Berry de Mey "The Flexing Dutchman"

If you focus on successful bodybuilders, one of the most successful male bodybuilders in the Netherlands must not be missing: Berry de Mey. European Champion, World Champion, and bronze at the Mr. Olympia. Just being able to compete in the Mr. Olympia is a huge achievement. To then place 3rd, you must come from a very good background.

Biography of Berry de Mey

Berry de Mey's (23-2-1962) first experience with weight training was through taekwondo. He still remembers the day he saw a barbell during a training session, started training with it, and wanted more. The next day, he walked into a gym and got to work. Looking at posters of famous bodybuilders there, he decided within a week that he wanted to become a world champion bodybuilder. Berry was not a mass monster but scored mainly through symmetry and definition. The fact that he had talent was evident from the fact that the instructor at the gym on that first day didn't understand why Berry asked so many questions. His physique already seemed to indicate that he had experience with weight training.

Mr. Olympia

The highlight of Berry's career was achieving third place at the 1988 Mr. Olympia (behind Lee Haney and Rich Gaspari). After this, he was determined to improve this performance in 1989. However, things took a different turn when fate struck and he tore his chest muscle during a chest workout while bench pressing. He still made it to the stage when he was invited by Vince McMahon (known from the wrestling federation WWF) to participate in the bodybuilding federation he newly set up, the WBC. With a generous salary of $300,000 per year, Berry got to work. He placed 3rd in the first competition, but realized that he would never reach his old level again. Let alone the image of perfection he had been envisioning all along. He therefore bid farewell to competitive bodybuilding. Today, Berry is involved in his other passion, photography. However, he is still active in bodybuilding with his own line of supplements.