Bill Crimi is a health and fitness advocate, who has authored a variety of articles and content geared towards self-improvement. At age sixty, he actively engages in a regular, rigorous training regime, believing that no age, is an age when one should lay down the iron and surrender to the onslaught of debilitation. Bill, has also been the owner and operator of NYC’s Astro Gym, in Astoria, Queens, and served as a personal trainer, nutritional advisor and health food store owner.
Bodybuilding became an early passion for Bill at the age of twelve or thirteen. It was at that age when he stumbled across Joe Weider’s Mr. America magazine, Bob Hoffman’s Iron Man and Strength and Health at his local newsstand. His young eyes feasted upon the real-life muscle men, like Bill Pearl, Larry Scott, Harold Poole, Freddy Ortiz and others displayed upon the pages of these publications. Until then, Bill had thought that the Hercules movies he’d seen of Steve Reeves were merely a Hollywood film trick…the bodybuilding magazines turned his ignorance of reality into enlightenment. He became aware for the first time, that true supermen, did exist, and the way to such mass and power was through weight resistant training.
As with most, life takes on many twists and turns. We experience periods of time when we sway from our passions, but if that passion is true…eventually we find our way back to it. Bill is no different in this respect. He has probably spent as much time over the years, out of the gym as in them. Fortunate enough to know the dramatic difference in how one feels engaged in a healthy lifestyle, with sound muscle as opposed to “norm” he always managed to gravitate back to training. It is for this reason that he feels uniquely qualified to inspire and motivate health and fitness enthusiasts of any age…because, “he’s been there…”
Bill Crimi’s first commercial gym membership was at Tom Minichello’s NYC’s Mid-City Health Club in 1966 at the age of sixteen. Attempting to join the gym at the age of four-teen, and denied because of age, Tom finally relented after Bill became a regular visitor, telling him that he would be allowed to join when he turned six-teen, with parental consent. The day Bill turned six-teen, he showed up at the gym again, was greeted by Tom’s smile, and a gym membership. There, he was able to rub elbows and train alongside such notables as, Harold Poole (Mr. Universe) Freddy Ortiz (Mr. America) a young Chris Dickerson, wrestling legend, Bruno Samartino and a host of others.
While running Astro Gym in Astoria, New York, Bill was fortunate enough to meet and befriend a then, young eighteen year old named Mike Ashley who eventually became a top IFBB competitive, bodybuilding star. Mike was an easily, likeable kid, who Bill remembers him catching the bug to compete, and he was happy to oblige in helping Mike get his start. Mike Ashley decided he wanted to compete in the coming Teenage Mr. America
sanctioned by AAU, and just two months away…Bill accompanied Mike to that event, and happily watched as Mike Ashley blew the judges and crowd away with his posing, size and symmetry, coming in second (should have been first) Mike also walked away with about six different trophies for best poser, best abs, most muscular, and a host of other honors…(talk about politics? Bill says that Mike clearly should have won the title)
Bill Crimi currently resides in Pennsylvania, trains at the YMCA of Berks County, and in his home gym. During the winter of 2009 into 2010, Bill trained for about six months at Bayside’s Powerhouse Gym in NYC, while he was there helping to renovate his son’s house. He enjoys the surprised looks he gets from young bodybuilders when they find out his age. Helping to inspire and motivate others in their health and fitness quest through example, pleases Bill greatly.
At sixty years of age, Bill sports a muscular 18 inch upper arm, 48 inch chest, tapered back and small waist-line. He has been steadily training this time around for about four years, but states that the first year was mostly re-conditioning his body to be able to safely start lifting heavier and with intensity. Bill plays with the thought of entering a ‘Masters’ bodybuilding competition in the not to distant future, in order to get more exposure in the fitness world, and help dispel the myth that it is too late for older people to greatly improve their body.
You can find Bill on BodyBuilding.com as well at http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/60plus/
