Mark Alvisi, a first generation Italian American, was born
January 12, 1977 in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
The Alvisi family originally from Abruzzi, Italy moved to the United States
in 1962. They planted their roots in Coatesville, Pennsylvania where Mark
was raised. From his earliest memories, Mark was extremely athletic as a
kid; he played many sports and excelled in Martial Arts.
At 12 years old he ran across some bodybuilding magazines that made an
indelible impression on him. This is when the seed was planted and the love
of bodybuilding began. Mark would dabble with weight lifting in his home
basement even though he didn't have much in the way of real equipment. This
lasted through his teens until he graduated high school at 18 years old and
joined the Army. While in the Army he completed basic training, Advanced
Individual Training and Airborne school. It was in the Army that he had the
ability to weight train regularly since he now had access to a real gym. Not
only was he quick to develop physically, but he also developed an
unshakeable work ethic that would eventually carry over into his
bodybuilding career. He successfully completed his term of service in Fort
Bragg, North Carolina in 3rd Special Forces Group Support Command as a
Sergeant E-5. Upon completion of his term he made the move to South Florida.
Once in Florida he was exposed to the competition side of the sport for the
first time and was convinced by the head trainer of his gym, a NPC judge and
IFBB Pro, that he should compete. Mark, competitive in nature, made the
decision to compete in his first bodybuilding contest in April of 2001. That
proved to be a very wise decision as he won the Overall at his inaugural
show. After that victory, Mark Alvisi was hooked. He went on to obtain
Professional status in the NABF and Musclemania organizations before
switching to the NPC in 2003. Mark's rock like work ethic finally paid off
in July of 2009 where he won the Overall at the NPC USA Championships and
earned his IFBB Professional status.
Mark has had many incredible opportunities since 2001 when he began his
career. He has worked for various sports nutrition and publication companies
such as Gaspari Nutrition and Muscular Development since that time in either
sales or as a sponsored athlete. Mark's visibility and fan base is wide
reaching and spans the globe due to the marketing efforts of Gaspari
Nutrition.
The culmination of his growing popularity and industry contacts is leading
Mark into an exciting new direction. In October 2010, he opened his first
sports nutrition store in Delray Beach, Florida. This premiere store is
named Pro Sports Nutrition.