Paul Callahan was new to the bodybuilding industry when he met John Meadows for the first time. They were set up next to each other at a fitness store event, representing their respective brands: Callahan’s Bullfrog Nutrition and Meadows’ Granite Supplements.
At the start of that 2016 event, Callahan had no idea who Meadows was, but most people there did. In fact, Meadows’ presence was used to promote the event; he was even scheduled to sign autographs.
Within the previous year, Callahan had begun his journey as a small business in the competitive fitness space.
Meadows was a popular figure in the bodybuilding world whose popularity had only grown around that time. Between Granite Supplements, his YouTube channel, Mountain Dog Diet website and his achievement of earning an International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness Pro Card, he was a beloved figure among followers of the discipline.
“I just went over and said hi and talked to him about my brand and the ethics and morals in the brand and how I want to be different,” Callahan says. “He knew what type of personality and what type of people he wanted to surround himself with and I think he was very diligent about that. I think he was very precise about it and lucky for me, I seemed to fit that mold for some reason.”
The two hit it off and started training together a few weeks later, a habit that continued up until Meadows’ passing last year. He died unexpectedly at the age of 49 on Aug. 8, 2021, leaving behind his wife Mary, twin sons Jonathan and Alexander, and fitness fans across the world who admired him.
Lasting Legacy
It took Meadows until the age of 43 to accomplish the personal goal he set for himself at the age of 13 – winning a professional competition and earning his Pro Card. In a 2015 interview after
his NPC Team Universe win, Meadows said this accomplishment was especially meaningful to him because he earned it despite numerous setbacks.
“I sat in my hotel room today and I was trying to count up how many times I’ve attempted to win a pro qualifier and I think I’m around 16 or 17 attempts,” he says in the 2015 interview.
In 1985, he competed in his first show. By 1998, he reached the national stage after methodically working his way up the ranks, refusing to move on from local shows until he won one, not going beyond state-level shows until he took the top spot and so on. It was a hobby, he says, and he trained after work and competed on weekends when he could.
In 2005, Meadows had his entire colon removed due to a rare disease, and underwent six subsequent surgeries. Yet he continued training, competing and coaching.
He started making YouTube videos under the handle mountaindog1 around 2010, demonstrating a variety of lifting exercises and workouts. Later on, he filmed videos such as a “Best Gyms in America” series, which Callahan joined him in. He went on to reach 648,000 subscribers and 106 million views on his videos. His most popular video has 2 million views.
He was also known for his coaching and mentorship of fellow bodybuilders, some even to the prestigious Olympia level, which Callahan says Meadows enjoyed and held to higher esteem than his own career accomplishments.
“He played team sports his whole life and then he coached football for his boys, so I think he had a different outlook on it than most people in the industry,” Callahan says. “He viewed it as a team and as a community. He actually really liked being a coach more than he liked competing.”
More Than Business
For Callahan, his journey into the fitness industry began with a need to leave his 70-hour work week after the birth of his now 7-year-old son James. He wanted to ensure he’d be able to spend as much time as possible with James, and could establish something to pass down to him in the future.
After creating Abiotic Factors, a pre-workout and fat burner product, Callahan went into business with Gabriella Mickel. Together, the two opened a supplement store – Bullfrog Nutrition – in Mickel’s hometown of Toledo in 2017. The pair opened their second store in Worthington in 2018, and most recently opened in Callahan’s hometown of Pickerington in September 2021.
They carried and continue to carry Meadows’ brand, Granite Supplements, in their stores.
“The connections and the business relationship have been the most enjoyable part of this whole journey,” Callahan says. “The fitness industry is really unique. It’s hard to set yourself apart, you have to figure out what makes you different than other people.”
Meadows, according to Callahan, was quite different than others in the industry. Callahan says
Meadows was a family man who always put family and his community first. He was a role model for Callahan, both inside and outside of the industry. Meadows was not only a business partner and mentor to Callahan, but a second father figure as well.
Callahan says the biggest adjustment during the first year without Meadows has been not being able to pick up the phone and get guidance from someone who not only understands the industry, but the life he’s trying to lead as well.
“I was lucky to have someone that fit that mold for me, (someone) that was in the same industry that was doing the same things,” Callahan says. “The shoes have not been filled and probably won’t ever be filled.”
Claire Miller is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at cmiller@cityscenemediagroup.com.
