The bodybuilding world was rocked to its very core at the news that John Meadows had passed away. Now we take a look back on the career of the Mountain Dog, and his impact on the sport.
Growing up without really knowing his parents, Meadows discovered the gym as an outlet early in life, competing for the first time as a teen in 1985. He consistently showed extreme determination, not even letting the fact that his colon burst stop him from becoming an elite bodybuilder.
While he never won a pro show, John was competing fairly undersized for a time in the sport that did not have a 212 Division. Nevertheless he had insane conditioning that led to him having longevity in the sport, competing well into his forties, with his career spanning over three decades.
However John Meadows was more than just a competitor, as he grew to be an ambassador for the sport. His life and career had an effect on multiple generations of athletes, who were drawn to his tenacity and inspiring story.
That is why there has been such a massive amount of mourning in the wake of his unexpected death at the age of 49.
Bodybuilding Community Mourns the Death of John Meadows
Many people posted to social media to show their heartbreak at the news that John Meadows had tragically passed away. Bev Francis shared a simple message, posting a photo to Instagram of the Mountain Dog.
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George Farah shared his own message of mourning, remembering John. He also reminded his followers to be grateful for every day they spend on this Earth, never knowing when it will come to an end.
“Oh my friend I am definitely going to miss our chats and your big smile. Prayers to your family and a reminder that we will all meet again. For my friends and family a reminder:
When you wake up today put your hands to the side and be thankful that you are in a house bed not in a hospital bed. You got up on your own feet no one had to help you stand. When you wash your face be thankful you aren’t washing your kidneys. When you see your room walls thank God you aren’t in prison or in a tent like the refugee. You said good morning to someone that means you have a family and or a friends. Please count your blessings and always remember it’s God’s plan 🙏🏽 Rest In Peace John until we meet again.”
7x Mr. Olympia Phil Heath posted on Twitter:
Damn! Rest is Power John. You will definitely be missed by many
Damn! Rest is Power John. You will definitely be missed by many https://t.co/YdL1RCX1Yq
— PHIL HEATH (@PHILHEATH) August 8, 2021
Bodybuilding legend Dennis Wolf also posted a message of mourning for the Mountain Dog. He offered condolences to John’s friends and family.
“Rest in Piece John Meadows.
My deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.
You will be missed”
The Manion family also shared messages of condolences on the NPC News Online Instagram page. Here they reflected on John’s time competing in the NPC and the impact he had in the sport.
“As we know on Sunday the bodybuilding world lost John Meadows at 49 years young, a great competitor and coach to many NPC and IFBB Professional League athletes. John competed in our area around Pittsburgh, Ohio and West Virginia coming through the NPC before qualifying for his IFBB Pro Card at the 2015 NPC Universe.
Many people saw John at the 2021 IFBB Chicago Pro in Atlanta just 2 weeks ago.
Known as the Mountain Dog and for his Mountain Dog training, he was a beloved individual.We want to express our condolences to his wife Mary and their sons as well as his family. “
2019 Mr. Olympia winner Brandon Curry also felt compelled to celebrate the life of John. He explained that John was a massive inspiration for his career, and the two even helped each other train at various points in their lives.
“I’m making this post to celebrate the life of @mountaindog1. John had a good influence on my life and bodybuilding journey. I could not wait to read his new articles on @testosteronenation as a teenager. I always loved his style and how he thought outside the box.
John was a lifetime learner, who never thought he knew it all, and was always willing to learn. He exposed me to so many great minds in the industry.
One of my highlights with John was when he came to my grand opening at @carbon_culture_usa and asked me to train him! I was honored and he returned the favor later that year during Arnold Classic weekend.
John was just a great all around guy. I loved seeing him coach football and you could just tell how much he loved working with young talent.
My prayers go out to his family and everyone he’s impacted. No doubt he will be missed.
You ran your race bro and now it’s time to rest!”
A fellow legend in the bodybuilding world, Flex Wheeler also posted a lengthy message to remember John Meadows. Here he expressed how heartbroken he was to hear the news of John’s death.
“💔🥺💔🥺💔
I truly don’t understand why some of us are still allowed to live on and others not 🤦🏾John Meadows i’m just so speechless and heartbroken to hear about your passing brother. I will try to remember your infectious smile and the footprint of all your achievements.
To your family my deepest condolences. There’s no words that can express 😢🥺😢
I pray that God blesses you with peace and everlasting life 🙏🏾”
Dennis James also posted to social media to express his sorrow at John’s passing. He explained how much the Mountain Dog’s positivity and knowledge helped many in the community.
“We lost one of the great ones. John you touched all of us with not only knowledge but also with your personality and positive, uplifting, motivational talks. You will be missed. My condolences go out to John’s family and friends. R.I.P. Iron brother.”
The reigning and defending Mr. Olympia champ, Big Ramy was also affected at this news. He shared a photo of him and Meadows, reflecting on John’s impact on his life.
“With a very sad heart I want to pay tribute to a very special man from our industry. John Meadows unexpectedly passed away in his sleep. I want to give my condolences to his wife, kids and the whole Meadows family. It was an honor getting to know you and we will all miss you dearly. You touched so many of us with knowledge, ideas and always had a smile left for anyone in your presence. We will never forget you. R.I.P our brother of Iron.”
It was more than just bodybuilding that John’s reach touched lives. Powerlifter Chris Duffin also shared a message of mourning for Meadows, reiterating that nobody seemed to have a negative thing to say about him.
“He touched so many in a positive way. A massive influence on this industry with nothing but respect from every corner and good words to be said about him. Glad to have known you John and Rest In Peace my friend.”
IFBB Pro Alyssa Kiessling also shared a message and a photo of Meadows. She kept things brief, simply thanking John for his impact on bodybuilding.
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“The Mountain Dog ❤️ @mountaindog1 to keep things short, thank you for everything you’ve given to #bodybuilding 🙏🏼❤️”
Iconic bodybuilding coach Neil “Yoda” Hill also posted a photo of him with John. Here he explained working with John and how much of a loss this was for the fitness industry.
“The passing of @mountaindog1 ( John Meadows ) is a Big loss to the fitness industry ❤️🙏🏼 *
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John reached out to me back in early 2016 and asked if I would take over his full contest prep for his Pro debut at the Arnold Classic, it was a real compliment that John asked me to take him on as a client. What we brought to the stage was something Very special, to me it was the pinnacle of extreme condition *
*
Your going to be very sadly missed John, Rest in Peace ❤️🙏🏼”
Recently returned bodybuilding veteran Freddie Smalls was also left mourning the loss of the Mountain Dog. He shared how much he was able to learn from his fellow brother in iron.
“My Prayers go out to this Great man’s family . Praying for their strength during this tough time . @mountaindog1 Rest In Peace brother I’m grateful to have known you and had the opportunity to learn from you !! You will be sincerely missed”
YouTube fitness star Jujimufu, AKA Jon Call also had fond memories of the Mountain Dog. He shared a fond memory of an intense leg training session with John that seems to align with the work ethic he was known for.
“Heart’s broken. 💔 John Meadows passed this weekend. There was nobody else like him, he was one of my favorites. I looked up to him. I’m grateful for having gotten to know him and work with him the past 4 years. We made a lot of great videos together and I learned a lot from him. This is a picture of last time I saw him a couple months ago. Had a great workout as usual with the guy.
One of the best training memories I have is one of the leg workouts I did with John in 2018. In Typical John fashion, it was insane. It was 5 supersetted exercises, no rest between. The last exercise in the superset circuit was Pitshark squats for 30 reps. That was a HARD workout. But hey, to John it proved I have a soul. That’s good.
RIP Mountain Dog. You made things better in so many ways. We lost a really, really good person today.”
Milos Sarcev was friends with John Meadows, so naturally he was hit hard by this gut wrenching news. He posted a lengthy message mourning John’s passing.
“With great sadness I have to accept that my dear friend, my favourite person in this whole industry (I’ve mentioned this many times), great coach, husband, FATHER to his kids, just all around MOUNTAIN of the man popularly known as @mountaindog1 – John Meadows ❤️🙏🏻 passed away today, in his sleep. I am devastated with this news…Just two weeks ago I had greatest pleasure to spend some time with him, have a drink one night and lunch following day and truly good talk…He talked about his kids, about his football coaching, poker playing…and of course – we exchanged tons of our ‘90s bodybuilding stories, training methods, supplements theories (he always gave me a credit for pioneering Hyperemia Advantage Theory and Intra-workout supplementation)… I still have his smiling face in front of me, hear his voice and feel his positive energy. Purest heart and soul – gone 😔. Sincere condolences to his family, his wife and his kids. Rest in peace John – you’ll live in my heart and mind FOREVER. I love you man.”
Ms. Olympia winner and women’s bodybuilding ambassador Helle Trevino was also impacted by John’s life. She shared how they went from hanging out a few weeks ago, to now her mourning his passing.
“We were just hanging out 2 weeks ago. Tryna see who had the biggest “guns”.. lol .. crazy how life is and then not. No doubt John made a huge impact on the sport as an athlete, coach, mentor .. He’s was a fountain of knowledge and inspired and motivated everyone he was in touch with, including myself. My prayers goes out to his family. RIP John 🙏🏼🌹”
Shawn Ray also shared a message to his Instagram, noting some of the adversity that John had overcome in the past. He also shared that the two had grabbed a meal at the Chicago Pro, and that it was surreal knowing now that this was the last time they would see each other.
”
Rest In Peace John Meadows.
A former Pro Bodybuilder & Personal Trainer/ Coach.
A year ago, John overcame a near fatal Blood Clot to get a second chance at life that he was eternally Grateful for.
2 weeks ago in Atlanta, Ga we had breakfast for the last time at the Chicago Pro not knowing I’d never see him again, we talked the history of Bodybuilding and walked down memory lane.Rest In Peace buddy, you will be sorely missed by this industry.🙏🏽💪🏾”
Ed Coan did not post a very long message about John’s passing. However he perfectly encapsulated how the community was taking this devastating news.
“Very sad day! This fucking sucks!! Such a good guy”
Son of bodybuilding royalty, Sergio Oliva Jr. also had some words to share about his fallen brethren. He posted a video of the two training together and expressed how sad this news made him and promising to make John proud soon.
“I’ll cherish these moments more than anything. You made this prep and my physique mature to another level all while helping me with my demons. I hate now more than anything we didn’t get a chance to show the world at Chicago all the work we’ve done but I swear to god I’m gonna show the world next month. The Bodybuilding world lost one of its best contributors and role models 🖤💔”
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Kai Greene also had some thoughts about John’s passing. Posting to Twitter, he explained the type of kindness and knowledge that the Mountain Dog was known for.
“RIP John Meadows
John was both a mentor and a friend to all who love the sport. His wisdom unmatched, and his genuine kindness felt by all who had the chance to meet him.
My thoughts are with John’s family on this day. Please keep them in your prayers as we remember his life.”
RIP John Meadows
John was both a mentor and a friend to all who love the sport. His wisdom unmatched, and his genuine kindness felt by all who had the chance to meet him.
My thoughts are with John’s family on this day. Please keep them in your prayers as we remember his life. pic.twitter.com/zKvoyDOnR7
— Kai Greene (@KaiGreene) August 9, 2021
Fitness Volt would like to send our sincerest condolences to the friends and family of John Meadows. He clearly had a massive impact on the sport and will truly be missed.
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