F RO M T H E
CEO
By Nick Orton
make me laugh when he showed
up at BodyPower with his six huge
suitcases packed with tee’s and vests
– he would sit and sell everyone
himself. I used to try and get him to
the green room for food, but he’d just
say ‘I got a line’ (of fans). His work
ethic is inspiring.
I
often describe my life as bizarre,
and one of the highlights of
that craziness is the massive
BodyPower expo in Mumbai, India,
which I was at recently. Running
these expos around the world is a
pretty strange thing anyway, but add
in the presence of high profile actors,
politicians and athletes, and the
bizarre scale goes off the rails. On this
show, my guests included PCA poster
boy Dean White; the enormous
Mr Universe Josh Maley; Head PCA
Judge Warren Dyson; rising physique
star Zac Ansley; the hilarious and
talented Tom Coleman; superstar
bodybuilder and actor Kai Greene;
and the legendary Flex Wheeler.
I don’t often get much time to talk
to the guests, and I didn’t know Flex
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MUSCLE & FITNESS / MARCH 2018
very well, so wanted to chat to
him…I’m glad I did. Rarely have
I met someone who has so much
life experience. He’s not only a
phenomenal bodybuilder, but also
has a wealth of anecdotes and stories.
His life has been so varied and
colourful.
My time with Flex got me thinking
about some of the other characters
that I’ve met through bodybuilding –
I’ve been lucky enough to meet
most of the ‘greats’ and I’ve been
asked many times who I think is the
best…I’m a huge Ronnie fan – that man
is pure machine, whether its training
or business, he just cannot be
stopped, and I love the fact that he’s
so straightforward. It would always
Dorian has to be one of the most
fascinating bodybuilders. His mind is
a mystery, it’s like a combination of
high intelligence, mixed with an
intenseness which is quite intimidat-
ing at times. Interviewing Dorian is a
tough task because it demands
serious focus, due to his razor sharp
mind. It’s great to see him enjoying
life to the full nowadays in Spain,
I always sensed resentment from
him about the press in the UK,
because they never acknowledged
his massive achievements. I have
a lot to thank Dorian for, because
when I started BodyPower, he was
the only one who said ‘yea, let’s do it,
I will support you’ and he also
introduced me to a guy who I have a
close bond to now - on the very first
BodyPower expo, the week before we
opened, our headline athlete suffered
an injury and couldn’t travel, and
Dorian said to me ‘don’t worry,
there’s a guy who I think is going
to be a big star, I will invite him over,
his name is Kai Greene’…Kai was
quiet, thoughtful and polite. He talked
about art, books and literature. He
was really interesting. The crowd
loved him, and he’s been back to
BodyPower every year since. At the
Mumbai expo, he was nothi ng short
of ‘superstar’, mobbed by the crowds,
he handled the mic like a seasoned
pro and worked the crowd master-
fully. His development has been
astronomical.
We are well into the planning
for the 10th edition of BodyPower
expo UK, and for this special
anniversary edition, expect
to see a host of new, existing and
legendary athletes. 11-13th May
at the NEC www.bodypower.com