A conversation with
1970's bodybuilding icon, Joe Means
By Dr. Michael Dusa
MD: Hi Joe. I
remember in my earliest days in bodybuilding as a kid and looking through the
magazines at the time, you were perhaps THE standout when it came to being in
razor sharp, tip-top condition. Let's start with a bit about your early days.
JM: Well Michael, I
thank you for the opportunity and am honored that folks are interested in what
I have to say. I grew up in South Carolina and have always lived here. Still do
today. I started with the weights at the age of 12. My neighbor had an old barbell
set so I worked out there. Of course, I ended up asking for weights as a
Christmas present. My mother got them for me but I had to get them out of the
trunk of the car because they were too heavy for her (laughs)! I first did what
many kids did...worked out in my bedroom. Then, after some time, I migrated
with the weights to a camping trailer that had a heater inside it in our back
yard. I always generally worked out by myself.
MD: Familiar story. I
started at 12, got the vinyl weight set as a gift for X-mas, and pounded away!
How about sports in school?
JM: Well, in high
school, I ran track and played football. I was an OK player but by my senior
year I knew a scholarship for college would not be coming my way so I didn't
play my final year. I decided to give all my level best efforts to the weights
at this point.
MD: Funny. Similar
for me. I had prepared for the Teen America my junior year, was in top shape
and asked the football coach if I could skip spring training to dop the
contest. I told him I was already in better shape than every player on the
team. This seemed to rub his rhubarb the wrong way and the ultimatum was if I
did not show for training I was gone. So bodybuilding it was!
JM: (laughs). You
know, by this point I had built a really good physical foundation. I went to a
guy's house in the neighborhood named "Snow." Snow looked like
hercules (laughs)! I worked out with him and learned alot. There was another
guy on the other side of town named Bucky Baxley and he had a backyard gym and was
a really big bodybuilding fan. This was all in 1966 when I was a junior in high
school. These guys started taking me along to olympic lifting meets with them.
It was fantastic.
MD: Very important to
be around successful people, especially in your formative years. What did you
do when you got out of high school?
JM: Well, the FBI was
looking to hire recent high school graduates. I got hired and was trained as a
technician. I was doing very well with them. Of course, it came time at one
point for me to be granted a raise in pay grade. Part of that process involved
physical assessment. I'd get weighed and at one time I was about 195 pounds,
all muscle. They'd use the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company rating guide,
which said I was about 20 pounds overweight! I was told to lose weight for a
raise! I appealed to the assistant director of the FBI who was second only to
J. Edgar Hoover. I was 10% body fat with a 33" waist. The assistant
director took one look at me and was impressed. However, he said, "No exceptions."
MD: But still, you
soldiered on...
JM: Yes, of course.
I'd never relent. I attended college classes by day and did the night shift
with the FBI. Ultimately, the state of South Carolina approached me to come and
join their SCLED Division (SC Law Enforcement Division). They hired me at 20
years of age and after six months I was wearing a multitude of hats-I was
engaged in undercover operations, VIP details, I loved it! I ended up as
lieutenant of the Crime Information Center in the criminal records division.
Our system was also tied into FBI computer systems I was there for 37 years but
am now retired. Even though I did leave the FBI early on, they still found
merit to feature me in the FBI magazine.
MD: So you got
publicity at an early age.
JM: Yes. But
interestingly, with SCLED, my chief was very supportive of my bodybuilding. At
the time, there was a big scandal at SCLED, corruption, much bad press for the
whole system. My competing and the positive press I got helped cast the
department in a positive light. Even the chief got interviewed in some articles
due to my being successful in bodybuilding.
It wasn't all
positive, of course. When I competed in the 1979 AAU Mr. America, a news team
followed me to the show in Atlanta to keep step and record my experiences and
what it was all about. At one point prior to the show, my wife and I were sun
bathing near the hotel pool and the reporter approached us and said, "You
have a girlfriend? I thought bodybuilder's were gay?" It's never pleasant
when someone insults you over something you love to do. But I'd just shrug it
off. I'm sure he was just uncomfortable and wanted to make a joke.
MD: So we know you
made it to the rarefied air of the Mr. America level. What came before this?
Joe on the April 1980 cover of MD |
JM: In 1969 Bucky encouraged
me to enter the Mr. All South contest. I was 18 years old. It was won by a guy
named Terry Moore. You know those days, Mike, even though it was a bit prior to
your competing. The weightlifting was held all day, then the poor old
bodybuilders would be on stage posing at 1 am with the harmony of crickets
accompanying them! The light was affixed to the basketball hoop(laughs). I took
second or third in this show. I was in a show, the Jr. Mr. America, with Chris
Dickerson, Boyer Coe and Ellington Darden. Paul Anderson did an exhibition
here, and it was an incredible experience.
My First win was in
1973. It was a big regional show with about 25 entrants. I got first! I started
learning more about training and nutrition. I'd read more. In South Carolina there
were not many bodybuilder's around, so I was largely on my own.
In 1974 I won the Mr.
SC. In 1975 I won the Mr. All South show, as well as all the subdivisions. You
recall there were awards for each body part back then.
MD: Wow. Then you
were ready for the national stage.
JM: I thought so. I
entered the 1975 AAU Mr. America and got 10th or 11th. I was told I needed more
cuts!
MD: You? More cuts?
JM: Yes. At this time
I did. This is around the time I had my first experience with Nautilus
machines. I trained with a fellow named Dr. John Morgan in Columbia, SC. He had
an entire Nautilus set-up at his home. He gave me my own key and I could go any
time I wanted, and I did. I really made much improvement with this system. In
76 I entered and took third in the Coastal Mr. USA show, got most muscular and
all the subdivision awards. At the Junior America in the same year they called
me out for every subdivision comparison. I took second overall to the great
Dave Johns.
In the 1976 Mr.
America contest, I was at my most cut ever and made my biggest impact. I won
the Most Muscular Man in America award here beating out Johns, Kal Szkalak,
Clint Beyerle, and Pat Neve. However, I was edged out by Johns by one point in
my class, and Kal took the overall.
MD: Did you ever work
with Arthur Jones?
JM: Oh yes. Right
after I worked as a model for the nautilus book pictured in this article, I met
Ellington Darden at the Coastal USA show. El worked with Arthur Jones down at
his compound in Deland, Florida. They wanted me to come down for a bit to work
with them and use their nautilus equipment. SCLED allowed me to go as I had
time saved on my job. I met Arthur there- a very interesting gentleman.
Ellington Darden was also intriguing, he was a good bodybuilder and held a PhD
in nutrition and physical training.
I swear Jones would
test me. You know he had one of the largest crocodile farms in the world
there...and the second largest individual crocodile in the world at the time.
Everyday, the croc cages would have to be cleaned and the crocs fed. Arthur
asked me to simply come take a walk with him through the croc cages! Of course,
I did (laughs). The water was low. You must understand that when water is low,
the crocs are docile. While we were walking about in there they turned the
water on and the area quickly began filling with fresh water. Water= ferocity
in crocodiles. We high-stepped it out of there! You see, Arthur liked to test
people like that.
During my workouts
there, yes, they'd push me very hard. We'd start with legs. Another top
bodybuilder was there and in the midst of leg training he got sick and vomited.
I completed it without getting sick. They had Mike Mentzer, Boyer Coe, Casey
Viator there. El said I was the hardest trainer the had ever had there.
They liked me there
because I was open minded. Most bodybuilders would argue with them and let me
tell you, that'd be the worst thing to do with Arthur Jones. I mean, yes. One
set per bodypart? It was different. But this is how it would go. It'd be like a
drop set. A heavy set of leg extensions, with 7-8 drops in weight in the same
set. Then go to another exercise for the same thing. It was brutal.
Nobody ever pushed me
like this. Arthur would be right there looking on. I was a competitive guy so I
wanted to do well. Generally, the fellows at Deland didn't like bodybuilders
because they would not listen to anything new.
MD: Yes Joe. That's a
disorder called "cognitive dissonance." (laughs).
JM: Really. I will
say that we'd only do one workout a week like I just described. You couldn't do
this every day.
MD: My fellow fitness
and bodybuilding enthusiast friends and colleagues will cast their gazes
asunder at the mere mention of my name if I don't at least ask you a bit about
your incredible cuts...
JM: Well, I didn't
really know how cut I was, actually! Not until I saw the judges reaction at one
show I'd competed in. It was the Mr. USA held in Texas. I walked out on stage
at the prejudging and Boyer Coe, who was a judge, looked at me and shielded his
eyes as if he were peering directly at the sun when he looked at me. I knew I
had something special at that point. I was eating very high protein with very
low carbs. But, I was eating so much that Ellington advised me to start
watching my total calorie counts...this was before I got truly ripped. But I'd
basically have, for breakfast, three eggs, one serving of sausage...I'd NEVER
skip breakfast. Lunch would be a can of tuna or a chicken breast, the same at
night. A snack would be a couple of hard boiled eggs in between meals. Of
course, I'd get weak as I got more defined. I'd have a cantaloupe with some
cottage cheese added to get some energy. I'd do this maybe a couple of times
per week.
At the 1976 AAU Mr. USA (2nd-Medium) with Manuel Perry (winner- Tall & Overall), Dave Johns (Winner-medium) and C.F Smith (3rd-Medium). |
MD: I did very
similar to that back in the day. I never looked like you, though (laughs).
JM: Well, it wasn't
easy. I took my time in getting in condition. In the off season I'd regularly
go up to 220 pounds of bodyweight. I'd compete in the 185-195 pound range. This
wasn't helpful because of course it's more difficult coming back down to ripped
condition. I'm a mesomorph, so I do tend to gain weight if I am not careful.
MD: The last time you
competed?
JM: 1980, The Mr.
America. The trend was getting to be that you had to be more and more massive,
and of course if I ever rose to the IFBB I'd have a very hard time standing and
comparing well to such massive guys. I did want to move to California at one
time-you know-live the true bodybuilding lifestyle. Frankly, I didn't like it
there. I thought the people were crazy!
MD: So bodybuilding
has been a great component of your life experience?
JM: Oh yes. I have
enjoyed bodybuilding, it has enriched my life in so many ways. I have very good
health at age 64. I'd probably say my right shoulder gives me some problems
now, but I was always smart when I trained and learned from great people. Never
got injured lifting weights. When I was young and competing, I never really
thought much about health.
MD: Ah yes...the
veneer of youthful invincibility. How is your training now?
Joe the triathlete |
JM: I am retired now
so I go to two different gyms, twice per day. Still hit the weights, but I now
compete in triathlons and came in first in my age division in my last event. I
do well with the running and bicycling, but the swimming is hard-I am a sinker
(laughs)!
MD: And you have a
great wife and children.
JM: Yes. Ive been
married to my wife for nearly 40 years. I have three sons, my oldest is 34 and
is a law enforcement officer. The two younger boys are twins, 31 years old. One
works in finance for a hospital and the other is a sales rep for the Shakespear
corporation. Trey, my oldest, works out very hard. The two younger boys were
exceptional high school runners and broke the 4X800 record for our state...they
won scholarships for college. I am very proud of my whole family.
MD: Joe, its been a
pleasure and honor to be able to hold court with you. Thanks so much.
JM: Anytime Mike. I
appreciate it.
Joe Means-Contest History (Source: Musclememory.com)
1974
Mr America - AAU, 11th
Junior Mr America - AAU, Did not place
Junior Mr USA - AAU, 6th
1975
Mr America - AAU, Medium, 12th
Mr Atlantic States - AAU, Winner
Junior Mr America - AAU, 6th
Mr USA - AAU, 8th
1976
Mr America - AAU, Medium, 2nd
Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular, 1st
Mr Coastal USA - AAU, 3rd
Junior Mr America - AAU, 2nd
Junior Mr USA - AAU, Overall Winner
Junior Mr USA - AAU, Most Muscular, 1st
Junior Mr USA - AAU, Medium, 1st
Mr USA - AAU, Most Muscular, 1st
Mr USA - AAU, Medium, 2nd
1979
Mr America - AAU, Medium, 3rd
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