In conversation with Jay Cutler, Craig Golias dropped a reality check on the 4x Mr Olympia about the bodybuilding culture in his hometown, Cleveland, Ohio.

The American professional bodybuilder and fitness model revealed how he wanted to get big after staying skinny for years. While telling his journey about the time he started bodybuilding, he expressed that there was no community in his city.

“I didn't really get into fitness as hard till I moved to California, because in Cleveland, Ohio, there is no bodybuilding. Like I, I had no motivation around,” said Golias.

Cutler jumped in, asking Golias about his Ohio gym days, where it all began. Golias didn’t hold back, replying, “I went to the Strongsville Recreation Center. That was like the first gym I went to. And all the, all the people in my high school were still training there, like after we graduated.”

He further added, “I wasn't training legs. I wasn't training my shoulders. I was just. doing like, like arms, and back, and a little chest.” Cleveland may not have given him the ideal training environment, but it certainly boosted Golias’ confidence and fueled his drive to build a better body.

“I was the skinny, long-haired metalhead,”

Further in his conversation with Jay Cutler, Golias expressed that lifting weights gave him the attention he was missing all his life. When Cutler asked how it felt once people began to notice the change, Golias replied, “Amazing. Unbelievable.”

“I think that’s why I kept on pushing and pushing, pushing. I was just… We all want validation of what we’re doing. And then girls started hitting on me, and then, you know, like I was like, ‘Wow, girls are starting to finally hit on me’,” Golias told Jay Cutler.

Before his bodybuilding journey, Craig was a big music buff, performing his band escapades here and there. However, what truly increased his popularity was his insane physique.

Given that, what is your opinion on Goliath? Also, tell us your own story behind your fitness!

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das