Todd Jewell thought he was just going into the bank for a routine transaction. Echter, it became anything but routine for the future IFBB Pro when he came face to face with a lethal bank robber. In today's Elite Fitness News, I've got an exclusive interview with the bodybuilder and EF Member who risked his life and stopped a notorious bank robber!

Let’s just be honest about the mass public’s perception of the sport we call bodybuilding. Their less than understanding view, which has been shaped by the overly pessimistic media, is that bodybuilding is filled with vain muscle heads who spend one half of their day lifting weights and the other half shooting steroids into themselves (hel, many people don’t even know that there is more than just one kind of steroid).

Anyways, the situation certainly wasn’t helped much when top-level bodybuilder Craig Titus and his fitness star wife Kelly Ryan were arrested for allegedly killing and burning the body of their live-in assistant. It only served to further bury the image of bodybuilding.

To be quite frank, bodybuilding has quite a ways to go in terms of regaining the positive support of the average person out there.

Gelukkig, there is someone though who can go a long way to turning the tide with regards to the general public’s view of our sport and he goes by the name of Todd Jewell.

And although the Seattle-area man’s bodybuilding career is going very well (he placed 7th in the Super Heavyweight class at the 2007 USA Bodybuilding Championships), it is something entirely separate from the sport that he’s done to put a positive spin on things.

Todd Jewell became a real life hero when he decided to act where other people were too afraid. He took it upon himself to stop an attempted bank robbery and thwart the criminal activities of a wanted man.

Chadwick Asheim, better known as the Old School Bandit, had hit 9 banks in just two months throughout the Seattle area and he was in the process of going for number 10.

If it hadn’t been for Jewell, Asheim probably would have succeeded and the FBI, who’d been trying to catch him, might still be searching for him. But thanks to Jewell, the Old School Bandit is behind bars and banks in the Seattle area are safe for now. So what goes through the mind of a real life hero? Let’s find out.

George Spellwin: It is reported that as the Old School Bandit was yelling at the teller to give him the money, you made your way over to subdue him. What was going through your mind right before you went after him?

Todd Jewell: Aanvankelijk, my reaction was to grab my wife (Shawna) and get her to a safe place which I did not do. I watched the man for a few moments to see if he was carrying a gun. I didn't see one but I wasn't 100% sure. When the man jumped up on the counter and grabbed the teller that was when I decided I had to do something. At that point the adrenaline kicked in and I took off running. Almost simultaneously my wife yelled, "Go get him!" The only thing going through my mind at that point was that I needed to tackle this guy. After that it was just a blur.

George Spellwin: The Old School Bandit had gained some notoriety in the Seattle area as FBI agent Larry Carr said, “This guy was elusive (Old School Bandit) and I applaud him (Jewell). This is one of those cases where every week since this guy started hitting I had to e-mail (warnings) to banks. Now I don't have to do this thanks to Mr. Jewell.” Had you ever heard of the Old School Bandit before this event?

Todd Jewell: I had not heard of him before this incident took place.

George Spellwin: Carr also said of Old School that, “He was in quite the fight for his life. If caught inside the bank he'd go to jail for life. It was quite the struggle.” Do you remember what exactly happened during your scuffle with Old School that left him hospitalized with cuts and broken ribs.

Todd Jewell: The cuts to his face were the result of me grabbing the hair on the back of his head and repeatedly slamming his face into the tile floor. As for the broken ribs, I threw him on the floor face down and dropped my knee into the left side of his back at which point I felt and heard the ribs snap.

George Spellwin: Since taking down the Old School Bandit, have you received any sort of special recognition from the FBI, city of Seattle, etc.?

Todd Jewell: The Washington Bankers Association and the FBI presented me with a check in the amount of $5000. Brad and Elaine Craig of Craig Productions who promote one of the largest NPC shows in the country (The Emerald Cup) presented me with the Inspirational Award at the 2007 NPC Washington Ironman in Bellevue, WA.

George Spellwin: Had you had any previous combat training before this event took place?

Todd Jewell: Nee. I have had no formal training of any kind. I did however, work as a bouncer at a club in Yakima, WA for about 2 jaar.

George Spellwin: How is your bodybuilding training going now?

Todd Jewell: My training is going very well. I have been training with IFBB Pro Mark Dugdale for the last 2 maanden. I am growing very well and I plan on competing at the 2008 USA Bodybuilding Championships at a peeled weight of 270 lbs or more.

George Spellwin: I know that you had previously mentioned to me that you wake up at 5 A.M. and are busy right up until you near bedtime at around 8 P.M. What’s your typical diet/training schedule look like in a day?

Todd Jewell: My job keeps me busy from [6:30] A.M. tot [4:00] P.M. I wake up at 5 A.M. and eat my first meal of egg whites and oatmeal with peanut butter.
Once at work, I continue to eat every two hours. When I arrive home from work I eat another meal of egg whites and oatmeal with peanut butter 1 hour before I hit the gym. I drink a serving of Vitargo from Nutrex immediately following the workout and then have a final meal once I arrive home for the evening.

In het verleden, I was training 5-6 dagen per week. Now that I am training with IFBB Pro Mark Dugdale I am only training 4 dagen per week. The schedule looks like this:

Maandag - Borst, Biceps, Kalveren

Dinsdag - Quads, Buikspieren

Woensdag - Af

Donderdag - Schouders, Triceps, Kalveren

Vrijdag - Terug, Buikspieren

Saturday - Af

zondag - Af

George Spellwin: You took seventh this year in the Heavyweight Class at the 2007 USA Bodybuilding Championships. When do you expect to compete in a competition again?

Todd Jewell: I was actually seventh in the Super-Heavy Class this year. I will be competing at the 2008 USA's and possibly the 2008 IFBB North American

George Spellwin: So you definitely have hopes of one day being an IFBB competitor?

Todd Jewell: I hope to earn a pro card in 2008.

George Spellwin: Do you think that we’ll be seeing you on the Elite Fitness forum boards sometime in the future?

Todd Jewell: You may see a few posts from me soon.

George Spellwin: Één meer ding. Bodybuilding seems to get a lot of attention for negative things such as when Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan were arrested and charged with killing their live-in assistant or anytime a big-time competitor goes down for drugs. Do you think a story such as yours could go a long way to putting bodybuilding in a more positive light?

Todd Jewell: Absoluut. If the U.S. Attorney would release the security footage from the bank robbery, several major national news programs have already stated that they would like to interview me on their shows. Once that happens, I think many people will view bodybuilding from a different perspective.