Who Is Dennis Tinerino?
American bodybuilder Dennis Tinerino rose to fame in the media in the 1970s and 1980s.
He won multiple bodybuilding contests at this time, including Mr. World, Mr. Universe, and Mr. Natural America Pro. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other well-known bodybuilders were some of his opponents.
Short Career of Dennis Tinerino
But Dennis’ life wasn’t always a picture of prosperity and opulence. Dennis Tinerino lived in Brooklyn’s perilous slums for the majority of his childhood and early adulthood while being impoverished, enduring several beatings, and receiving death threats.
Dennis was drawn to a life of excess and criminality once he retired from bodybuilding, and he founded one of Los Angeles’ largest escort and gambling operations as a result.
As a result, he was ultimately charged with a crime and given a one-year prison term. He “grew closer to God” when he was incarcerated, and he later became an evangelist.
At the age of 64, Dennis Tinerino passed away from cancer in 2010. He is regarded as one of the most well-known and popular bodybuilding figures of the 1970s and 1980s.
Body Measurements of Dennis Tinerino
| Full Name: | Dennis Tinerino |
| DATE OF BIRTH: | 23 December 1945 |
| ERA: | 2010 |
| DATE OF DEATH: | May 7, 2010 |
| NATIONALITY: | American |
| AGE AT DEATH: | 64 |
| HEIGHT: | 6’2″ (188cm) |
| WEIGHT: | 225-235 lbs. (102.1 – 106.6kg) |
Accomplishments
Competitions
- 1964 Teen Mr. America, 1st place
- 1964 Mr. Atlantic Coast, 1st place
- 1964 Mr. East Coast, 1st place
- 1964 Mr. Brooklyn, 1st place
- 1967 Mr. Universe, 2nd
- 1968 NABBA Mr. Universe, 1st place
- 1971 Mr. World, 1st place
- 1975 NABBA Mr. Universe, 1st place
- 1977 Mr. Olympia, 6th place
- 1978 Mr. Olympia Coast, 9th place
- 1978 Mr. Natural America Pro, 1st place
- 1980 NABBA Mr. Universe, 1st place
- 1981 NABBA Mr. Universe, 1st place
- 1982 Mr. Olympia, 12th place
Biography
Rugged Starts
To American and Italian parents, Dennis Tinerino was born and reared in Brooklyn, New York. Dennis decided to become a renowned bodybuilder and actor when he was 12 years old.
His “desperate” desire to transform his slender appearance was the driving force behind this decision.
However, he had to overcome significant challenges to realize this objective. One of those challenges was his upbringing in a segregated community where he frequently received death threats.
The young man said that this was a frightening moment for him, but he also added that it helped him become more resilient and goal-focused.
He originally started working out at a nearby boxing facility under the direction of his father. From there, he gradually modified his workout regimen, lengthening his arms by three inches while still in high school.
Dennis had 16-inch arms and a weight of 175 pounds when he finished high school. After that, he started working at a nearby radio station and acting in a bodybuilding TV program.
He met Bill Pearl and Joe Abbneda, two of his bodybuilding mentors, there. For Dennis, they created a customized, five-day-per-week training regimen that “took his physique to a whole new level.”
Dennis’s Contests
In 1964, at the age of 18, Dennis entered his first bodybuilding competition, spurred on by his improvement in the gym.
Everyone immediately saw his immense bodybuilding potential once he made his stage debut and won the 1964 Teen, Mr. America. Dennis, though, was only beginning at this stage.
He triumphed in every competition he entered that year, winning titles such as Mr. Atlantic Coast, Mr. Brooklyn, and Mr. East Coast. He took the following 2.5 years off the stage to reflect on his mistakes and develop an even better physique.
He returned to his “competitive ways” in 1967, placing second to Arnold Schwarzenegger in the annual Mr. Universe competition.
He added to his string of outstanding accomplishments by taking home the NABBA Mr. Universe crown in 1968, 1975, 1980, and 1981. In 1977, he competed in Joe Weider’s Mr. Olympia competition and finished sixth.
Appearances on TV, in Magazines, and Bodybuilding Publications
Dennis found the time to pursue his childhood ambition of being an actor when he was engaged in this competitive moment. He made an appearance in the 1969 film Hercules in New York alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, another legendary bodybuilder.
Dennis was featured in numerous bodybuilding journals and made appearances on the covers of some of the most prestigious American magazines during the 1970s. Dennis was listed as “one of the most successful bodybuilders of the 70s and 80s” in a bodybuilding book.
Leaving Bodybuilding Behind
Dennis competed in his final professional event in the 1984 Mr. Olympia, placing 14th overall. He ended his career as a professional bodybuilder following the show.
Crimes
After retiring from bodybuilding competitions, Dennis started living a contentious life. He joined organized crime and engaged in unlawful betting, bookmaking, and other wrongdoing.
Dennis was ultimately detained as a result of this and given a one-year prison term. His conviction had originally carried a considerably heavier term, but his attorney was able to significantly shorten it.
Dennis’ arrest was live broadcast on television, and as a result, the public chastised the bodybuilder for his actions.
Turning into a Pastor
Dennis met a man when he was incarcerated who assured him that “God had tremendous plans regarding his future.” The man informed Dennis that becoming a priest was his destiny.
Following this, Dennis started praying to God every day and developed into a fervent follower of religion. In his account, a lightning bolt from “the sky” struck him as he was praying, and he witnessed his life flash before his eyes.
Dennis started preaching Christianity after being released from prison and started multiple Dennis Tinerino Ministries in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. He later published a book titled Super Size Your Faith in 2006.
Death
Dennis has experienced many near-death experiences throughout his colorful life, including surviving a hitman assassination attempt, a vehicle crash, and an aircraft crash. But Dennis learned he had cancer in the 1990s.
Dennis defied the odds and lived for many years after the doctors warned him he only had 2 weeks to live. However, he passed away in 2010 after succumbing to the sickness.
Remaining Memorable
Dennis is regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of the 1970s and 1980s, leaving his criminal past behind.
Because of his bodybuilding accomplishments, he was inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame, the AAU Hall of Fame, the American Sports Hall of Fame, the IFBB Hall of Fame, and the Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen Hall of Fame.
Training
Dennis didn’t have a lot of training and dietary advice when he first started as a bodybuilder. Although his father provided some basic assistance, it was insufficient for him to realize his goal of becoming a professional bodybuilder.
But after he met his instructors Joe Abbneda and Bill Pearl, everything changed. Together, they developed a regimented program that would make the most of Denis’ strength-training potential.
Dennis’ physique was so well-developed as a result of this regimen that he won his first four consecutive competitions.
Below is an illustration of a workout Dennis performed to develop his Mr. Universe-winning physique.
Dennis’ Exercise Program
Monday’s and Friday’s – Back, Biceps, and Legs
- Warmup Sit-ups: 3 sets of 25 to 50 reps
- Squats: 6 sets of 15–10–8–6–6–4
- Calf Machine: 6 sets of 10 reps
- Leg Curls: 4 sets of 12–10–8–6 reps
- Dumbbell Curls: 4 sets of 8–7–6–6 reps
- Deadlifts: 5 sets of 8–7–6–5–5 reps
- Leg Curls: 4 sets of 12–10–8–6 reps
- Dips: 4 sets of 12 reps
Wednesdays and Saturdays – Chest, Triceps, Shoulder
- Sit-ups: 3 sets of 40 reps
- Bench Press: 6 sets of 12–10–8–6–4–2 reps
- Incline Press: 4 sets of 10–8–6–6 reps
- Leg Raises: 3 sets of 30 reps
- Calf Machine: 6 sets of 12 reps
- Lat Machine Pull Downs: 6 sets of 10 reps
- Deep Dips: 6 sets of 10 reps (With added weight)
- Seated Sit-ups: 30 reps
Progressive Barbell Curls
Dennis used to perform so-called “progressive sets” when working his biceps. He would perform one rep with the lightest weight at first, then two reps with a heavier weight.
He would continue in this manner until he was unable to finish even one rep using the biggest weight he could lift.
Dennis Tinerino would then restart without taking a break after this. He got an amazing pump in his arms in this manner that lasted for hours after the workout.
How Can Dennis Tinerino Teach Us Something?
Dennis grew up and spent his formative years in a working-class Brooklyn suburb where he frequently faced threats and lived perilously near to death.
He nevertheless pursued his early dreams of becoming a bodybuilder and actor, despite this. In these trying times, he was resourceful and, more importantly, mentally resilient, never giving up on his goals.
Despite his brief stints as a criminal, Dennis has gone on to become a great bodybuilding legend, still having fans all over the world.
His experience has taught us to see challenges as chances to become more resilient and grow as a person. When you have such a mentality, “the sky’s the limit.”