Paul Grant (26 June 1943 – 23 November 2003) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

body builder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses o ...

who won the "amateur tall" category of the Mr. Universe contest in 1973 and went on to become an ambassador for the sport. Grant also won titles including Mr. Wales, Mr. Britain, Mr. Europe and Mr. World, and placed 2nd in the World Championships two times. Grant was 5 ft 11 and at his peak weighed 16 stones (224 pounds) with a 50-inch chest and 33-inch waist.

Early life

Grant was born in Swansea on 26 June 1943 (he was a

twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

). He started lifting weights at the age of 16. He spent his childhood years running cross-country, and at age 16 dropped out of school to start his own business - a bread delivery service. In the evenings, he spent time working out and bulking up. He married Christine (née Mason) in 1967 who went on to become Miss Universe Bikini.

Bodybuilding career

Grant moved near

Venice Beach, California Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...

in the early 1970s where he trained at

Gold's Gym Gold's Gym International, Inc. is an American chain of international co-ed fitness centers (commonly referred to as gyms) originally started by Joe Gold in Venice Beach, California. Each gym offers a variety of cardio and strength training equi ...

with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger became Grant's friend and they appeared in the 1976 documentary ''

Pumping Iron ''Pumping Iron'' is a 1977 American docudrama about the world of professional bodybuilding, with a focus on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and 1975 Mr. Olympia competitions. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore and edited by Geof Bartz and L ...

'' together. While in California Grant worked for

Joe Weider Joseph Weider (; November 29, 1919 – March 23, 2013) was a Canadian bodybuilder and entrepreneur who co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) alongside his brother Ben Weider. He was also the creator of Mr. Olympia, Ms. O ...

. Paul competed in the NABBA Universe competition in 1971, placing 2nd in the tall class 1. He was particularly known for his overall muscularity and superb delts, fantastically cut abs and great thigh sweep.

Accomplishments

http://musclememory.com/show.php?s=Paul+grant&g=M

Diet

For breakfast he would eat four unsweetened Weetabix moistened with a little milk and washed down by a drink of egg powder concentrate mixed with water. During the day he would eat steak, chicken and peas, with a little non-fat ice cream and four more egg powder drinks. He consumed over 9,000 powdered eggs a year.

Retirement

Grant moved back to Swansea where he ran a health food store and then a gym. He was president of the Welsh Federation of Body-Builders for 25 years from 1978, in charge of staging the Mr. Wales and Mr. Britain competitions.

Controversies

View on Steroids

Paul had said the he did not take steroids but only because he could put on weight without them. However controversially, he did not disapprove. "All them kids in Biafra are on steroids," he said in an interview in 1973. "Builds them up. Fills them out. Does them good, and that's a fact.”

Health issues and death

Grant developed a kidney disease in his 30s. Because of this, his eyesight was poor and he had to spend three days per week, eight hours a day attached to a

dialysis machine In chemistry, dialysis is the process of separating molecules in solution by the difference in their rates of diffusion through a semipermeable membrane, such as dialysis tubing. Dialysis is a common laboratory technique that operates on the sam ...

. This led to a transplant operation in 1985. He died at the age of 60 on 23 November 2003.

References

External links

* Getty Images photos of Paul Grant

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Paul Welsh bodybuilders Welsh twins 2003 deaths 1943 births