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A
proposed cover for the new book on natural bodybuilding
that John is currently writing.
Look for this awesome book in 2004!
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John
Signs Book Deal
I've
got some exciting news to report! I have recently signed a contract
with Human Kinetics Publishing to write a comprehensive book on
natural bodybuilding. I first met with the acquisitions editor
in March at the Arnold Classic. I was told that they were interested
in a book on natural bodybuilding and they wanted me to be the
one to write it!
I
was instructed to put together an outline that would cover all
aspects of the sport including training, nutrition, supplementation
and even competition. After a few revisions, I came up with an
outline that we both agreed upon and I was on my way to writing
my first book.
I
have spent most of my summer locked in my house patiently pounding
away at the keyboard in an effort to meet the deadline for the
completed manuscript. I have to be honest that writing a book
is much more challenging than I would have anticipated. Of course,
I want to be as through as possible so I am putting as much effort
as I can into the book. I have a lot of experience and knowledge
to share after 26 years of training so I want to include as many
details as possible.
This
book will cover everything related to natural bodybuilding. It
will explain how to determine your genetic potential, the science
between sets and reps, how to construct a bodybuilding routine
that will give you the greatest gains, how to eat to get big,
etc. And that is just the first part of the book!
There
will also be an exercise section of the book that will fully detail
how to perform the most effective exercises to build your body.
I will be modeling for many of these photos along with two other
models that I will pick for the book. This section alone will
be worth the price of the book.
The
third part of the book will cover how to prepare for a bodybuilding
competition. It will describe in detail the nutrition and training
that is required to get really ripped to display your physique
at its best. This will be great knowledge for anyone who wants
to get lean and mean, whether you are planning to compete or not.
The
final section of the book will cover how to get ready to compete
in a bodybuilding competition. This section will go over how to
prepare a posing routine, what the judges look for in a winning
competitor, what to expect backstage at a contest, how to psych
up and not get psyched out and the proper way to do the mandatory
poses in a bodybuilding contest.
I'm
very excited about this book because I think it will stand out
among the bodybuilding books that are available today. How many
books do you see that are directed specifically at Drug Free bodybuilding?
Not too many. Taking it one step further, how many books are directed
at the details of preparing for a bodybuilding competition? None!
I cannot recall seeing one book at my local book store over the
years that describes the preparation necessary for competing in
bodybuilding that I will be writing about in this book.
I
will be working diligently on this book for the rest of 2003 so
it should be released sometime next year. Stay tuned to this website
for more details!
No
Competitions Until 2004
Because
of my commitment to writing this book, I have decided not to compete
this year and will wait until next year. I know first hand the
commitment and dedication that is required to compete onstage
and I don't want to compromise that effort in any way. I feel
that if I compete this year, either the book or my physique will
suffer. I can realistically only put all of my energy into one
commitment at a time and I am choosing the book.
I also want to use the extra time to make some gains in my physique.
I have learned some things about my body over the last two disappointing
years of competition. The first is that I have to stay lean during
the off season if I hope to compete in top shape and get totally
ripped. The second is that my body is now different than it was
5 years ago so I need to make adjustments for those changes.
After
I tore my bicep in October of 2000, I vowed that I would return
to competition even better than before. Unfortunately, I have
not lived up to that promise I made to myself. I was way off my
top condition in 2001 at the Natural Olympia in Hawaii. In retrospect,
I think I put too much pressure on myself to come back from the
bicep injury after being forced to take off five full months from
the gym. I only had from March to October to simultaneously build
muscle mass and lose body fat and it did not work to my favor
by the time the contest rolled around.
The
next year, I was more motivated than ever to come back and compete
again in top shape. I was training very heavy and hard and had
bulked up to 245 pounds in a very short time. Unfortunately, I
was trying to do too much too fast and I ended up with two serious
injuries within a month of each other. The first was a strained
rotator cuff in my left shoulder and the second was a strained
ligament in my lower back. Both of these injuries occurred from
trying to train too heavy.
I
decided to compete later in the fall of 2002 despite the injuries
and this also proved to be a big mistake. My training was so compromised
from the injuries that I could not possibly build the type of
muscle mass I needed to win a bodybuilding contest. This problem
along with the daunting task of trying to shed over 40 pounds
of excess fat resulted in another poor showing onstage.
This
year, I could not begin training hard until March because of the
lingering injuries I had incurred from the year before. I now
have a new, committed training partner and I am pushing myself
as hard as possible to be the best I can be in preparation for
next year. I have only had two injuries this year and neither
of them were very serious. I strained a ligament in my rib doing
heavy vertical leg presses and I strained my lower back muscles
doing very heavy T-Bar rows. Fortunately, both of these injuries
healed up within a 2-3 week period.
I
am fairly lean right now at a bodyweight of 225 pounds. I do not
intend to gain any more fat and I am diligently watching my diet
every day even though I am well into the off season. I have no
problem being totally disciplined with my diet 365 days of the
year and I will definitely stay relatively lean throughout the
year so I can really get ripped the next time I step onstage.
I
also have made some concessions in my training to account for
nagging injuries. My lower back cannot handle the excessive amount
of weights that I used to throw around on a regular basis in exercises
such as deadlifts, barbell rows, t-bar rows, etc. I have found
a way to still train for thickness and size without destroying
my lower back in the process.
As
for my legs, I really enjoy doing pause squats with heavy weights.
I do these after leg presses so my legs are really fatigued and
pumped. By stopping the movement at the bottom of the position,
I can focus only on my quads and I am able to take the lower back
out of the exercise.
I
promise to bring you updates on my progress through the winter
so stay tuned to this website. By being a bodybuilder all year
long with no off season bulking up, I intend to return to the
stage better than ever in 2004!
Bodybuilder
Interviews
There
is an exciting new feature that has been added to the Natural
Olympia website. Every month, I will be providing an extensive
interview with a top bodybuilder exclusively for this website.
You will not be able to see these interviews anywhere else but
here at NaturalOlympia.com.
I
will be asking champion bodybuilders detailed questions about
their training, nutrition, supplements, mental attitude, former
competitions and their secrets of success. These will be the kind
of questions that you would love to ask a person of this caliber
if you had the chance to sit down with them and ask them whatever
you wanted.
This
month, the featured interview is with natural bodybuilding legend,
Chris Faildo. Chris is known throughout the world as one of the
most ripped bodybuilders that has ever competed. He won the lightweight
class at the 1993 NPC USA Championships before putting a lock
on the lightweight division at the Team Universe Championships,
beginning in 1994. Chris dominated the TU in the lightweight class
from 1994 to 1996, winning his class each year.
In
1998, Chris was defeated by veteran competitor Ricky "Tricky"
Jackson and he disappeared from the bodybuilding scene for 5 years.
This year, Faildo made a spectacular comeback at the 2003 Team
Universe by moving up a weight class into the welterweight division
and returning to his familiar number one spot. In the interview,
I ask Chris what he did to make the necessary improvements to
his already contest winning physique. Chris outlines his diet,
training and mental preparation that has made him a consistent
winner in the sport of bodybuilding.
I
also have an interview coming up with bodybuilding legend, Lee
Labrada. Lee dominated the professional bodybuilding scene for
10 years with his "Mass with Class" physique and it
was an honor to have the opportunity to sit down with this consummate
professional in the sport of bodybuilding. Lee has since gone
on to start up his own supplement line, Labrada Nutrition, which
is very successful and is growing every year. Stay tuned to this
website for my in-depth interview with Lee in which he discusses
his training and nutrition strategies that made him such an outstanding
winner on the pro circuit as well as his thoughts on his most
memorable competitions and fellow competitors.
That's
it for now. Keep Pumping!!
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