Denise Rutkowski

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Article Transcript

This article was officially published by author, Mike Bogen, in the 1991 WPW (Fall issue) magazine.

DENISE RUTKOWSKI: A BODYBUILDER WITH MUSCLE IN MIND

One thing is for sure, Denise Rutkowski doesn't look back. Indeed, past accomplishments hold little fascination for the 28-year-old Californian. The present is little more than preparation for the future. And, what a future it is. Rutkowski, a 5-5 transplanted Texan and pennsylvanian, is looking forward to a breakthrough year in 1991, a year in which the Orange County Muscle Classic, California and United States Championships loon on the horizon. She'll be going into those contests at a weight even she doesn't know at this writing. That's because she'll be going in with a physique that has undergone massive improvement in the past year. "I was 155 pounds when we had the photoshoot (those shots accompany the article) and I expect to be somewhere in the upper 140's when I compete this year." she says " I try to stay 8-12 pounds within contest weight all year around." Her contest weight has indeed undergone some dramatic changes over the last four years or so. Rutkowski has competed only four times, starting with the Metroplex in 1967, when she was first in either the middle or light-heavyweight class. She weighed about 115 for that show. That she does not remember exactly which class she won is indeed part of the charm of Rutkowski. Its that thing about the past. Rutkowski also does not remember just what she competed in as  a national-level gymnast when she was a child in Reading, Pa. She does remember competing in track, gymnastics and swimming, all before high school. And she does remember not competing in anything in high school. (" I was already burned out from the sports by the time I got to high school.") But, other than those things that relate to bodybuilding, the past just does not hold enough importance to Rutkowski to make the details work their way through the tremendous focus she uses in the present and has on the future. For Rutkowksi, the present is bodybuilding, the future is bodybuilding and that's plenty to worry about without cluttering things up with those pre-muscle days. The pre-muscle days were after high school, when Rutkowski got a job teaching aerobics. At the same time, "I started lifting, with K-Mart weights in the garage. I think everyone starts that way." However she started, it worked fairly quickly and soon Rutkowski found herself beginning to get muscular. Someone suggested she try competitive bodybuilding, a suggestion which Rutkowski, who admits to "always having been infatuated by muscle" found more than a bit easy to take. She met Rick Adams at Texas' Lone Star Gym and he became the major influence on her bodybuilding life. "Rick worked with me for three years and taught me everything I know." she says. "One of the the things he taught me back then was to keep covered up so I didn't get any of that outcast stuff ("outcast stuff" being the reactions women with muscle often get from "civilians".). He really helped me and never asked for anything in return, so I owe him a lot." Eventually, though, it was time for Rutkowski to move on. She was ready to become a national competitor, and like they said to the Clampetts, "Calfornia is the place you ought to be." Rick was understanding about the move and he's still helping me. Recently, I spent a week in Texas working with him." says Rutkowski. In 1988, Rutkowski won a pair of overall crowns, taking the South Texas and the Spring City Classic. She did not compete in 1989, but last year came back, this time up to 126 pounds, to win the World's Gym Classic in California. For  that victory, Rutkowski trained and dieted for only four weeks after missing three months training. Rutkowski's focus is  easily translated into results. She has a tremendous upper body, including arms that observers have said to be among the best shaped in the sport. Some of her gym work is equally impressive, like 10-12 reps of 820 pounds in the leg press; 10-12 reps of 130 pounds in leg extensions and 10-12 reps of 80-pound barbell curls. Also, its that focus which enables Rutkowski to endure the bodybuilding grind. "I don't seem to have time for anything else after bodybuilding." she says. "My days are devoted to lifting, food shopping, preparing meals, aerobics and posing practice." Training partner Jack Bonacini helps make the grind more palatable, as does Athena, a small, black pit bull Rutkowski considers part of the family. But the grind will be worth it if the look is right and Rutkowski thinks the look will be right. " This is the best i've ever looked," she says. "My legs are cut like never before...in fact, this will be the first time they will have ever been really cut. "I want to be big, but within a well-rounded and marketable look. I feel there's a tightrope you have to walk between being masculine (the msucle) and feminine (the face, the carriage, the attitude) and you've really got to work hard at staying on that tightrope." With Rutkowski's outlook walking that tightrope should not be impossible. Yesterday is for the history books, today is for work and the future is where it's at. It works for Denise Rutkowski.

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Excerpts from the 1994 WPW Jan/Feb Magazine issue

RUTKOWSKI IS RIPPED IN ROANOKE: The 1993 Jan Tana Classic

By Steve Wennerstrom

Still riding the wave of success from the NPC-USA Championship she had won in Santa Monica Weeks earlier, Denise Rutkowski scored a resounding victory in her first IFBB pro effort with a victory at the third annual Jan Tana Classic. In winning her first pro contest on her first try, Rutkowski joins the ranks of Kim Chizevsky, Lenda Murray, and Cory Everson as one who stepped up to the pro winner's circle directly from the amateur ranks.

From the outset of the early prejudging rounds, muscle and its accompanying sharpness became a strong element with judges being presented with competitor after competitor in very good physical condition. Leaders among those showing off Olympia-ready chassis were newly crowned USA champion Denise Rutkowski, and and last year's Tana runner-up Nancy Lewis. These two stood head and shoulders above the rest. Even the numerical scores pointed out this fact. For Rutkowski, the journey to this contest had been one which might have better resembled that of a keystone cop comedy. Parts of it, however, weren't so funny. "Everything is happening so fast. I haven't even had time to focus on anything." Rambled Denise. Focus indeed. In the past several months Rutkowski had endured more mishaps than she cared to remember. "It all started months ago," reflects Denise. "I fell off my bike and had to wear a cast on my wrist for several weeks. That really hampered my training. Then, at a highway rest stop, I was attacked and punched. It was totally unprovoked. I guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time." "Then there was the closeness of the USA and this{Jan Tana} contest...It's been such a blur. With all the photo shootings and running around, my resistance got low, I caught the flu, and I've been flat on my back the whole week before I came here." Rutkowski's arrival in Roanoke found her staying in bed until late Thursday. Only then did she venture into the lobby to regain her land legs. "Thank God it only takes me about 5 weeks to get ready for a contest. My metabolism is pretty fast, so all the time I spent in missing training time wasn't as bas as it could have been." All that remained was to match her efforts with a field that was perched and ready to challenge for the top spot. And match them she did. With first round callouts bringing Rutkowski muscle to muscle with the ever-ready Nancy Lewis, the battle was on. First Round scores showed the well-balanced and densily-muscled Lewis with a one-point lead over Rutkowski. Then, in round two, Rutkowski jumped to a two-point edge which she would never again relinquish. Although Rutkowski missed carrying the levels of muscle density which Lewis claimed, it was her ability to stay sharp and rigid throughout the early going that placed her in the driver's seat. Considering a week's worth of illness working against her, the of condition she managed was nothing short of miraculous. Including the posedown scoring, teh final three rounds found Rutkowski gaining three-point advantages per round, securing her victory. Her first as an IFBB professional.

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Excerpt from Muscle Mag October Issue 1993

DENISE RUTKOWSKI: FEMININE CHARMS AND OUTRAGEOUS ARMS

By William Brink

Its Monday night. After a long day I'm sitting on the couch reading a muscle magazine. The television is on for that needed background noise.
The phone rings. I pick up the receiver and give my best attempt at a friendly "hello". A sultry female voice on the other end asks, "Is Wilbur there?" "I'm sorry," I reply, " but there is no Wilbur here. You must have the wrong number." try not to sound too disappointed that its not for me. "Hmm," she responds. "Someone named Wilbur called from MuscleMag International for an interview and left this number on my answering machine." "what is the number?" I ask. She repeats it back to me, and it is my number. Then it hits me and I start to laugh. "What are you laughing at?" she asks. "Its not Wilbur," I tell her. "It's Will Brink!" we are both laughing now. With my ego slightly bruised, I say, "This must be Denise Rutkowski." "Yes, it is," she counters, "I couldn't make out the name you left on my machine. It sounded like Wilbur." As I recovered from my mild indignation and she from her embarrassment (which wore off quickly), we began the interview. I would imagine with a voice like hers, and the looks to match, nobody stays mad at her for too long. After a short time it became apparent to me that I was not talking to your typical one-dimensional bodybuilder. Case in point: "I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner," she said. "The neighborhood kids were in and out all week, and I went to Magic Mountain this weekend." The kids she is referring to are local kids who come to her if they need a place to keep off the streets, get some supervision, or talk to a friend. Here we have a bodybuilder who is one month from the biggest contest of her life (1993 Ms Olympia) and still has the strength of character to care about other people while keeping life fun by going to amusement parks. Most precontest bodybuilders would drive by a nun changing her own flat tire to be on time for a workout! "I have many friends who are bodybuilders," she stated, "but I don't usually date bodybuilders. The 'me, me, me' attitude is a real turnoff." There is definitely more to this recent winner of the USA and Jan Tana Classic than meets the eye-- or ear, as the case may be. Unfortunately, I can't do justice to this dynamic and outgoing person in this article. Check out Greg Zulak's star profile on Denise in MuscleMag issue 139 (January 1994, page 234) if you want the full scoop.

NO STRANGER TO ADVERSITY

If there was ever a female bodybuilder who has been caught in the middle of the ever changing judging standards of women's bodybuilding, Denise Rutkowski would be the representative athlete. When being big, hard and shapely is in, Denise always fares well in a contest. When the look of the past few years was leaning toward the smaller and softer women, she was placed lower than seemed reasonable to the majority of people attending the competition. Denise does not live by the outdated constraints of society has traditionally placed on  women. "Femininity comes from the inside out," she stated. "It should not be applied to the male  or female gender. It is a personality trait. What is feminine to me may not be feminine to you. People should not force their views of femininity on someone else. A woman should be able to put on as much muscle as her frame can carry and still be symmetrical and pleasing to look at. My frame can naturally carry a high degree of muscle mass." Considering the chorus of boos that followed her third-place finish at the Nationals, it would seem many people agree with her. "I think muscle is definitely back in women's bodybuilding. The women look healthier and less scrawny. I am glad to see this trend. It is good that the fitness shows have provided an outlet for women who are not into hardcore bodybuilding." Then she added, "Regardless of the judging criteria I must remain true to myself." From what I saw of Denise at the USA and Jan Tana Classic, she didn't just fit the new judging standards--- she redefined them! Besides suffering the effects of unpredictable judging standards, Denise has had several setbacks. "It seems something traumatic always happens to me when I prepare for a contest. Before the Nationals I broke my hand in a bike accident. That injury prevented me from training my upper body, so I was not at my best for that show." One week into her Ms. Olympia preparation a close friend of hers was killed in a drive-by shooting. "I kind of lost my focus after my friend was killed. It was a totally senseless death. He died a hero trying to cover up his aunt and cousin from the gunfire." When I asked her if she considered skipping this year's Ms. O because of this tragedy, she said, "An experience like that brings reality home. I don't know where I will be next year. Something can strike you at any time. I will do the Olympia this year!"

PREPARING FOR THE MS. O

One improvement that was particularly noticeable about Denise at her past two shows was a new level of polish to both her body and her stage presence. I inquired about the buff new look. "I didn't change the way I train or diet. The difference at the USA and Jan Tana Classic was my water balance. After the Nationals, every time I did a guest posing, I would experiment with my water balance a week from appearance date. What I finally found was the best combination for me to get rid of the last bit of fluid from under the skin." "So what did you discover?" I asked. "First I found I needed to limit my sodium a week from the show instead of the Wednesday before the event. Secondly I learned not to limit my water intake at all. In fact, I will continue to drink two to three gallons a day right up to the day of the competition. Lastly I discovered that distilled water makes me hold water instead of release it. It is dead water, devoid of minerals, so I stick to spring water." I asked her how she is able to maintain such great muscle mass when dieting. "It's fairly simple," she said matter-of-factly. "I don't raise my reps and lower my weight. I don't know why people do that. Just when they should be training heavy to maintain muscle, they start using higher reps which eat away their size. I might add in some cable movements a few weeks out from the show, but I will usually stick to the basics for eight to ten reps." Denise explained that her diet has a great deal to do with how much muscle she can retain while dieting strictly. "I fluctuate my calories from a high of 2500 a day to a low of 1800. The trick is that I never go below 200 grams a day of protein. The only component I raise or lower to adjust my calorie intake is my carbs. This is especially important for keeping the muscle when dieting." She is also a believer (as most bodybuilders are) in supplementing her diet with vitamins during precontest preparation. "I don't take anything fancy. I just stick to the basics, such as multivitamin/multimineral pack, extra vitamin C, E, B and Zinc. I do like chromium picolinate which seems to help control my sweet tooth." "Did I hear that right?" I asked. "You have a sweet tooth?" She laughed for a moment. "Boy, do I have a sweet tooth! My favourite is pie- pumpkin pie- or cheesecake. Before I start my precontest diet, I have been known to stuff myself with pie to get it out of my system." Below is a typical precontest day's eating for Denise.

Meal 1: 10 egg whites with three servings of Cream of Rice.
Meal 2: One can of tuna and 1/2 cup of rice
Meal 3: is the same as meal 2
Meal 4: 1/2 pound of swordfish and 1/2 cup of rice
(workout)
Meal 5: 1/2 pound of swordfish and two cup of rice
Meal 6: 10 more egg whites!

Her off-season diet is essentially the same, with the addition of red meat two or more times per week, and an occasional dessert after dinner. "In the off-season I am constantly on the run. I might throw together a container of pasta, tuna, broccoli and a tablespoon of fat-free mayo, and run out the door. On the weekends I eat whatever I like, within reason."


THE RUTKOWSKI GUNS

Denise has many outstanding bodyparts, but her arms are truly phenomenal. "My shoulders were the first part that grew for me when I started training. My arms, with the rest of my upper body, came up shortly after." Denise has her workout split set up so that everything is worked once a week except for quads, which are blasted every fourth day and hamstrings three times a week. "My legs have always been the toughest bodypart for me. That's why I have them so prioritized in the schedule. I have a calendar in front of me with my workouts figured out far in advance-- different bodyparts falling together at different times. It's kind of hard to explain to people how it works , but it is essentially based on a three-and-one." Denise never splits up biceps and triceps. "I put them together one day, and I have never looked back. My arms seemed to improve dramatically from it." She reiterated her preference to keep her reps at eight to ten for most bodyparts whether on season or off. "I don't vary my arm workouts much. I have my favorite exercises, with a few variations, and I generally stick to them."  If you want to put some mass on your arms, try her workout. It looks like this:

Biceps
1. Straight bar curl- 4x8-10 reps
2. Hammer Curl- 4x8-10 reps
3. Concentration curl- 4x8-10 reps

Triceps
1. Tricep pushdown- 4x8-10 reps
2. Lying triceps extension with an EZ-curl bar- 4x8-10 reps
3.Standing overhead two-arm dumbbell extension-  4x8-10 reps


Denise believes in ultra strict form during every rep of every set. She likes a quick workout pace- just as long as it takes for her partner to finish his set. "Some people's form is so bad that you can't tell whether they are trying to work arms or back! I try to squeeze and contract on every rep."

Conclusion
Denise, who weighs about 150 pounds in the off-season, plans to weigh in at around 140 pounds for the Ms. Olympia. She weighed 133 for the Nationals and 138 for the USA. "They don't weigh you at the Jan Tana Classic, so I am not exactly sure what I weighed." As you can see, her competitive weight has been steadily climbing. If she can peak again for the third time this year, a 140-pound 5'5" female bodybuilder with her lines would be worth the price of admission alone! Despite injuries, loss of friends, and a rocky political climate in women's bodybuilding, her spirit is not dampened. I think it is safe to say that Denise Rutkowski has arrived.

Denise can be reached for guest posing and seminars at 1617 Lincoln Blvd, No 247, Venice, CA 90291.

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WPW's unseen (on the internet) interview with Denise Rutkowski in 1988

I got this from WPW-112 which just recently WPW managed to convert into- and sell in- a downloadable format, all of the posing was included in wpw-195 apart from this interview hence why I think it is worth sharing here...



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I'm keeping constant track of her name on the internet just in case something new surfaces but i'm simply intrigued by how this early-nineties celebrity's life is shrouded in secrecy and unanswered paradoxical questions...After scouring through different forums I came across a seemingly old acquaintance of hers who elaborates on- at first- questionably sensationalist firsthand stories but by disclosing certain information (i.e. specific names/location) it seems that his claims/stories check out, here are some tidbits of incidence involving Denise and opinions about her from back in the day:

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Hands down, a true legend. Greatness at its best. 

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Some of my artwork...

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Some posts by legendary bodybuilding photographer, Bill Dobbins, lending further confirmation to Denise's psychological issues.

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Some posts by legendary bodybuilding photographer, Bill Dobbins, lending further confirmation to Denise's psychological issues.

Titus and Denise had so much potential back then. It's sad that one is prison and the other living on Skid Row fighting mental issues.

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Titus and Denise had so much potential back then. It's sad that one is prison and the other living on Skid Row fighting mental issues.

Denise needed to relocate to a safer place; ironically because whatever she was trying to protect and isolate the disadvantaged kids from seemed to have gotten the better of her. That is not to say that she didn't have any dormant mental issues- although it is difficult to prove cause and effect through just info of various reliability standards on the internet. Truth is there was a sudden and possibly violent turning point 2-4months before September 1994 in which she herself claimed that she was getting ready to re-compete in the Ms O, ultimately taking her down the path to (what we assume is) religiosity. Unless she speaks we can never be sure of what instigated her downfall. Still, all of this doesn't mean we can't appreciate what was capable of delivering to the sport. 




More from Bill on denies...her quads were simply outrageous which might have overwhelmed her hams in appearance. 

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Got three magazines off eBay, will publish the articles and better quality scanned images here later...for now: