Wrestling titles come and go, but for the rest of his life, the title of American Gladiator will never be taken from Jesse Godders. But for the athlete now known as “Steel”, a lapse in strategy almost meant that opportunity was lost.
But Godderz proved that Steel can be bent, but in this case, it certainly won’t break – and as a father, that’s a lesson he hopes his children can learn from. He was chosen along with 15 other athletes to compete in the classic show, which will leave its final season 1. May 1 on Prime Video-and the rest can be pressed forever.
“I was going broke every time,” he says. “I just dominated everyone in the event before that. They knew what they were going to do with me.”
The ripped sports star is relishing his new role in Gladiator, perhaps best known as the former 12-time OVW Wrestling Champion – aka “Mr. PEC-Tacular” or the self-righteous badass of his time. Big brother almost two decades ago and the last reality show House of evildoers. Love him or hate him, whether he’s hoisting a belt in the air or rocking fellow reality TV fans with every double bicep flex, one thing has always been certain: Goeders is determined to maximize every moment of every opportunity.
But, as he tells it, in this one moment everything can backfire. He admits that scoring 100 percent during the bodyweight portion of the American Gladiators football tryouts would allow him to put his name down alongside Gladiator legends Nitro, Malibu and Zap. Goderz says he dominated the push-up and pull-up portion of the test, knocking out nearly 100 punches in a minute followed by 46 punches.
Then came the third incident – a high rope climb that left him with nothing but noodle arms and was unable to finish. Fortunately, he says his overall performance was enough to make up for the rope mistake.
“I was like a cheetah after running 70 or 90 miles an hour – and then there was nothing left,” he recalls, laughing. “There was about a zero percent chance I was going to get over it. If there was anything that would haunt me for the rest of my life, that was it.”
He can now laugh and stand alongside Gladiator teammates like Bull, Mayhem and Neon in the first season of the show’s reboot, but to prepare American Gladiators‘ The demand for 10-series graphics was not a joke. And as an older figure in the arena, this time around he went up against opponents nearly half his age, although you’d be hard-pressed to see a gap in his still-flawless, seemingly aged physique. Lifetime achievements, according to him, are the result of more than two decades of hard work.
“I’ve been very fit my whole life and I encourage or beg anyone to find a picture of me with or without my stomach,” she says. “It’s more than two decades of having a belly, and I’m very proud of that,” she says.
To pull off the role of Steel, Goeders says he had to shift his training from wind kicks, powerbombs and the signature “Adonis the Crab” to learning how to navigate events like the Jost, Powerball and Gauntlet. Both competitions require elite athleticism, but getting leaner, faster, and stronger have become the new goals. And as he has done at every stage of his career, Goeders stepped up at the right time.
“I just wanted to focus on it because I didn’t want to lose,” he said. “It’s such an honor to be an American Gladiator. I wanted to actually go out there and make sure that when somebody said my name and they knew they were going up against Steele, it was one of those, ‘Not this guy.'”
The Gauntlet: How Jesse Became an American Gladiator
He may be 40 now and shows no signs of slowing down. And Jesse Goders will be the first to tell you that.
“As far as I’m concerned, I can sign up as a 20-year-old,” he says. “Throw some lip on this pig and send me over there.”
His test challenge was far from the first time the one-time bodybuilding champion pushed himself to the limit — Godders has been putting in this type of maximal effort for decades. Check out some classic YouTube clips and you’ll find the former two-time TNA World Tag Team Champion – then one half of the BroMans partnered with Robbie E – with bodybuilding legend and former American Gladiator Mike O’Hearn, a.k.a. the Titan – hitting high balls for minutes. So it was fitting that O’Hearn was one of the first to congratulate him on his new role.
“He just said, ‘Welcome to the family.’ Make us proud,” Goders recalls.
The transition from Mr. PEC-Tacular to Steel Goders required him to change his tried-and-true bodybuilding routine. “I didn’t want to get away or lose the size I had because that’s what got me into the show,” she says. “I’ve always been a bodybuilder my whole life.” Chest day. Return day. Weapon. shoulders Feet. Heavy weights, high volume, one day off.
His new role required special treatment. He says the workouts are divided into A and B days—one for strength, one for speed. For the first time, Godders included special legs in his routine. Sprints, taper drills, ladder work, and sport-specific moves helped him adapt to moving on thin beams, a very different task than holding the top rope in wrestling. While he still prefers to throw when necessary, this type of training has prepared him for exciting and uphill battles. Gladiator fans are waiting.
“Mr. PEC-Tacular was more earth and mine,” he says. “For american gladiators, I definitely had to tap into my inner Jeff Hardy. When you start climbing on top of things—we’re 30 or 40 feet in the air during events like Joust—it’s just mano mano. You have 30 to 60 seconds and you have to open wide. You have to be in full body exhaustion, or as far as I’m concerned, you’re not trying hard enough. “
Eats like a steel from OVW Champ to Full-Speed steel
In addition to revamping his training program to meet the demands of American Gladiator, the producers left it up to the contestants to decide what kind of physique they bring to the arena. After all, it was their already ripped athletic bodies that paved the way for this fantastic opportunity.
While wrestling was more hectic due to travel and unpredictable schedules, becoming a Gladiator required a stricter and more structured diet plan. Goders hired a nutritionist Tyler Garço to help him develop a program that allowed him to be both ripped bodybuilding and athletically agile. “I wanted to be as full as possible. I wanted to be as big as possible on my frame and still be able to move my legs,” he says.
He kept his calories between 2,200 and 2,700 a day, with more saved for intense days. His protein was about 212 grams per day.
Unlike the wrestling match, which a some boiled eggs from the deli Could’ve passed for a protein-packed meal on the way – eating on the Gladiators set would have made it easier to stay locked up. “They treated us like kings and queens there,” she says. “They did an amazing job trying to keep everyone energized and fed. Couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
On event days, this time was of the essence. Goders added fast-digesting carbohydrates, like Vitargostay strong and powerful for those 30- to 60-second bursts before the tape. “I used to eat full portions, so I want to fill up as soon as we start,” she said.
Preserving heritage and sharing lessons
Becoming an American Gladiator has been a dream come true for a popular athlete who is reinventing his career and continuing to maintain the youthful physique that helped launch his wrestling and television career nearly 20 years ago. Like everything he’s achieved, he took it all in and came away with the honor of standing next to some of his childhood idols.
“You grow up watching this,” he says. “No one has anything bad to say about American Gladiator. Everyone, when you say those words, is like, ‘Man, I loved that show.'”
At 40, he still has the same PEC-Tacular persona that has been built since becoming both a champion and a loathsome reality show heel. But what makes this new role different is that he shares this moment with his young sons. At the end of the day, father remains the most important title on your resume.
“My 2-year-old, 3-year-old and 5-year-old just listen to music and they just say, ‘Daddy, daddy’s on TV, daddy’s on TV.'”
Sharing the message of consistency with her children is the most important reason why Jessie Goeders always tries to bring it to the top of the ropes at all ages.
“I want my son to make sure he knows he can never give up,” says Jesse. “And I want him to see that my father, as an American gladiator, never gives up.”
