A TRIBUTE TO A GREAT MAN, MY FRIEND JOHN MEADOWS

Written by IFBB Pro Josh Wade

17 August 2021

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Relentless Pursuit

By IFBB Pro Josh Wade

A TRIBUTE TO A GREAT MAN, MY FRIEND JOHN MEADOWS

"Much love, my brother. Just know you will be greatly missed but you will live on in my heart and my mind forever and I’m a better person because of you!”

Every once in a while if you are lucky, someone comes into your life and immediately makes you a better person. Whether it be fate, coincidence or just the right time, right place, that happened for me when I competed against John Meadows at the 2012 North Americans in the open heavyweight class. I didn’t know who John Meadows was at that time but at that show I finished second and John finished fourth, and after that show I got a message on Facebook from John saying that I “should have won that show and he hasn’t seen someone in my condition in a long time,” and that was coming from a man that was always the most peeled man on stage and had the thinnest skin I think I’ve ever seen! But that was just the kind of person John always was, he was a true man, always real, always honest and would always put other people ahead of himself. He didn’t know me, he didn’t need to go out of his way to find me on Facebook and reach out to compliment me, but again that’s just who John Meadows was and I believe everyone will remember him for that character. The character of a man that truly cared and always stayed true to himself and his beliefs and NEVER changed because of fame, fortune or status and that’s the sign of a genuine person! A genuine person acts the same way no matter who is looking or watching.

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John was a successful, high-ranking officer at JPMorgan Chase making a great salary, living comfortably all while training as intense as any human could following his LOVE of bodybuilding. John never really cared about his placing even though we all competed to win, but his joy was the training and the competition, which you could see through the smile on his face every time he graced the stage! Most people don’t know that John started competing at the young age of 13 and didn’t turn pro till 30 years later at the 2015 NPC Universe, winning the masters over 35 and over 40 overall.

“John was a true man, always real, always honest and would always put other people ahead of himself.”

After John reached out to me in 2012 we didn’t have any further communication until the Arnold Sports Festival in March of 2014 in his home of Ohio, where I was working at my sponsor Allmax Nutrition’s booth. While John was walking around he stopped by to say hi and after talking for a while he said, “I think you’d benefit from working with me.” John saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself, and he always believed in and wanted the best for everyone he came into contact with, sincerely! John gave me a business card and the following week when I got home, I gave him a call and we chatted for hours. It was an immediate bond through iron but also similar beliefs and moral integrity that we both shared. I live in California and John was three hours ahead of me in Ohio but time didn’t matter – no matter how busy he was, he always made time for people and made them feel special every time you talked to him; he never made you feel rushed when you talked to him even though I always knew how busy he was. Immediately after talking with him I knew I wanted to work with him and knew we would become more than client/coach and we did, we became brothers (family) that truly cared about each other and more importantly each other’s families.

Everyone knew John was all about family, he married his true love Mary and that love never strayed and even got stronger when his twin boys Alexander and Jonathan were born. John knew he didn’t want to miss out on any time with his boys and family and so he took a gamble leaving his cush banking job to venture out, working from home for himself and creating Mountain Dog Training. John’s passion for training plus his extensive studying of training and nutrition made him one of the most knowledgeable sources of information in our sport. For years prior, John wrote articles and papers about exercise science, nutrition and the sort all for free, to spread his knowledge to help people reach their goals, and now he was able to make a living supporting his family doing what he truly loved! John was truly an innovator and nothing he did went without thought involved, and he was one of the brightest people I knew.

John never complained about anything life threw his way and was as strong as anyone I’ve ever known, both physically and mentally. He had a hereditary blood-clotting disorder that he learned about in 2005 when he nearly died and ultimately had to have his colon removed. Everyone knows the amount of food that is required to be a professional bodybuilder and John did that without a colon. We plan our meal timing and not only did John have to do that but without a colon he had to be aware of where he was and where the restroom was around every meal but still he never complained, he just did what was necessary for him to be the best he possibly could be!

As soon as John and I started working together, the first thing he said was “Let’s go win Team U.” That was the show that after 30 years of competing that he finally won and earned his pro card in 2015, and he wanted me to follow that up and win mine at the same show a year later in 2016. With John’s help, he took me from a top-five amateur to winning a pro qualifier and turning pro – and doing that at the same show as he did just a year later was extra special for both of us to follow in his footsteps!

John made a post after that stating that Josh Wade was the only person in his over 30 years he’s ever asked to work with him and people asked, “Why Josh?” His response wasn’t because I was a great bodybuilder that had potential or he thought it would help him make a name or anything like that. On the contrary it didn’t have anything to do with bodybuilding, his response was, “Josh is a good guy, a family man and honestly he should have already been pro.” Again that’s the type of person John always was, a true, caring, honest, genuine person who had the highest moral integrity and would never compromise his values for anything!

Much love, my brother. Just know you will be greatly missed but you will live on in my heart and my mind forever and I’m a better person because of you!

We will all look over Mary, Jonathan, and Alexander for you as you always have looked over us!

Love,

Everyone that’s ever been blessed by your presence!

Strengthening the Immune System

With the COVID-19 situation, I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries as to which supplements can strengthen the immune system and help prevent infection. These are the supplements that I take every day year-round for immune system function and antioxidants, but they are even more beneficial at times of stress or sickness.

Allmax Immune-Boosting Stack

Glutamine: 10g 3x day, upon rising, post-workout and before bed.

R+ALA: 2 caps (300mg) with first and last meal.

CytoGreens: 1 scoop upon rising.

Vitastack: 1 multipack with first meal.

Omega 3: 2g with first and last meal.

ALLMAX is now selling directly to the consumer. Go to store.allmaxnutrition.com and use code JOSHWADE20 for 20% off.

For questions to be answered in my column or coaching inquiries please email me at jThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Websites:

www.teamwadefitness.com

allmaxnutrition.com

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