IAm Viper, American Gladiator from 1991-1993! I now run a business specializing in sports performance; triathlon training, cycling, running and wellness. AMA!

Did any of the gladiators hook up with other gladiators?

Not to my knowledge... But who knows for sure Lots of time out on the road with the live tour, 120 cities...

What was it like off camera? Did all the gladiators get along or was there drama?

Always drama, but like any family, things have a way of working out... Happy to answer all questions, but that starts tomorrow Our Team trains at 5am Zzzz,time Talk thenThank you

I think like any job there were probably jealousies along the way, but just silly stuff. Camera time, promoting the show in different countries.. But in the end, a really good group of people / athletes

Did you guys get to pick your own names? If so, why Viper? If not, what name did you actually want?

I was the first to get to pick my name, but I believe others after me were allowed to pick as well. The hot great movie of that time period was Top Gun. If you remember the Tom Skeret roll, he was the instructor that taught Maverick, Goose and Iceman... The line was, who’s up there, I think it’s Viper, oh good Vipers up here Really great movie for it’s time, maybe dated now Thanks again

For those that may be wondering what the full quote is:

Viper: "Good morning gentlemen, the temperature's 110 degrees"

Wolf Man: "Holy shit it's Viper!"

Goose: "Viper's up here, great!...... oh shit"

Maverick: "Great, he's probably saying,"Holy shit, it's Maverick and Goose!"."

Goose: "Yeah I'm sure he's saying that"

Great stuff Boston... Thanks for the full quote Go Red Saux! I assume

Thanks for your question. The reality of the show was that we filmed entire seasons in 16 days. The aired once a week, but we sho 2 shows a day, so there were a lot of injuries during a very short time frame. Powerball especially was a very difficult game given back to back to back days of filming.

What’s your take on American Ninja Warrior, and the Warrior type training?

They are unbelievable athletes, power of the grip is insane.... The different things that need to be conquered are certainly geared towards light, lean and unbelievable balance I think they do a nice job with the show It also has a similar feel to the AG fan base Thanks again

Tower was a really good guy. Real name Steve, super big and strong. If you see him again, give him my best Thanks

Your at home training just has to be consistent. Doing something everyday starts the process, then your body and mind will need the constant release of energy. Again as stated in an earlier response, Cardiovascular output will change the way your muscles will be able to take on strength load, meaning that the stronger your cardiovascular, the more powerful and stronger the workouts. Also remember the body is the ultimate machine, you have to constantly switch the routine before the muscles can memorize the patterns coming. This is why the sport of triathlon is such a good choice, the body has to learn and become proficient at three modalities on a regular basis. Thank s again

How bad was Mike adamle to work with on the set? When WWE hired him apparently the rumor was he was a nightmare to do live takes with.

My experience with Mike and Larry was a very different one. They were really good guys, very professional and there was no drama that I can remember. I did not know he went on the the WWE Thanks again

In all seriousness, will you please look up how an AMA works and try again? I loved AG as a kid and have a ton of questions.

Yeah, most people here don’t understand he’s older than the internet and doesn’t really get how AMAs work. I’ll try for another in the future for sure

Young Viper back on the account than.

So please follow up AMA:

I am Young Viper aka Lil'snakey, son of Viper.

Haha ask away! Don’t think I need a whole thread for myself 😅

Sweet. Did you get to meet any of your dads gladbros? If yes how were they?

Do you have pictures of you and the gang?

Any cool memorabilia in the house?

Thanks Young Viper

Never met anyone else. He’s got his own stuff going on right now and doesn’t really change his routine up even to go to reunions.

The gang being him and I? I have plenty, I think I posted one on an old school cool thread on my account.

Lots of cool memorabilia! Spandex uniforms, sweatbands, even a one of a kind leather jacket.

Yeah i figured hes quite busy. Sad hes not keeping up with the gang though!

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A right gotta look for them pics than. (taking bout the gladiadtor gang ofcourse)

Thats awesome, havve you dressed up in some of the uniforms for halloween?

Interesting idea! Maybe I’ll steal his uniform and do a Halloween thing once time haha.

There’s probably a good pic of them online, he also has one signed by every gladiator somewhere.

What kind of program do you recommend for an amateur triathlete who also powerlifts?

I'd characterize myself as a large athlete who wants to become better at tris, lose extraneous weight, and maintain or increase my strength.

Cardiovascular work will take care of everything. Lean muscle mass will stay and the Fat will just melt off with the right training program. You have to believe in the structure and discipline, the changes will happen slow at first, then the results will be dramatic. I stay year round at 6% body fat, around 185 pounds, not a slim triathlete.

For all other questions, I will get to them as I have time. I work with 100+ athletes daily. We are on schedule to win another USA Team National Championship, July 20/21st weekend.

The silly questions will not be answered, some of you need to grow up. AMA, for me, are questions that pertain to real life focused training. I am more than happy to help any and all that have real questions about sports or sports performance, training or goal setting.

Thanks

The silly questions will not be answered, some of you need to grow up. AMA, for me, are questions that pertain to real life focused training. I am more than happy to help any and all that have real questions about sports or sports performance, training or goal setting.

For the future, you should know that "AMA" means "Ask Me Anything". If you're going to limit it to certain topics you should say "AMA about fitness" or something like that. It doesn't go over well on Reddit when celebrities refuse to answer off-topic questions. See Rampart.

When he said silly he meant things obviously meant to be mean or provocative.

Cardiovascular work will take care of everything. Lean muscle mass will stay and the Fat will just melt off with the right training program. You have to believe in the structure and discipline, the changes will happen slow at first, then the results will be dramatic. I stay year round at 6% body fat, around 185 pounds, not a slim triathlete.

Thanks for the information. I might be interested in personal programming. How do you suggest I reach out?

Just send me an email if you are in the NYC area, stop in Thanks

Really nice story, thanks for that We were lucky to be able to play really great games, all the while having great support for, an incredible fan base Thanks again

Don’t know if you can find it, I have it somewhere, but I loved the NFL and Olympian’s show Jousting Tony Dorsett and knocking him off the joust was a great moment. Our conversation after the fact was really.....good times

Good guy, looked a lot like Elvis

He is a much better winner and loser now....only comes with age

How does it feel knowing you also entertained families across the oceans, who have traditions and cultures so different from yours? Filipino here, I know for certain American Gladiators was a must-watch in every Filipino household in the 90s.

Thanks for that. I think being in it, you don’t realize what it is until it is over and you reflect back. Truth is, we were competing as hard as possible, in each and every game, while being filmed. It became a cult show, that at its core was simplistic Rooting for regular guys to beat the gladiators Sometimes you were loved, other times hated

I may have crossed some lines in the heat of the games, but when you are so competitive, sometimes that happens. I’ve never let anyone win, so they could win. You had to beat me and when that happened, it was earned. The fact that we entertained so many other countries besides the US, is great Which is also why, each country eventually had their own version, Thanks again

I honestly do not know enough about the other Gladiators, but I can tell you form our crew, Laser was a beast

What's the biggest mistake most keen armatures make when training for endurance sports?

Apologies, last question for now, I have afternoon sessions with athletes before we break for the 4th. The biggest mistake is not putting together an extended schedule so that you are held accountable daily for the workouts. It is also so helpful to be able to look backwards and see the results of your workouts. And last but not least, proper hydration and rest. The body cannot perform at a level needed without the rest needed for recovery or the fuel while training to make gains and get stronger. Thank you again for understanding, this has to be a....as I can forum But I will answer more as soon as I have some downtime Happy 4th to all of you, Thank you

What are the best non-running exercises to do to increase running performance and help to prevent injury?

Start with aerobic water running in the shallow end Then work your way to the deep end, we use it all the time for rehabilitating athletes on the run Thanks again

Do you think the dynamic of how seriously people take fitness these days made the reboot of gladiators less successful?

In the 90s every gladiator was a monster and every contestant was a regular person but in the reboot half the contestants were the same size as the gladiators.

To me it took away from the separation of average Joe vs athletes

I think the issue was, to me, with the rebooted the show, they only really changed it by adding water They could’ve done some special things to change everything, American Ninja did, crazy new things each week. They also could’ve made the test more endurance related, weeding out the bigger contestants, so it still had the feel of David vs Goliath

What most audience members don’t know is that the original games were rigged for a gladiator to be upset, so the world would go crazy The joust platform for the Gladiators were 1/3 smaller, hoping for a gladiator fall It’s been a long time since I thought about the games we played Thanks again

Hey Viper, I'm early 50's and the health is starting to suffer. Diabetes, high b.p, drug addiction issues. Besides the obvious, what should be my plan of attack to straighten out my health before it's too late? Thanks

Response is similar to the last question... The difference is you have to change your life / diet They are all interconnected...body weight, training, diet, healthy lifestyle

Once you start the process...everything else will fall into place, just start.... every day is a new opportunity to change the outcome, only you can make that happen

Quick story; I spent years as an elite swimmer, cardio machine Then switched over to pure body building and strength training, I was beast, but no cardio It was what I needed to become Viper. I could hit athletes hard, but the endurance left, just like a line backer when they put hands on hips, you know they are tired

I left the show, went back to my true calling, endurance racing and found, I was too big and no longer could do what I wanted to do endurance related. I got tested and it turned out I had exercise induced asthma, insane... My body was telling me to lose the weight and catabolize the muscle that I took so long to build, not easy, but any goal is worth the pain of getting there... Fast forward 10 years, back to racing at an elite level in endurance racing, healthier than when I was 18, now turning 53

You can do anything out want, only you can stop you Thanks again

Thanks for doing this - LOVED American Gladiators growing up!

Were there ever fights that broke out during the show? Details please.

No fights, per say, but ejected more that most for hits that knocked out contenders. No one did anything with intent, but if it looked flagrant, you had to be ejected

I'm am honorably discharged veteran. I once lost 85lbs in one year. My husband is currently a soldier and he deserves a fit, beautiful wife. How do I get my mojo back so that i can be the trophy wife that he deserves?

Hi Thanks for the question... Truth is, keep it simple. The moment training becomes a second job, you won’t do it or will hate it, either way, you lose. If you just remember, calories in vs calories out Never leave the table full, but rather, satisfied. Do something daily, walk , run, swim, bike anything will work Even if you start at 20 min a day Eventually you will not be happy until you hit an hour :)

I tell my athletes this all the time Remember; Do what others won’t do in training... An you will beat everyone else, that does not

Hope that helps, thank your husband for his service

He’s gone to bed now, he will go through the thread tomorrow and answer as much as he possibly can!