Bodybuilding is more than just a hobby for 60-year-old Joe Guerrero. It’s a way of life. It’s his passion. It’s something that he has been cultivating for nearly 45 years.
And in May, Guerrero accomplished something that he always dreamed of doing when he won the over-60 National Physique Committee’s Mr. California competition – a prestigious statewide bodybuilding showcase.
“Mr. California was my main goal,” Guerrero said holding his bronze trophy. “I had done that show four times before and come in third place and second place. And before I got really old I wanted to win. But you never know what’s going to happen. It was exciting.”
He continued, “All the hard work that went into it, it was like winning the World Series. It was great.”
Guerrero’s triumph serves as a fulfilling culmination in a sport that even saved his life.
In 1983, the San Benito High (then called Hollister High) graduate’s body building career almost ended just as it was starting. Riding his motorcycle, Guerrero was hit by a semi-truck. His right leg was shattered below the knee and cuts ripped through this right bicep and face. He was told he was going to lose his leg. But lifelong friend and bodybuilding partner Steve Rovella wasn’t going to let Guerrero dwell on the negative.
“His legs should have been cut off and now he is winning world-class competitions,” Rovella said. “(Mr. California) is the hallmark of bodybuilding.”
With rehabilitation ahead, competing in, let alone winning, Mr. California seemed unlikely.
“Some of the doctors told me I won’t be able to walk too good,” Guerrero said. “But I said no. Steve said no. We need to work on this and we set out to do it.”
While in a cast rehabilitating from his injuries, Rovella never left Guerrero’s side as he carried him between lifting stations and kept him on a rigorous diet, consisting of vegetables, chicken and fish.
“Doing the squatting was difficult,” Guerrero said. “That’s one thing that was tough to start squatting again. (I was) building the tendons up. Building the muscle up. (I was) learning how to eat correctly.”
The bodybuilding exercises as well as Rovella’s diligent coaching allowed Guerrero to recover quickly and better than ever, he said. “Steve is a great supporter,” Guerrero said. “He is a confidence booster. It’s nice to have support … Steve and I help each other out and it’s great.”
Neither of them would have had the same success without the other, Rovella said.
“It’s very important,” Rovella said. “I wouldn’t work out has hard without Joe. When you work out together, you work out way harder then by yourself. It’s always way better.”
The pair have been working out in gyms since they first met when they were 15, Rovella said. Instead of working out in Hollister, they would travel to Gavilan College. That hard work – and discipline – has carried over to four world championships for Rovella and a pair of Nevada state championship and Mr. California for Guerrero.
As they’ve gotten older, they’ve only gotten better.
“We just want to see if we can keep on getting better,” Rovella said. “I beat guys in their 20s and 30s. But I’m older now and I’m more discipline now. It’s fun for us. We make it a way of life.”
And it’s kept the pair feeling young, Guerrero said.
“It’s keeping in shape and making yourself look young,” he said. “Being big and muscle no, but being nice and tone. It keeps me felling good. I can do anything I want to do. It keeps me feeling great.”
The Mr. California championship has given Guerrero the opportunity to help more people. When he isn’t working at the high school as a campus supervisor, Guerrero helps train people and students to lose weight and build muscle mass. Every year, he produces San Benito High’s own bodybuilding competition, Mr. Baler.
“After my truck accident, God left me here for a reason and it’s to help people a lot,” he said. “I wanted to help them so much but I also wanted to help them learn. I help people lose weight and get on stage. That excites me. It’s like me being on stage but they are on stage.
“It’s to get these kids doing something,” he continued. “I talk to them about eating right and not getting on drugs. There are no miracle drugs. I give them any type of support. They come and ask me questions. I tell them ‘this is what they need to do.”
