Pro Bodybuilder Greg Kovacs Dead at 44

[Millard]

IFBB pro bodybuilder Greg Kovacs reportedly died due to heart attack according to Muscle Insider.

We've just had reports that Greg Kovacs has died from a heart attack he suffered. Details are sketchy at this time but as we find out more we will update this post. Our thoughts are with Greg's family, friends and fans during this time.

Source: Greg Kovacs Dead | MUSCLE INSIDER

I saw Greg Kovacs for the first time at the Mississippi State Bodybuilding Championships in Jackson in 1996 or 1997 (not exactly sure). I went to Mississippi to meet up with Dan Duchaine and Laura Moore. Watching Kovacs struggle to breath anytime he moved more than 10 feet made it clear to me that pro bodybuilding was anything but healthy. Of course, Dan's perspective on the extremes of the competitive bodybuilding influenced me as well. At the time, I worried that Kovacs could be one of the bodybuilders to experience an early death.

 

[mands]

Very sad to hear this! Prayers to his family and friends.

mands

 

[pittbox]

Hopefully more info will available soon. Very unfortunate for a lot of reasons when a pro dies so young.

 

[Jimmyinkedup]

Talk about foreshadowing....

 

[DieYoungStrong]

Although, I'm sure the bodybuilding lifestyle did not help, Kovacs would have been a 300 lb monster without any anabolics. He was 420 lbs in his offseasons. People that large just can't keep ticking into their 70s and 80s. It's a lot of work for the heart and other organs to keep ticking properly at that weight.

 

[Millard]

Although, I'm sure the bodybuilding lifestyle did not help, Kovacs would have been a 300 lb monster without any anabolics. He was 420 lbs in his offseasons. People that large just can't keep ticking into their 70s and 80s. It's a lot of work for the heart and other organs to keep ticking properly at that weight.

I wonder what mortality rate and rate of cardiac incidents are for ALL people over 250-lbs. And of course, how does it compare to bodybuilders, steroid users vs. non-steroid users.

 

[DieYoungStrong]

I wonder what mortality rate and rate of cardiac incidents are for ALL people over 250-lbs. And of course, how does it compare to bodybuilders, steroid users vs. non-steroid users.

Sure makes you wonder. I can give you anecdotal evidence.

I'm a peanut in my family, and have used PED's for a long time. My blood pressure and cholesterol are great. My father and uncles are all giants. All 6-2+ and 250+. They aren't fat, just classic mesomorphs. They all have had heart problems relatively early in life. My father has dieted and cardioed his way down to 230. Most of his problems have disappeared, or gotten much better. He had A-Fib, high cholesterol and blood pressure.

He said when he was my age his cholesterol was over 300. Mine is 168. I'm sure diet, lifestyle, and genetics have a lot to do with it, but you can also look at all the health problems of retired Offensive Linemen in the NFL - diabetes, heart problems, etc. The other ones cut their weight way down after they retire.

Being huge is probably not very healthy.

 

[CensoredBoardsSuck]

I wonder what mortality rate and rate of cardiac incidents are for ALL people over 250-lbs. And of course, how does it compare to bodybuilders, steroid users vs. non-steroid users.

The following paper gives detailed statistics for CVD. Obviously, it doesn't include bodybuilders specifically, but it does include CVD mortality by age. It is an interesting paper.

Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2011 Update.
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/123/4/e18.full

Summary

Each year, the American Heart Association (AHA), in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies, brings together the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke, other vascular diseases, and their risk factors and presents them in its Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update. The Statistical Update is a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, healthcare policy makers, media professionals, the lay public, and many others who seek the best national data available on disease morbidity and mortality and the risks, quality of care, medical procedures and operations, and costs associated with the management of these diseases in a single document.

 

[CensoredBoardsSuck]

Int J Obes (Lond). 2013 Oct 23. [Epub ahead of print]
Body mass index and incident hospitalisation for cardiovascular disease in 158?546 participants from the 45 and Up Study. Body mass index and incident hospitalisati... [Int J Obes (Lond). 2013] - PubMed - NCBI
Joshy G, Korda RJ, Attia J, Liu B, Bauman AE, Banks E.



Abstract

Objective:To investigate the relationship between fine gradations in body mass index (BMI) and risk of hospitalisation for different types of cardiovascular disease (CVD).Design, Subjects and Methods:The 45 and Up Study is a large-scale Australian cohort study initiated in 2006. Self-reported data from 158?546 individuals with no history of CVD were linked prospectively to hospitalisation and mortality data. Hazard ratios (HRs) of incident hospitalisation for specific CVD diagnoses in relation to baseline BMI categories were estimated using Cox regression, adjusting for age, sex, region of residence, income, education, smoking, alcohol intake and health insurance status.Results:There were 9594 incident CVD admissions over 583?100 person-years among people with BMI?20?kg?m-2, including 3096 for ischaemic heart disease (IHD), 1373 for stroke, 411 for peripheral vascular disease (PVD) and 320 for heart failure. The adjusted HR of hospitalisation for all CVD diagnoses combined increased significantly with increasing BMI (P(trend) <0.0001)). The HR of IHD hospitalisation increased by 23% (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 18-27%) per 5?kg?m-2 increase in BMI (compared to BMI 20.0-22.49?kg?m-2, HR (95% CI) for BMI categories were: 22.5-24.99=1.25 (1.08-1.44); 25-27.49=1.43 (1.24-1.65); 27.5-29.99=1.64 (1.42-1.90); 30-32.49=1.63 (1.39-1.91) and 32.5-50=2.10 (1.79-2.45)). The risk of hospitalisation for heart failure showed a significant, but nonlinear, increase with increasing BMI. No significant increase was seen with above-normal BMI for stroke or PVD. For other specific classifications of CVD, HRs of hospitalisation increased significantly with increasing BMI for: hypertension; angina; acute myocardial infarction; chronic IHD; pulmonary embolism; non-rheumatic aortic valve disorders; atrioventricular and left bundle-branch block; atrial fibrillation and flutter; aortic aneurysm; and phlebitis and thrombophlebitis.Conclusion:The risk of hospitalisation for a wide range of CVD subtypes increases with relatively fine increments in BMI. Obesity prevention strategies are likely to benefit from focusing on bringing down the mean BMI at the population level, in addition to targeting those with a high BMI

 

[heel hook]

Greg was a huge guy but it all was not worth it in the end Life is short enough, RIP Greg.

 

[cvictorg]

I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did.

When Frank Zane won Mr. Olympia he weighed 185 at 5'9
When Jay Cutler won Mr Olympias he weighed 270 at 5'9

Who looked better - had a more asthetic physique??

Greg Kovacs was force feeding himself like a duck being force fed for foie gras!

 

[Drea'An]

Condolences to his family and friends. R.I.P. G.K.
Worried.

 

[MR10X]

I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did.

When Frank Zane won Mr. Olympia he weighed 185 at 5'9
When Jay Cutler won Mr Olympias he weighed 270 at 5'9

Who looked better - had a more asthetic physique??

Greg Kovacs was force feeding himself like a duck being force fed for foie gras!

People say the pro's of today are bigger because of genetics but i disagree.It is because the pro's of today use drugs that werent available then and they use a lot higher doses............

 

[twistulikepretzel]

Wow he was a beast super strong .will be missed

 

[Millard]

Greg was a huge guy but it all was not worth it in the end Life is short enough, RIP Greg.

Was it worth it for Greg Kovacs? I don't know. It could very well have been. I hope so.

 

[Millard]

People say the pro's of today are bigger because of genetics but i disagree.It is because the pro's of today use drugs that werent available then and they use a lot higher doses............

It's all of the above. The increased mainstream popularity of bodybuilding - not necessarily "competitive bodybuilding" but at least the pursuit of muscle for enhanced physical appearance - has greatly expanded the genetic pool of participants. Combine that with the unprecedented variety and availability of relatively inexpensive anabolic steroids and PEDs and you have more genetically-gifted bodybuilders pushing the limits of muscular hypertrophy than at any point in history.

 

[Wiscon]

Was it worth it for Greg Kovacs? I don't know. It could very well have been. I hope so.

I'd go so far as to say there are probably 24 year olds on this forum who, given the option of being gigantic for 20 years, then dropping dead, would jump on that wagon in a heartbeat.

 

[Millard]

I'd go so far as to say there are probably 24 year olds on this forum who, given the option of being gigantic for 20 years, then dropping dead, would jump on that wagon in a heartbeat.

How many, and how far along into the 20 years, would stop and decide that the Faustian choice wasn't such a good deal after all?

 

[dnoyez]

I rem greg from the early muscletech days.He was a tall guy and that inspired me early on .I rem Nasser saying greg was miserable and slept most of the time he was alive.Gregs father I believe was a animal vet so access was never a prob im sure.Its ironic Nasser has died just recently as well.

 

[twistulikepretzel]

He lived about an hour away from me and is the 3 rd person i know that has had a heartache at a young age Another played hockey 21 years old skated out 20 feet onto ice and dropped dead worked out daily .The other was i friend of mine since kindergarten Named Shawn Tompkins he was 35 when he trained some people for there fight went to bed feeling fine and died in his sleep had a massive heartache was considered extremely healthy trained daily also ..My point is you just never F````in know when it will happen and you could think your healthy as you can be ..Why no matter what age everyone,, should keep up on there check up`s and get there EKGs (electrocardiograms).
Exercise treadmill tests, also called stress tests or exercise EKGs.
Echos (echocardiograms).
Coronary calcium scans.