DRIVEN

The review

By Steve Buccilli

The DVD market is saturated. Just about every month, 2 or 3 new dvd’s hit the public, each vying for our hard earned dollars. Over the year’s many people have made their mark in this industry. Dorian with his Blood and Guts, Mits with his BFTO’s and other athletes such Markus Ruhl, Jay Cutler, Dennis James, and Ronnie have all put out numerous dvd’s; each putting their unique spin on this take of their training and lifestyle.

A lot of dvd’s are good, provided you’re a fan of that specific athlete. Some entertain and others educate. Some new dvd’s actually de-emphasize training in favor of lifestyle (Lee Priest new series is one example). So why should you buy Mark Dugdale’s new DVD? I’m about to tell.

It would be a crime, in my opinion, to call this a dvd. Why? Because its more of a film. It’s done so well that it looks like a documentary you might see on the discovery channel or even in a theater. I truly mean this. I truly believe if it would be slightly re-edited to reduce some of the training routines, that this film could be seen on TV or at film festivals. I also think that if it was presented in this way the general public would both understand and appreciate what bodybuilders go through, gaining some much need respect in the process.

The film is broken down into various segments. Lifestyle, relationships, family, business, eating and nutrition, contest footage, and training. So that is how I will tackle this review.

Training footage. Hardcore fans will love and appreciate these scenes. Although I was somewhat disappointed that there is no quad routine, that feeling quickly left, when I saw how intense and heavy Mark trains. He uses extremely good form and high intensity. He is not as big as Dorian, but his workouts are very Dorianesque. Highlights include, super heavy dumbbell presses, heavy incline presses, super strict back workouts, an awesome delt workout. There is one scene in which Mark is doing stiff legged deadlifts for hamstrings. He has about 4 or 5, 35 lbs plates per side. I thought to myself why use the 35’s? Why not the 45’s? Then I see why. You can lower the bar farther down and get a better stretch. DUH! Also the banter that goes between Mark and his wife and training partners is funny and entertaining.

Contest footage. We see in this film, the footage from the 2006 Ironman. It begins with the weigh in, tanning, Christina oiling him up, his mandatory’s and his posing routine. During his posing routine Mark hits some of the same poses Bob Paris made famous and let me say this. He is the only modern day bodybuilder who can pull off that kneeling twisting, on arm behind the head shot. He looks like a statue that Michelangelo himself created. There is some gym posing footage and that’s when you how big and ripped Mark truly has become.

Business man. Marks business is a fresh food supplier specializing in vegetables. His two factories are huge. In this segment which is somewhat short, the viewer gets the appreciation for what it takes to be successful in business, and juggle the discipline of a bodybuilding lifestyle.

Nutrition, shopping, and eating. There is one segment that is a little funny in which we see Mark get all his supplements read for the day. It looked to me that there had to be at least a 100 different pills (I’m exaggerating). His trip to the store has Mark buying chicken breast, oatmeal and orange roughy. We also see Mark eat his fish while the family eats a spaghetti dinner. Its refreshing to see a family having dinner together.

Lifestyle, religion, family and love story. This is actually my favorite segment. Mark’s religion is very important to him, and yet he never once comes across as a “holier then thou” type of person. His strong Christian beliefs are ingrained in every aspect of life, from raising his beautiful 3 daughters, to his wonderful loving relationship with Christina. Mark and Christina both talk about how they met and fell in love. Mark also has footage of reading to his girls and putting them to bed. As well as just being a great father around the house, as he helps out with dinner and with the girls. Going out to eat and going to church are also footage that is included.

The bottom line is that this film is truly unique. I have never seen anything like and truly love it. I can watch this over and over again. Its truly a love story for both Mark’s love of bodybuilding but also his love for his wife and family and Christ.

Mark truly represents everything that is good about our sport, but also can teach all of us what is important in life.

Instead of ending this review like I typically do, I want to say thank you to Mark and Christina for letting us into their lives and showing us what is truly important.

Thanks Mark and Christina.