Let's talk - Natural Mr Olympia gives advice

[Natural_O]

do you have any personal bodybuilding pics that you can post, including off-season pics.

Do you mean recent pics or just pictures taken in the gym and not onstage?

[TheSheepdog]

not on stage

[TheSheepdog]

in the gym, pre-contest, off-season

[lukx]

yeah I would also like to see some natural bb offseason. We need to show some realism to people and not only ultra ripped contest shapes.

[Natural_O]

Here's a couple training pics. I'll see if I can find some posing pictures.

[Natural_O]

This was getting ready for a contest. I think this was the year after my bicep injury.

[Natural_O]

Here's a couple more.

[Natural_O]

I'm definitely off season here.

[1devil]

This was getting ready for a contest. I think this was the year after my bicep injury.

You're not a small framed guy are you. That rib cage size is kind of nuts. And I mean that in a good way.

[Natural_O]

You're not a small framed guy are you. That rib cage size is kind of nuts. And I mean that in a good way.

yes, I always had a big ribcage and wide shoulders, even when I was a kid. I wonder how much of it had to do with doing dumbbell pull-overs and wide-grip chins when I was a kid or if it's just genetic. I started training at 14 so I'm sure those two exercises had some type of impact.

[Islandtroll]

Just wanted you to know John, you are my new hero

[1devil]

yes, I always had a big ribcage and wide shoulders, even when I was a kid. I wonder how much of it had to do with doing dumbbell pull-overs and wide-grip chins when I was a kid or if it's just genetic. I started training at 14 so I'm sure those two exercises had some type of impact.

I tend to think it is genetic. Unfortunately I have the rib cage of a six year old girl. I'm not a lifetime natural, I briefly dabled a few years back, but have been natural for almost six years. It's pretty inspirational to see you still looking great as a natural at your advanced age. I can say that, because at 38 I'm also an old guy.

[LaxPro]

John,


hey i was wondering if you could help me out with an inquiery that i have..


i'm going to be leaving for Hong Kong next monday for two weeks and won't have access to a gym. Right now i'm cutting and it's going pretty well. I was almost tempted NOT to go because my progress could be haulted but i realized that would just be taking things too far and would be on the verge on lunacy.

Basically i'm asking what would be the best way to preserve muscle while still dropping some bodyfat. i'm endo/meso, and i've found i can cut on low cals and do high amounts of cardio and still preserve my muscle mass, which i guess is a plus on my side. I'm gonna bring some BCAAs with me and continue to take my Novedex XT but at a lower dosage as i won't be lifting and will also try to eat as well as I can, though i know some slipups are sure to happen. The past two weeks i've really been upping the intensity at the gym, doing a planned overtraining program I guess you could say. My thinking is that if i work my muscles really hard to the point in which they are reaching a point of overtraining, my two weeks off from the gym will actually be more beneficial, as they will have the time they need to recover. it seems to be working so far, because my lifts are actually going up, and i'm looking bigger and leaner, but this could just be from the radical change in my workout program and that i'm using the novedex. at the same time my workouts are starting to get a little harder to complete which i guess indicates i'm at the begennings of that overtrained state.

anyway i'm getting off topic, lol... but to get to my main point, if i were to do cardio while i'm away with an absence of weight lifting, is my body going to be more prone to burning muscle even with supplementation? would you reccomend i do shorter bouts throughout the day as opposed to one longer session? any other tricks i can use to keep the fat burning going while keeping muscle loss at a minimum? My uncle has a house on the beach in hong kong so i plan to do a lot of beach running.

[Natural_O]

John,


hey i was wondering if you could help me out with an inquiery that i have..


i'm going to be leaving for Hong Kong next monday for two weeks and won't have access to a gym. Right now i'm cutting and it's going pretty well. I was almost tempted NOT to go because my progress could be haulted but i realized that would just be taking things too far and would be on the verge on lunacy.

Basically i'm asking what would be the best way to preserve muscle while still dropping some bodyfat. i'm endo/meso, and i've found i can cut on low cals and do high amounts of cardio and still preserve my muscle mass, which i guess is a plus on my side. I'm gonna bring some BCAAs with me and continue to take my Novedex XT but at a lower dosage as i won't be lifting and will also try to eat as well as I can, though i know some slipups are sure to happen. The past two weeks i've really been upping the intensity at the gym, doing a planned overtraining program I guess you could say. My thinking is that if i work my muscles really hard to the point in which they are reaching a point of overtraining, my two weeks off from the gym will actually be more beneficial, as they will have the time they need to recover. it seems to be working so far, because my lifts are actually going up, and i'm looking bigger and leaner, but this could just be from the radical change in my workout program and that i'm using the novedex. at the same time my workouts are starting to get a little harder to complete which i guess indicates i'm at the begennings of that overtrained state.

anyway i'm getting off topic, lol... but to get to my main point, if i were to do cardio while i'm away with an absence of weight lifting, is my body going to be more prone to burning muscle even with supplementation? would you reccomend i do shorter bouts throughout the day as opposed to one longer session? any other tricks i can use to keep the fat burning going while keeping muscle loss at a minimum? My uncle has a house on the beach in hong kong so i plan to do a lot of beach running.

I don't think you will lose that much muscle in 2 weeks. You might feel like you are losing a lot but if you add muscle really easy, it probably won't come off that fast. I would recommend staying on the diet as much as you can, do cardio maybe 3x a week, not everyday and do some floor exercises a couple times a week (push-ups, free hand squats, etc).

[LaxPro]

I don't think you will lose that much muscle in 2 weeks. You might feel like you are losing a lot but if you add muscle really easy, it probably won't come off that fast. I would recommend staying on the diet as much as you can, do cardio maybe 3x a week, not everyday and do some floor exercises a couple times a week (push-ups, free hand squats, etc).

thank you for the hasty response

i just feel like i'm in such a good groove right now, i'm probably just being paranoid and over-exaggerating but i don't want to lose what i've worked for!!

[chenko]

I don't think Mentzer's radically different training strategy was a threat to Weider at all. In fact, they featured many articles on Mike's different training methods and he got a ton of press back in the late '70's. That's why he was so enormously popular and that's why he made so much money selling his mail-order courses. Weider and the magazine was totally behind him, not the other way around.

Platz idolized (or said he did) Arnold and Franco. Like so many of us, Arnold and Franco were the bodybuilders that we looked up to when we were growing up. Tom was a teenager when Arnold and Franco were at the top of their game so it's natural that he idolized both of them.

As for the '81 Olympia, I was at that show and it was one of the worst decisions I've ever seen in a bodybuilding contest. Franco was actually in fantastic shape - his upper body, that is. However, his legs were really bad. He didn't have any separation in his thighs at all and he also had a bad case of gyno. Tom Platz, on the other hand, was absolutely incredible! He added 15 pounds of muscle from the year before and it looked like most of it was in his upper body. He was ripped, big, full and bursting with confidence. When he hit a leg pose next to Franco, the whole place erupted! Danny Padilla was also in fantastic shape and he could have won along with Roy Callendar. Those three were definitely your top three in the contest. Franco should have been fifth and Chris Dickerson fourth.

Great to get insight from someone that was around at the time and saw it all first hand

I will be purchasing your two dvd combo pack from your website, does the shirt get thrown into that purchase as well? I am not a miser or anything but would just like that shirt!

Couple more questions, no rush on the answers. Apologies if they have been asked before.

Do you have a bodypart which has caused you particular grief over your career? One that was very stubborn to respond. And if so what was your approach to this bodypart?

Is it difficult to not think in the terms of some sense of self satisfaction or superiority or perhaps even resentment when for example as a natural you are at the gym and some kid who has been training for 2 years but juices comes in and has as good or better development and is lifting more. While you strive for tiny incremental gains others are adding 10+ pounds of muscle in a month with apparently less effort.

As BB enthusiasts we have an eye for comparing ourselves with others, and to achieve your level of development in my opinion as a natural is highly commendable, with a cocktail of drugs is a good effort but not nearly as noteworthy. I guess it comes down to recognition and how much you require externally.

[Natural_O]

Great to get insight from someone that was around at the time and saw it all first hand

I will be purchasing your two dvd combo pack from your website, does the shirt get thrown into that purchase as well? I am not a miser or anything but would just like that shirt!

Couple more questions, no rush on the answers. Apologies if they have been asked before.

Do you have a bodypart which has caused you particular grief over your career? One that was very stubborn to respond. And if so what was your approach to this bodypart?

Is it difficult to not think in the terms of some sense of self satisfaction or superiority or perhaps even resentment when for example as a natural you are at the gym and some kid who has been training for 2 years but juices comes in and has as good or better development and is lifting more. While you strive for tiny incremental gains others are adding 10+ pounds of muscle in a month with apparently less effort.

As BB enthusiasts we have an eye for comparing ourselves with others, and to achieve your level of development in my opinion as a natural is highly commendable, with a cocktail of drugs is a good effort but not nearly as noteworthy. I guess it comes down to recognition and how much you require externally.

I had quite a few bodyparts that were pretty stubborn in the beginning. My legs were pretty skinny when I was a kid and they seemed to lag behind my upper body as a teenager. My delts were also pretty weak so it took some time for that muscle group to grow. My chest was flat but it filled out after a few years of training.

If I had one stubborn bodypart, I would have to say my thighs. My outer thighs (vastus lateralis) is attached pretty narrow so I never had those huge thighs with the crazy sweeps like Jay Cutler or Tim Belknap. I had to push myself to squat really heavy (455 to 500 pounds) to build the size and I often did hack squats or leg presses with my feet close together to build the outer thighs as much as possible.

After I had some decent size, I focused on building the upper thighs as much as I could to show the detail in that area. My legs are long for my physique so I needed to fill out my legs as much as possible and get as much separation and definition in my upper thighs as I could. It was sort of like Arnold's legs. Arnold always had somewhat thin thighs but the separation and definition in his upper thighs was incredible. Anyone who thinks Arnold had weak legs should look at pictures of him from the 1973 and 1974 Olympia's. His legs look like perfection because of his attention to detail. Ken Waller said once that it looked like Arnold had skinny legs until he flexed them and then it looked like they doubled in size.

In order to get this upper thigh detail, I did leg extensions bringing my legs as far back as I could to really stretch the upper thigh and build size and detail into that area. I would also so leg extensions while laying down flat on my back (you need a flat bench to do leg extensions on to make this work). This would also really focus on the upper thigh. The best exercise for this area, however, is the sissy squat.

This is what bodybuilding is all about. We will all have at least a couple bodyparts that won't respond that easily so we have to analyze our individual physiques and figure out how to build these particular areas so our bodyparts are all in proportion with one another.

With your other question about getting pissed off about a kid who is using steroids and gets big after only 2 years of training, this never really bothered me. I was getting pretty frustrated when I was a teenager and I saw other teens using drugs to get big while I was struggling to improve my physique. As I got older, however, I realized that the drug gains are only temporary. Anyone who gets big from juicing for a couple years will also lose most or all of that muscle when they get off (and they have to get off eventually). Plus, the guys who are doing drugs are in a whole other category than myself. I never concerned myself with them because I would never compete with them and they won't be competing against me.

I know it's hard to do because we are all so competitive but, with bodybuilding, it's really best if we can just concentrate on ourselves and not on others. I used to get so worried about who I was competing against when I was younger and my brother used to always tell me not to worry about that and just concentrate on myself. It was hard to do but he was right. You can't control what someone else looks like but you CAN control what you look like.

Great questions! Keep 'em coming!!

John

[Natural_O]

Just wanted you to know John, you are my new hero

Thanks buddy!
How is life on the beautiful island of Hawaii? I was only there
once but I'll have to go back one day.

[Natural_O]

thank you for the hasty response

i just feel like i'm in such a good groove right now, i'm probably just being paranoid and over-exaggerating but i don't want to lose what i've worked for!!

One thing I would recommend is to bring some meal replacement drinks with you for your two week stay. Optimum Nutrition has a product called Lite Whey Gold Meal which is a meal replacement powder that comes in packets so it would be easy to travel with. You could bring 2-3 for each day that you are gone and it wouldn't take too much space in your suit case and you would always have a convenient source of protein between meals in case your diet gets a little messed up which is common when we are away from home.

[chenko]

Thanks for the reply again John. Definitely the most helpful pro on these boards and you give in depth considered responses.

A trivial question but curious non the less. "If i purchase the two dvd combo pack from your website for $40, does the shirt get thrown into that purchase as well?"

cheers

[Natural_O]

couple more shots from the gym - deadlifting 500, shrugs with 400 and military presses

[eharte1]

Those pics kinda scare me... Big, strong, AND smart?!? You're the best, John!

[lionelxxl]

Those pics kinda scare me... Big, strong, AND smart?!? You're the best, John!

^^^^^

you forgot 'at just 44 years young'!

[Vakas]

How about this picture?

[Cuchulainn]

How about this picture?

Wow. Strong carbup.

[Natural_O]

How about this picture?

LOL, that's the power of uzo! Beware if you go to Greece, that uzo will knock you out, literally!

[Natural_O]

Those pics kinda scare me... Big, strong, AND smart?!? You're the best, John!

Well, thank you Erin. Why don't you post a pic or two of yourself from your last figure contest so the fine folks here at BB.com can see how good you looked?

[thatsdefyo]

Could you give your biggest tip on improving your physique, more specifically gaining size?

I've been lifting for 8 years and am a very lean 6'1 195. I weighed 215 when i played football and have been around 195 for the last two years. Although i look a lot better now and filled out some lagging parts, my strength has been decreasing for the past year. I've tried various training routines and it just doesn't seem to be working for me. I still eat a ton of food its just much cleaner than when I was around 215. This is a long post and I appreciate your time. Lately i've followed a more modern bodybuilding routine lifting 4 -5 times a week. Should I try and get more rest with more food and heavier weight? I'm still recovering from a nagging elbow and chest injury the last time I tried this. Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Natural_O]

Could you give your biggest tip on improving your physique, more specifically gaining size?

I've been lifting for 8 years and am a very lean 6'1 195. I weighed 215 when i played football and have been around 195 for the last two years. Although i look a lot better now and filled out some lagging parts, my strength has been decreasing for the past year. I've tried various training routines and it just doesn't seem to be working for me. I still eat a ton of food its just much cleaner than when I was around 215. This is a long post and I appreciate your time. Lately i've followed a more modern bodybuilding routine lifting 4 -5 times a week. Should I try and get more rest with more food and heavier weight? I'm still recovering from a nagging elbow and chest injury the last time I tried this. Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Hmm, I don't understand why your strength is decreasing. Can you post your training routine and the diet that you are following now? I can give you my opinion after I see your training and diet program.

John

[Natural_O]

Well, thank you Erin. Why don't you post a pic or two of yourself from your last figure contest so the fine folks here at BB.com can see how good you looked?

Here is the lovely Erin in her figure competition in May.