Latest Updates
November 5, 2011
"The Biggest Loser Resorts is delighted to
be supporting your upcoming MS Bodybuilding Challenge and the ongoing MS Fitness Challenge. We shall provide a complimentary 1-week stay package at the Malibu Biggest Loser Resort as a prize for the winner of your fundraising contest."
October 10, 2011
Powerhouse Gym corporation and John
Lepak, their Director of Marketing, are working hand in hand with The MS Fitness Challenge and David & Kendra Lyons in their fundraising efforts to bring fitness trainers into the homes of MS patients nationwide.
October 5, 2011
The MS Bodybuilding Challenge is proud to
announce our newest sponsor High Energy Labs and President Mark Webb.
October 7, 2011
David has signed a book deal with
Leafwood Publishing. Scheduled release date is 2012.
Joining forces with NBC Yours 4 Fitness
and Mike Torchia Shape Up America campaign nationwide, David is helping Mike and his team promote health & fitness. The MS Bodybuilding Challenge & The MS Fitness Challenge will have a booth at the events starting September 17 & 18 at the Long Beach Convention Center and then on October 1 & 2 at the Connecticut
Convention Center in Hartford. David will have a booth at the events and will be a guest speaker.
Mike Torchia Joins the MS Fitness Team.
"I met David over 35 years ago when I was working out with Lou Ferrigno at R&J Gym in Brooklyn, New York. David was a very powerful young man who was training like a dynamo and radiated with self confidence. Our paths recently crossed since that day in Brooklyn and he still possesses the same powerful physique, attitude and energy. The only difference is that he now has MS and is battling this crippling disease. I truly admire his mission to inspire other people around the World who also have MS to become more physically fit and active. I fully support The MS Bodybuilding Challenge and I am incorporating David's powerful and meaningful movement with The Shape Up America National Tour." -Mike Torchia
Testiment to David from Big Luke Wood
"David let me tell you, you are my hero
and to thousands of others! You are right you are not in my league but in a LEAGUE of you own! A much higher league than I will ever get to! Mr. Olympia is not even in your
league. You are a true Warrior and God Bless you in this incredible fight that I know the Lord will always put you first, my man!
You already showed me that you can move mountains and we will get those abs! You can overcome anything! Me and you and God brother! David you are my hero man! There are people who complain and moan all their life and have really nothing to complain about! Let them walk in your shoes for a day!" -Big Luke, Mr. Australia
Rest in Peace old friend.
Sponsors & Supporters
John Hansen - 2x Mr. Universe
"It's so inspirational to see someone like Dave Lyons compete in a Bodybuilding competition despite having to fight the battlewith Multiple Sclerosis. Competing in a Bodybuilding contest requires battling against the weights and being disciplined enough to follow a restrictive diet. Dave battles MS every day and he took it upon himself the further challenge of pushing his body to the limit to compete in a contest in which the most developed body is awarded. I congratulate Dave Lyons on his amazing accomplishment and I thank him for the inspiration he has provided to the rest of us who have witnessed his incredible willpower and determination."
David's Story
In 2006, David Lyons was hospitalized and
diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 47. David, a former bodybuilder and health club owner, exercised regularly and lived a healthy
lifestyle. He was devastated by the diagnosis and frustrated by the physical limitations of his
condition. His initial MS attack left him with partial paralysis, tightness, pain and numbness
in his extremities and back. These common symptoms of MS come and go without warning.
The multiple lesions in David’s spinal cord make it difficult for him to coordinate movements and they affect his balance. The lesions in his brain cause cognitive problems affecting his concentration. And the lesion by his optic nerve, at times, causes vision impairment and blackness when seeing out of his left eye. David also lives in a constant state of fatigue caused by this disease attacking his nervous system.
While in the hospital the doctors told David he would most likely leave in a wheelchair and
would not return to his normal workout routine. They also warned him that MS is a disease
that most often progressively worsens and to prepare for his limitations as he ages.
So what does David do? Give up and sink into depression? Grab a walker to steady
himself? Retreat to bed to conserve his strength?
NO...AT THE AGE OF 50 DAVID LYONS DECIDED TO COMPETE
IN A NPC BODYBUILDING COMPETITION!
David knew he could not do this alone, so he assembled a team he calls The Challenge Team. Putting this team together was no easy task. David needed dedicated, talented experts on his side to make this challenge a reality.
David is a courageous man who has rallied the support of many who know what he faces.
David’s doctors all told him that his pursuit of a bodybuilding title was sheer madness,
especially at 50 years old...but if anyone could do it - he could. David’s team is behind him
100% and they are pushing him all the way.
On August 22, 2009, David competed in his first competition where he was awarded an
impressive trophy for THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL BODYBUILDER!
David Lyons will keep competing, beat this disease and will not give up his dream. As David states, “The two most important people in my life during The MS Bodybuilding Challenge will always be my wife, Kendra, who gives up her husband while I train and diet for these events and is willing to keep doing it until I retire (which, won’t be in the near future!). She is an inspiration to me as she has the compassion to deal with sick people all day as a nurse and then come home to help me shows the heart of a rare woman and a true blessing.
And God who, without His grace, love and strength, I could have never made it out of the hospital and on to that stage in 2009 and onto others. It is never by my might or power but by His will that I push forward.
"I might never win a bodybuilding contest with multiple sclerosis but I will win the
battle against MS.
This is not about me winning contests, it's about motivating other MS patients
to take control of their lives, get fit and beat the odds in every way possible. Not
everyone has to compete in a contest to win. You win by just getting up and
fighting.
People assume that, if I could change my outcome in life, I would rather be
healthy again and not have MS. The fact is that if I didn't have MS I would not be
here today inspiring others and helping change lives. So, don't assume I would
rather not have MS. These are the cards I've been dealt and I accept this fate, I
would not change it and I will continue to make a difference until the day I die.
We all have a choice, no matter what trials we face, to either lay down and lose
or challenge the obstacles ahead and win. I choose to win. I encourage you to do
the same." -David Lyons
To further help in the fight against MS, David is working hand-in-hand with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. A portion of your sponsorship dollars will be donated to the National MS Society to help multiple sclerosis patients by supporting research into its cause and cure.
The MS Bodybuilding Challenge is not just a journey of one man beating multiple sclerosis...it’s a celebration of life.
Dreams Do Come True... Be Part Of The Dream!
About the MS Bodybuilding Challenge
In 2008, David recruited independent filmmaker, editor and former NBC TV
producer, John Morris who filmed David’s first promotional video.
Click here to listen to Bud Hedinger interview David Lyons - 2008.
Click here to listen to Bud Hedinger interview David Lyons - 2009.
About Us
The MS Bodybuilding Challenge (MSBC) is more than the founder, David Lyons’, battle to
beat multiple sclerosis. It is a challenge for all those that have this disease and others to take charge of their lives, get fit and battle like a warrior.
The MSBC is dedicated to helping others fight and win by educating and inspiring MS patients and their families. We are passionate about empowering the MS community through health & fitness. Through events such as Mike Torchia’s Shape Up America/NBC’s 4 Your Health Expo and our vision of working hand in hand with MS patients across the nation, The MSBC will reach millions of people and help change lives.
Our fundraiser, The MS Fitness Challenge, enables The MSBC to bring Certified Fitness
Trainers into the homes of MS patients, free of cost, and coach both patient and family
members how to fight this disease through health & fitness.
David, the President and Executive Producer with Andrew Bishop, CEO and Executive Producer of Bishop-Lyons Entertainment (BLE) have a feel for Hollywood and a desire for publicity. Bishop- Lyons Entertainment director and filmmaker John Spagnola has taken the reigns as he films David’s daily life struggle with MS and his grueling workouts in the gym. BLE plans to use this footage to convince millions around the world that anyone with an intense enough desire can overcome even the most catastrophic challenge. In addition, David is writing a book which will be published as the companion to the film and will bring it to market.
Make a donation to The MS Bodybuilding Challenge today and help us
strengthen bodies, build will power and change lives.
Matthew & Eddy J. Midyett - Owners of Powerhouse Gym
“The Southern MECCA” Powerhouse Gym Downtown Tampa Bay and it’s over 4,000 members, are proud to sponsor and support David Lyons on his road to victory! The MS Bodybuilding Challenge is a great way to show awareness for this disease and bring some much needed attention to find a cure. As a competitive athlete, David Lyons, should be applauded for his efforts! We look forward to a long relationship with The MS Bodybuilding Challenge and we and our 35,000 plus sq ft facility are here if we can help in the future.
Jimmy Page - Director of Health & Fitness - Fellowship of Christian Activities
“I am continually amazed by David's mental toughness, spiritual depth, and physical training intensity. David trains harder and believes bigger than almost anybody I know. He is an inspiration to me and thousands more as he battles to beat MS."
Avanti Fitness
Avanti Fitness is now a proud sponsor of David Lyons and The MS Bodybuilding Challenge. When Brian Lewallen, Avanti Fitness, General Manager, USA, met David in September at the Powerhouse Gym Convention in Las Vegas, he immediately offered to send him their latest cardio exercise machine - the Cardio Gym 3000. Within 2 weeks the machine was in David's home. Brian didn't wait and quickly sent his top trainer, Shannon Lewallen, to give him the workout of his life. "By far, this was the best cardio workout I have had in 20 years. It was a total body cardio experience that pushed me to the limits. The Cardio Gym was safe for me to use
with MS as I didn't have to worry about losing leg coordination and falling like I have on treadmills, eliptical machines and stair climbers. I completely endorse the Cardio Gym for anyone looking for a safe, effective and butt kicking workout!", says Lyons.
Arney Rosenblat - Associate VP, Public Affairs of NMSS
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
This is to advise that the National Multiple Sclerosis Society believes there is a need for encouraging documentaries and books that highlight the positive achievements of people living with multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system whose hallmark is unpredictability. David Lyons has long been interested in the challenges of body building and the lure of body building championships. When he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2006, he could have decided to lower the throttle and focus solely on his many creative ventures, but instead he opened the throttle full-out to pursue his dream of competing in a NPC Bodybuilding competition and sharing that story with the world.
Mr. Lyons’ desire to depict the ups and downs that a person with MS experiences on a daily basis in order to push the envelope and continue to live life to the fullest has the potential to inspire and encourage not just people who are diagnosed hourly with MS but anyone dealing with an incurable disease. In 2009, Mr. Lyons received the Society’s Milestone Award given annually to an individual who has been relentless in their personal fight with MS.
Since establishing Lyons Entertainment in 2002, David has been creating, developing and producing original programming for the TV and film industry, garnering over 30 international awards along the way. In 2010, he merged his company with award winning producer, Andrew Bishop, to form Bishop-Lyons Entertainment, which has firmly established itself as one of the preeminent production entities in Los Angeles.
Mr. Lyons also believes that as a public figure, he has the opportunity and responsibility to provide accurate information about the disease MS with which he is challenged and he has turned to the National MS Society to be that resource. MS is a capricious disease that affects every individual differently. While the archetypal image of a person with MS is someone in a wheelchair, there are actually more people who live without visible disability from MS.
Yet for those who have been recently diagnosed, or who have been living with it for a few years, their questions about the future are voluminous and filled with fear. Firsthand, honest testimony, not colored by an agenda will be instructive for all people who have MS, their loved ones, and health professionals. It will clarify the varied personal experience of the disease.
Support for Mr. Lyons’ documentary, The MS Bodybuilding Challenge and David’s challenge to others, The MS Fitness Challenge, will also advance the mission of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, by creating greater awareness of multiple sclerosis. The more people there are who have an honest understanding of MS, the more success we will have in moving us closer to a world free of multiple sclerosis.