Mike Katz - the best bodybuilder amateur of 70

[saintlysimon]

0:57 thats freaky

[300spartansrule]

I loved the part on pumping iron raw iron when mike and Arnold are let loose in a theme park so funny.

[SR4LosersIsMYBITCH]

@300spartansrule Hey look. They made a statue of Mike haha (points to Hippo)

[300spartansrule]

@SR4LosersIsMYBITCH Haha yeah and when mike shot Arnold with the squirt gun I love it :D

[VinceAdamsTraining]

Amen to that bother.

[SR4LosersIsMYBITCH]

How much weight is his using for flyes??

[unfortunatebeam]

he was actually a pretty big dude, comparable to Arnold esp in the chest. Didn't quite cut it to be a real pro though, but he got close.

[MrMontgomeryM]

@unfortunatebeam Yeah I think he was 240lbs. Massive chest.

[rgmcall]

he was big just needed more symettry. chest dwarfed his arms and shoulders and calfs to small for his thighs.

[ryanwegner2010]

@rgmcall quoted from pumping iron, you moron

[rgmcall]

@ryanwegner2010 please dont call me a moron. it was not quoted from pumping iron.

[ryanwegner2010]

@rgmcall oh okay, i musta imagined it

[rgmcall]

@ryanwegner2010 haha well it wasnt a direct quoute its cause ken waller was saying oh mike katz hes good but he wont beat me his arms arent big enough for his chest and his thighs are to big for his calves.

[codemandeuce]

wrong music, but good intention

[rickfaw]

The drugs hadn't evolved as they have today. I know teens who weigh 260 with 30 inch thighs benching 600. Steroids ruin as much as they help. The drug look can be seen from a mile away. I have had 5 friends die from steroids and the operations to remove tumors. 1 suicide. I competed twice,attended many shows and the whole talk was of how much drugs guys were on.I found out the sport isnt what it seems. I still train 3 days per week at 51. All the old druggies aren't there anymore. New ones are.

[unfortunatebeam]

@rickfaw yet there are still people that think steroids are alright.

[jesusizblak]

why didn't he try to emphasize his underdeveloped muscles?

[MrMontgomeryM]

@jesusizblak Sometimes that's as far as you can take them, I wouldn't say underdeveloped more that he overdeveloped other muscles and that made the others look smaller. I remember Arnie saying that he (Arnold) was perfect because if he made his chest bigger he would need to make the other muscles bigger and so on so he said everything was just right.

[SiggsSE]

@steroidsR4shitheads Do you know what a dumbell is? You jealous ass!

[Swidhelm]

Killer lats on Katz. Seriously wide back. Very nice.

[CRIMINAL619]

Great guy. But he was not gifted with the proper genetics to win Mr.Universe.

[MrAnthonyVance]

I was just one of the many gym denizens that worked out with Mike at the YMCA way back then in 1968. He was the gym icon to both bodybuilders and  weight-lifters. He had a great sense of humor, was always a gentleman, and a role model for many of us. I dare say that the width of the man, from shoulder to shoulder, would rival even the Biblical Samson himself. Wow, could Mike bench-press! And no wonder -- his chiseled chest was legendary in the annals of bodybuilding. Mike was a champion to me.

[evilbryce]

hes shoulda beat ken waller

[genericteen]

now i watch this i realize, he just didnt have the genetics to win mr universe. :( @vinat290. . ofc you were and by train harder than todays you mean for 4-5 hours a day which is just stupid overkill, the guys today train just as hard you cant just "rely" on drugs for an olympia winning physique.

[SpinDoctor91]

@genericteen

i think what vinat means is back then they "used" drugs not "abused" them like most of todays bodybuilders...

[djkasti]

The triceps of mike katz is the best of 70 for me

[daddyvic007]

poor guy.. his body is just crippled...

[Great1boy1]

Pumping Iron was such a great bodybuilding DVD. Helped bring the sport to the mainstream. Very good article on Mike Katz-just google "CT Legend Mike Katz." He was a great guy, interesting story, and a great athlete.

[shinshoryuken]

Mike Katz was basically the Markus Ruhl of the 1970's. Everybody loved him and he was very popular, but his proportions kept him from being the best.

[leftwingnazi]

@shinshoryuken I agree with that completely... his waist is large and his muscle shape is just not pleasant, particularly his chest and lats.

[GunGemini]

CLASS ACT

I met mike years ago. one of the nicest guys ever

[tenodogblu]

pmsl at some of the comments on here !!!

[ak74srthebest0909]

Mike katz was awesome on pumping iron! Ken waller was kind of an ass to him!

[vinat290]

@dianabol75 I can see you know nothing about the sport. and futher more you don't even know me and you try to pic a fight with me. Talk about drugs you must be on something or did you forget them today.

[vinat290]

@dianabol75 Hey, I never said bodybuilders of the 70’s didn’t use drugs. Read it again and carefully this time before you make a comment.

[kornboy3]

the best? LOL

[nezpercenathan]

I think Mike really put forth the effort, and did a lot with what he had work with, genetically. His problem was the parts never quite fit together- torso too big for the arms and legs, etc.

[milnusthegnome]

He had NOTHING on arnold, no offence

[hempnight250]

yap

[muscleten]

hes such a kick ass guy and my favorite quote in pumping iron from him was this one..

" theres only so many times that you can kick a dog until it rolls over and dies, or it can fight back and bite you...and im the kind of guy whos gonna fight back "

[mightymike44]

more and more of us could be like. Most BB today ride their genetics. He was one that went beyond that. Another one was Rich Gaspari, really low on the genes but high on the desire.Thats my kinda man.

And than there is Michael J. High on Genes and desire and you get legend and the best ever....

[TheMaxim101]

i kno him

[goldenoakretriever]

Respect to big Mike!

[fixer16]

At 0:53 AMAZING!

[689321546]

around good guy. like him in pumpimg iron even when whatz his face stole his sweat shirt mike did'nt lose his cool .

[shinshoryuken]

Mike Katz was a great bodybuilder who had tremendous heart. The reason he never won a major contest above Mr. America ...

(although he qualified for Mr. Olympia after placing 4th in Mr. Universe in '75)

.... was because he basically started as a football player with large pecs and arms, but smaller calves, forearms, and rear delts. He had to train hard to get those smaller muscle groups up to par but they always looked too dwarfed by his major muscle groups, which gave him bad proportions.

[fixer16]

One of the worst genetics I have ever see, but he worked very hard to make the best out of it. Much respect to Mike!

[689321546]

problem 1 with mike was he's arm's were long and it was hard to train to get the full effect of his training , but he did pretty good even thou.

[CoolasIce2]

Good to see a vid on Katz. He had some glaring weaknesses: calves, thighs, forearms, and most obvious his traps. Instead of emphasizing his shoulders, his rounded traps made look like a slouch.

[MrSchwartzenator]

yea your right. but he gave it his best. one of the worst haircuts too

[melkiemelkie]

very bad bodybuilder

[fixer16]

Hes not dead, he is still alive!

[Joeflo120]

i have to say is was one of the best bodybuilders and also health teachers I KNOW 1ST HAND !

[Igoranthony79]

died of cancer in vegiga!

[recheveste31]

he wasnt the best bodybuilder,.....but sure enough to be remembered

[M0d3rator]

bodybuilder amatuer* read the title

[KingUser2008]

Katz was amazing, in pumping iron . He looked great. Seems like a nice guy.

[majordave223]

@KingUser2008 Ya, I met Mike at a bodybuilding competition last month, and he is very nice. Thankfully and luckily, I got a few pictures with him.

[daddyvic007]

@KingUser2008 seemed like a nice guy for sure, but looked like shit to me.

[awhitlock76]

Mike was a high school teacher and body builder, would have been cool to have him as your high school teacher.....

[ryanjameswagner01]

he was my fathers gym teacher and he showed him how to lift

[germiorn]

wow thts awsome

wish my weight training teacher was like a famous bodybuilder

[cgrextreme]

i have tremendous respect for mike katz, definatly one of my favourite bodybuilders of the 70's along with lou ferrigno!

[Maxwell2323]

Alwasy liked Mike Katz when I was growing up in the 60s and started lifting in the mid 70s.

People say he is not symmetric, which is true ... for 99% of us. How many friends do you have that train as they may, have small calves? I would stick 800 lbs on the damn calf machine and they would not grow. Could hit 'em with a hammer - same thing.

Mike had average genetics and made the most out of it. Arnold and others truly have unique genes with the rare desire to put in the hard work.

Go Big Mike~!

[MyLifeRSC]

You, Max are a dumb shit. Arnold was on steroids and average genetics? You have to put hard work in for anything.

[nikkolascooke]

yes arnold was on steroids but he had super genetics too....

[santiken]

Great guy...fantastic role model for bodybuilders.

[Dundrum73]

Mike Katz is one of the best bodybuilder in the Schwarzenegger area, i like him!

[GBHTheVulture]

were did you get all the pics? i can't find any decent ones, i want some pics of katz in my gym

[mrolympia65]

It's hard to find a nicer guy or role model than Katz. He was also a good all around athlete, played for the NY Jets, is very articulate and intelligent.

In 1970, all IFBB competitors were considered professionals. Katz won the Mr. America that year. Franco won the Mr. Universe but lost to Draper and Ricky Wayne in the Mr. World.

Katz had enormous potential but lacked balance and symmetry which he was never able to corrrect. But....WHAT A CHEST!!!

[odessafile75]

I met Mike when he guest posed at the can-am in Watertown, Ny in 1980

he was incredible both in posing and graciousness

[pioneercd94]

Great man, great body, great personality

[adrian23hdez]

only thing he lacked was some of his posing ..  other than that... big heart , great bodybuilder

[alaskanhal]

Notice the shots of him training in a garage...lov the ole school.

[unclejuniorsoprano]

Mike Katz was not just another pretty face, that's for sure. Most definitely, he was one of the very best. There was something unique, special about him. He may have not been as symmetrical as Arnold, but neither was Sergio Olivas for that matter. Katz was like the 98 lb. weakling who grew up to become a Hercules. He was stupendous..

[jjsmizzle317]

I just want his hair..

[rscmrcmd]

Love Mike. Thanks for posting.

[teddy007kong]

mike katz is a fav from pumping iron

jewish bodybuilders forever

[sz42781]

Mike Katz! Master of the vacume pose! Meatball parm midsection! Big dude though!

[todopor]

Such a nice guy!!!!

[milciclei]

gostaria de te-lo visto fazendo supino até estourar uma camisa

[julianvada]

I like Mike. Big man big heart. His genetics weren't that great but definetly stood out with his size and of course the hard work. Nice vid!

[vinat290]

I am an old school bodybuilder; I trained and hung out with many of these guys. Let me tell you they would be at the top of the game if they trained today. We trained hard, guys dont train like we did, sure there was drug use but we didnt riley on it like todays bodybuilders.

[THEnybify]

@vinat290 are you saying that today bodybuilders don't train as hard as the old bodybuilders did???

[TheDelianLeague]

@vinat290 The only thing wrong with your post is that you do not say how much better bodybuilders looked in this era compared to todays weird proportioned guys. This was the best time.

[shinshoryuken]

His arms are amazing

[jairdownhill]

i was a big fan of catz in pomping iron

[Mangiman000]

Mike Katz :) oldschool builders