Because of a scheduling shuffle in production a while back, this interview slipped through the cracks and never made it to press… As you will notice, it is a bit dated, but this is one interview with Lee Priest you don’t want to miss out on – there’s rental car mayhem, food gorging, racing, and oh yeah, bodybuilding!

When AA production manager Dave McElroy, made the trek to meet Lee Priest to supervise the photo shoot, he rented a car for the trip and made the drive from San Diego to just north of Los Angeles. The location? Lancaster, California – a place that is commonly referred to as the dustbowl of California.

Hey, being a staffer of the greatest hardcore bodybuilding rags around has its advantages, so he was even able to upgrade his rental to a Dodge Intrepid and look fairly cool making his way up Interstate-5. The only problem was, he was about to meet a dyed-in-the-wool maniac—a guy who doesn’t have a care in the world, and certainly has never driven a Dodge Intrepid!

As the shoot was dying down, after an awesome display of his vehicular prowess with his own muscle-machines, Lee cooked up an idea to “field test” the rented Intrepid in the dirt field behind his house, much to the dismay of Hertz, Budget or whatever unlucky company owned that particular fleet car. But how could he resist?

Priest is a master at the wheel and regularly competes in NHRA drag races, open road races, and NASCAR events. The Intrepid was a mere toy—something to have his way with and cast aside in pieces…

AA: Lee, I heard you left Dave’s car in utter shambles. What’s up with that?

Lee Priest: Yeah, we did donuts with it in the dirt. It didn’t hold up too well. But we started slow. We started in my truck and then in Cathy’s Miata. By the time we got to the Intrepid, I think we had gotten a pretty good taste for it.

AA: What happened to it?

LP: Well, we blew the power steering and some of the tires. It was a Dodge Intrepid, so it wasn’t built for punishment.

AA:  Where did this happen?

LP: In the dirt in the back of the house.

AA:  Did Dave tell you what they told him when he took it back?

LP: Yeah, Dave went in and said, “This car just doesn’t feel right!” (laughs) I never really heard what they said back to him. Editor’s note: The rep behind the counter looked at him a little funny, and signed off on the paperwork… the company has since gone out of business… we wonder why!

AA:  I think the masthead now reads: PUBLISHER - Acme Rent-a-Car!

LP: (Lee laughs hysterically)

AA:  So what’s the deal with you moving out of Venice?

LP: We got out finally. Cathy and I live in Lancaster, CA now because it’s so much cheaper and more peaceful.

AA:  Ahh, the dustbowl of the California. Remember it well, but tried not to go there very often!

LP: It’s a nice change. It’s peaceful and quiet, and miles away from crazy old Venice.

AA:  And HOT!

LP: Yeah. Love it.

AA:  Did you buy a house or what?

LP: No, we’re just renting on 2.5 acres. We’ve been out here almost for 3 years now. We have been in the new place for 4 months.

AA:  Did you go out driving one day and say “Lancaster seems good” or what?

LP: Well, my training partner Curt lived out here, and I thought, I pay twice the amount for less space in Venice, so why not move out to the country for a bit. I’m still close enough to drive into Venice for the day for a photoshoot or business I have with bodybuilding, so what’s the difference?

AA:  So where do you train out there?

LP: I train at Powerhouse Gym in Lancaster. I have gym equipment at home too, in a shed, so I train at home too.

AA:  Start talking “sheds” and I’ll think you’re from some small town in Australia, like Cunnamulla!

LP: You know where Cunnamulla is?!?

AA:  I didn’t want to know, but I saw it on a documentary and, well, I think “shed” is appropriate.

LP: (Laughs)

AA:  So how many of you live out there in Lancaster?

LP: What do you mean?

AA:  You and how many animals? Isn’t it customary to own a whole shelter of pets out there?

LP: Well, I guess so. We’ve got 3 birds, a rabbit, 4 cats and 8 dogs.

AA:  Wow! What kind of dogs do you have out there, Dingos?

LP: (laughs)…No, we’ve got an American Eskimo, 2 Yorkshire Terriers, a white Shepherd mix, a full German Shepherd, a Golden Retriever, a Siberian Husky and a Rottweiller.

AA:  I’ll bet the fur flies at your house?

LP: Well, if you’re talking about the cats, they actually play with the dogs and all get along brilliantly.

AA:  So knowing you, and knowing a town like Lancaster, you must have moved within a few miles of the local Krispy Kreme donut shop there, eh?

LP: Well, as a matter of fact, I’m about 3 or 4 miles from one.

AA:  I knew there was an ulterior motive to your move! (laughs)

LP: Yeah, there’s a mall, a gym, a movie theater, a grocery store and a Krispy Kreme, so that’s all I need.

AA:  You should do a photo shoot for Krispy Kreme, and become their poster boy!

LP: Well, I did do a photo shoot with Irvin (Gelb) recently, with a gigantic box full of chocolate from Australia – puddings, cookies, chips, and chocolate bars. I sampled all of it for a photo shoot.

AA:  Vegimite too?

LP: No, unfortunately.

AA:  So what’s your all time record of Krispy Kreme® doughnuts in one sitting, or one 24 hour period?

LP: Hmmm, maybe 36 in one day. That was over the course of a whole day, but yeah, 3 dozen. I have had a couple dozen over a few hours, picking at them over television. They are addictive. They’re so fresh and warm and easy to eat. (eyes glazing over). Other donuts are dry, but KK’s are wonderful.

AA:  Is a KK fix for you kind of like a mainline of Nubain to some guys in the sport?

LP: (laughs)… Kind of like, I suppose. Though, I have to say, I’m not addicted, and don’t have to have them. I also don’t get abscesses from them like some people in Gold’s do.

AA:  Ouch!

LP: (laughs)

AA:  Are you preparing for the Olympia now, or are you going to wait until 6 weeks out and blast an automatic 50+ pounds off?

LP: I know that’s what people used to say about me, that I lost massive amounts of weight in like 6-8 weeks, but that’s never been true. This time, I start dieting around July 18th. The Olympia is on October 30th. That’s actually a pretty long diet for me.

AA:  Normally what do you do? Because I’ve heard the same thing over the years and I thought you made amazing changes in 6 weeks just visually.

LP: Actually, the least I’ve ever done is like 11 weeks, but normally it’s more. I’ve actually never done it in 8 weeks. That would be heaven.

AA:  By the way, do you like the O to always be set in Vegas? Was there ever an advantage to having it other places?

LP: I think anywhere in America is okay, but I never liked them talking about overseas. I think having it in L.A. at Universal Studios would be great. It would be closer for most of us. NYC was also pretty good. It’s great to have stuff to do wherever you go though. In Vegas, there’s a lot to do, but it’s not the best place to be when you’re dieting. Plus, I’m not keen on cigarette smoke in casinos. It would help to put us in a hotel where we could cook and feel like it’s an apartment, but no one thinks like an athlete when they book these things. I stayed at the Flamingo timeshare apartments one time, and it was only like 100 bucks a night and it had a full kitchen, bedrooms, living room… it felt more relaxing.

AA:  Do other guys say that?

LP: Yeah, I know guys who actually will give their room to a friend and go somewhere else. It’s like $260 at the Mandalay and you don’t get much for it other than a nice tub and shower.

AA:  What do you like to do after competing?

LP: I like going and hanging out with friends, going out to eat in restaurants, and things like that. I enjoy not being regimented. During a contest prep season, I’m like a robot doing cardio at one time, eating at another, training, and sleeping. When you plan virtually everything around it, it becomes a lifestyle. When your whole life is run by a clock for weeks on end, it’s nice not to have to be anywhere at any specific time or eat by the clock.

AA:  How does your diet change in the off season?

LP: I watch my calories, and I never eat large meals anymore. I might eat a bowl of cereal and protein drink for one meal, and then an hour later I might have an egg on toast. Another hour later, I might have an ice cream. If I feel full these days though, I don’t eat. But in the off season, my meal number varies a lot. One day, I might eat 3 meals and another day I might eat 6 meals. And while I don’t eat bad all the time in the off season anymore, if I feel like it, I will. I like variety, and that’s probably what I miss most during pre-contest diets.

AA:  You’re pretty strict at dieting, how did you get to that point where you were merciless with yourself?

LP: I don’t diet that severely. Actually, there has been a lot of myth surrounding that. I definitely won’t cheat, but I’ll have something I want along the way when I want it, provided it’s just one thing. I used to do a whole cheat day and I don’t do that anymore. I also don’t eat something so good that I’ll regret it the next day and get grumpy because I can’t have it again. I learned a lesson doing that in the past.

AA:  Is being a pro today, anything like what you imagined it would be? In other words, when I first interviewed you back in 1996 or so, you had a certain concept of what being a pro was, and where you wanted to go… what has changed?

LP: Well, I started training at 13, and competing at 13, and won my first three shows. I’ve been training dieting and competing for a long time now. It would be nice if we could get the sport out in the mass media, but it’s pretty much what it’s going to be at this point I think. I don’t see it really getting any better because there is nothing to drive competition. The IFBB is it. I’ve been told along the way, “If you don’t like it, go someplace else” whenever I’ve had ideas or grievances, so I think even though they talk a good game about wanting it to grow, they actually are happy with it as it is. As long as there is no competition for IFBB, nothing will change. I suppose in the past 8 years I’ve also been disillusioned by the fact that there’s no unity among the athletes either, and that’s always pissed me off.

AA:  So you’ve been one of the guys wanting a union?

LP: Yeah. A few months ago, Cathy was looking over the covers and memorabilia she collects of mine, and on this particular cover back in 1994, it said, “Lee Priest gets suspended” and I thought… “Wow, that was back then? I didn’t even remember.” All I know is, I’ve paid $17K in fines to the IFBB over the years for suspensions and for talking politics in magazines, so I got reprimanded. I’ve always spoken my mind and even though it’s what everyone else is saying, I say it in print. I don’t go out of my way to chat them up or shoot them down, but I speak my mind.

AA:  Do you think it’s still dangerous to talk about the IFBB in a negative light?

LP: Yeah, I think it’s still a danger. You do have to watch yourself. Push the wrong buttons, and they’ll get you one way or another.

AA:  So you must have been happy about the departure of (former IFBB President) Wayne DeMilia?

LP: Yeah, well, we’ve had our run-ins and stuff, but I don’t think Wayne has ever been the main problem. There’s not just one problem. I mean, look at it this way, they got rid of Sadaam Hussein, but there’s plenty more baddies out there.

AA:  What types of things would you like to see change?

LP: Having a union, and having more say as an athlete, and input about contracts for shows. We’ve always had to do what they say, no matter how tired we are and no matter what we think. I think a lot of us would like to get some medical insurance or care, too. Of course, it doesn’t stop there. I think we ought to get more prize money, and have more shows out there to prepare for to give more of the pros a chance to make more money. As athletes, we’re preparing for the show, spending money to go there, etc. and we’re not making money, we’re losing money. It’s sad. Most guys have to work as personal trainers to support themselves. They always tell us that we don’t have the numbers that football does, but it seems that the amount we put ourselves through and the strict dedication, puts us light years ahead of other athletes. We can’t take months off at a time and come back like they can and be golden.

AA:  Do you still think the Olympia is “anyone’s game” each year, or is it really a pre-ordained thing year in and year out, depending upon who reigns supreme at the moment?

LP: Your Mr. O is always going to be your Mr. O until he retires if he’s like a Ronnie Coleman. No doubt.

AA:  Any word on when Ronnie is going to retire?

LP: I guess when he’s sick of it. But as long as he comes in like he does, he’ll win.

AA:  What do you personally think about a lot of the failing organs and transplants going on in the sport?

LP: I’m sure it has a little to do with the drug use, but probably more about abuse. I think you see athletes out there who do it safely. But people want to abuse things and take it to the limit. Truth is, you can die from taking too much aspirin, so there are a lot of drugs out there that are dangerous. Steroids are no exception.

The stakes are higher than taking too many antihistamines. We all see the guy who comes into the gym in his first year and he wants to start on drugs immediately. It’s more of an epidemic in terms of addiction than about the drugs themselves. There are those who are addiction-tempted at the pro level and those who are not.

AA:  So you think that the ones having transplants are the serious addicts?

LP: Not necessarily. What I’m saying is this: I saw a poll where soccer players were the #1 anabolic drug takers in the world. But who came in second was shocking… it was college kids just trying to look good. That’s sad. I think a lot of kidney failure has to do with eating years of high protein, and manipulating water balance and diuretics, living the bodybuilding lifestyle and dieting hard and repeatedly gaining weight. All of that is hard on the body can have something to do with it.

AA:  Makes sense. But the stigma that results from a pro needing an organ transplant is really hard on the image of the sport, isn’t it?

The thing with this sport though, is that no matter what happens, even if it’s something completely normal and natural like actually getting ill the day before a show with a simple cold or flu, it always results in this speculative talk: “Gee, I wonder what drugs he was taking to go down like that?”

AA:  How about you? I always hear that Lee Priest is a serious drug taker—hits it hard. True or untrue?

LP: The truth? I only use them for 16 weeks or so before a competition and then don’t take them in the off-season. I never lie about it either. I have been asked what I take numerous times and quite honestly, I don’t care if people know or not. When I tell them how little I actually take, they say, “Oh no you don’t, I heard you take this. “ I reply, “I heard that too, but I’m the one taking them so I should know!” I don’t have any reason to lie about it!

AA:  So, what do you take?

LP: When I get ready for a show, I basically use something along these lines: Winstrol (2cc every 3rd day) Primo (200 mg for the week) and a bit of Clenbuterol.

AA:  That’s it?!

LP: Yeah, that’s it. People I speak to on the internet tease me by saying, “Oh yeah, take your 200mg of Primo, Lee”, but it’s true! I’ve always used small amounts. It’s always worked for me to take small amounts, so why would I take more just to take more? But people assume that if they take 400mg of something in the first cycle, they need to automatically go up to 800mg of that same drug the next cycle in order to keep growing. Personally, I think this shuts you down a lot faster and you have a much harder problem getting your own hormones back. It’s always annoyed me when people say “Oh, you lie” because I never have.

AA:  So when people ask you how you’ve put on that kind of muscle with relatively miniscule amounts of AS, what do you say?

LP: I say that I go off of drugs for 6-7 months a year, but I actually eat to support my muscle, and I still lift heavy. People think they can’t train heavy or intense without drugs, so they don’t. That’s why they don’t make it. Andva lot of pros are like that too. They defeat themselves before they get started, or don’t reach their full potential because they are drug dependent.

AA: Ever heard any notorious rumors about other pros and drug use?

LP: I used to hear it rumored that Paul Dillet took huge amounts of drugs too, and the numbers were astronomical. But the truth is, I lived with him during that time and saw exactly what he took everyday. I know he didn’t take hardly anything! People don’t want to believe it.

AA:  Well, what would they know? They spend every waking hour on the internet instead of in the gym!

LP: (laughs)… Yeah, right. What I hate the most is when someone says, “If I took what you took, I’d look like you look.” So I say, “Yeah, and I could smoke crack and stop training to look like you.” I mean, I’d like to see some of these people scale their cycles back to what I take and then have them try to look like me. It’s all about work ethic and consistency. That “He’s using a better drug than me” crap pisses me off!

AA:  Have you ever thought to yourself along the way, ‘Well, I look great on this much, I could really up my game by taking slightly more’?

LP: I’ve heard some guys say that… that I would look even better if I honestly take what I take and I ended up taking more. Who knows?

Maybe I would and maybe I wouldn’t. The point is, I’m making good gains with this so why change things? I have longevity in the sport and I don’t have to hook up to dialysis.

AA:  So now that you’re out in Lancaster, and train out there, you must stick out. Do you hear comments there, too?

LP: A guy at Powerhouse Gym the other day looked over and said to his mate, “Steroids.” His friend said, “Yeah, it’s probably the new stuff. I could take that and in a month I could look like him.” I wanted to say, “I wish you’d tell me the new stuff. I could shave years off my training.” It’s just ignorant.

AA:  So what’s the deal with hearing that pros spend in the five figures for drug cycles?

LP: I am sure some have. But they’re not the guys in the top 10, I’d bet. Which sounds ironic to people, but I believe that the top guys don’t have to. Do you know, I can get ready for a contest for under $500, and that’s the truth!

I’d never be so stupid to spend $60K to maybe win a show, to only get $10K back! You don’t have to be an accountant to understand that! There are guys getting ready for the Nationals and the USA who are taking more than I take or other pros take.

AA:  So is bodybuilding tainted forever in terms of its drug image?

LP: Sure, probably. But people think there are no drugs in mainstream sport, yet it’s rampant there. Here’s the bottom line: If guys stopped breaking records and stopped making the exciting plays, the interest in any sport would go by the wayside. But at the same time, you can’t just categorically attribute every death to steroids in sports.

AA:  What can you attribute them to?

LP: Look at all the deaths from alcohol and cigarettes. People who get into cars and drive drunk and kill someone—that’s way worse than anything I can think of. Yet drinking to get drunk is acceptable, smoking next to your neighbor and killing him with second hand smoke is okay, and steroids aren’t. A guy at a party who says to me, “Oh, you use steroids!” I say, “Well, what about you? Drinking until you vomit, and getting in your car on the highway—you’ll die faster than me, and kill someone along with you.” I mean, look at Ephedra… they took it off the market after attributing 200 deaths to it! Why can’t we get cigarettes off the market when they kill 300,000 people every year? It makes no sense!

AA:  Do you think there’s been any slowing of drug use in the sport since Munzer died taking all of these condition-manipulating drugs like EPO?

LP: I only know the trends. I honestly don’t even discuss drugs when I’m around other pros. I know that some people take plasma expanders and dangerous substances like DNP, etc., but I’ve always focused on the basics: Lifestyle, eating, sleeping, and training hard. I’ve never gone seeking the magic because I don’t think it exists. Besides, if you’ve got your nose stuck in some book detailing what to take, you’re probably too wrapped up in the drug side of things and aren’t into the training side enough.

AA:  So, switching gears (don’t you love that pun?)… What was your interest in racing cars for both NASCAR and the NHRA? Was it a function of you wanting to phase bodybuilding out of your life?

LP: I’ve been a bodybuilder for 19 years and I love training and doing it for the fans, but the politics can be so strong. If by chance I could win another show, that would be great, but I always need a new challenge going alongside that. I hate getting in a rut doing something over and over with no reprieve. So, a couple of years ago, I had the chance to follow Rod Fuller (races for the NHRA) around the drag circuit and learn the ropes. I then went to Frank Hawley’s drag racing school in Pomona after that, and I worked with Dan Holtz, who races in the NASCAR Relief series. We go up and do stuff on the track in Bakersfield. I help him with his training and he helps me with my driving.

AA:  Have you won any races?

LP: I won two open road races quite recently. I also did a race with John Schneider for the Silver State Classic Open Road race. We got 4th. We lost by a fraction of a second even in that place.

AA:  So all told, how long have you been driving?

LP: For about four years now. And I really like all types of driving. I love the drags right now, but I’m sure I’ll toy with some other kinds too. I like learning the handling of the cars and just love cars. I got into bodybuilding the same way—for the love of it. All I wanted was to train and get muscles, but when I began competing, I enjoyed doing it too. Yet, I didn’t think of turning pro. It’s the same with cars. It would be great to turn pro or do something big, but it’s still fun. I like to do something for the love of it and then I don’t get attached to outcomes.

AA:  Are you and Jeff Gordon many light years, and protein drinks, away?

LP: (laughs)… Probably, yeah. I’m as close to Jeff Gordon and his driving as he is to me and my arm size. But I’d bet I could probably learn to drive a car better in a shorter time frame than it would take him to look like me.

AA:  Too true. So what’s the coolest thing you’ve gotten to do since joining NHRA / NASCAR and that circuit?

LP: Winning the two open road races and my first drag race. I just love being at the track and learning stuff though, too, so it’s all cool. I go watch the drags every Saturday night. We go to Irwindale Raceway, and just being in the crowd is fun.

AA:  So, don’t tell me you’re getting a hankering for a mullet haircut now?

LP: Hey, been there, done that. I had one at the last Olympia. Oh yeah, and I had blue hair a few months ago. I just hate conforming… (laughs).

AA:  Just a rebel, eh?

LP: It’s not that, but if I want to wear something that isn’t in fashion, I don’t care. If someone doesn’t like it, I don’t care. I’m not always politically correct, but they’re my thoughts and it’s the way I am. I hate this “Need to be correct about everything we say” bit out there. It’s crazy.

AA:  So you’re going to have dreadlocks at next year’s Olympia then?

LP: (laughs)… No, but maybe I’ll have a Mohawk. My hair becomes public conversation on the Internet as much as my rumored drug use.

AA:  Speaking of the internet…you’ve referred to it a few times in this interview. What’s the fascination with all the pros knowing what people are saying about them?

LP: Sometimes my life isn’t as exciting as they say it is, and I learn exciting new things about what I’ve been doing. It’s fun to have a laugh, but it doesn’t bother me. I think it’s pretty funny when you express yourself on the Internet because one day I might just say a funny joke and someone says, “Oh, what’s the matter? You getting ‘roid rage now!?” They think I’m mad or something because it’s hard to understand tone online. But it actually takes a lot to get me mad. I’m too mellow to get mad.

AA:  What else do you want to do in your life? Party with Puffy and Jay-Z in Saint Tropez?

LP: Yeah, they’re my boys (sarcastically). I just take it day by day; whatever happens, happens. Today I’m into racing and bodybuilding, maybe I’ll go into acting or skydiving on the spur of the moment, who knows? I’m one of those people who never has a set plan. I really flow with life. Anything it gives me, I take and run with it.

AA:  If you could win any race or win any show, which would it be and why?

LP: I wouldn’t care, actually. As I said, I really take everything as it comes to me. I’ve never said “I want to win the Olympia” because it doesn’t have to be any particular show. I treat every show as something I want to win. In preparations, I treat each show with the same devotion and same dedication. I don’t train harder for the Olympia than the Ironman. As far as a drag race, of course I’d like it to be a national event title, rather than a local title, but if I’ve gone in and done my best, I’m always happy with the outcome.

AA:  What don’t people know about you?

LP: I speak out about everything, always. I’m really an open book. People may think I’m more serious than I am, but I’m really a joker. I joke around more than anything. And many times, people take me the wrong way.

AA:  But don’t you think that’s because you’re from another country? I think Americans just don’t know how to take you because of the accent, your style of joke telling, etc. If they went to England or Australia, they’d soon understand that the humor is different in the telling, you know?

LP: Yeah, that’s probably true. But I hate it when people think I’m a racist because of jokes I tell. Truth is, I hate everyone equally.

AA:  That’s about the best line I’ve heard all year! So what’s your best pick-up line of all time?

LP: I’m pretty shy. I’ve never been like some of these knobs who go up to women and say stupid things. I’d die of embarrassment.

AA:  Who or what bugs you in the sport, and why?

LP: There’s never really been anyone in particular, but I’ll tell you what I do hate. I get really bugged by people who are arrogant and egotistical and take themselves too seriously in this sport. Those same people are doing the things that they get sensitive about. People get annoyed with me joking backstage, but I just tell them they need to relax. They get pissed if you beat them, or if you laugh too loud, or if you look at them crooked. This all-too-serious and high and mighty attitude is bullshit! Ground yourselves, why don’t you!?

AA:  Do they need to move out to Lancaster?

LP: They need to come from a different country… (laughs) You know, I remember once I did an interview and had said “The IFBB = International Federation of Black Bodybuilders” and people got so mad and bent out of shape, and I thought, “Oh, just chill out!”. Who cares? It’s all such B.S. People will say, “Oh, you haven’t been through what I have been” and cry about it… I just feel like saying, “Oh shut up, will you?” I have two black dogs and a black cat, I’m not racist! (laughs)… I just think it’s silly, so I’m silly about it back! It’s so stupid. There’s an actual magazine out there called “Ebony”, what if there was a magazine called “White Man”? See my point?

AA:  What’s the most sinful, abusive thing you’ve done to your body with food?

LP: Once after the Ironman, I felt like I’d ripped my stomach. I had shallow breathing and was lying on the bed. After that, I never pigged out that severely again.

AA:  What had you eaten?

LP: What didn’t I eat? Food, and cake, and everything in sight. There’s a point where you’re full and then you keep eating and it gets worse and worse and it expands and then you feel like Augustus Gloop visiting the Willy Wonka factory!

AA:  I can’t say I know many people who would reference that! So what’s the most punishing workout you’ve ever had?

LP: Once I did 1028 reps with 500 pounds on the leg press – non-stop! Well, I stopped at the top, but I couldn’t pick my feet up or take a break, it had to be with the weight up to rest. I think it took about 25 minutes total.

AA:  WHAT? C’mon! Why would you even try something like that?

LP: Stupidity. Stupid friends of mine, and people betting me, to keep going. I think the original number to hit was like 700, and I just kept on going and said, “There now, shut the f**k up!”

AA:  Oh man! So how were your legs after that?

LP: I was pretty much numb from the waist down. My feet and legs were numb and all I felt toward the end was contact with the pad I was sitting on. I was sore for about a week. It wasn’t until about 7 or 8 days later that I trained them again.

AA:  Tom Platz has nothing on you, buddy!

LP: Yeah, but I’ve always been that way, if someone challenges me, I’ll try to prove them wrong.

AA:  Anything more you wanna say to your peeps out there?

LP: I want to thank the Lord Jesus Christ… Ummm… Oh shit, I’m starting to sound like Melvin and Ronnie now! (laughs)… A salaam malakem, my brothers!