A Great Bodybuilding Story For Those Who Have Not Seen It

He stood there and he opened his eyes back up, they were bloodshot and tear filled and his pupils were so dilated that the blue of his eyes was gone and it was pure black, it reminded me of one of those videos of a great white shark taking a bite.

Then he and the bar dropped. At first I thought he may have passed out but he didn’t, he put his hand up to let us know he was ok. People started to f*cking clap, I looked around at them and couldn’t believe what I was witnessing.

As he kneel down catching his breath, I walked up and crouched next to him, and said “That was the most spectacular thing I have ever seen in my life, nice lift bro.” He was still panting but he nodded, so I know he heard me.

Then one of the gym tards yelled out “DAMN PIGPEN GET OFF THE JUICE DUDE!!!” I swung around, I didn’t even think about what I was doing, some 30 some year old yuppie f*ck with an underarmour tank top and a stick physique. I grabbed him by his arm as he tried to walk away, he swung around looking at me in surprise and I looked him in the eyes and I said “HIS F*CKING NAME IS CRAIG…C-R-A-I-G…CAN YOU SPELL ASSHOLE?!!”.

The idiot looked at me embarrassed and replied in a low tone “I’m sorry man, his name is Craig” then he looked at my hand still grasping into his flesh and I quickly let him go. I turned to look back at Craig and he was sitting on a bench and staring at me, he just looked at me and nodded, I nodded back.

Craig still went to the gym for about another year, I talked to him frequently there about training and bodybuilding, I often reminisced about the day we did deadlifts, at this point I was lifting 585 on deads, and all because of Craig’s tutelage.

After that year Craig disappeared, Chris told me he hadn’t seen him, but heard he moved to another state. Craig and I only spoke at the gym, he had no cell phone, I had never seen his place and I had never even had any clue where he lived.

But though I barely knew the guy, I considered him one of my closest friends.

The years went by and I trained hard entered my first show, even managed to make it to Nationals. I always wondered what happened to Craig, I wanted to talk to my old friend and get his advice like I had when I was just starting out, he always had the simple answers, so many of the training gurus tried to make things complicated, and Craig just had a sentence or two to say and was spot on with his advice.

Then one day after a workout I went home, there was a police car in front of my house. I walked up and there were two officers walking towards me, they asked me if I was Jay, I told them I was, they informed me Craig had passed.

I asked how, they told me he died in his sleep. So I asked them why they were telling me this, and the one officer replied that Craig had no known family members still living and that his only will and testament stated that I was his next of kin.

I didn’t know what to say, they told me they were sorry for my loss, but I didn’t even really hear them. They got in their car and pulled away, I stood motionless in my yard, then I snapped out of the shock I was in and went inside, I called Chris to tell him and he was saddened by the news.

I sat down and reflected on my mentor of young, the guy that no one understood, the person who people made fun of and taunted and he had been one of the biggest impacts on my life. He was a man of very few words but his words had such a great impression on me. I felt very saddened like the world had just lost something very good, and didn’t even realize it.

The next day I was in a fog, I really had no clue how to act, my co-workers asked me if everything was ok I told them “My good friend passed away yesterday”.

Later that week as I came to grips with my friends death, I came home from work to find an mail envelope package on my doorstep.

I opened it up and it was a letter and several photos. I read the letter and it was handwritten in pencil on notebook paper.

“Dear Jay,

If you are reading this, I have died. My life was hard, very hard. For a long time I felt empty and the gym was the only thing I had to remind me that I was still alive.

The pain of working out and pushing myself reminded me every day that I was still alive. I have been keeping my eye on your competitive career, and have seen some of your shows. I’m proud of you kid.

Evan-Centopani-Deadlift

I always wanted to thank you, but I’m not very good at conversation as you know. I wanted to thank you for the day we did deadlifts. That one day I felt like I was a human being again, I felt the best I have felt in my entire life. You were a great inspiration to me, at a time when I was losing hope.

Thanks for being my friend.

Your good bro.

Craig”

By the time I finished reading the letter I was crying badly, I hadn’t cried in years, but I was weeping like a baby.

I looked at the photos from my shows, they were taken from the audience, Craig had been at my shows, and I hadn’t even known it. I guess he was keeping his eye on me making sure I was progressing not sitting back being lazy…I don’t know why exactly he was there, but he was there, and I’m glad that he got to see that.

Under the photos was a legal document, it was Craig’s will, I read through the legal jargon and towards the end it started to itemize all the belongings that Craig had left behind, and that since I was his only kin that I would be getting these possessions.

He left a sizeable amount of cash, a truck, his house, and his personal belongings in the house, but the last item on the list was the most priceless of all…one chrome fifty pound powerlifting bar.

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45 Comments

  2. Oh my God…I read the whole story and I can tell you for sure,it’s the most amazing story I’ve ever read…I ended up in tears. .

  9. The description of this Craig dude reminded me so much of Ronny Coleman! Or Kai Greene!
    It was so sad in the end it made me cry!

  10. As I read this story it motivated me to make sure that I don’t personally judge anyone. I’m in tears right now.

  12. Thank you for sharing. This motivated me to try my hardest at work, gym and life in general. RIP Craig.

  13. it was a story which stook me from inside
    I respect that man who had lost solo much in his life … the pain felt but still didn’t quiet …. respect

  16. wow…great story. Thank you for sharing. it just showed that we shouldn’t judge people by the way they look or cover of the book. You’re a good guy and you deserved it <3

  17. Craig … i would like to know his full name … I aint easy to impress but this …. Jeez buddy … made me cry …. would like to frame a picture of craig and hang it on my wall … please let me know his full name ill research him to hell and back if needed so to find a pic of him….

  18. Awesome Read!!! Very inspiring and great encouragement for positive hope. We should always lift up others as in this story, never hate always congratulate…. Now I am going to hit them Deadlifts!!!

  20. I read this the tears poured out from my eyes, a journey of sadness lifted by a simple gesture, hope turned from despair. Craig is a part of you now and always, respect for you, for the respect you showed him.
    So many in the gym have the attitudes that you pointed out, pre-judging someone, before you now them is a bad part of human nature.
    All the best for your pro career, take Craig to the top with you!

  22. It’s touching I’m here droken down now at work like I’ve known this guy but I lift daily but I love this story and hope to compete one day and my life

  23. Damm, this GODDAMM air is so polluted that my eyes start to make water run down from them, what a great story, only someone that has put their headphones on, know’s how it (story) feels….Respect!!!

  26. i m not a body building enthusiasts or gym goer but story touched me deeply and inspired me thanks for sharing such meaningful storry

  28. The story is touching but if only he got born again and gave himself to Jesus, he would have found more meaning to life than just developing the perishing body. Craig may your soul rest in piece.

  34. Am i looking in my future?? Cant tell…
    But life is never easy… tommorrw never comes.. untill its too late….
    Touched me…

  35. We meatheads who enjoy this type of stuff can’t help but tear up when you get all they way though. This needs to be made into a short movie somehow. It’s too good of a story . Much respect thanks for the story.

  38. Craigslist was the f***ing man!!! Every time I read this story, it motivates me to keep pushing. Life is hard, but that bar is just a thing.

  39. I’m so sorry for your loss and I am so thankful that you’ve known this man and helped him in a very small but soul touching way. Wishing is for the young and gullible but I really wish (with everything inside me) that things could have worked out differently. Mourning for both of you.

  43. I stopped about a paragraph in on page 3 — got the gist of it. SHAME on the gym members for singling out this guy just because he didn’t fraternize with the other gym members. Here’s my message to you: IT’S A GYM, NOT AN ICE CREAM SOCIAL. If you think yakking with strangers at a gym is so important, then GO TO PLANET FITNESS. “Pigpen” was there to WORK OUT, not butter up to you arrogant snobs. And that desk girl who asked the owner why he “even let him work out there,” … WHY NOT? HE PAYS HIS DUES. WHY NOT, BIMBO ??? I’m one of those gym goers who never speaks to anyone unless someone speaks to me first. I’m a woman. I swear, if I ever heard some floozie insulting me behind my back, I’d march straight over to her, force a 45 pound plate into her arms and challenge her to lift it overhead — 15 times, because that’s exactly what I can do. I’m there to get strong, not buff up my social skills. Don’t like it? TOO BAD. Go to Planet Fitness where everyone yaks and yaks and doesn’t take muscle building seriously.

  44. amazing man… this story motivating me right now i have tears on my eyes.
    thank you for this inspiring real story

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