| 2007
is shaping up to be a very busy year. I recently signed a contract
with one of the biggest supplement companies in the fitness industry,
Optimum Nutrition (more details below), and I am promoting my
first bodybuilding competition this July 28th at Romeoville High
School in Romeoville, Illinois. As of this writing, 2007 is only
3 months old but it’s already been a busy year!
Mother
and Son Banquet
I was the invited guest speaker at the Nequa Valley Mother and
Son Brunch on Sunday, January 28, 2007. The event was held at
the Abbington Banquet Hall in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. This was a
huge event with over 650 Mothers and Sons attending. The topic
of my speech was “Overcoming Obstacles: Reaching Your Goals with
Persistance and Determination”.
I
told the crowd about how I began my bodybuilding career as a skinny
14 year old kid who dreamed of one day becoming Mr. Universe.
I explained that my success was due to the overwhelming desire
I had to develop a muscular body and win the Mr. Universe and
be featured in the magazines like my idol Arnold Schwarzenegger.
I was able to eventually reach my goals because of the discipline,
determination and persistence that I used throughout my career,
especially in the beginning when developing a Mr. Universe physique
seemed like pure fantasy. Everyone laughed when I described how
I used to hang pictures of Arnold in my room but with my head
on Arnold’s body so I could clearly visualize myself looking like
the Austrian Oak.
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With
Cheryl Santucci and Danielle Cross at the Nequa Valley Mother
and Son Banquet.
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My
speech to the students was about overcoming obstacles and
achieving your dream through persistence and visualization. |
I
want to thank Cheryl Santucci and Danielle Cross for inviting
me to speak at the Nequa Valley Mother and Son Brunch this year.
I was honored to meet such a nice group of Mothers and their Sons.
I had the opportunity to speak to quite a few students after the
speech about weight training and nutrition and how to do it naturally
– without the use of steroids or other drugs. (To contact John
for a public speaking engagement, go the Seminars
page).
IronMan
Magazine Photo Shoot
I can’t believe it has been over 2 years since I last did a photo
shoot with Mike Neveux of IronMan Magazine. I have not visited
Mike’s studio since my last bodybuilding competition in November
of 2004 so I was way overdue for another photo shoot.
I dieted for a little over 16 weeks to prepare for this photo
shoot. I started my diet on October 23, 2006 weighing 223 pounds
with a 36 ¾” waist. Since my contest shape is a 33” waist,
I needed to lose about 4 inches of fat off my waist before I would
be ready to step in front of Mike’s camera.
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At
202 pounds, I was in peak condition for my photo shoot with
IronMan Magazine.
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I
like to lose fat very slowly when I am eating to get in shape
so I don’t sacrifice any muscle tissue in the process. My goal
during my dieting phase is to lose about 1 pound of bodyweight
and ¼” of fat off my waist each and every week. If I did
this consistently for 16 weeks, I would lose 16 pounds and about
4 inches off my waist.
Unfortunately,
I decided to start my diet right before the holiday season. That
meant I had to diet over Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New
Years and the SuperBowl (the Bears finally made it to the Big
Game after 21 years of waiting). This made for probably the most
UN-memorable holiday season in memory but I knew the diet was
working and I didn’t cheat even once.
By
January, I was looking the leanest I had been in the last two
years and was pretty excited about getting into great shape again.
As anyone who has gone through the dieting process knows, it is
the journey of slowly shedding the pounds of fat and getting ripped
that is the most enjoyable part of the process. It takes lots
of discipline and eating the same thing day after day, week after
week and month after month but, if you are doing it right, you
will see results every week and, before you know it, you will
be in fantastic shape.
When I left for California on Wednesday, February 14th (there
goes another holiday!), I was a ripped 202 pounds with a 33” waist.
I was in the best shape I had been in since my last contest in
2004. I did a full day of shooting with Mike Neveux where we shot
both training and posing photos for IronMan Magazine. Look for
the new photos this year in IronMan.
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My
seminar was about constructing a Mass Building Routine for
the Natural Bodybuilder.
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The
crowd had a lot of great questions
about training and nutrition. |
The
Fit Expo Seminar
Only three days after my photo shoot, I traveled to Pasadena,
California to attend the Fit Expo held in conjunction with the
IronMan Pro Invitational Bodybuilding Championships. This was
the fourth year for the Fit Expo and it is growing substantially
each year. The weather was absolutely beautiful all weekend long
(80 degrees and sunny) and the California crowd was looking fit
and healthy.
I
caught both the pre-judging and the evening show of the IronMan
Pro and was impressed with some of the new talent in professional
bodybuilding. Toney Freeman won this show pretty easily with his
fantastic physique and newcomer Silvio Samuel quickly became the
crowd favorite with his thick, ripped physique. (Check
out John’s report of the Pro IronMan here).
On Sunday, February 18th, I gave a seminar at the Fit Expo. The
topic of my seminar was “Constructing a Mass Building Routine
for the Natural Bodybuilder”. I discussed how to design a training
program for building mass by using the right amount of sets and
utilizing the most effective exercises. I went over intermediate
and advanced training programs for the natural bodybuilder.
This was my second time giving a seminar at the Fit Expo and I
was pleased to see so many bodybuilders show up for my presentation.
I had probably twice the crowd that showed up only two years ago
when I last gave a seminar at the Fit Expo. There were a lot of
great questions from the crowd at the end of my seminar and I
could have continued for at least another hour at the end of my
scheduled time slot. (To book John
for a seminar at your gym or bodybuilding event, click
here).
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With
my friend Amet on my birthday
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Celebrating
my birthday with my
nephews Sam, Zane and Joe. |
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The
room pauses as my nephew
Zane gives a speech.
|
Check
out the cool poster of Arnold
that I got for my birthday |
Birthday
Celebration
Another year, another birthday! It’s hard to believe that it’s
already been four years since I celebrated the Big 4-0. They say
time flies when you’re having fun but the truth is time seems
to go by faster as you get older, whether you’re having fun or
not. ?
This year my birthday fell on a Saturday and it was even more
enjoyable eating my cake after four months of dieting. Ever since
my photo shoot in February, I have been following a new regimen
of eating whatever I want on the weekends and then following my
fat-loss diet during the week. It’s great because I get to enjoy
the foods I was denying myself for so long but, by getting back
on the diet during the week, I can retain the physique I worked
so hard for.
This
year, I was able to enjoy my birthday with my family and friends.
I received a great poster of Arnold when he won the 1975 Olympia
for my birthday among the other nice gifts. But, I have to be
honest, the best part of the celebration was getting to eat my
birthday cake (and cookies and ice cream, etc) after four long
months of dieting.
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With
Craig Tacharsky and Fitness Hall
of Fame founder John Figarelli
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Meeting
powerlifting legend Ernie Franz. |
Fitness
Hall of Fame
On Sunday, March 18th, I attended the National Fitness Hall of
Fame Induction Ceremony in Addison, Illinois. Created by Don Figarelli
and his son John, the National Fitness Hall of Fame and Museum
is located in Minooka, Illinois and this was the third year for
the Induction Ceremony. Previous recipients into the Hall of Fame
include Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack LaLanne, Arthur Jones,
Bob Hoffman, Joe Weider, Robert Kennedy, Tony Little, Richard
Simmons, Jake Steinfeld, Ben Weider, Marilu Henner, Jane Fonda,
Charles Atlas and Dr. Bob Goldman.
This year, the list of Hall of Fame Inductees included Chicago
resident John Abdo, Lou Ferrigno, Gilad Janklowicz, Betty Weider,
Jacki Sorensen, Keli Roberts, Douglas Brooks, Dr. Thomas Sattler
and Linda Shelton. Tony Little was on hand to emcee the proceedings
along with founder Don “The Don of Sports” Figarelli.
The
event was very fun and enjoyable and I got to catch up with a
lot of old friends in the fitness industry. Bob Gajda, 1966 Mr.
America and Mr. Universe winner, was on hand to observe the ceremony.
Considering Bob’s extensive influence on the world of exercise
and fitness, I think he should be inducted in the Hall of Fame
next year. Another legend, powerlifter Ernie Franz was also at
the ceremony.
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With
1966 Mr. America Bob Gajda.
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John
Abdo was inducted into the
Fitness Hall of Fame |
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It
was a pleasure to meet TV Fitness star Gilad Janklowicz
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Tony
Little was the emcee for the event. |
Also
on hand was my friend Terry Strand, a true “Old School” bodybuilder
who is a bit of an historian when it comes to Chicago bodybuilding.
Craig Tacharsky, the former state record holder in the bench press
and an old competitor of mine from the teenage years was also
in the house to support his friend John Abdo. I was surprised
to see an old copy of the Fitness Edge newsletter from 1987 that
featured an article on me. It was on display in the lobby when
I was interviewed shortly after winning the Mr. Illinois title
in 1986.
John
Signs with Optimum Nutrition
I’m very proud to announce my new affiliation with one of the
leaders in the supplement industry, Optimum Nutrition. Optimum
has been in business for 20 years now. It was started by Chicago
native and 1984 NPC Teenage Illinois Champion (I’m sure he’ll
enjoy that I mentioned that!) Tony Costello.
Optimum
has grown to be one of the biggest companies in the supplement
industry and a huge sponsor in the bodybuilding world. They are
major supporters of all the big national and professional bodybuilding
competitions as well as all of the local shows in Illinois. Optimum
also supports drug-free, natural bodybuilding and they are big
sponsors of many of the natural competitions here in Illinois.
I was given the opportunity to take a tour of the Optimum Nutrition
plant in Aurora, Illinois and I was blown away by the size and
scope of their manufacturing facility. Optimum is one of the few
companies in the industry that actually designs and manufactures
their own products. The quality control and detail put into each
and every product ensures that all of the Optimum Nutrition product
line is top-notch.
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John
with Tony Costello, President of Optimum Nutrition |
I
will be writing articles for Optimum’s magazine as well as their
new website during 2007. I will also be appearing at several bodybuilding
events throughout the year working the Optimum Nutrition booth
and helping customers sample some of their great products (check
out my Appearances
page for details).
In addition, I will be conducting seminars at bodybuilding competitions,
high schools, gyms and fitness centers in 2007 as a representative
of Optimum Nutrition. My seminar at the Fit Expo in Pasadena,
California was very well attended and I will be giving another
seminar on May 5th as part of my guest posing appearance at the
Great Lakes Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships in
Bourbannais, Illinois (check out the website at http://www.greatlakesnaturalbodybuilding.com/).
I will also be conducting a Champions Seminar at my first bodybuilding
promotion on July 28th in conjunction with the Natural North America
Championships at Romeoville High School in Romeoville, Illinois.
To
say that I am excited about working with Optimum Nutrition this
year is an understatement. Anyone who knows me understands my
passion for bodybuilding and fitness. Ever since I was 14 years
old, I knew that I wanted to be a bodybuilder and it’s very rewarding
personally to be able to make my living doing something I truly
LOVE.
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Joe
deadlifts 562 pounds for
the State Record!
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With
Ted and Joe after the meet. |
Joe
Silzer’s Powerlifting Meet
My good friend Joe Silzer competed in his first powerlifting event
on Sunday, March 25th and I was on hand to cheer him on. Joe is
a great natural bodybuilder (he won the Mr. Natural North America
twice and was 2nd in the NPC Team Universe) and he decided to
try a powerlifting meet just for the fun of it.
For
the last several months, Joe trained only three days a week following
a strict powerlifting routine (Bench Press on Monday, Squat on
Wednesday and Deadlift on Friday). It was a much different routine
than his standard bodybuilding routine as he was concentrating
primarily on power with little concern for muscle mass and shape.
Joe
did very well in his first outing as a powerlifter. He set the
Illinois State record for his class in the deadlift with a lift
of 562 pounds in the 198 pound class. He also tried 562 on the
squat but was red-lighted by the judges for some reason. Joe definitely
had the depth on the squat as his wife Danielle videotaped the
lift and we were able to review it later.
Our
friend, Ted Popolski, was also at the event to support Joe. Ted
is an experienced powerlifter and former professional wrestler
so it was great to sit next to him and ask him questions since
this was my first powerlifting meet that I ever attended.
Congratulations
to Joe on his new state record in the deadlift and I’m sure he
is looking forward to getting back to his bodybuilding training
and eventually getting back onstage. This was great experience
for him and I’m sure all that HEAVY lifting will give him even
more mass when he steps onstage the next time.
Check
out John's recent articles:
Arnold
Expo report
Arnold
Expo Pictures
Pro IronMan
Contest Report
Article
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