Samir Bannout - Mr. Olympia
I was positive even at the age of 16 or 17 that I had the genetic potential to go all the way in bodybuilding. So I compromised with my father by studying more while still keeping up with my dedicated workouts. But I found it difficult to "hold two watermelons in one hand" and was thankful to finish school so I could devote all my energies to bodybuilding.
After a few months of serious bodybuilding, I had made dramatic progress and blew everyone off the stage at the Mr. Beirut competition. I then lost by one point to Toufik Saad at the Mr. Lebanon competition. Saad was much older and had been training for more than 10 years, however, so I felt no disgrace in losing to him. I did, however, resolve to defeat him the next time we met.
At that point Malieh Alywan told me that if I kept improving he would place me on the Lebanese team for the IFBB Mr. Universe competition. That prospect inspired me so much that I lived, ate, slept, and dreamed of nothing but bodybuilding for the next month. As a result, I improved so much for the Mr. Universe team pose down that I defeated Toufik Saad and everyone else in Lebanon. I was elated, because I would be traveling to Verona, Italy, to compete in the Mr. Universe show, an event I hadn't even known existed a year before.
At Verona I placed seventh in my class, by far the youngest man in the competition at 18 years of age. Malieh Alywan began calling me the Teenage Mr. Universe after that, even writing a story about my success in his magazine.
The Verona competition left an indelible impression on me because it was the first time I was able to see a few of the greats of bodybuilding in the flesh. I met Lou Ferrigno, Ken Waller, Bob Birdsong, Paul Grant, and Ahmet Enunlu, each of whom who'd eventually go on to win at least one world title. Birdsong was in my own class and I was astonished by his muscle mass and extreme hardness. I could never have dreamed I would one day be able to defeat Bob, but eventually I did.
The Verona experience convinced me that I had to get to America. The standard of physiques was of the highest order in America, and everything else was first class. Many bodybuilders from other countries made it big internationally only after moving to California to train.
Americans had gone to the moon, had incredible technology, an incredible society, incredible everything. I concluded that I'd only make it to the top of bodybuilding by living and training in America and more specifically in Venice and Santa Monica, California, where most of the best pro bodybuilders were located.
I began to investigate the possibility of moving to America. I was determined to move to California and once I make up my mind to reach a goal I invariably do, regardless of the roadblocks impeding my progress. My first obstacle was the prohibitive cost of going to America, but I did have sufficient funds to travel to Europe and explore bodybuilding outside Lebanon for the first time.
I initially went to England and trained for a time at the London gym of Len Sell, who had won two NABBA Mr. Universe titles. Albert Beckles and Roy Duval, two other Mr. Universe winners, were training there at the time which gave me a chance to observe the training methods of bodybuilders who were far superior to anyone in my home country. As good as the British bodybuilders were, they still lagged behind the Americans, and I continued to harbor my dream of going to California to train.
On the way home I stopped in Spain and trained at the gyms of Baldo Lois and Salvador Ruiz in Madrid. I was beginning to see bodybuilding around the world, an odyssey that would eventually take me to compete or guest pose in more than 40 countries. But I still had a burning desire to get to America.
In 1975, I won the Mr. Lebanon title and qualified to compete at the IFBB Mr. Universe show in South Africa. Unfortunately, the political situation in South Africa kept the Lebanese team at home. The government wouldn't allow us to depart. I was stunned by the decision, initially feeling that I'd wasted a year of hard training. But I have developed an ability to turn adversity into a positive drive toward success, so I was soon back in heavy training for the next Mr. Universe title.
My chance to reach America finally came in 1976 after I competed in the IFBB Mr. Universe show in Montreal. I met some friends from Michigan and they invited me to visit them. I went to Detroit on my visitor's visa and immediately made plans to receive my green card for permanent residence in the United States; the land that I knew held great promise for me.
My first impulse in Michigan was to hop on an airplane for Los Angeles. My friends suggested I settle for a while in Detroit before moving to California. It was a good plan and I ended up living in Michigan for a little over two years, working in an auto assembly plant to support myself.
In 1977, I placed second in my class to the Austrian Walter Bubinicek in the IFBB Mr. International contest at Columbus, Ohio. The next year 1978 I won Mr. Michigan and returned to Columbus for the International. Again I placed second, this time to Californian Roger Callard, a former Mr. America. I felt I should have won, but accepted the judges' decision.
more of Samir's story
I was positive even at the age of 16 or 17 that I had the genetic potential to go all the way in bodybuilding. So I compromised with my father by studying more while still keeping up with my dedicated workouts. But I found it difficult to "hold two watermelons in one hand" and was thankful to finish school so I could devote all my energies to bodybuilding.
After a few months of serious bodybuilding, I had made dramatic progress and blew everyone off the stage at the Mr. Beirut competition. I then lost by one point to Toufik Saad at the Mr. Lebanon competition. Saad was much older and had been training for more than 10 years, however, so I felt no disgrace in losing to him. I did, however, resolve to defeat him the next time we met.
At that point Malieh Alywan told me that if I kept improving he would place me on the Lebanese team for the IFBB Mr. Universe competition. That prospect inspired me so much that I lived, ate, slept, and dreamed of nothing but bodybuilding for the next month. As a result, I improved so much for the Mr. Universe team pose down that I defeated Toufik Saad and everyone else in Lebanon. I was elated, because I would be traveling to Verona, Italy, to compete in the Mr. Universe show, an event I hadn't even known existed a year before.
At Verona I placed seventh in my class, by far the youngest man in the competition at 18 years of age. Malieh Alywan began calling me the Teenage Mr. Universe after that, even writing a story about my success in his magazine.
The Verona competition left an indelible impression on me because it was the first time I was able to see a few of the greats of bodybuilding in the flesh. I met Lou Ferrigno, Ken Waller, Bob Birdsong, Paul Grant, and Ahmet Enunlu, each of whom who'd eventually go on to win at least one world title. Birdsong was in my own class and I was astonished by his muscle mass and extreme hardness. I could never have dreamed I would one day be able to defeat Bob, but eventually I did.
The Verona experience convinced me that I had to get to America. The standard of physiques was of the highest order in America, and everything else was first class. Many bodybuilders from other countries made it big internationally only after moving to California to train.
Americans had gone to the moon, had incredible technology, an incredible society, incredible everything. I concluded that I'd only make it to the top of bodybuilding by living and training in America and more specifically in Venice and Santa Monica, California, where most of the best pro bodybuilders were located.
I began to investigate the possibility of moving to America. I was determined to move to California and once I make up my mind to reach a goal I invariably do, regardless of the roadblocks impeding my progress. My first obstacle was the prohibitive cost of going to America, but I did have sufficient funds to travel to Europe and explore bodybuilding outside Lebanon for the first time.
I initially went to England and trained for a time at the London gym of Len Sell, who had won two NABBA Mr. Universe titles. Albert Beckles and Roy Duval, two other Mr. Universe winners, were training there at the time which gave me a chance to observe the training methods of bodybuilders who were far superior to anyone in my home country. As good as the British bodybuilders were, they still lagged behind the Americans, and I continued to harbor my dream of going to California to train.
On the way home I stopped in Spain and trained at the gyms of Baldo Lois and Salvador Ruiz in Madrid. I was beginning to see bodybuilding around the world, an odyssey that would eventually take me to compete or guest pose in more than 40 countries. But I still had a burning desire to get to America.
In 1975, I won the Mr. Lebanon title and qualified to compete at the IFBB Mr. Universe show in South Africa. Unfortunately, the political situation in South Africa kept the Lebanese team at home. The government wouldn't allow us to depart. I was stunned by the decision, initially feeling that I'd wasted a year of hard training. But I have developed an ability to turn adversity into a positive drive toward success, so I was soon back in heavy training for the next Mr. Universe title.
My chance to reach America finally came in 1976 after I competed in the IFBB Mr. Universe show in Montreal. I met some friends from Michigan and they invited me to visit them. I went to Detroit on my visitor's visa and immediately made plans to receive my green card for permanent residence in the United States; the land that I knew held great promise for me.
My first impulse in Michigan was to hop on an airplane for Los Angeles. My friends suggested I settle for a while in Detroit before moving to California. It was a good plan and I ended up living in Michigan for a little over two years, working in an auto assembly plant to support myself.
In 1977, I placed second in my class to the Austrian Walter Bubinicek in the IFBB Mr. International contest at Columbus, Ohio. The next year 1978 I won Mr. Michigan and returned to Columbus for the International. Again I placed second, this time to Californian Roger Callard, a former Mr. America. I felt I should have won, but accepted the judges' decision.
more of Samir's story
