Updated May 1, 2003

Comparing my arms to our guide's "Mexican muscles".

My girlfriend Suzi and I after our snorkeling expedition on my birthday.

With my Mom and Dad at my surprise birthday party.

It's hard to believe that it has been almost six months since my last Latest News update. Let me bring you up to speed on what's been happening this year so far.

Birthday Bash

This was the year I turned the corner into the 40 and over crowd. That's right, my big 40th birthday occurred this year on March 10th. Since I didn't really relish the idea of celebrating my big day in the colder climate of Chicago, I decided to head south to sunny Mexico on this momentous occasion.

My girlfriend Suzi and I spent 5 glorious days in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We couldn't have picked a more beautiful place. It was 90 degrees and sunny every single day we were there. We stayed at an all inclusive hotel, the Gala Resorts, which was fantastic. The water in the ocean was powder blue, the food was great and the weather was absolutely perfect. I spent my birthday snorkeling, swimming, drinking, dancing and eating delicious food. That's the way to enjoy a birthday!

We arrived back home to the uninviting and cold Chicago weather on the 12th of March. That weekend, I was planning on going to dinner with my girlfriend and my family to celebrate my birthday. However, when I walked into my parents house, I was shocked to find all of my friends and family waiting for me for a surprise birthday party.

I have never had a surprise birthday party before and I have to admit, I was surprised! Despite the fact that everyone had their cars parked outside my parents house, I didn't suspect a thing (I'm glad I decided never to become a detective). Most of my good friends were there and we had a great time talking about "the good 'ole days" of working out and partying over the years. A special thanks to my parents and my girlfriend Suzi for putting the party together.

Back to the Heavy Training

After my last competition in November of 2002, I knew I needed to take a couple of weeks off to rest my body after all the hard training and dieting I had put myself through the previous six months. I may have needed a break physically but mentally, I was ready to get back in the gym and start tearing things up again! However, I decided to play it smart and get the rest I needed before getting back to the gym.

I knew after my last contest in 2002 that I was not going to compete again for a full 12 months. I needed the extra time to regain the muscle mass that I have lost over the last few years. Ever since I tore my bicep in the fall of 2000, I have not carried the amount of muscle that I used to have. It certainly hasn't been for a lack of effort on my part that I have not regained my muscle mass. These last three years have been sort of bad luck for me with the injuries so, hopefully, things will turn around for the better this year.

Group shot at the party with Suzi, Jim, Laurie, Scott, Belinda, Janice and Nick.

I took the advice of my chiropractor and engaged in 4 weeks of eccentric training after my two week layoff. This type of training calls for a very slow eccentric portion of each repetition. I used much lighter weights during my training and made a concerted effort to lower each rep for a count of 5 seconds. I was told that this would help to build my tendons and ligaments which is what I needed after straining a ligament in my lower back last year. At first, this method of training was very aggravating. I just wanted to get back and start lifting some heavy poundages again. However, in hindsight, I believe that it did help to give my injuries some more time to recuperate.

I finally began training to build some muscle in January. I had two goals for this year as far as my bodybuilding training was concerned - Don't get injured and Don't get fat! Bulking up too much (getting fat) and then getting injured last year is primarily what was responsible for my poor showing onstage. I've been keeping those two goals in mind as I progress through the year. I'm now up to 230-235 pounds but I'm keeping my waistline much smaller than it was last year. I'm doing my best to add muscle mass without putting on too much bodyfat.

I now have a new training partner, Jason, who is helping to push me to use heavier weights and put on the mass that I have been missing these last two years. We are training very intensely at USA Gym and Fitness in Bridgeview, Illinois. USA Gym is one of the few hard core gyms left in the area and there are a lot of bodybuilders and competitors training there. I have been training much smarter with Jason to prevent any injuries to my lower back or my rotator cuff. Both of these areas are much improved from last year and I am now able to do some of the exercises that I have had to avoid these last 9 months.

There are some competitions that I have my eye on at the end of the year. I'm aiming for these contests right now as long as I can continue to stay injury-free. Things are looking good right now so I'll update my Appearances page as those contests get closer.

Personal Training, Cool Websites and the Pro Rankings

I have also been staying busy with my Personal Training business in Hinsdale, Illinois. If anyone is interested in employing my services, please feel free to email me at John@NaturalOlympia.com. If you do not live in the Chicago area, don't let that stop you from using me to help you with your training or diet plan. Email me with your current training and nutrition program along with your desired goals and I would be happy to help you design a strategy that will help you to get the results you are looking for. I am going to be posting some before and after pictures that several of my clients have achieved so you can witness the changes that these very motivated individuals were able to accomplish.

I also wanted to let you know about a very cool website that is available to all of you surfing the World Wide Web. It's located at www.ironage.us and its purpose is "Commemorating Bodybuilding's Glory Days". The founder of the site, Shawn Perrine, routinely writes articles for Flex Magazine and he has the heart and soul of a real bodybuilder. I love contributing to the website's Forum discussion talking about the classic days of bodybuilding and the future of the sport. I've also written some articles for their Guest Editorial section. Check it out when you get a chance. If you visit the Forum, be sure to say hi to Natural_O (that would be me).

Big Art Atwood guest posing at the Mid-Illinois.

I was also honored to be asked recently to be a judge for the new IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Rankings List. Dan Solomon, who runs the website www.promuscleonline.com has gathered 10-15 experts in the bodybuilding industry who have ranked the top professional bodybuilders from 1-20. You can check out the results of the Rankings by clicking on Dan's website.

I recently attended the NPC Mid-Illinois Bodybuilding competition out in Ottawa, Illinois and I got to see rising pro Art Atwood up close and personal. Big Art is absolutely HUGE and has to be one of the odds on favorites to win this year's Night of the Champions contest in New York City on May 31st. I heard Art weighed a massive 285 pounds and he was hard at that weight! No saggy glutes or water retention here. I would say that he only had about 10-15 more pounds to lose to be crazy ripped.

The NOC should be a great competition as no top-line pro is scheduled to compete. I think Atwood is the favorite but King Kamali, Bob Cicherillo, Craig Titus and Milos Sarcev may have something to say about that. My personal dark horse favorite is Victor Martinez, a very gifted bodybuilder who only has to show up in peak condition to claim the top spot.

The Bodybuilder Nickname Quiz

My good friend Wayne Gallasch of GMV Productions (www.gmv.com.au) has put together a great quiz on the nicknames assigned to bodybuilders over the years. This was a really tough quiz. I even missed a couple answers myself. That's why I was surprised when Wayne emailed me to let me know that I was the winner of the contest! My prize is the first DVD that GMV Productions will be releasing. It's the classic "Arnold - The Early Years" which has footage of Arnold Schwarzenegger from the age of 20 when he won his first Mr. Universe title up to his last contest, the controversial 1980 Mr. Olympia held in Sydney, Australia. I'll post a review of this DVD when I receive it. Until then, here is the quiz in its entirety. Give it a try and see how you do:

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