PHOTO BY RICK DREW PHOTOGRAPHY

Date of birth (or current age):  45 

Home town:  Rockford, Illinois, originally from Chicago 

Height:  5'9"     

Contest Body Weight:  174 LBS 

Off Season Body Weight:  195- 200 LBS 

Name of training facility
Inferno Gym in Loves Park, Illinois (near Rockford) I have been training there for 9 years.

Tell us briefly about yourself. Any general information you want to provide about who you are, what you do, family life, special interests etc.    

I was born and raised in Chicago. I attended Marshall High School where I played football. After High School, I enrolled in school in Rockford at Rock Valley College, where I played football as a middle linebacker for 2 more years.  Today, I still live in Rockford and work in the shipping and receiving department where I drive a forklift for Southern Imperial, a company that specializes in retail displays.  I'm married and we have two teenage daughters who live at home with us.  I also attend church at The House of Refuge since moving to Rockford.

PHOTO BY RICK DREW PHOTOGRAPHY

How many years have you been training? 

I worked out at Rock Valley where I went to school and played football and have continued to work out since then.  

Why did you get into bodybuilding? 

I started getting serious about bodybuilding about 4 years ago. The gym I went to was sponsoring one of Kevin Nobel's shows.  The owner, Jay Johnson and his son came into the gym and I happened to be there working out. They had been to the morning show and were planning to go back for the evening show.  They saw me at the gym, and started telling me about the show they had just been to and they said that if I had competed in this show, I would have placed.  They had some pictures from the morning show and they showed me the competition and I figured that I probably could be up there competing too.  I told Jay right then that I'd do the next Illinois show. I always worked out and that was my hobby but bodybuilding gave me some new goals to aim for.

When I found out the next show was 6 months away, I started talking to a couple of guys from my gym who had already competed and were planning to be in that same show.  I asked them for some pointers about what to do to get ready and they offered to help me out with my posing and diet.  I was already eating a clean diet and they helped me to figure out how to tweak it some to get ready for competition.  Over the next few months leading up to the show, they worked with me on my posing and made sure that I had all the mandatory's down correctly.  

  

How many competitions have you done? 

I have done about 7 competitions so far, including the Iron Man in December of 2007.     

• Natural Mid-State Classic Bodybuilding and Figure 2004 - Mr. Rockford Master 1st&Overall Open Master 3rd 
• Grand Prix Natural Figure & Novice 2005 - Men's open Masters 1st and Overall
• Illinois State Fitness and Figure/Wheelchair 2005 - Men's Open Masters, 2nd Place
• Natural Mid-State Classic Figure & Novice 2006 - Men's Open Masters, 2nd Place
• Grand Prix Natural Figure & Novice 2007 - Men's Open Masters, 2nd
• Illinois State Fitness and Figure/Wheelchair 2007 - Men's Open Masters, 5th
• Natural Mid-State Classic Figure & Novice 2007 - Men's Masters, 1st Place and Overall and 3rd in Open 176 Weight Class (Middle Weight)
• Midwest Ironman Figure & Fitness, 2007 - Men's Open Masters, 1st Place and Overall

 What is your main motivation to compete?

After I did my first show, I got a rush.  The show went fast and I was nervous, but when you go to the show, you see all the other people you are competing against and they look great it motivates you. You see the competitors have all trained hard and they look good and it motivates you to want to do the best you can.  But I really enjoy competition.  Even up to the day of the show it's exciting to me and I really enjoy it.  It also helps that my family comes to the shows to support me.  It makes me proud to have my family there and I don't want to disappoint them.  I want to do my best when I compete every time.

Who did you work with throughout your contest preparation, if anyone, and how did they help you? 

I did most of my contest preparation on my own pretty much.  My wife helps me out a lot too.  She watches me do my posing routine at home and gives me feedback about what I could be doing better and how I can best show off my strengths through my routine.  My wife also picks out all of my music.  As far as in the gym, I train on my own mostly, and I ask people to help spot me with my squat and bench, but otherwise I'm on my own at the gym.

PHOTO BY RICK DREW PHOTOGRAPHY

What was the hardest thing about preparing for this most recent competition? 

The only hard thing when it comes to competition is that I get very critical of myself.  I know what I have to do with my diet, and I know if I don't do it right, I'm not going to look the way I'm supposed to look so I'm very critical of myself especially as it gets closer to competition.

What kept you motivated and focused on your goals prior to your most recent competition? 

I'm always looking to be better and to do more.  I look at the competitors in the NPC Magazine and I know I want to get to that level.  And I'm doing everything I can to get better with every competition and make that happen.  And that is in spite of my age.

Why do you think you won over the competition in your most recent show? 

From looking at the guys in my division at this most recent show, I think my physique looked good.  My upper body was bigger and I was more defined and I think that was why I did well in this show.

Tell us about your off season training, nutrition and supplementation program.  What does that look like typically? 

I work out all the time.  I eat basically the same foods all the time, but I don't eat as much protein as I would in season.  My diet has always been pretty good and I pretty much stick to it.  I just eat more of it season.

PHOTO BY RICK DREW PHOTOGRAPHY

How were you doing the day of the show?  What were your main concerns and what were you thinking about?

Each time a do a Chicago show, I'm thinking about who will be there and how I'll stack up against them.  I wasn't worried about being in shape, I was more concerned about the illusion and how I'll appear on stage. But I felt pretty good about where I was as I got close to the show.  I start cutting my water and I could tell I was looking good still and not feeling and bad effects from not having enough water.  When I'm at a show, I'm prepared.  I've practiced my posing routine and I know it cold.  I've dieted hard and I've done everything I can to make sure that I stuck to it.  When I get to a show, I know I'm going to get something, but I'm never really sure about the competition in my class and where I am going to stand. 

Tell us about your in-season training, nutrition and supplementation program.  

My diet is about the same in season and off.  I'm a little more strict in season, but it's the same basic food that I eat all the time.  I use Pro Complex Protein Powder, BNS Synthesize 6, NO2 Explode and Nitrix right before doing a show to be more vascular.  I take that a week or two before the show.  When I'm training for a show, I do cardio twice a day for 20-25 minutes, once in the morning and once at in the early evening.  When I get ready for a show, I work out for about two and a half hours five to six days a week and I usually work one to two body parts per day.

PHOTO BY RICK DREW PHOTOGRAPHY

In your opinion, what does it take to achieve a goal someone sets for themselves and to win?

In order to achieve a goal you set for yourself, you really have to first get in there and try.  You have to know where you stand against the competition in order to know where you are going to stack up and where you need to improve.  The first time I did a show, I loved it.  I knew I would do it again.  It's getting to the point of getting rid of the fear and getting up on stage and focusing on doing your best.  And you have to be honest about where your strengths are and where you need to improve. You've got to look in the mirror, look at yourself and figure out what you need to do to improve.  If you win at one place, you may not win at the next show and you have to accept that.  But you have to be willing to look at where you need to improve and then have to focus yourself on making those improvements happen.

What advice would you would give to others working to compete in an NPC sanctioned show?

Don't cheat on your diet. Practice your moves over and over again.  Stay focused.  If you do the posing enough and practice, you'll see the next day that you will feel like it was a work out in and of itself.  Give it your all and practice your mandatory poses and make sure you have them down.

PHOTO BY RICK DREW PHOTOGRAPHY

What are your future plans?  Are you preparing for any upcoming contests?

I'd like to do the Jr. Nationals in two years.  I won't do another show until the Fall of this year. Right now I'm working to put on just a little more size before I go back stage again.  I'm focused now on maintaining my weight and staying in my class, but improving my appearance on stage more.