Everyone has a person who motivated them into lifting. Many of us would say Arnold because his physique is something we all wanted.
Everyone has a person who motivated them into lifting. Many of us would say Arnold because his physique is something we all wanted. But I have some personal favorites over the years and the more I discovered more about bodybuilding and power lifting, the more physiques I came across. The physiques that impress me the most are the ones that powerful as well as well-built. I have a few bodybuilders/power lifters that I think are HERCULEAN CHAMPIONS in my eyes.

REG PARK

Reg Park was one of many bodybuilders that played Hercules. His physique was amazing as well as his strength. I personally think that he's more close to looking like Hercules than Lou Ferrigno or Steven Reeves. Reg Park strength was impressive.

Before he did the Hercules movies, he was benching 500, behind-the-neck presses with 300 and squatting 600 and it was obvious in his films. Reg Park's physiques displayed both strength and power. He was no doubt Britain's strongest bodybuilder.

CHUCK SIPES

I didn't know anything about Chuck Sipes until a few years ago. I noticed that he was pretty much ripped-to-the-bone, but he was also strong as well. He was benching 600, a little more than Reg Park did. He had done 600 naturally and without a bench shirt. Sipes' physique was amazing to me because he was an actual power-bodybuilder.

He used blast singles in his training for mass and high reps on shaping exercises. Sipes physique had the appearance of a bodybuilder but the strength of a power lifter.

BILL KAZMAIER

This is the man!! He's the main reason why I got into power lifting in the first place. I first saw Kaz in a strongman competition on ESPN several years back. He like the others above, was lean like a bodybuilder but was true power lifter. There was very little body fat on Kaz as he too was a power-bodybuilder himself.

I remember one competition were he and another opponent were doing a keg race. In the first few seconds of starting, Kaz was displaying superhuman strength by tossing keg barrels as if they were empty. That was then when I wanted to be just like him.

Kaz also brought strength and focus together by using pure intensity. He would dominate every competition he would go into. He even benched 661 at 330 before he switch over to strongman competitions. I even met Kaz last year and boy was it a pleasure competiting in his meet and hearing him talk afterwards. Kazmaier, in my eyes, will the strongest man to ever stepped onto the scene, he is also my inspiration in my training.

DAVE WATERMAN

Dave was 193 ripped pounds of muscle and looking at him, you would think that that he's a bodybuilder....but he wasn't. Some say that he was reminiscent of Ken Lain, who combined power lifting and bodybuilder just like Dave did. When I saw this guy, I knew he would inspire power lifters to use bodybuilding techniques in their training. Dave had benched 612 at 193, which was more than three times his bodyweight. That's amazing considering how lean this guy was.

BILL CARPENTER

I recently discovered his strong power lifter. He's an elite bencher whose benched 639 at 239. Carpenter uses a lot of bodybuilding movement and power lifting movements in his training to help become injury free. Looking at him as well, looked like bodybuilder, but was power lifter.

He can increase size while keeping speed and strength up as well. He admits that by combining power lifting and bodybuilding, you can increase your bench press and size. Carpenter really impressed me since I've turned my focus to benching and also he's given me numbers to shoot for in the 242s.

RON HARRIS

In the beginning, it was Ron Harris that sparked the interest in bodybuilding when I picked up my first Ironman Mag back in '94. Ron was always an inspiration to me. Then last year, I got in touch with him and saw how much his strength and physique had gotten. Of course, I was always reading his articles in Ironman.

What impresses me about Ron is not only his physique and his strength, but his intensity and focus. He also combines the two sports in his training and its obvious from his progress and his physique. Oh and not to mention he has biggest quads I've seen on a bodybuilder. Ron's physique ripped and powerful too. Ron takes no prisoners in his workouts.