Screenwriter writes his own script for natural bodybuilding success

June 27, 2001
By Jim Evans

Everyone in the world knows how Sylvester Stallone wrote the screen play for the blockbuster movie “Rocky” about an ordinary club fighter who gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship. Stallone, who also starred in the film, parlayed himself into a Hollywood megastar.

Hollywood screenwriter Cecil Green is writing his own screenplay about an ordinary young African-American bodybuilder from New Jersey who rises to the top of the natural bodybuilding world. Not coincidentally, Rocky just happens to be his favorite film. “Full of inspiration and champion attitude!” says Cecil. However, Cecil hasn’t started writing his script yet because he’s been too busy living the role in real life.


Cecil Green

Born in Camden, New Jersey, but growing up in the small town of Linwood (pop 7092), Cecil attended Overbrook Regional High School where he excelled in sports, but a pulled hamstring during the outdoor track season in college (Camden County College majoring in criminal justice and psychology), where he was competing in the 100 and 200 meter sprint and the long jump, ended his Olympic aspirations. However, the injury may have turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it introduced him to the weight training as part of his rehabilitation.

“I originally began developing my physique to suit my surfing lifestyle, when people began to notice my symmetry and suggested that I try competing in bodybuilding. Still, it wasn’t until I moved to California (Burbank) to pursue my screenwriting career that I noticed any real interest in the sport. After some convincing from my fellow gym members, I entered my first show with the INBF in Sacramento in 2009. I finished 2nd in the Men’s Open Lightweight Class, and I was hooked!”explains Cecil.

Cecil has continued to place well in subsequent contests – including first place in the Open Men’s Short Class at last year’s NANBF California Natural Muscle Mayhem in Sacramento where he is returning next month for another run at the overall title. The overall men’s winner this year – in addition to winning his IFPA pro card – will win a trip to Scotland to compete against the Brits and other top pros from around the world at the BNBF British Grand Prix with Team California.



This year’s contest – the 13th annual event by veteran promoters Bob Bell and Tina Smith – will once again take place on July 16 at the Sheldon High School Performing Arts Center and will feature an opening ceremony with live bagpipes and trophy presenters dressed in colorful kilts.

“There is a greater sense of pride and respect in the air at natural shows than at untested shows,” says Cecil. “To be among other athletes who have climbed the mountain by proper dieting and training without the assistance of performance enhancing drugs, you feel a different sense of achievement than you feel at an untested show. I get asked many times by new members at the gym how I achieved my physique, and I’m proud to tell them that I did it with hard work and perseverance. You can just see their faces light up when they realize that it is possible for them too without using drugs, and that’s pretty awesome!”

Cecil’s family has been behind him from the beginning. “They always knew I had an athletic spirit,” he says, “but they never thought I would take into the world of bodybuilding. At first my mom was not sure how she felt until I placed well in my first show – she became even more supportive when I told her I was a 'natural' bodybuilder.”

Unlike Stallone’s Rocky who worked as a debt collector for a loan shark while fighting in smoke-filled clubs at night, Cecil's job is more infinitely more legitimate. He works for PPG Aerospace in the Environmental Health and Safety Department and does some part-time personal training on the side while his career in screenwriting is on the rise. He has also developed a strong friendship with the legendary Moji Oluwa who has been mentoring him in his training. He figures if even a little bit of Moji’s greatness rubs off on him, he is sure to be a winner.

Cecil knows he is already a champion even if he never wins another title, but he also knows that the ending to his story will be more colorful if he can win the overall title at Muscle Mayhem and represent the IFPA Team California in Scotland. Cecil thinks he would look better in a kilt than Rocky too!

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