How did you get started in bodybuilding and competing?

My whole life I’ve been trying to get bigger and stronger. When I was younger I thought if you worked hard enough, anyone could be a champion bodybuilder. But as I got older, my progress was so slow I eventually gave up on the dream of competing. When I got divorced in 1998 I started working out in gyms and started to see gains again. When I became a personal trainer at Lifetime Fitness in 2001, one of my friends talked me into competing. I realized I needed a definite goal for my training and to get to a higher level.  I asked my friend Bob DeAndrea to help me and was hooked. 

When did you first compete?

The first show I ever did was The 2002 Illinois State while I was training at Lifetime Fitness in Orland Park.  Before that, I never did a bodybuilding show.  I randomly picked that one.  I was 41 at the time, and I went into the Masters, Novice Men’s Open Middle Weight.  At the time, my upper body was respectable, but my legs were weak.  It’s been a 9 or 10 year journey to win the 2010 Illinois State and it’s been a lot of hard work and sacrifice obviously in between that first competition and now. 

As you continued to compete, how did you make the improvements you needed in order to place higher in competitions and improve upon your weak points?

I started training with Chuck Sanow at USA Gym in Bridgeview following that show to take me to a higher level.  I knew my legs were weak and needed to be pushed beyond what I was doing on my own.  We went through some brutal workouts to make some serious gains.  I think I threw up for the first 8 months after every leg workout with him.  There were many times I would be driving home afterward and would pull over, pop open the door and throw up.  It was brutal, but necessary to drive myself like that and make the gains I needed, especially with my legs.

How did all that effort pay off in your next competitions?

I competed in the Illinois State in 2005, and I won the Masters Overall, but didn’t place well in the Open Classes.  Then I did the Master’s Nationals in Pittsburgh in 2006.  That was the first year I competed at that level.  I came in 4th in the middle weight.  After that show I decided that I had to stay in the light heavy class but it was a struggle for me because the guys had better legs than me and I knew that continued to be my weak point.  I’ve trained hard the last four years in particular and spent a lot of time to continue to improve them. 

Do you find it hard dedicating yourself to training, working two jobs and raising a family?

I have two kids, my son is 30, and daughter is 28 so they are grown now and living on their own.  But I remember the days of training in my home gym and changing diapers in between sets. Now I still work 2 jobs and generally put in 15 hour days.  People who tell me they can’t train or compete because they have kids, they can, but you just have to work at it harder than others.

What was it like winning the Illinois State in 2010 for you?

Winning the Illinois 2010 was a once in a lifetime day. It was 37 years of blood, sweat and tears all rolled into one day. To be respected by your peers and to be an inspiration to others is important to me. I’ll never forget it.  Especially winning the Most Muscular Award.   To me personally, it was just as important to win that because of all the years of struggling to put on size and improve my legs in particular.  That award in particular was something special.

Do you think it has been easier or harder to train and compete as you get older?

I think my determination and focus has gotten stronger as I get older.  It doesn’t get any easier, and the aches and pains don’t go away so fast.  The challenges of training are greater as you get older too.  Try putting some mass on your chest when you have shoulder issues.  You have to find a way to work around those and still make gains, and you can, but it takes some thinking.

How do you get around the aches and pains when you are training through them?

Being a trainer, you have to find a way to work around peoples injuries all the time.  There is some training around pain when you know it is not damaging.  You pay the price a few days afterward.  Training smarter is the number one thing.  With any exercise I do, I try to always get a full range of motion, pause at the bottom and the top and focus on overall form.  That has helped me tremendously. 

 What was the motivator to get to your first competition?

I was the second smallest kid in my high school. So I’ve always had to be a fighter. In my mind I’m still that kid trying to make something of myself and be an inspiration to others in some way. Now I think back on it, even as a kid I always challenged myself to lift heavy things on my own.  I’ve always had that mentality and enjoyed the personal challenge to see what I could do despite my small size.  I knew at that point that I wanted to work on getting bigger and stronger to make up for my size, so I started reading books by Franco Columbu and others, trying to figure out how to make gains. 

How did your training go early on before your first competitions?

Not so well.  I over trained and under ate and that was an issue.  I worked out in my basement and had a decent home gym, but didn’t make the gains I really wanted.   It was in 1998, and at that point I was getting discouraged and not making the gains I wanted.  When I started to work out in gyms, I found all this great equipment available.  When I started competing in 2002, I was working as a trainer and working out at Lifetime Fitness in Orland Park.  My training was getting stale and I felt like needed a goal.  I wanted to take my training to a higher level and have a focus.

Is it difficult to maintain that focus?

It can be challenging to maintain a strong focus for a full year when you’re working and trying to have a balanced life. But it’s a sacrifice that must be accepted if you want to be the best you can be at anything in life I think.

How has your focused changed over the years?

My focus has gotten even stronger over the years.  There is no question that my perspectives changed a lot since I first started competing. 

What goes through your head when you are about to step on stage? 

You know, I have never been nervous on a bodybuilding stage.  I don’t know why.  I’m comfortable because I prepare as best as I can and I figure by the time I’m there that I can’t do any better than I have done at that time, so I don’t worry about it. Just go have fun.

What appeals to you most about competing and why do you keep doing it?

I love to train and I realized by competing it would give me a never ending goal. I guess I’m a true ironhead at heart. I love to challenge myself. 

What are some of your challenges you face as part of your dedication and focus?

Sometimes when you are an athlete, your family and friends don’t understand that drive.  They don’t always understand that deep down desire to excel. Sometimes it’s a gift, other times it’s a curse. You just have this inner drive that won’t stop even if you tried to stop it.

How many competitions have you done?

I did the Illinois State 5 years in a row, from 2002  to 2006, and of course in 2010.  I did the Ironman once and the Master’s Nationals in Pittsburgh 4 times.  So far, I’ve done 11 competitions in total. 

What is important goal for you personally in doing these competitions?

The most important and fulfilling thing out of all of these competitions to me is if I can be an inspiration to other people.  I remember I was at a show, The Illinois State one year, and there was a young Hispanic kid who was there and he came up to me and said that he had my picture from one of my competitions on his fridge, and he used that picture as an inspiration to keep focused himself.   To make an impact on someone else and to inspire them is really an honor for me and very humbling.  Winning the Illinois State in 2010 at age 50, I had people tell me that it gives them hope and makes them realize that maybe they can achieve things too.  People say why give up at 40, 50, 60 years old on anything.  Not just bodybuilding.  They figure if Bill can work two jobs and 65 hours a week, train and succeed at his goals, maybe I can too. 

How do you work two jobs, train and keep up with everything else in life too?

It’s not easy when you are working hard.  You sacrifice things.  My social life is not what you want it to be for sure.  But to inspire people and make them think they can do things they thought that can’t do, that’s priceless. 

What was your greatest challenge or roadblock so far with regards to training and competing?

Everyone’s life goes through ups and downs.  And yet, my resolve and focus has gotten stronger over the years.  When I was training with Chuck Sanow to go to the Masters Nationals in 2006, something serious happened to me a few weeks before the show in Pittsburgh.  We were training and I had had some sudden and severe pain in my head.  I thought it might be a pinched nerve or worse yet, maybe I blew a blood vessel in my head.  It was serious and happened fast.  Within two seconds of feeling it, I thought maybe I did something really bad here.  Of course I went to the doctor right away and they did an MRI.  I was really concerned of course about what happened, as was my family.  I thought about stopping at that point, that maybe I was pushing myself beyond my limits and that this was a sign I needed to give up training or take it back a notch.     

What happened once you knew what the cause was?

Once I knew it wasn’t an injury that was long term or life threatening, I started training again and the headaches had stopped. I remember doing some leg presses and we started going heavier and everything felt fine. I looked around USA gym and thought to myself, this is what I love to do, why would I ever stop?  

How did things turn out?

I did the show and of course, luckily it wasn’t an aneurism.  I ended up 4th place in the Middleweight division at the Masters Nationals. That show almost killed me too but I was happy it ended well. 

What was the turning point for you?

After the 2008 Master’s Nationals I didn’t place well and that bothered me. At that point I realized I needed to improve even more and I needed to really push myself a lot further.  I took off 2009 to give myself time to improve and in 2010 and went on to win the Masters Overall, Open Overall and Most Muscular at the Illinois State.  Looking back now, I’m glad I didn’t do stop after that medical incident and stop competing because of the fear of concerns of others.

You have all these wins and successes under your belt now, what is next?

I’m going to keep doing what I love to do and keep at it.  I know one day the wheels will fall off and I’m going to get older and eventually have to hang it up.  But I’ve always loved helping people and if I can do something good for others in the end from all of this, that would be awesome.

What is your next completion?

I’m planning on going to do the Masters Nationals in Pittsburgh next year July 2011.  I’ll be in the 50 and over class and will do my best to put on a few more pounds of muscle and improve my legs between now and then.  Injuries or not, I’m determined that I’m going to be better than last year. I may also do the North Americans in Ohio in 2011.

What do you see as your strengths?

Physically, I can’t say I’m gifted at all.  I have a super human drive for sure and that makes it difficult for me to give up or not try my best.

Are you still trying to win your pro card?

As I’ve gotten older, my perspective is not just to get a pro card as the end goal, but my intention now is more about doing something good with it.  That is the direction in my heart.  People listen more to you if you have some sort of recognition, credentials or achievements to back you up.  I don’t know that I’ll ever get a pro card, but I can keep trying.  I’ve been working and fighting my whole life toward my goals.  Why not do something good with it to help others too?

Any lessons that stand out in your mind?

Being older, you learn a lot in life.  I realized that with what what I’ve achieved or accomplished, I’m not better than anyone else.  All I know is that I want to do what I want to do in bodybuilding and be respected by my peers.

Any advice to other competitors or people considering it?

People don’t realize the power of fitness and bodybuilding.  They don’t’ realize what it can do for them mentally and emotionally in a good way.  For me personally, it has gotten me through some of the hardest times in my life.  It has a healing property that makes you feel good about yourself.  My advice to anyone who is interested in competing is to work hard, do your best every day and good things will happen. Remember the goal is to better yourself, not just win a trophy. Carry yourself with class. We are so lucky to be able to workout and be healthy. There are many who wish they could do what we do but can’t because their disabilities or major setbacks in their life won’t let them. I feel lucky everyday!