Grecian Heritage

Gus Malliarodakis was born in the psychedelic 60s in San Francisco, CA, but rather than becoming a hippie, he became a bodybuilder. Perhaps it was his pure Greek blood or perhaps because his mother would not let him play football, but he took to lifting weights and building his muscles from an early age. Gus inherited the strength of a Spartan warrior and the intelligence of an Athenian scholar from his parents. Together, these attributes would combine to create a powerful bodybuilder and talented businessman with limitless possibilities.

Gus' ethnically Greek father, Harry, is an all-American patriot -- a WWII and Korean War veteran who served in both the Merchant Marines and the U.S. Army. After the Korean War he met the then Jenny Vrentzos while he was vacationing in Greece. Jenny was a nurse and a Greek beauty queen that had won several national beauty pageants. They married soon thereafter and Jenny moved to America to start a family with Harry.

Childhood Years

Gus was raised in a rough neighborhood in San Francisco known as the Mission District. He frequently had to fight his way home from school. His childhood memories include images of liquor store stick-ups, bank robbers' car wrecks, gun shots and police sirens.

In elementary school Gus had hobbies and interests like many other boys: building plastic models, collecting coins and stamps, playing with army men and tending to his fish aquarium. He also loved to read and devoured everything he could get his hands on from poetry to novels, from comic books to history. He also loved to paint.

In addition to public school, Gus attended a Greek school twice a week where he learned to read and write Greek, which was also spoken regularly at home. Every Sunday he attended the two-hour-plus ceremony at the local Greek Orthodox church, conducted entirely in Greek.

Gus' favorite PE activity was dodgeball. He was a rough kid that ran with other rough kids. He and his pals would have boxing matches with no gloves and they loved lighting off firecrackers and bottle rockets. His first exposure to bodybuilding was the Charles Atlas course his Father did, which he also frequently saw ads for in his comic books.

Early Teenage Years

The first time Gus set foot in a gym when he was thirteen-years-old. His neighbor, Lexy Laguillo, took him to the gym his father owned, Alex's Health Club in San Francisco. He recalls fooling around with the weights, but not really working out. He visited a few times, mostly as an observer rather than a participant, but the experience left a lasting impression on him.

In junior high school he was not particularly good at sports, especially lacking skill in the all-important baseball. It was then that he became involved in theater and performed in several school plays, including playing the Lion in "The Wizard of Oz," the King in "Alice In Wonderland," as well as playing Elvis and George Washington in other plays. At school he learned from a acting coach from New York City, John Pantolean, also a Greek.

When Gus was fifteen, after he moved with his family to Walnut Creek, he saw a poster of Arnold at a flea market. Soon thereafter, his father bought him a kids weight set - the standard issue blue plastic weights filling with cement. He did not have a bench, but instead used his bed and he had no dumbbells. He eventually got a cheap weight bench and set it up in the garage. He began to notice differences immediately during that first summer of working out. At this time he worked out by himself.

High School

After Gus moved from San Francisco his sophomore year to Walnut Creek, he began to work out at the school gym with weights. He also briefly played basketball and soccer. He was a solid B-student, but he disliked math. His mother refused to let him play football because so many of the kids seemed to get hurt. After school he worked cleaning horse stables, delivered newspapers and collected balls at a golf course.

Gus' first car was a blue 1967 Chevelle which his father wrecked. His second car was a 1972 Pontiac Le Mans 400 which he himself wrecked. It is certainly worth noting is that both of these are classic "muscle" cars.

Young Adult

After graduating from high school Gus joined his first gym -- Clancy Ross' Mr. America Club. Like many young bodybuilders at the time, he started taking protein powder which at that time smelled bad and tasted even worse. He also took multi-vitamin packs, basic amino acids and extremely foul-smelling beef liver pills. None of this bothered him, he just want to train hard and get results.

Gus' first job after high school was as an undercover security guard at Sears in the Sun Valley Mall in Concord, CA. It was a rough job which entailed frequent direct confrontations with thieves and shoplifters. Sometimes these encounters would turn violent and thirteen times he was sent to urgent care for injuries. He held this job for five long years.

Gus' Mentor

During this time Gus met Aldo Battagello, who became his bodybuilding mentor. Aldo had won the Masters AAU Mr. America and also competed in some of Joe Weider's shows in Canada. Aldo spoke highly of both Joe and Ben Weider.

Aldo took Gus to see his first bodybuilding competition. He thought Gus had a strong physique with excellent potential and offered to train him. Gus says "Aldo was like a second father to me. I met him when my parents were going through a divorce. I spent a ton of time with him in the gym and at his home with he and his wife Shirley. He was physically one of the strongest men I have ever known. His muscles looked like cement. Aldo liked to make people feel good about themselves and share his knowledge with them."

Bodybuilding Greats

There were many of great bodybuilders who trained at the Clancy Ross Mr. America Club with Gus, including Don Ross, Kay Baxter and strongman Mike Dayton. Plus, many other bodybuilding legends frequently came to visit, including Bill Pearl, Pete Grymkoski and Shelly Gruell. Steve O'Brien, at that time a high-respected competitive bodybuilder and winner of the Mr. America and now vice president of NPC, also worked out there and later bought the gym. Gus calls Steve "a wonderful man" and says he really cares about bodybuilding as a sport.

When growing up Gus' bodybuilding heroes were Arnold, Serge Neubre, Dennis Tinerino, Ed Corney, Bob Paris and Robbie Robinson. Says Gus, "Arnold is Arnold. His charisma and attitude, combined with a great physique made him hugely successful. People started to take a serious look at bodybuilding because of Arnold." He continues, "I loved Serge. He wasn't huge, however, he had great symmetry and a very aesthetically pleasing build. Robbie Robinson was amazing. He was one of the most complete bodybuilders ever. And to me Ed Corney was the best poser."

First Show

Gus started training for his first show under Aldo, the Teenage North Bay, in 1982 which was put on by Paul Love (Flex Wheeler's father-in-law). The guest poser was Ali Mala who was totally huge. Gus says, "His build totally blew me away, especially his arms."

Gus placed fourth at the show, but as it was his first competition he was pleased with the results. "Competing was fun. I was happy to even placed in the top five. I was really excited and didn't know what to expect. I was afraid that everyone would be much bigger and better than me. I have come to learn not to focus on the competition, but instead just focus on myself."

After the show Samir Banout, then the current Mr. Olympia, called Gus over and told him he had the best upper body here. He told Gus, "Just train your legs more and you will be a champion." Over the next several years Gus continued to do many local shows, in San Franciso, Alameda, San Joaquin, and other locations in Northern California.

Career Decision

Gus considered becoming a cop, but his "Uncle" Frank Boides convinced him to go into real estate instead. Gus studied for and earned his real estate license and went to work for Merrill Lynch Real Estate where he worked for several years. Gus says, "I was trying to figure out what to do with my life and real estate seemed like a good area. I'm glad I pursued it and although I have worked in other fields, I keep coming back to it again and again."

During this time Gus continued to work-out, but stopped competing for several years while he focused on real estate. Additionally, his girlfriend at the time did not like him big, which also contributed somewhat to him cutting back in his training. Gus says, "In that respect I was stupid. Relationships can effect you in many ways, not all good. It's important that the person that you are with respect who you are and your goals."

Hawaii

While vacationing in Hawaii he fell in love with the islands. He had planned to stay a week, but ended up stayed for 19 days. He had earned good money in real estate so upon returning to California he quit his job, took his savings and immediately moved back to Hawaii. He hung out for six months at the beach and worked out a lot. He and his roommate, Joe Franke, had an apartment two blocks from the Waikiki Beach.

When his money started to run out Gus drove a pedicab for a month. He then got a job as a bouncer at Spats, which was a that time a formal nightclub at the Hyatt Regency. He took over the job from the late bodybuilder Curtis Leffler and they became friends. Bouncer in Tuxedo. Spats shoes. He worked there for a year, ultimately grew tired of it and decided to move back to California.

Back In California

Once back in California Gus went back into real estate working at Prudential until 1995. He married in 1993, fathered a son, Nikko, and divorced in 1995. Gus elaborates, "I ran into Curtis Leffler again when I moved back California and he told me "You look like a girl! What happened to you?" That really got to me." Gus left real estate that year and started working for 24 Hour Fitness as their supplement manager which he continued to do for one year. He also started training hard again.

Next, he worked for Champion Nutrition in sales where he stayed until 2000. Says Gus, "I had gotten into shape again and they asked me to appear in an ad for one of the their bodybuilding products, which I did. This fueled me to train even harder and I made great progress. People kept suggesting I should compete again, so finally, I did. He eventually became the featured bodybuilder for Champion Nutrition and appeared in dozens of print ads for the company."

Competing Again

His first show was the 1998 Contra Costa in which he placed 2nd in the Heavyweight at 222 lbs. He had problems with his pre-competition diet. The person that did his diet had him "carbs up" on 140 grams carbs before the show. Gus recalls "I felt weak and didn't fill out. I was very flat and smooth. It had become a really tough show. I was hoping to make top 5 and I was happy to place second, but I could have done better had my diet not been so far off. At that time I knew very little about the role of dieting and nutrition as it pertains to bodybuilding."

Onto The Cal

Gus next decided to compete in the California State Bodybuilding Championships, a mere two weeks later. Says Gus, "I knew I could be in better shape, so I decided to do the Cal. At that point Mike Zumpano [founder and president of Champion Nutrition] began advising me on my diet." At the show Gus found himself moving up to the Super Heavyweight class and placing fifth after carbing up more and weighing in at 226 lbs. (one pound too heavy for the Heavyweight class). Gus laments, "I didn't realize I would come in so much heavier which forced me to move up in class. I think I could have won my class if I had competed in the class I had intended, but I didn't have the experience yet to effectively plan my weight class strategy."

Training & Gaining

For the next year Gus continued to train hard, built more size and focused a lot on diet. Says Gus, "I decided to go for Super Heavyweight class, but to plan for it." The next year, 1999, he competed in the Contra Costa again, but this time in the Super Heavyweight class. He came in at 232 and placed 1st in Super Heavyweight and 2nd overall. "At the same show my friend Tony Frerking was competing and I was helping him get ready for the show. He ended up winning Novice overall. This was his first show and I was so pleased with his win. It really got me psyched up for when I got onstage later that night in the Open division. I was so elated to win my class and it felt great with all those people cheering." Two weeks later Gus did the Cal and placed 2nd in the Super Heavyweight class. "Again, I was hoping to place in top 3 or better, which, happily, I did."

Gus then decided to take two years off from competing and returned to real estate once again. Then, in 2001, he got engaged, to model Sommer Nissen. They had met at Contra Costra bodybuilding competition that spring where he had not been competing, but rather had been working for Champion Nutrition.

A "No Pain, No Gain" Opportunity

In the late summer of 2001 Gus was approached by Samuel Turcotte about starring in the feature film, "No Pain, No Gain." Turcotte was finalizing the script and was in the early stages of pre-production and casting the film. Turcotte, the film's director, had met Gus through his brother Michael Turcotte, who had worked at Champion Nutrition with Gus for several years. Champion's founder and president was serving as a technical advisor on the film and Turcotte asked Zumpano about Gus and his potential fit for the starring role in the film. Zumpano responded enthusiastically.

Turcotte states "The challenge of casting actors for a bodybuilding film is that, unlike nearly all other sports, you can't fake it. It's not like you can just take an actor and have them work out for a few months to 'become' a top bodybuilder. On the contrary, it takes many years to build a true bodybuilder's physique."

Prior Acting Experience

Although this film would potentially be Gus' first starring role, he had done some prior acting. Gus had a supporting role as a submarine officer in the Emmy-award winning Paramount Television mini-series "War and Remembrance" which starred Robert Mitchum, Jane Seymour, Michael Madsen and Sharon Stone. Plus, he had appeared in numerous television commercials, a music video and tons of print ads in magazines. He is also a member of the Screen Actors Guild.

After meeting with Gus several times about the role, Turcotte made the decision to cast him in the starring role. Turcotte says, "Gus has great presence and charisma, both on and off screen, and in many ways Gus' personality reminded me a lot of Mike Zorillo (the hero of the film)."

Fall 2001 Competitions

Prior to start of principal photography of the film Gus had already been preparing for two bodybuilding competitions in the fall 2001. Gus says, "In general, the timing of the competitions and film was good, but it was really hard to diet down again a month after doing two back-to-back competitions."

First up was the Sacramento. "I had put on some more size and matured more and felt I was going to do well and hopefully place high in the rankings," says Gus. "Michael Turcotte, who at that time worked in product development at Champion Nutrition, was advising me on my diet. It was the toughest diet I had ever done. Michael is totally hard core. Literally, zero carbs for six weeks before the show. It was very intense."

A Winning Proposal

"I proposed to my wife during the competition, between pre-judging and the night show. I had met her briefly the year before at another bodybuilding competition. Fortunately, she said yes." Gus ended up placing 1st in Super Heavyweight and 1st overall. Gus adds, "I was overjoyed that night because I was engaged to a great lady and winning overall at the show."

Then, two weeks later Gus competed in his first Nationals and placed 7th in the Super Heavyweight with 2-points difference between 5th and 7th place. Says Gus, "It was my first Nationals, so I was hoping for top 15, which would be tough when you consider Art Atwood ended up winning my class that year and Matt Duvall took second.

Filming "No Pain, No Gain"

Two weeks after the Nationals Gus was on the set filming. Gus states, "Other than the documentary 'Pumping Iron' there have been no other films about bodybuilding, so starring in the first fictional film set in the world of bodybuilding was such an honor. To have such passion for a sport and then to represent it is a dream come true. It has a great story and it's not simply a 'bodybuilding' film. It's a universal story that could have been set anywhere, but fortunately for me it was set in the world of bodybuilding."

The film places Gus in the role of an underdog hero, a bodybuilder who goes for it despite the odds against him. Gus says, "I like its message of following your dreams and they can come true. The film is about perseverance and the title, 'No Pain, No Gain,' really means that nothing good ever comes easy, which I know to be true from my own experiences. It's a great slogan for both bodybuilding and life."

Production Challenges

The filming of "No Pain, No Gain" lasted five weeks in Austin, Texas and, as with all films, there were many challenges. Gus recalls "We had a great team of people and everyone was really dedicated. Problems would come up and we'd figure out how to deal with it, then move on. It was a great experience and really opened my eyes as to what it takes to make a movie."

During the first week of filming Gus had to take a time off to fly back home to California and get married to his fiancC)e Sommer. Gus says, "I almost missed the wedding rehearsal. I flew in that day, then flew back the next day after the wedding and was filming again that same day. I was gone less than 48 hours. It made a lot of people nervous, but everything worked out fine all the way around."

Recent Shows (2003 present)

In 2003, Gus competed in the Nationals again. "This time around I was doing my diet myself and also starting a new business, so it was tough getting ready for the show. I knew it would be an extremely challenging show with strong competition, but I hoped to place in the top 5." Gus took 2nd in the Super Heavyweight class of the Masters division. He had some serious competition -- George Thurman took 1st in class and overall, then went on to take 5th the same year at the Masters Olympia.

Then, in 2004, Gus was back at the Nationals and took 3rd the Super Heavyweight class of the Masters division. Say Gus, "I was hoping to do at least as well as the year before, so I was a bit disappointed. I think my diet was good, but my off-season weight training was not as strong as it should have been. In hindsight, I probably should have taken a year off."

In 2005 Gus had his sights on three shows: the Cal, the Nationals and the North American. At the Cal (California Championships) he took 1st overall in the Masters division. Then, a month later at the Nationals he took 4th in the Super Heavyweight class of the Masters division. Then, about a month later at the North American took 2nd in the Super Heavyweight class of the Masters division. During this time Gus also ran his successful real estate business, plus raised two new sons (Titan and Chase) with his wife Sommer.

Magazines

Gus has had the honor of appearing on the covers of Muscle & Fitness and Iron Man magazines. Both publications have featured him in several articles, as has MuscleMag International and MAX Sports & Fitness (Max Muscle's magazine). He has been featured in many other bodybuilding magazines around the world, including in Brazil (Super Treino and Fitness Brasil), Czech Republic (Svet Kulturistiky), France (Le Monde Du Muscle), Italy (Olympian's News and Cultura Fisica), Spain (BodyFitness), Sweden (B&K Sports Magazine and BODY), UK (Health & Strength) and in many other countries.

Says Gus, "It is very exciting and fun being on the cover of or featured in bodybuilding magazines. It's great because you're leaving some history behind for your kids. Plus, these are the same magazines that the all-time great bodybuilders, and my personal heroes, appeared in. The same magazines that I have read since I was a teenager."

Gus adds, "The photo shoots are fun, but very hard work. You have to hold poses for a really long time and the photo shoots take many hours. It's amazing how much time and effort goes into shooting the photos for magazines. And then they only use about one out of ten shoots for any given cover.

Why Bodybuilding?

People are motivated to bodybuilding for many different reasons. In terms of Gus' motivation, he says "I like the way it makes me feel and the way it makes me look. For me it's both internal and external. I love the natural high. It's my medication. Whenever I've had problems in my life and mentally down, ultimately it was the training that got me through it all. It's the best therapy in the world."

Gus adds, "I also enjoy the competitive side because I never competed in sports as a child and bodybuilding offers a person of any age the chance to compete. There are few other sports than offer this opportunity." Gus says he's a bodybuilder for life. States Gus, "All of life is a fight against gravity. That's why I lift!"