Tampa man wins 3rd Natural Mr. Universe

When he was 14, John Hansen told his family and friends he was going to be Mr. Universe.  He weighed 135 pounds.  He hit the weights, and that number quickly changed. 

When he was 29, he actually won the title.  And again at 33.  But John retired when he was 41, thinking he couldn't do much more in bodybuilding, having also won Natural Mr. Olympia at 35.

But when he was 48, training for a photo shoot for the cover of Iron Man Magazine, he decided to get back in the game.  And earlier this month, 20 years after his first Natural Mr. Universe title, he won it again for his age class. 

All of John's major titles have been in Natural Mr. Universe and Natural Mr. Olympia competitions.  The events that he promotes are all natural as well.  That means the competitors are drug-tested for everything from steroids to HGH to diuretics.  They have to train harder and longer than for those in other events where just about anything goes, and they aren't as big as those other bodybuilders either. 

But they compete on a level playing field, as opposed to those who are continuously trying to one-up each other with the latest and strongest performance enhancing drugs.

Hansen, who's lived in Tampa for the past two years after spending most of his life in Chicago, wants to continue to pursue more titles.  He says he likes the idea of competing and winning at 50.  He also likes the idea of eating some sweets--in moderation, of course--but only when he's not in competition mode. 

Click on the story above to see John's story, and why he says natural bodybuilders, oddly enough, actually like to be accused of using steroids.