March 16, 2001
Issue # 38

INTERVIEW WITH A BODYBUILDER PART II

Last issue we presented the first part of our interview with a top level NPC competitor.  This is the second segment of a three part interview..  I think it’s a pretty fascinating look at what takes place in the upper echelons of competitive bodybuilding.  Enjoy.

AE: Lets go back to drugs for a minute, ok? There is obviously a huge difference between your average steroid user and someone at your level. Is there is a difference in what these 2 types of users are doing? Also, is there anything you see on in future of bodybuilding drugs?

Mr. X: I always have to laugh when I am asked questions like this.  Bodybuilding is filled with two kinds of people.  Those that know the truth and those that think they know the truth.  I know the truth, simply because I’m here man, I see what goes on and know from experience what it takes to get here.  And the truth is, I don’t do anything different than the 99 guys out of 100 that never make it.  I’ve been blessed, that’s it. 

I wish I could sit here and tell you that I knew about some secret drug or stack that everyone at this level uses.  It sure would sound a hell of a lot sexier than me telling you I’ve got better genetics than most.  But that’s always what it comes down to, isn’t it?

To answer your questions directly, I’m not using IGF-1, myostatin, or leptin, and neither is anyone else.  And I know plenty of guys that take more drugs than I do that look like absolute shit.  The only thing that people at my level might do any differently is use GH, I don’t think most guys in the gym are spending that kind of cash. But realistically, GH doesn’t account for the reason why my physique is light years ahead of the next guy.  Yeah, that might sound arrogant, but what should I say?  I was freaky before I started using GH, now I’m just that much more freaky.  If you don’t have it before GH, you ain’t gonna have it with GH either.

Drugs in the future?  I would imagine that with the decoding of the human genome and the work that’s being done with myostatin, that’s where the future of bodybuilding lies.  Once they develop a gene therapy to combat wasting, it won’t be too long before a bodybuilder manages to get his hands on some and shoots it.  And then you’ll be seeing guys that are like something out of a comic book that don’t even have to workout anymore.  That’s going to be the ultimate level, and will probably be the worst thing that could ever happen to bodybuilding.  Where’s the sport in injecting yourself and sitting on the couch all day?  The guys who win shows will be those with the most aesthetic physiques, I mean, can you imagine Flex Wheeler on an anti-myostatin vaccine?  He’d blow the doors off everyone else.  But like I said, you’re never going to be able to really respect these guys, and that will be the final nail in the coffin.  At that point, bodybuilders will really be everything the general public perceives them as, simply creations of drugs and nothing else.  And if you had something like this, I’d be the first person to take it.

AE: That is kinda disappointing, it would have been nice if we could have shared some ground-breaking secret with our readers.  But, that’s also what I knew you’d say, you’ve never struck me as a bullshit artist.

Mr. X: Hey, if you’d rather I sit here and bullshit you to create some kind of sensationalistic prose, we can do that.  But I’d rather give it to you straight, you know what I mean?

AE:  Well, I appreciate you candor, even if it’s not going to result in this being a Pulitzer Prize winning piece (laughing).  Let’s switch gears for a minute.  You’re obviously a very knowledgeable guy, yet you have a coach.  Why?

Mr. X:  Most of the top bodybuilders now have a coach, which to an outsider probably seems strange.  Then again, these guys suddenly seem to make amazing progress when they hook up with the right coach, so somethings happening, right?

As far as knowledge guys, I’m probably one of the smarter guys in the sport.  Which basically means I know that most of what people believe is bullshit.  I use a coach more for pre-contest prep more than anything else, because like everyone else, I need someone to hold my hand during this period.  Look, when your dieting and seeing all that weight coming off, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t start second guessing themselves.  I know I start to panic the moment the diet begins because I’ve got it in my head that any time I’m losing weight, I’m taking two step back.  So a coach for me is someone to tell me what I’m doing is ok, and to help keep me on track.  Obviously that most important part of finding a coach is actually getting hooked up with someone who knows what the hell they’re talking about, which is why you’re my coach (Jason Meuller conducted this interview).  They say that the most important measure of a person’s intellect is how much they agree with you, and you and I agree about most things.  Which means you’re a fucking genius (laughing).  But seriously, you’re able to keep me on track when I’m freaking out, which is what I need in a coach.

Now, most bodybuilders in the game are not as knowledgeable as myself, and they’ve got coaches getting down to minutiae, like how to hold your dick when taking a leak.  I don’t know if you’ve got any clients like this, but it’s got to fucking drive you nuts if you do.  I’ve seen guys freak out more and more as the day of the contest approaches and start asking the most idiotic questions like how many sips of water should I take backstage, like that matters on any level.  In fact, if you watch the Battle for the Olympia 2000, you’ll see Ronnie Coleman asking Chad Nichols that exact question.  I hope Chad’s getting paid well, cause it seems to me he’s nothing but a big babysitter.  Then again, almost all of his clients make amazing progress, so he must be doing something right.

AE:  Yes, I’ve got some clients like this, and it can be maddening at times, especially when the phone is ringing 10 times per day.  But, that’s why I make the big bucks, right?  Tell me, what do you think of the claims made of a lot of bodybuilders that contests are rigged? 

Mr X:  Ha!  Tell me, when’s the last time you watched a contest and couldn’t pick out the top 10 in less than 5 minutes?  I can’t remember the last time I’ve watched a contest where the results were that far off from what I expected.  I’m not saying I can pick places 1-10 every time, but I’ve never seen a situation where the guy I had 10^th won the contest.  Basically I think allegations like this are nothing but sour grapes on the part of the competitors themselves, or the competitor’s fans.  In the latter case, I sometimes feel sorry for the guy competing, but often times the sins of his fans are placed on his shoulders.  Take a guy like Lee Priest.  Structurally, Lee’s weak in a lot of areas, and he’d probably be the first person to admit this.  Yet his fans will protest vehemently every time he doesn’t take first, making claims that judging is totally political and that Lee won’t ever win because he doesn’t kiss enough ass or suck enough dick, whatever.  If there are guys sucking dicks to win shows, I’d feel really bad for them since I think it would be a wasted effort.  It’s not like there’s one fag deciding the whole show, there’s a panel of judges deciding the outcome.  And since I seriously doubt that the whole judging panel is a group of homosexuals who are waiting to get blown by one guy so they can give him the title, I don’t know why bodybuilders even make claims like this.  It’s bad for the sport.

I recently read an interview with Kevin Levrone where he stated he was the real Mr. Olympia and that he actually won the last Mr. O.  Give me a fucking break.  Kevin has great legs, arms, chest, and shoulders, but has one of the weakest backs in the sport.  If Kevin actually believes he can beat Coleman, he needs to look at some back comparisons.  Coleman is flawless from behind, and probably has the best overall package from the back that’s ever been seen in bodybuilding.  Kevin, wake up and smell the shit you’re shoveling pal, you’ll never beat Ronnie.  I have to give Kevin credit, he’s a great bodybuilder.  And maybe the interview that appeared in Flex was edited to make it more controversial than it actually was.  But if Kevin actually does believe he beat Ronnie, he’s fucking insane.  It’s comments like those made by Kevin, if he actually made them, and others by guys like Flex that are bad for this sport because it makes people actually believe that bodybuilding is all about politics.  It’s kind of hard to get excited about competing if you can be made to believe that you’ve got to suck dick or kiss ass to win a show.

NEXT ISSUE WE’LL CONCLUDE OUR INTERVIEW WITH MR. X.  HE’LL DISCUSS WHAT TAKES PLACE IN PRE-CONTEST MODE AT THE TOP LEVEL AND OTHER INTERESTING TIDBITS.  STAY TUNED!

  BACK TO CURRENT ISSUE