1995 NPC Nationals overall champion Don Long was considered a future star in the making when he turned professional, but his career was cut short due to kidney issues that forced him to go on dialysis. He qualified for the Mr. Olympia in 1996, but he didn’t compete in that contest. Unfortunately, he never got the chance again. On a recent episode of The Menace Podcast, he told Dennis James, Chris Cormier, and Milos Sarcev that he felt he could’ve someday held the Sandow Trophy.
Long told the group, “My vision was literally, I mean I literally felt like, I could have, you know, won the Olympia or definitely been in the top two or three consistently.”
Long never got to fulfill that goal, but he is still remembered for his posing, presentation, and incredible physique that stood out in an era of mass monsters such as then Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates, Nasser El Sonbaty, and others. Long has stayed involved in the industry in a variety of roles, including as a trainer, coach and mentor to other competitors. He also has transitioned into the meal prep business, which has been very successful for him.
“We’re doing it in a big way,” said Long. “We ship nationwide, and we have 40 to 45 different drop off locations with gyms and coffee shops and things like that.” Long feels that his service stands out because of the attention to detail that he and his team pay to what their customers need.
“We make sure everything is measured to the ‘t’,” he explained. “We have integrity and being athletes, we know that the athlete needs four ounces or six ounces, and we make sure the food tastes good.”
Aside from his new business and looking back on Long’s career, the four gentlemen also talk about current matters in bodybuilding and more. Subscribe to the Muscle & Fitness YouTube channel to catch this episode in its entirety, and watch new episodes of TMP every Sunday at 3 PM Eastern time.