Give us some background information on yourself and your bodybuilding career thus far.
I was born in 1971 on the 4th of June. The first time I ever won an overall title was in 1996 at a Free State show where I competed as a lightweight. At that time there was only one federation to compete in – the IFBB. 1997 was the first year where you had teams going to Worlds, consisting of the IFBB Federation and the WPF Federation. In that year I competed in the WPF SA’s in Durban where I placed 3rd in my category. I went on to compete in the WPF Universe held in Italy where I placed 3rd. In 1999 I won the WPF Free State SA’s as well as the overall title. I was selected for the team to represent South Africa where I placed 6th in Germany. I decided to compete in the NABBA Federation in 2000 where I went on to compete at the NABBA World’s held in South Port, England. I placed 7th, in the short men’s category known as Class 4. I think 2002 as well as 2003 were probably my most successful years in bodybuilding, the reason for this being that in 2002 I was in peak condition. As for 2003, I won the WPF overall title where I beat Herman Du Plessis who had beaten “The Mean Machine”, Shameen Adams, and gone on to win the IFBB overall title. To win this overall title meant a lot to me. I was hospitalised in 2004 with a hernia which left me a little down. I believed at the time that this could affect my bodybuilding career. I competed again in 2005 at the Boksburg Bodybuilding Championships where I won my category but came 2nd in the overall line-up to John Leslie. In 2006 I was hospitalised once again with another hernia. This time, however it had pushed through my chest cavity leaving me to believe that my bodybuilding career was over. During this time I lost a lot of muscle but it was in 2007 that I realised that this was my passion as well as my career. I managed to get back onto my feet and compete in the WPF SA’s where I won my category. From there I went onto compete in the WPF Universe that was held in South Africa and I also won my category. In 2009 I decided to compete in the IFBB circuit where I went onto win my category at the Central Gauteng Provincials as well as my category at SA’s. I also recently managed to place 3rd in my division at the recent IFBB World Championships – an achievement I am incredibly proud of.
Where did it all start for you?
When I was in primary school I was a very good sprinter but as I grew older I found that being short was to my disadvantage. As I moved into high school I started playing rugby. I did very well but I never made the A Team and always found myself playing in the B Team. It was around this time that I realised I needed to find a sport where competing against myself would determine how far I could go. I then began weight training and after a while the proverbial bodybuilding bug bit me – and it bit hard. I became a “Gym Rat” as some people would say, and I started to really enjoy weight training. When I finished high school I started working for Telkom as a technician, and shortly thereafter, married my beautiful wife, to whom I am still married. People began approaching me at the gym to ask if I took part in competitions. I loved weight training and I knew it was going to be a part of my life forever, so I entered my first competition in 1992 as a novice under 75kgs and I won!
How do you make a living?
I own two health and supplement stores called Extreme Bodies. One has been open for about three years now and the second for about a year. I am also co-owner of Quest Studios – a Personal Training Gym that focusses on functional group training. Our aim is to help our members achieve their athletic goals. However, I spend less time at the studio - preferring to focus more on the supplement stores.
What are your thoughts on our sport here in South Africa at present?
I think Bodybuilding in South Africa is definitely on the right path. Whilst competing over the years I have seen many athletes come and go. One thing I have noticed over the last few years, however, is that so many of the same faces keep re-appearing. The standard of athlete today is amazing and I also believe that through Muscle Evolution so many of these up-and-coming athletes are receiving so much more exposure. This will only further our sport in South Africa. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Muscle Evolution for its dedication and help towards the athletes. I think a perfect example of such a successful athlete would have to be Marius Dohne – who has just received his pro card. I’d like to congratulate him on achieving this and I’d like to see him paving the way for the rest of us to follow as bodybuilders. With so many federations in this sport, there are bound to be politics but I don’t believe in talking about negative aspects in a sport that I love so much. I see Bodybuilding in this country going from strength to strength in the near future.
Tell us a bit about your goals?
I think every bodybuilder’s first goal is to become a pro – and it’s definitely mine. As a bodybuilder, I would also like to consider myself a role model to others and I do currently mentor to new, up and coming athletes. If I can educate athletes in this sport and assist them to further their own careers, then I would be satisfied. I believe that experienced athletes in this industry should give back to this sport - allowing others to carry on the legacy.
In your many years of experience, what would you say makes a complete bodybuilder?
First things first, you need to educate yourself to further your career within this sport. You need to learn how your body responds to nutrition, supplementation and training and then use that information to better your physique. When you stand on stage with your new and improved physique you should literally blow the audience and the judges away. There’s a reason why there are only a handful of great bodybuilders in this country, and that reason is time and effort. There is no quick fix to bodybuilding which is why it has taken me over 17 year to get where I am today. Genetics is not what makes a good bodybuilder, it only assists in the process. Consistency and dedication are the keys to a successful bodybuilding career. Time and patience is what separates good bodybuilders from bad. In saying that, you also need to stay true to yourself in order to be better than the rest.
Tell us a bit about your style of training.
I won’t say that these days I have a specific way of training because I believe that heavy weights create maximum muscle growth. I also prefer to keep my repetitions above six reps per set because I’m not a power lifter. When it comes to any principles of training, whether it be a drop set, a giant set or even a super set, I try to apply all the good training principles to my training regime. It is also important to keep changing your workouts in order to keep your body guessing - this is how you make your physique grow. If you struggle with certain body parts then you need to go back to the drawing board and rethink your training strategy. If, for example, heavy weights help your legs grow and not your arms then maybe lighter weights with more repetitions will work for you.
Do you believe in high calorie diets off-season to add as much muscle as possible?
Being in the public eye, I like to stay a bit leaner to be more socially acceptable. Having said that I have never been a firm believer in going completely “off-season” as this tends to be an excuse for bodybuilders to eat what they want. You can still pack in the calories, as long as they’re good calories, and put on the lean quality of muscle that all bodybuilders are looking for.
Are you a firm believer in having a cheat meal once a week when dieting for a show, and if so, what’s yours?
I do believe cheat meals are essential in a diet because there are going to be days in your training regime where you feel depleted and need that extra “pick me up”. I think, in moderation, this can be beneficial to your training. I tend to stick to a clean diet throughout the week but when it comes to the weekends I have one or two cheat meals. Then I eat anything I feel like whether it is pizza, burgers or even ice cream as long as I monitor it. I try to stick to having a cheat meal only on a Sunday as Monday is always one of the worst days for me with regards to training. A cheat meal also helps to keep you anabolic throughout the year if these meals are constant and kept in check.
Give us an idea of what was going through your mind before you flew out of Johannesburg to go and compete in the 2009 IFBB World Championships.
On Friday 30th October 2009 I left for Cape Town where I decided to stay with a friend while I waited to embark on my trip to World’s. The next morning I met up with Gavin and Bev Conlon, Paul Prins as well as Sydney Booysen at the Cape Town Airport. We departed from Cape Town and stopped over at O.R. Tambo to pick up Bill and Vicky Slater as well as Hennie Kotze. You could see that everyone was tired from dieting for so long and some of the guys were still on carb depletion which made matters even worse. Despite all of this we were very focused and excited because it was a privilege to compete for our country against the best in the world! As this was a very long flight (12 hours) I had a lot of time to think, of how fortunate I was to be on my way to the IFBB World Championships as well as the amazing year I had had thus far with regards to competing. At the end of a very successful year I am grateful to my Lord and Savior for the talents and opportunities he has given me, my wife Elna who has been there for me since the start of my bodybuilding career as well as my 2 greatest fans, my daughters Leandé and Zanli who had to sometimes take a backseat while dad was on diet.
Tell us a bit about the actual competition.
It was an experience that I will never forget. I am so glad that I decided to join the IFBB, as they are in a league of their own. I want to thank Gavin and Bev Conlon as well as Bill & Vicky for how very welcome and part of the team they all made me feel. We stayed in a 5 star hotel known as Al Raiel in Doha, Qatar. The food served to the athletes was superb as well as all the arrangements with regards to our trip. This is probably why I never made my weight at the first weigh-in. 81 countries attended the event with 219 athletes participating in the various weight divisions. The organising of the event was amazing and everything ran smoothly.
Tell us a bit about the standard of the athletes that you saw there.
As this was my first IFBB World’s, I could not compare to previous years but the standard for me was just incredible. Most of the athletes who competed are pro bodybuilders as well as amateurs. What I mean by this is that they’ve been offered pro cards but they’d rather compete as amateurs because they get paid well as an athlete competing in their own country!
Tell us a bit about your lineup.
The standard of athletes in my lineup was outstanding; the judges had a very difficult time judging us. They nearly killed us in the call outs. This was definitely the hardest that I have ever had to work in any pre-judging. I think I had 7 back to back call outs and this was no joke!
How was your conditioning leading up to prejudging?
As I’ve mentioned earlier, I didn’t make my weight at the first weigh-in and as so many times before I had to cover up and run in order to lose weight! With Bill Slater by my side for motivation I ran in the streets of Doha in temperatures that exceeded the 30 degree mark as well as suffering through the humidity which was excruciating. After 30 minutes I stepped on the scale for my final weigh-in and just made 79.8kg. I was very tired and I lost a lot of water. I think this was the reason for being at my very best this year and I honestly thought that I could not have improved on my conditioning.
Was there anything you decided to change or even add with regards to your pre-contest preparation?
I’d been dieting since May and the fact that IFBB World’s was 7 weeks after SA’s, I simply could not reduce any calories within my diet. With that said I decided to have higher carb days than normal as well as increase my cardio to maintain my condition. I had an early morning session of 45 minutes and another 40 minutes at around 22h00 at night. I also focused on specialisation training on my hamstrings and glutes as they are not my strongest body parts.
What were your thoughts when you were selected for the top 5 in your division?
My goal was to make the top 10, but after pre-judging I started to believe that top 6 was going to be possible - but didn’t want to get my hopes up too soon. Later that evening when the names were put up in the foyer, I was so proud to see my name amongst the top 6. This took a lot of pressure off me mentally but I knew that I still had some work to do because in the finals they can start judging from scratch.
Where did you place and how did you feel about the judge’s final decision?
I placed 3rd in the up to 80kg division and was very emotional when they presented the bronze medal to me. I felt that the judging was spot on and after looking at the photo’s I was very happy with my 3rd place result. I know exactly what I need to improve on to win this competition. I need to focus on increasing the size of my hamstrings as well as more thickness and detail in my back!
Coming back to South Africa, have you settled back into off-season training or are you taking a break to rest your body?
I have decided to take a short break of 2 weeks before I start planning my off-season diet and training schedule. After dieting and putting your body through such intense stress throughout the year, you need to give yourself a break but keeping in mind that the break you take is to rest as well as time to plan for the following year to come.
Are you competing this year? If so, which competitions?
This year I will be more selective when it comes to competitions. If I understand correctly, I don’t have to compete in the IFBB Provincials which means that I will only compete at SA’s as well as the World Championships. If the Muscle Evolution Grand Prix show falls in line with my preparation phase, I would definitely like to take part in that. From what I’ve seen, this is a very glamorous show with good prize money.
What are your goals for this year?
My first goal for this year is to set up the IFBB federation in the Free State and to start hosting IFBB shows in Bloemfontein. My biggest goal is to be awarded with a pro-card which will allow me to compete at the 202lb pro shows. My last goal is to win the gold medal at IFBB World Championships!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would like to thank my fellow team mates Hennie, Paul and Sydney for their support at the 2009 World Championships. It was a great experience and I feel privileged to have been able to share it with them. I would also like to thank you and Andrew at Muscle Evolution for all your support in this truly awesome magazine.
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