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by Christian Duque
Bostin Loyd was a real legend for the simple fact that he told the truth. He was a young man that loved bodybuilding and loved being in the scene. He was a guy that the various social platforms banned often but who always found a way to get his word out. He made money, yes, but nowhere near what he could have. He didn’t whore himself out to a number of companies and he was obsessed – almost to the point of being a neurotic – with never putting his name next to anything he didn’t believe in. He was a purist in that he believed that his name and reputation were everything.
Unlike so many of the schills in our sport that will change sponsors like you and I change socks, Bostin was certainly ambitious and had a tremendous work ethic, but money wasn’t the catalyst for doing what he did. I wasn’t close friends with him and I don’t know that we even met in person. I know we were at certain contests at the same time and maybe came as close as fifty feet from one another, but I don’t recall ever meeting him.
So then what am I basing my character assessments on? Am I a fanboy trying to piece together a narrative? Absolutely not. Not only is that weak, but it’s wholly inaccurate. You can’t speak to someone if you didn’t have any direct interactions with them. At least not in my opinion and not for an article like this.
I spoke with Bostin on a number of occasions when I was trying to get him to work with StrengthAddicts, then during a brief time when he was single and we spoke at length about relationships and life, and then why I tried to recruit him for IronMag TV. All in all, I think he was apprehensive about working with me and you can see that in a great interview that Bostin did with Joe Pietaro at Muscle Sport Mag. Joe and I have long made up, but at the time we were embroiled in a pretty intense war. It’s a great interview and speaks to a lot of what my recollection is insofar as Bostin’s feelings.
When I got started with StrengthAddicts no one was talking about gear. There was a huge stigma and absolutely no one wanted to touch the subject. In fact, there was a huge video featuring Ronnie Coleman where he was asked by a reporter if he took gear. You could hear a pin drop before Ronnie dismissed the question and seemed offended. That sentiment spread like wildfire and the whole room rejected the reporter. You would think the guy asked Ronnie if he beat his wife or abused senior citizens for fun. I mean the crowd turned hostile to this poor reporter who was asking a perfectly normal question. I mean Ronnie was still massive with 24” guns, massive wheels, and veins everywhere. No one looks like that eating chicken breasts and drinking protein shakes. Nonetheless, there was a real fear that a soundbite like Coleman admitting to gear use could get picked up by the mainstream media. Back in those days the mainstream media was out for blood. They hated all things bodybuilding and they saw it as purely as a drug fest. This was also at a time when prohormone bans were still a thing and elected officials were looking to make examples out of athletes and supplement companies.
It was during this time that Bostin started making videos. And not only was he talking about what he took, but there were times he was pinning on camera. There were videos where he had a sink full of bottles, BAC water, and syringes. He was there pinning them and talking about what each compound did. He wasn blurring his face or changing his voice. He also coined his own nickname and used it on his products.
Then of course there was the whole synthol issue. If gear was taboo, site enhancing oils weren’t even supposed to be a thing. Everyone denied using them, even though upwards of 90% of top amateurs and pro’s were using it. I mean it was totally obvious. One show a guy had lagging shoulders or calves and two months later those body parts were winning them shows. Sometimes the muscles looked good, sometimes they left you scratching your head, and sometimes they looked just plain goofy. Not only did Bostin admit to using SEO’s but he used them on camera. And if that wasn’t enough, he then started making his own SEO products and promoting them throughout all his videos and appearances.
When I wanted to bring Bostin to StrengthAddicts we were both pretty much starting up, but he was apprehensive of me because I was part of the media. StrengthAddicts is a media site. I worked for Dave at RXMuscle writing articles and writing Muscle In The Morning. I have always been in the media. And even though Bostin would go on to be a columnist for Muscle Sport Mag, I don’t think Big Daddy B ever saw himself as a reporter. I think he was skeptical of writers and videographers because he suspected our driving force was hits, not spreading the truth. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s the vibe I got from our conversations. He respected Dave and Ron [Harris], but in general he wasn’t a huge fan of the press. So needless to say, I was never able to bring him onto StrengthAddicts as a paid contributor.
During the time he was single, I remember us talking over the course of a couple of weeks. I wasn’t trying to hire him or collaborate with him. I just remember a DM that evolved into a series of voice texts and conversations. We didn’t talk about any bodybuilders, products, or anything like that. He confided in me about some things and I did the same in kind.
A few months after that string of chats with Bostin, I recall doing a pre-recorded interview with the late great Jerry Ward. Jerry and Bostin had a tumultuous relationship. I think they had mutual respect for each other but they often butted heads because they were both so outspoken. Jerry had said some things that I thought went a little below the belt and I remember reaching out to him during post-production and we had a call where upon hearing me out, Jerry conceded that some of his comments were way too aggressive. I don’t think it’s appropriate to say what was said, especially since both guys are no longer with us, but I’m glad I was able to keep certain comments off the finished interview. I did a lot of that in post-production with the late great Mighty Mike Quinn. Even though there’s a lot of insanity that still made the final cut, there was a lot more that didn’t. It’s crazy that all three guys I’m talking about have all passed.
One of the last few times I spoke with Bostin was during the IronMag TV days. Bostin had had a show on MD that was canceled after one episode. That’s debatable, but what is not debatable is that the very first episode got pulled for being too controversial. That disgusted Bostin. He would always respect Ron because in the end he was just doing his job, but he was sour on MD. And since IronMagTV had my show and Gregg’s show also on MD, he took his anger out on us. He refused to work with IML and talked about it in the interview with MSM.
We really wanted him and were ready to offer him a choice spot on our roster. He just wouldn’t budge. He was too apprehensive of lending his name to a supplement company even if just to put out in-house content. We would have been a great fit and it would have been killer to have paired Bostin with Big Frank, The Goon, and/or Gregg from time to time. We had a huge roster and lots of talent back then, but we just couldn’t get Bostin to sign on.
Bostin Loyd was his own man. Love him or hate him, he marched to the beat of his own drum. I personally never really understood him and no matter how many accommodations I’d try to make, he just wouldn’t work with us. Maybe he was a creature of habit or maybe he just never questioned his instincts. That’s not a bad thing.
Bostin was a pioneer and an innovator. He loved bodybuilding and he hung his hat on always telling the truth. This is why I think his legacy will live on through his videos, articles, and his very spirit. I mean look at me and this article. I’m not writing on the anniversary of his death or because he made the news. I’m writing this letter at Panera on New Year’s Eve 2023 morning because I was brainstorming article ideas and I thought about this crazy kid who lived his best life in the sport of bodybuilding. When I say he’ll be remembered that’s not wishful thinking. He is remembered and he will be for many years to come!
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