Dennis Tyrone James was born on May 1969 in Heidelberg (Germany). Since childhood, this boy began to engage in various sports: from gaming to weightlifting. And at first football was given preference. Today, the question of who he could become if he had not chosen a career as a bodybuilder, Dennis answers that he would certainly be the star of German football.
However, football enthusiasm still passed and in 1988 James comes to the gym with the intention to seriously engage in bodybuilding. Being a strong and athletic guy, Dennis pretty quickly makes progress in this sport. At the same time, at the insistence of his parents, he goes to one of the local colleges, which he, albeit not quite successfully, but ends in 1993.
Dennis more and more is interested in bodybuilding and repeatedly makes attempts to participate in various competitions, and not unsuccessfully. His first serious performance took place in Germany in 1993 – he took the 4th place at the NABBA Universe. From this moment, James begins to adhere to strict diets and train not on the advice of friends in the gym, but only on then-stars and champions. His efforts are not in vain and in 1995 he wins the NABBA Universe in the middleweight category.
After these competitions, James decides that he needs to gain weight, to competently perform in professional championships. I must say that his decision was right and in 1998, already in the super-heavyweight division, James wins the US Championship and receives a pro-card.
Further Dennis’ career was close to the championship, but did not. Perhaps the best of his last appearances is 2nd place on Mister Europe Pro 2010. But although he was not the champion of Olympia, he still does not take away the world-wide fame. James, nicknamed the “Menace” was and remains one of the most publicized bodybuilders around the world. Posters with his image adorn almost all gyms, and the DVD with its training diverge hundreds of thousands.
At the competition Mr. Olympia 2010 Dennis “The Menace” James officially announced his retirement from the ranks of professional bodybuilders, due to his age. And at the same place he said that he would soon turn 45 years old, which gave rise to a lot of disputes about his present age. However, all known sources confirm that his statement was only a joke, and at that time he was only 41 years old. Today, Dennis James with his wife and daughter live in Thailand, where he has his own fitness center.