The Dark Reality of Bodybuilding: Doctor Said "You're Dying"
Dropping Bombs
Brad Lea
4.8 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 20 November 2025
⏱️ 68 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode sponsored by The Max Screen Printing
LightSpeed VT: https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Dropping Bombs Podcast: https://www.droppingbombs.com/
Ray Minger hits Dropping Bombs with a raw masterclass on resilience, discipline, and building a million-dollar empire from scratch. Starting as a teen bodybuilder obsessed with gains, Ray shares how tragedy sparked his passion, pushing him to championships, and learning the hard way about bodies, booze and bad decisions. At his peak, a massive heart attack nearly ended it all—until he walked out on that dire prognosis and rebuilt stronger.
After building The Max Screen Printing into a 7-figure company, Ray reveals his new mission: "Age Better," a movement beyond apparel into discipline, stoicism, and longevity—because quality of life beats quick fixes. He warns about the "dark side" of bodybuilding (steroids, heart risks) and shares tactics for dark seasons, the reality of injuries, plus tips on scaling businesses. If you're bored at your current level or rebuilding after setbacks, this conversation will push you past excuses and into action. Watch now and age better—in business and in life.
[Insert Timestamps here]
📲 Guest Socials:
Ray Minger Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rminger2020
🌐 Company Sites:
Age Better Apparel — https://agebetter-apparel.com/
The Max Screen Printing — https://themaxsp.com/
👍 Company Socials:
Age Better (FB) — https://www.facebook.com/p/Age-Better-61554328397277/
The Max SCR (IG) — https://www.instagram.com/themax_scr/
The Max Screen Printing (FB) — https://www.facebook.com/TheMaxScreenPrinting/
Watch the full-length video version of any Dropping Bombs episode here on YouTube.
Brad Lea is a self-made entrepreneur who turned small-town grit into a multi-million-dollar empire. With over 25 years dominating sales and leadership, he's mentored thousands to outsmart, outwork, and out win their competition. His top-rated podcast, Dropping Bombs, brings raw, game-changing insights from the biggest names in business.
LightSpeed VT is Brad's brainchild—the world's leading interactive training platform. It's built to make your team sharper, faster, and more effective, without wasting time or money. Whether you're a startup or a Fortune 500, LightSpeed VT is how you scale success and dominate your industry. Curious? Check it out:
https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Brad's also behind Closer School, the go-to program for mastering sales and closing deals like a pro. Want to 10x your income? This is where you start. His book, The Hard Way, lays out the brutal, honest lessons he learned building his empire—your blueprint to winning the game. Get it here: https://bradlea.com/product/the-hard-way/
This isn't just a video. It's a wake-up call. Watch it. Share it. Act on it.
Closer School: https://www.closerschool.com/cs
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I was benched 500 pounds, squat and over seven. I was strong. After having a heart attack, doctor looked at me and he was going to die. So he told me. The business part of it, though, you started with $40 and grew it into several million. How are you getting business? We built our business probably the first five to seven years just on word of mouth. Motivation, it's like a tank of gas. You see, it doesn't last. You've got to fill up daily. What do you think discipline is a choice or a character trait? It's a choice, but you have to learn how to build it. People can change. You can build discipline. All that. Damage to your body. You don't regret it. No, I don't regret it. I had fun. I refused to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death, buddy. |
| 0:40.3 | You got to follow your dream. |
| 0:41.9 | You got to be smart about it, though. |
| 0:43.4 | What have you learned in business that someone can apply today and avoid the shit you had to deal with? |
| 0:48.9 | I would say, you know, the biggest thing is... |
| 0:58.2 | What it is, Brad Lee, back again with another episode of dropping bombs today in the studio folks i got a real treat for you my man ray mingers in the house what's up ray |
| 1:04.0 | how much how you been i've been so folks if you guys want to know what a real entrepreneur |
| 1:10.1 | looks like sounds like pay attention |
| 1:12.7 | because this dude right here has been through it all started out back in 1989 |
| 1:18.3 | bodybuilding 91 94 2001 championship winning teenage mr cleveland then heavyweight |
| 1:26.8 | mr cleveland then super heavyweight, |
| 1:29.9 | then Great Lakes Masters bodybuilding championship. But that was back in the day. |
| 1:35.5 | Back in the day. Was that your full-time position at the time, bodybuilding? That's what I wanted to do. |
| 1:40.3 | That's what my passion was. That's all I wanted to do. What were you working out three, four times a day? |
| 1:46.0 | No, I was only training once, but it was two and a half, three hours, you know. What was your fuel behind bodybuilding? |
| 1:54.0 | My fuel, I don't know. Like what, like in other words, why bodybuilding? Why'd you want to be huge? I don't know. That's a good question. You know, I had a friend when I was 16 that was into bodybuilding. He ended up committing suicide and the whole group the whole group of friends everyone kind of it kind of wrecked everyone everyone |
| 2:18.8 | would kind of turn to drugs it was getting pretty bad you know one night I was I was |
| 2:24.0 | just wasted you know I was getting ready I was getting ready to throw up my buddy thought it |
| 2:29.6 | was funny so he jumped on me he's pushing on my stomach laughing you know I dart the bathroom. You know, and I'm looking in the mirror, and I'm looking at myself, and I'm like, this just ain't me. You know, it ain't me. And after that, I left that group. I kind of went on my own, I started training, and I just became obsessed. I don know I became obsessed like a bit by the bug |
| 2:51.9 | they say you know and where you just become obsessed with something so you know I walked that was my |
| 2:57.2 | junior year I walked out of my junior year at 160 pounds came back my senior year I walked into |
| 3:03.7 | school at 208 pounds people were kind of like holy shit hold on you went out at what |
... |
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