Everyone Loves Ventura Stories

Who doesn’t love Jesse Ventura stories?  What a life to have lead, aside from having balls and being outspoken about the unspoken, Ventura was a SEAL and worked in the WWF and WCW.  A well as working with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.

And now, a random Jesse anecdote sent in:

I worked out at Ventura’s gym in the summer of 82. It was called Muscle Junction on Penn Ave. in Brooklyn Park. No airconditioning but had big windows. His Son was like 5 and Jesse would come in when I was there sometimes. He was about 265lbs and a legitimate 6’5. I was 24 and 6’4 187lbs (eventually 256lbs) and looked like a zipper. We had a Military connection so I got to hear how he felt he was at his peak as a Frogman weighing 215lbs. Back then it was cooler to call yourself a Frogman than a Seal if that makes sense? He had a long pointed beard and long sideburns that made him look like a demon. He scared me so I decided I would just walk up to him introduce myself. Because that is what you are supposed to do when someone scares you.

What a shock! He spoke to me for over 2 hours and no subject was off-limits. He spoke to me about everything, steroids, and if he thought they were bad or good and if he had taken them and for how long. He never talked down to me. He never tried to bully me. And what was more astounding is we would train side by side. He lifted massive amounts of weights with no wraps and like a machine. 4sets x8-12 reps 4 exercises a body part. He told me nobody had ever trained him he just did this set and rep scheme and I have forgotten his split but it was probably fit around his busy schedule. He said it took much more effort to maintain a 265lbs body than it did to maintain his 215lbs. Perhaps you know something about that?

I did notice one significant thing. He was strict, 2secounds up, pauses for 1 second in the contracted position, and 4 seconds down. No cheating perfect form and I personally saw him Squat to just below parallel for reps of 450lbs with no wraps in an unairconditioned gym. I could not breathe in that place so I stuck to doing leg extensions and would hold them at the top. He liked that and in between his sets, he would watch me then go back to his sets.

In later years I almost got to meet him again at Barnes and Noble here in Roseville but I just missed him. He goes there to promote his latest books. No way he would remember me, but I never forgot him. I heard Chris Jericho had a similar experience with him and Ricky Steamboat so I imagine many people have had this type of encounter with the Governator.

Sounds about right…