Let's talk - Natural Mr Olympia gives advice

[maxcabral]

natural olympia has been on my mind alot; it would be a great way of putting a stake in the coffin of those that made fun of my size in high school

[CaliBakes]

Whats a good 3:1:1 ratio BCAA to get?

[jkl604]

Hey John I had a question regarding bodyweight exercises. Been reading that a beginner should start out with doing stuff like pullups pushups dips bodyweight squats in order to get the body used to the stress to come. With one article even stating that a beginner shouldn't bench press until he can do 100 pushups.

What are your thoughts on this?

[Natural_O]

Hey John I had a question regarding bodyweight exercises. Been reading that a beginner should start out with doing stuff like pullups pushups dips bodyweight squats in order to get the body used to the stress to come. With one article even stating that a beginner shouldn't bench press until he can do 100 pushups.

What are your thoughts on this?

Arnold said something similar in his book "Education of a Bodybuilder" because he started off doing a lot of bodyweight exercises before he began a weight training program. I think you can start off just lifting weights even if you haven't done bodyweight exercises. I think it's a good idea for beginners to do a limited routine (10-12 exercises) that work the whole body in one workout instead of starting off doing a split routine. This full body routine would include about 3 total sets for each muscle group so you can train the full body three times a week. Using a routine like the, a beginner should quickly build up both size and strength. After using this routine for 3-6 months, you can advance to a split routine.

[1983Warrior]

Hi John,

I know Arnold trained 4hours daily. Why do experts recommend only 45min daily training for naturals?

[Natural_O]

Hi John,

I know Arnold trained 4hours daily. Why do experts recommend only 45min daily training for naturals?

I think that came from some study that said your testosterone level goes down after 45 minutes of heavy training. It's not true, of course. Most of my best workouts came from training sessions that lasted about 90 minutes in the gym. The most important thing is to stimulate the muscles through your training. If you train heavy or fast or intense, it doesn't matter. As long as you are stimulating the muscles. To put a time limit on your workout and believe that you won't make any gains if you go over that 45 min mark is ridiculous. As for Arnold, he did a lot of sets when he was training for a contest. Of course, he was also using steroids so that helped him to recuperate and grow from his high volume workouts. Arnold responded very quickly to training and the moderate weight, lots of sets and reps combined with the right supplements allowed him to get huge from his training. If you are natural, the most important aspect to your training is to stimulate the muscles with the right amount of sets and resistance but not too much so you don't over train.

[1983Warrior]

I think that came from some study that said your testosterone level goes down after 45 minutes of heavy training. It's not true, of course. Most of my best workouts came from training sessions that lasted about 90 minutes in the gym. The most important thing is to stimulate the muscles through your training. If you train heavy or fast or intense, it doesn't matter. As long as you are stimulating the muscles. To put a time limit on your workout and believe that you won't make any gains if you go over that 45 min mark is ridiculous. As for Arnold, he did a lot of sets when he was training for a contest. Of course, he was also using steroids so that helped him to recuperate and grow from his high volume workouts. Arnold responded very quickly to training and the moderate weight, lots of sets and reps combined with the right supplements allowed him to get huge from his training. If you are natural, the most important aspect to your training is to stimulate the muscles with the right amount of sets and resistance but not too much so you don't over train.

Tnx for the reply!

You know late Serge Nubret said that the more you train the more TESTO.

[1983Warrior]

Hi John Hansen!

I am doing a routine which takes 90min to complete. I am thinking of having a 15minute break after 45min of training and then continue with the routine.

What do you think about this?

[Natural_O]

Hi John Hansen!

I am doing a routine which takes 90min to complete. I am thinking of having a 15minute break after 45min of training and then continue with the routine.

What do you think about this?

Why were you thinking of taking a break? Are you too tired after training 45 min? Most often, the muscle groups you are training together (like if you are training chest and triceps together or back and biceps) will benefit from training straight through. For example, when I'm finished training back, my biceps are warmed up and slightly pumped so they are ready to be trained then. If I took a break for 15 min, I would lose the pump and lose the benefits of the workout. If it is because you are tired after 45 min of training, then you really need to look at your diet because there's no way you should be that tired unless you are absolutely killing yourself and training to complete failure each set.

[1983Warrior]

Why were you thinking of taking a break? Are you too tired after training 45 min? Most often, the muscle groups you are training together (like if you are training chest and triceps together or back and biceps) will benefit from training straight through. For example, when I'm finished training back, my biceps are warmed up and slightly pumped so they are ready to be trained then. If I took a break for 15 min, I would lose the pump and lose the benefits of the workout. If it is because you are tired after 45 min of training, then you really need to look at your diet because there's no way you should be that tired unless you are absolutely killing yourself and training to complete failure each set.

Hi John Hansen,

actually I feel more energetic after 30min but I have just started out training this way so I have not much experience to tell you the truth. I was thinking of resting after 45min and ingest some fast carbs and drink water. I do something like 30/40 sets per muscle group with 30 sec rest. It is very similar to how late Serge Nubret trained but he trained way more then I do.

[Natural_O]

Hi John Hansen,

actually I feel more energetic after 30min but I have just started out training this way so I have not much experience to tell you the truth. I was thinking of resting after 45min and ingest some fast carbs and drink water. I do something like 30/40 sets per muscle group with 30 sec rest. It is very similar to how late Serge Nubret trained but he trained way more then I do.

OK, now I see. In my opinion, that's way too many sets for each muscle group. It worked for Serge Nubret, obviously, but I don't think it will work that great if you are natural. I only do about 10-15 sets per bodypart but I make the sets heavy and intense. That's a much better way to train, IMO, because you are stimulating the muscles without draining all your energy systems. If your goals are different, then that way of training may work for you but I wouldn't recommend it for building more size and power.

[1983Warrior]

OK, now I see. In my opinion, that's way too many sets for each muscle group. It worked for Serge Nubret, obviously, but I don't think it will work that great if you are natural. I only do about 10-15 sets per bodypart but I make the sets heavy and intense. That's a much better way to train, IMO, because you are stimulating the muscles without draining all your energy systems. If your goals are different, then that way of training may work for you but I wouldn't recommend it for building more size and power.

Tnx John Hansen! I have read that high intense workouts stimulate testosterone.

[soccerdad5]

John, when you were competing, did you keep track of your macros and calories every day? What are some of the things bodybuilders are doing today (refeeds, carb back loading etc) that they were not doing back when you were competing? What do you think will come back that hasn't been on the radar in the bb world in a long time?

[Natural_O]

John, when you were competing, did you keep track of your macros and calories every day? What are some of the things bodybuilders are doing today (refeeds, carb back loading etc) that they were not doing back when you were competing? What do you think will come back that hasn't been on the radar in the bb world in a long time?

Good questions! Yes, I kept track of everything when I was competing back in the day and I still do. I was weighing my food and writing down the calories and macros every day in a notebook, both off season and pre-contest. It seems like it helps me to stay on track more. I tell my personal training and online clients to do this too but many of them don't. I like the idea of writing it all down, every day, to keep me focused. The refeeds and carb back loading didn't exist back in the '80's and '90's. The carb cycling seems to work well for some people and I've tried that myself in the past. Today, I just find a level of calories that is right for my body to slowly lose weight. I want to lose it slow so I can maintain as much muscle size and strength as possible while I am losing the fat. I shoot for losing 1/4" off my waist each week when I am dieting. I like the idea of "reverse dieting" or slowly increasing your calories after a contest. I think this work well particularly for women who sometimes blow up in weight after a contest is over. It also works good for natural bodybuilders because by slowly adding back calories and carbs, you will fill out and still look really hard, maybe even better than you did for your contest, depending on how well the contest prep went. Your last question is interesting. I, personally, would hope that better posing routines start coming back around. I enjoy watching a competitor that really took the time to prepare a good posing routine to music, working hard on the transitions and timing the poses to the music. That's how bodybuilding was back in the '70's and '80's and it would be great to see that come back around. Your profile picture looks great! Keep up the good work.

[soccerdad5]

John thank you for the answers and feedback. 2 other questions if you don't mind. I am 3 weeks out for a contest and everything seems to be lining up good. I do 1 refeed every weeks (1 g of protein then about 75% more carbs -- really take in maintenance calories again --increase of 500 calories and mostly carbs. It seems to work for me very well but wondering when you know if I should increase it to 2 refeeds a week.

2nd question, I have a contest where I will competing on Friday and the finals is on Friday. I don't do any of that crazy water manipulation stuff just increase my carb intake Wed, Thursday and Friday. I know everyone is different but how should I prepare differently for peak week if I have to compete on Friday and Saturday. Thanks.

By the way here is me 4 weeks out (remember I compete in physique so don't have to get in the crazy 3-4% bf range just around 5-6%:


back shot

[Natural_O]

John thank you for the answers and feedback. 2 other questions if you don't mind. I am 3 weeks out for a contest and everything seems to be lining up good. I do 1 refeed every weeks (1 g of protein then about 75% more carbs -- really take in maintenance calories again --increase of 500 calories and mostly carbs. It seems to work for me very well but wondering when you know if I should increase it to 2 refeeds a week.

2nd question, I have a contest where I will competing on Friday and the finals is on Friday. I don't do any of that crazy water manipulation stuff just increase my carb intake Wed, Thursday and Friday. I know everyone is different but how should I prepare differently for peak week if I have to compete on Friday and Saturday. Thanks.

By the way here is me 4 weeks out (remember I compete in physique so don't have to get in the crazy 3-4% bf range just around 5-6%:


back shot

I think it depends on where you want to go from here until the contest. If you feel like you still need to get leaner and the diet you are following (with the one refeed a week) is doing that, then I would keep on doing that. However, if you feel like your metabolism has really increased right now, you might want to consider just increasing your carbs overall instead of doing a refeed or two per week. That's what I did when I dieted in 2011 for my Ironman cover. I started at a certain level of carbs to get leaner and, as I got leaner, I found that I could increase my carbs (keeping my fats and protein the same) and still kept getting leaner while staying fuller. If you are fuller (if your bodyfat is really low), you will look even harder than if you are a little flat. You might want to try that, increase your carbs (and not do the refeeds each week) and see if that makes your metabolism faster and makes you even leaner.

[soccerdad5]

Great advice. Thanks.

I think it depends on where you want to go from here until the contest. If you feel like you still need to get leaner and the diet you are following (with the one refeed a week) is doing that, then I would keep on doing that. However, if you feel like your metabolism has really increased right now, you might want to consider just increasing your carbs overall instead of doing a refeed or two per week. That's what I did when I dieted in 2011 for my Ironman cover. I started at a certain level of carbs to get leaner and, as I got leaner, I found that I could increase my carbs (keeping my fats and protein the same) and still kept getting leaner while staying fuller. If you are fuller (if your bodyfat is really low), you will look even harder than if you are a little flat. You might want to try that, increase your carbs (and not do the refeeds each week) and see if that makes your metabolism faster and makes you even leaner.

[Natural_O]

Great advice. Thanks.

You're welcome, good luck!

[Mr.Marvel]

Hey John, I'm curious as to what you think about this program by Reg Park. It's a 9 month program geared towards and strength and size to a skinny beginner. From his book Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters and Body Builders (1960). Wondering what you think? If you've ever tried it or something similar growing up?

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...ks_5x5_program

Phase 1 3 months
45-degree back extension 3x10
Back squat 5x5
Bench press 5x5
Deadlift 5x5

Rest 3-5 minutes between the last 3 sets of each exercise

Phase 2 3months
45-degree back extension 3-4x10
Front squat 5x5
Back squat 5x5
Bench press 5x5
Standing barbell shoulder press 5x5
High pull 5x5
Deadlift 5x5
Standing barbell calf raise 5x25

Rest 2 minutes between sets.

Phase 3 3 months
45-degree back extension 4x10
Front squat 5x5
Back squat 5x5
Standing barbell shoulder press 5x5
Bench press 5x5
Bent-over barbell row 5x5
Deadlift 5x3
Behind-the-neck press or one-arm dumbbell press 5x5
Barbell curl 5x5
Lying triceps extension 5x8
Standing barbell calf raise 5x25

Rest 2 minutes between sets.

The article is from T-nation but I'm ordering the book just for the nostalgia and who wouldn't want a book by Reg Park in the library?

[Natural_O]

Check out my new blog on Google - http://naturalolympiajohnhansenblog.blogspot.com/

[nmowery82]

Hey John,

After reading through the massive entirety of this thread and picking up a ton of useful info and motivation, I was wondering if you could maybe help me out a little with coming up with a diet plan. I'm 31, and after pissing away my 20s with other endeavors, I decided to finally get serious about lifting and getting shape. I've always enjoyed hitting the iron since training for high school football, but I was very sporadic and inconsistent, and about 18 months ago joined a gym and started really getting after it. My issue now is that I've gained a decent amount of muscle, but have put on a bit of fat on top of the excessive fat I've always carried. By no means am I obese, but I'm 232 lbs at 6' with 20+% BF. I'd like to get that down to half that by years end, but don't want to sacrifice the muscle that I've put so much time and effort into putting on.

I'm really just confused as to what I should be aiming for with my macros...I just did a body type test and am mostly meso with a little endo in there, and I work a job where I'm on my feet all day long, often 10-12 hrs and sometimes more. It seems that with all the walking I do losing weight should be easy on top of lifting 4 days a week, but it's just not happening. I tried cutting way back on carbs for a week, but found myself completely exhausted and gave that up quick.

As it is, I do a pretty crap job of tracking my diet...I count my protein intake, and usually get in 200-225 grams a day, but that's about it. I try to eat pretty clean, with my protein coming from whey, fish, turkey/chicken, greek yogurt/cottage cheese...beans, oats, quinoa, barley, whole wheat bread/pasta and fruit for carbs, along with raw almonds, flaxseed and fish oil daily for fats. I will admit that I have a couple cheat meals a week though, and am a total whore for ice cream.

For my training, I've been doing a push/pull routine very similar to what you said you did when you were younger. Its something I devised a few months back on my own to suit my own body and schedule, only to see that you followed the same split years ago...chest/tris/shoulders/calves, legs/abs/back/bis, a rest day(or 2 if I'm still sore), then repeat, but with a different set of lifts for each day.

Normally I wouldn't bother typing all this out, but I've seen how patient and gracious you've been for years now with others, and was hoping that your decades of knowledge could help me solve how to burn fat without giving up muscle mass, while still having the energy to be on my feet for 50 hours a week!

[Natural_O]

Hey John,

After reading through the massive entirety of this thread and picking up a ton of useful info and motivation, I was wondering if you could maybe help me out a little with coming up with a diet plan. I'm 31, and after pissing away my 20s with other endeavors, I decided to finally get serious about lifting and getting shape. I've always enjoyed hitting the iron since training for high school football, but I was very sporadic and inconsistent, and about 18 months ago joined a gym and started really getting after it. My issue now is that I've gained a decent amount of muscle, but have put on a bit of fat on top of the excessive fat I've always carried. By no means am I obese, but I'm 232 lbs at 6' with 20+% BF. I'd like to get that down to half that by years end, but don't want to sacrifice the muscle that I've put so much time and effort into putting on.

I'm really just confused as to what I should be aiming for with my macros...I just did a body type test and am mostly meso with a little endo in there, and I work a job where I'm on my feet all day long, often 10-12 hrs and sometimes more. It seems that with all the walking I do losing weight should be easy on top of lifting 4 days a week, but it's just not happening. I tried cutting way back on carbs for a week, but found myself completely exhausted and gave that up quick.

As it is, I do a pretty crap job of tracking my diet...I count my protein intake, and usually get in 200-225 grams a day, but that's about it. I try to eat pretty clean, with my protein coming from whey, fish, turkey/chicken, greek yogurt/cottage cheese...beans, oats, quinoa, barley, whole wheat bread/pasta and fruit for carbs, along with raw almonds, flaxseed and fish oil daily for fats. I will admit that I have a couple cheat meals a week though, and am a total whore for ice cream.

For my training, I've been doing a push/pull routine very similar to what you said you did when you were younger. Its something I devised a few months back on my own to suit my own body and schedule, only to see that you followed the same split years ago...chest/tris/shoulders/calves, legs/abs/back/bis, a rest day(or 2 if I'm still sore), then repeat, but with a different set of lifts for each day.

Normally I wouldn't bother typing all this out, but I've seen how patient and gracious you've been for years now with others, and was hoping that your decades of knowledge could help me solve how to burn fat without giving up muscle mass, while still having the energy to be on my feet for 50 hours a week!

Thanks for the nice words. As for your diet, seeing how you are in your early 30's and are pretty active at your job, I definitely wouldn't recommend eating a diet that is really low in carbs. What worked really well for me a couple years ago when I dieted for the Ironman Magazine cover, was keeping my fats lower (about 40-50 grams) and my protein moderate (225-235 grams). I kept those macros the same throughout my diet and manipulated the carbs. I started out with only 180 grams of carbs and that worked well to get me started on losing the fat. After a few weeks of that, I was able to raise my carbs to 200 grams. Eventually, I got up to about 250 grams of carbs and I was still losing fat. I was training four days a week and doing cardio 4x a week. 2 days a week were high intensity, interval cardio and the other two days was steady state cardio after my weight training workouts. You have to keep an eye on overall calories as well as the macros. If you follow a diet like that consistently (no more ice cream! I think you will make good progress. I also recommend writing down your diet every day in a notebook. Record the quantity of food you eat, the calories, protein, carbs and fats. This will discipline you to following the diet every day and not cheating. Good luck!

[nmowery82]

Thanks for the reply and advice. I started counting everything I eat today, and ended up with 2790 calories, split as 269/237/102. Honestly I didn't think either my protein or fat count would be that high, but I feel like the total caloric count is acceptable for a day that started with 90 minutes of hard lifting, followed by 10 hours of walking and climbing ladders. I think I'll spend the next few days just getting a better grip on what my macros have been, then adjust to what I need.

Looks like cutting some fats would be wise, and do you think it would be a good call to predetermine a day as high/med/lo carb? I'm thinking days like today, where I'm pairing lifting and long hours would go high (250g) carb, days like this coming Friday, where I'll work 6 hours and do some cardio can be moderate(200g) carb, and days like Saturday, where I'll have no work or gym, will be low carb(<150g), with the majority coming in the morning/early afternoon.

And thanks again in advance for not only helping me, but all the others you've given your time to as well...I know many people who assume(and sometimes rightly so) that people who carry a muscular physique are a bunch of roided out, hotheaded douches, and its great to see people like yourself who not only break the mold in doing things the right way for themselves, but also in the mature, calm, and professional manner that you portray the bodybuilding and fitness community.

PS - on a side note, I remember reading about some of the issues that plague natural contests in regards to random testing, and was wondering if anyone had considered a scenario in which all participants give samples, and then the top 3 finishers are subject to a mandatory test. If any of them fail, the next guy up gets his sample checked, on down the line until the top 3(or 5 or however many) clean guys are left. While you'll still have goons who think they can outsmart the test, I think this would weed out the guys who gamble on not being randomly picked. With the knowledge that a top placing will guarantee a test, the incentive to cheat is essentially removed.

[Natural_O]

Thanks for the reply and advice. I started counting everything I eat today, and ended up with 2790 calories, split as 269/237/102. Honestly I didn't think either my protein or fat count would be that high, but I feel like the total caloric count is acceptable for a day that started with 90 minutes of hard lifting, followed by 10 hours of walking and climbing ladders. I think I'll spend the next few days just getting a better grip on what my macros have been, then adjust to what I need.

Looks like cutting some fats would be wise, and do you think it would be a good call to predetermine a day as high/med/lo carb? I'm thinking days like today, where I'm pairing lifting and long hours would go high (250g) carb, days like this coming Friday, where I'll work 6 hours and do some cardio can be moderate(200g) carb, and days like Saturday, where I'll have no work or gym, will be low carb(<150g), with the majority coming in the morning/early afternoon.

And thanks again in advance for not only helping me, but all the others you've given your time to as well...I know many people who assume(and sometimes rightly so) that people who carry a muscular physique are a bunch of roided out, hotheaded douches, and its great to see people like yourself who not only break the mold in doing things the right way for themselves, but also in the mature, calm, and professional manner that you portray the bodybuilding and fitness community.

PS - on a side note, I remember reading about some of the issues that plague natural contests in regards to random testing, and was wondering if anyone had considered a scenario in which all participants give samples, and then the top 3 finishers are subject to a mandatory test. If any of them fail, the next guy up gets his sample checked, on down the line until the top 3(or 5 or however many) clean guys are left. While you'll still have goons who think they can outsmart the test, I think this would weed out the guys who gamble on not being randomly picked. With the knowledge that a top placing will guarantee a test, the incentive to cheat is essentially removed.

I think you should begin by cutting your fats in half, from 100 to only 50. That would cut your calories by 450, down from 2790 to 2340. Keep your protein and carbs the same and eat 50 grams of fats. That way, you won't have to mess with high, medium and low carb days. Try that calorie intake for a week or two and see how much weight you lose and also how much your waist goes down. That will give you a good idea of what works for your body with your activity level.

That does sound like a good idea for the drug testing. By taking samples from everyone, you could test who you want to test when the contest is over. Unfortunately, if someone wins the contest and then fails the test, you have the problem of getting the trophy back and rewarding the second place person the first place trophy.

[gymmboxx]

Thanks for asking that question and I would love to explain my answer to clear everything up.

The short answer is, yes, I did use steroids about 20 years ago when I was in my early twenties but I used them only in preparation for the competitions I was entering so that was for 12 weeks once a year. I DID NOT use them to build my physique, only to hold onto muscle and keep my strength up when I was dieting.

My original goal when I started training at 14 years old was to win the Mr. Universe and be in the magazines like the guys I read about in Muscle Builder Magazine. I didn't know anything about steroids until I read an interview with Arnold in a 1978 issue of Muscle Builder magazine. In that issue, Arnold admitted that he used steroids in preparation for a contest and that all of the top bodybuilders competing in the Mr. America, Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia used them. However, Arnold said that the drugs were only being used as a "finishing touch" and that they only accounted for a 5-10% improvement in the physique but, without that 5-10% extra improvement, you would risk losing the contest.

Arnold also advised young bodybuilders to not use the drugs to build their physiques because, if they did, they would have a drug physique, a body built with the use of steroids. He said young guys (like myself) would be much better off building their bodies through hard training and good nutrition. This would create a body built through hard work and not on drugs (a temporary condition). Since Arnold was my idol, I took his words to heart and made the decision to build my body through hard training and good nutrition.

I started competing in the teenage bodybuilding competitions at 16 years old and it didn't take long for me to realize that many of the competitors I was up against were not natural. At first, I could not believe this because Arnold said that only the top national level competitors were using steroids but here I could see that even the teenage bodybuilders were taking them.

You have to understand that the situation in the 1970's and 1980's was much different than it is today. First of all, steroids were not a federal offense, only a misdemeanor IF you got caught taking them without a doctor's prescription. Most of the general public and the media was not aware of steroids and it was never talked about in the sports pages or on television like it is today. There was a doctor only a few blocks from the gym I trained at who would readily prescribe steroids to anyone who wanted them, whether for a competition or just to get bigger.

My training partner at the time was about 5-6 years older than me and he told me he could get some steroids for me to take so I would definitely win my next teenage competition. I have to admit that it was very tempting because I was getting tired of getting beat by bodybuilders who had an unfair advantage. Even at that age, bodybuilding was my life and it was extremely hard to go into a contest and lose. I finally decided that I wanted to win Mr. America a lot more than I wanted to be Teenage Mr. America. I was going to do as Arnold said and just wait to build my physique naturally, no matter how long it took. I continued to compete naturally in all of the teenage shows I did and usually got my butt kicked. When I competed in the 1982 Teenage Mr. America, I really felt out of place. Although I took 5th place, it was a distant fifth because those guys who placed ahead of me looked unbelievable. David Hawk won my class and I swear he looked as good that night as he did when he won the NPC USA three years later and got his pro card.

When I reached my 20th birthday, I decided to take a year off of competition in order to bulk up and get as big as possible. I was 205 pounds about six months after my last teenage show and I got up to 230 pounds at 21 years old. Since I started off at 135 pounds when I began training at 14 years old, that was almost 100 pounds heavier in 7 years.

When I began competing in the open division competitions like the NPC Illinois State Championships and NPC Mid-America, I started using the drugs 12 weeks before the contest to hold onto my muscle mass and keep my strength up and get that finished look that Arnold talked about. My competition weight from 1985-1990 for these contests was between 201-208 pounds. I actually lost weight when using the drugs because I was dieting and trying to get ripped. After the show was over, I would get off the drugs and stay off them until the next year when I competed again. In the off season, my natural bodyweight would go back up to 220-230 pounds.

Although I won some state and regional contests, I never did well at the national level shows. I entered the NPC Jr. Nationals twice, in 1986 and 1989, and I never made the top 10 in either show. It didn't help that I was competing as a heavyweight only weighing about 205 pounds. However, I thought I could emulate other pro bodybuilders like Rich Gaspari and Mike Quinn, both of whom were my height and they weighed less than 210 pounds for competitions. At the 1988 Olympia, where they did an official weigh-in for all the competitors, Rich weighed 208 pounds and Mike weighed 204 pounds. Since I was right there, I thought I had a shot.

However, by the late '80's and early '90's, the competitors were getting much bigger. It didn't seem possible to make it to the top at the national or pro level by only doing the drugs for 12 weeks prior to a contest. I did not want to start taking the drugs all year long or start using the drugs to build my physique. Although it was my life-long dream, I decided to stop competing and give up my goal of becoming a pro bodybuilder.

Around this time, the natural competitions were starting to get popular. Since I had built my physique without using the drugs, I thought I could make the transition very easily and start competing naturally. My first natural show, the 1991 NPC Natural Illinois, required their competitors to be drug free for 12 months. I competed at 195 pounds which was about 5-7 pounds lighter than when I was using the drugs. However, one of the reasons I competed lighter was because I didn't give myself enough time to diet and I had to add a lot more cardio and cut my calories in order to get ripped in time for the contest. As a result, I was cut but too flat for my first natural contest. I learned that I would have to diet much longer to compete naturally.

The next year, I dieted for 16 weeks and competed at 198 pounds when I won the Natural Mr. Universe and I looked much, much better. I was 204 pounds when I competed in the 1995 Natural Universe and 208 pounds when I won the Natural Mr. Universe in 1996. Today, at 44 years old, I am about 215 pounds in lean condition and I get down to about 205 pounds for photo shoots and guest posing.

My point is that I developed my body through lots of hard and heavy training and good nutrition. The steroids were only used in small amounts and for short periods and only to create the finished look to compete. If I had used the drugs to build my size, I wouldn't have had that size when I went off the drugs.

For example, there was a bodybuilder in the '80's who had great potential and was placing high in the national level events. He placed 3rd in the heavyweight class at the 1986 Jr. Nationals weighing about 215 pounds. Several years later, he decided to compete naturally. I saw him in a magazine around 1992 and he was weighing 185 pounds. Although he looked really good at this lighter weight, it was still 30 pounds less than when he used the drugs. My point is, if you use the drugs to build your size, you will lose the size when you stop taking the drugs. You don't get to keep the size or keep some of the size as so many young bodybuilders mistakenly believe.
Like Arnold said back in 1978, the drugs are only temporary and their benefits go away after you stop taking them.

I have always been honest about the drugs that I took in the past because I have nothing to hide and I don't think they created my physique. Of course, I could have just never said anything or lied about it but that's not me. I have seen bodybuilding forums where I was called a liar and a fraud but I have always been upfront and honest about this. I think many of the people who say this don't know that I built up my size naturally or that I only used the drugs for the last 12 weeks before a contest when I was dieting. Like I said before, if I used the drugs to build my physique, I would not have the physique I have today (20 years later).

Sorry for the extremely long response but I wanted to fully explain this so you get the truth from the horse's mouth.

Dear john, as of today 9th may 2014. I'm still believing in you & striving my very best to be what you are today. I would wish to look like how you are now even in your 40's. Never give up. Thank you for the knowledge & tips. It was never easy sharing a story to begin with.

[Natural_O]

Dear john, as of today 9th may 2014. I'm still believing in you & striving my very best to be what you are today. I would wish to look like how you are now even in your 40's. Never give up. Thank you for the knowledge & tips. It was never easy sharing a story to begin with.

Thank you. I'm actually in my 50's now. I just turned 51 this year. I'm dieting now again to get into my best shape. Here is what I looked like at 49 when I won the Natural Mr. Universe the last time in 2012.

[IronKing604]

Hey John,

I had a question regarding fullbody or split. How do you know when to utilize a fullbody routine over a split? (vice versa)

I use to lift years ago, in fact utilize the stuff in your book, but many excuses later I'm 215 and 20% bf. I read your column in Ironman, where you advised an individual who had been using a fullbody routine to go to a split. Is that the gradual progression? Fullbody first than split?

[Natural_O]

Hey John,

I had a question regarding fullbody or split. How do you know when to utilize a fullbody routine over a split? (vice versa)

I use to lift years ago, in fact utilize the stuff in your book, but many excuses later I'm 215 and 20% bf. I read your column in Ironman, where you advised an individual who had been using a fullbody routine to go to a split. Is that the gradual progression? Fullbody first than split?

Yes, that's usually how it goes unless you are looking to follow an abbreviated routine doing a limited amount of exercises and sets per bodypart. When you start adding more exercises to work each muscle group, it is necessary to follow a split routine. If you try doing a full body workout with more than one exercise per muscle group, the workout will become too long and it will be too difficult to get through.

I advise beginners to use a full body routine in order to slowly build up strength and size. Doing only one exercise per bodypart and doing a total of 3-5 sets per muscle group, you can train more often (2-3x a week) and increase size and strength. After you've built up a good foundation, you can start adding more exercises to each muscle group to increase more size. This is when you should begin a split routine.

[muscleshakes]

Is there really a contest called "Natural Mr. Olympia" ?

Is pro bodybuilding still around I mean I had a talk with Frank Zane & the Chemist is disgusted at the gross ROID guts the weeble wobble guys look uncomfortable in their skin it's not good. 99.9% of people who love to lift weights have no clue who are considered the top bodybuilders. Srs

[Natural_O]

Is pro bodybuilding still around I mean I had a talk with Frank Zane & the Chemist is disgusted at the gross ROID guts the weeble wobble guys look uncomfortable in their skin it's not good. 99.9% of people who love to lift weights have no clue who are considered the top bodybuilders. Srs

You are asking if pro bodybuilding is still around? Yes, of course it is. It's actually bigger than ever although the general public knows little to nothing of pro bodybuilding or any type of bodybuilding today.