I agree with you 100 I think that there's a I think there's a lot of really good physiques out there today better than there was five years ago and I think that with like your what you're saying is if these guys would just focus on bringing in that Ultra shredded conditioning we'd be saying we got the best guys of all time competing nowadays you know we would yes we would man they just sizes in it and everybody's stuck on this size thing with open bodybuild stop thinking about that take that size you have guys all of you guys because I've seen every last one when I was at the Olympia they they need to lose about six to eight more pounds you know you're right between between water and whatever else was going on and I didn't see one single person didn't I didn't see their face caved in you know everybody's in this good mood I'm like [ __ ] day when I was competing miserable you Flex was on the floor laid out like he was like in the coma too we had oxygen we had oxygen oxygen our mandatories we couldn't we couldn't breathe by the time we got backstage that's how pushed far along we are these guys are walking off sitting around laughing and out after parties out there was I don't see how they find a strength to do it that tells me they're not all the way 100 chicks well you know you know what it is though I I blame sometimes I blame the what some of the con the constructive criticism that they're hearing from you know judges which is they want to see them rounder or you know sometimes I when I hear a judge say I want you Fuller or the muscle rounder what really what they're meaning people are interpreting that is they got to be more carved up what it really needs is you need to be bigger right your back is not as full then it means you got to put more muscle there because no one had a bigger back than Dorian Yates and he would die it down probably yeah and I was saying Dorian Yates probably could have competed 20 pounds heavier if he wanted to but he wanted to bring that ridiculous nutty conditioning in so that no one would be able to touch him and that's why he was so impressive in person I think yeah you're 100 right man 100 you had to see him in person pictures don't do them Justice it was a freak he was free I mean how else could he have beat you guys like you and flex and you know Nasser and and Cormier because and Sean because he was so big but he had the crazy crisp conditioning that if rammy never brought that in he'd win 20 olympias you know he was just very very very grainy yeah he was Hardcore he was tough he was rough he came to just destroy people you know his personality exuberated on stage you knew you knew you you you you just couldn't you just couldn't couldn't stand next to him there was no weaknesses in dorier's personality no weakness in his presentation no weakness in his training you know he just he just wasn't soft he was a hardcore badass badass dude man you know I I mean that's why we call him the Shadow and he'd get over there get backstage he wouldn't talk he would he would just he was just brutal he was just a badass brutal guy to even shake and rattle on stage you wouldn't smile nowhere you never see him backstage smiling his face would always be caved in he just came the freaking kick your ass take that title prove a point and go back home go back yeah go back oh yeah yeah so I I know you're not a predictions guy who do you who do you have for the Arnold Classic who do you like to win the show um I'm not I'm not going to call that one right now today all right let's chips far where you are I got I got to you know what I mean will you be there um yeah okay are you gonna have a booth for lebroni I don't think we'll have a booth but I'll be their support I report in the Arnold Classic though Kevin it was great talking to you and catching up with you I'm glad you're doing so well with the signature series out there all over the world you're traveling like a like a madman and uh it's got to be is this is this fun for you are you are you enjoying your life now yeah Dave I mean I enjoy it man this is uh it's another side to bodybuilding I thank God for a body boom and give me this platform but yeah I'll have more fun now that I've had in my life man that's awesome that's awesome hey you know what it's uh it's an honor really for me to call you my friend all these years and uh it was great talking to you and uh thanks for uh for always being there thank you Dave I'm wishing your speedy recovery too brother I appreciate that Kevin levrone the one and only you heard it today here exclusively on RX muscle uh we'll have to catch up with you maybe at next year's Olympia I'm not gonna be at the Arnold I'll be recovering you know I gotta do my surgery but I'm gonna see at the Olympia for sure all right Dave you take care thanks for having me on man thanks for joining us all right