Vital Stats:
Age: 38
Height: 6 feet even
Weight: 218lbs
Waist: 30 inches
Arms: 19.25 inches (cold)
When and why you started bodybuilding/training ?
I started bodybuilding at 14 years old. I was 6 feet tall and exactly 125lbs. As a child I grew up reading comic books and was always inspired by the muscular physiques of the heroes that flew, flipped and leapt out at you on every page. The Batman character in particular made a very strong impression on me- since unlike the gods, aliens and those imbued with some amazing superpower, he was just a man who had developed himself both physically and intellectually to be the best that he could be. An accomplishment that allowed hm to stand shoulder to shoulder with titans. I liked that idea, especially as a nerdy kid who got picked on just about every day of the school year back then. I was very much the academic, but physically I wasn’t that much to write home about so at 9 years old I started martial arts as art of my quest to integrate some physical dimension to myself and that became a true passion. By the time I was an adolescent, I was no longer the kid that got beaten up everyday in school but a rather formidable opponent, but I still didn’t look the part nor feel the part.
I come from a long line of bodybuilders, my dad dabbled in it, my cousin was a bodybuilder and my brother was a bodybuilder. My brother had even converted our back yard into a gym, where many future Mr. Universe competitors got their start. I didn’t get it though and the grunting and sweating didn’t make much sense to me, until I saw Arnold Schwarzenegger, who to me really looked like one of the guys in the comic books. That was what I wanted to achieve and so when I was old enough to train, I joined the gym and told the instructor that I wanted to be a bodybuilder. He took one look at my 125lb lanky frame, shook his head and said that with my genetics, it would be just about impossible. I can’t tell you how much that man’s words hurt me and I still feel the echoes of defeat and despair that I felt that day, but I ignored him and I have been dong ‘the impossible’ ever since.
What motivates you everyday to stay on track with your diet & training ?
In the beginning it was the drive to do what everyone said I couldn’t do without using drugs. Competition offered me another focal point that served to help me narrow my attention on eating well at all times and training as hard as I possibly could. I had a lot to prove to myself and when I was finally able to step onstage and stand toe to toe with everyone else, the intitial drive began to fade but by then it had become much more of a lifestyle. Like taking a shower, brushing your teeth or sleeping at night, it isn’t something I really think about. It just is a very natural part of me. I eat pretty much on point at all times without wavering on my diet even though I haven’t competed in years and I always train with an intensity as if my life depended on it. My role as a personal trainer and fitness writer does keep me very much aware of the fact that I am a role model for a great many people, and in a way I am sure that that helps me walk the line as well- but at the end of the day I really don’t know how else to be at this point.
Do you maintain low bodyfat % year round or do you go through traditional bulking/cutting cycles ?
I am always 2 -4 weeks away from being contest ready, even though I have no intention of going back on stage. I don’t have cheat days and I don’t believe in bulking up, if you can’t flex it, then why have it on your body? As a natural bodybuilder, bulking up then cutting down, won’t ever be as good as the other guy who stays on point all year round building lean and quality muscle from an unwavering attention to good nutrition at all times. More importantly, I chose to be natural out of a genuine respect for my body and a desire to live a healthy lifestyle. Eating foods that shouldn’t be part of the human diet in the first place doesn’t strike me as being healthy, nor is eating more than you need. There is a sense of overindulgence that isn’t balanced at all and leans more on the side of an eating disorder as far as I am concerned, especially the traditional post contest pig out practice. In my youth I have been there and done that and not only did it not work as well as staying on course at all times, but I never liked being 250lbs. Your warrior walk should be your everyday walk and eating well year round and staying in shape is my walk.
What Kind Of Training Regime Do You Follow ?
I train anywhere from 10-25 minutes three times a week with a high intensity training program called “Naturally Intense” that I developed and have used for the past 22 years. It is the foundation of my success as a natural bodybuilder and the success of the hundreds of clients that I have trained over the past two decades. It might not sound like much, but I can say that it is impossible to imagine the intensity of this form of training. It is just about one of the hardest things that you can do and I have seen everyone from U.S. Navy SEALS to top triathletes cry (and sometimes worse) from doing it. Each bodypart is trained just once a week and I don’t do anything else- so no cardio. Ever.
What Kind Of Diet Do You Follow ?
I eat a diet with no processed foods, dairy, salt or refined sugars. I don’t drink juices or alcohol of any kind, just water as I eat in very much the way that humans have eaten for the past several thousand years, modified slightly to accommodate the fact that I am well over 200lbs at 6-7% body fat. My diet is high in protein (but not ridiculously so), with fats on the high to moderate side with carbs being at just what I need. It’s not a ‘paleo’ diet by any means, as I think the science behind what passes for a paleolithic diet in the mainstream today is flawed to say the least, but I do strive to eat only animals that eat what they would naturally eat such as fruit, vegetables and natural state grains. It isn’t very complicated,just imagine eating as you would if you were on an island devoid of all Pre-Industrial Revolution technology and you’d have my diet down to a point.
What About Supplements ?
I don’t use them and I don’t believe in them. No vitamins, no protein shakes or anything alike. The ‘science’ behind their use is sketchy at best and I see it as a mistake to believe that we need anything but our own hard work and perseverance to achieve our fitness goals. It’s a stance that has made me miss out on numerous opportunities to make money promoting products as a bodybuilder, but it is one that I stand behind because they are not what makes me who I am and both I and my clients have done just fine without them over the years.
What Are Your Hopes For The Future ?
I don’t have any plans to return to the stage having done everything in bodybuilding, from successfully competing to judging, running and now sponsoring shows. With the success of my bodybuilding DVD I felt that in a very real way that I have done all that there was to be done and it was a very fulfilling feeling. That being said, I find it immensely rewarding to help others realize their goals. As great as it may have been when I won my trophies, it pales in comparison to the feeling of watching someone who you trained and helped with every aspect of their diet, preparation and presentation claim theirs. Watching my clients transform is also a blessing that is hard to describe. Helping people realize the person who they always wanted to be, seeing someone lose over 100lbs or have a blood test come back that allows them to go off their medication for high blood pressure or diabetes is truly an experience, and it is what I have dedicated myself to do.
My training service, “Naturally Intense”, just won the 2012 Manhattan Awards for personal training and I hope to continue expanding my brand with a whole new generation of trainers. I have a crack staff here in New York and one certified trainer in Tokyo, but I plan on having trainers in Miami and Los Angeles by the end of 2013. Most importantly, I hope to continue to be able to share my years of experience with others on my blog and through my extensive social media platforms. That what I do in life can help so many all around the world is somewhat amazing, and I am blessed to be able to do it.
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