Tweetvery nice! thank you both for the interview!
glad to get to know you on a more personal level guns!
thanks for sharing!
o2
TweetHi everyone, my name is Little Tom and welcome to Fitness Geared interview number two. Anyone who has been around the boards for a while can spot that one or two guys on a forum that really have their act together. It’s not just one or two aspects of their game, it’s the whole package. From their diet to their training and most importantly their results, these Vets seem to have taken things to the next level. It’s rare when you find a person at this level is who is so willing to share what they have learned and do so in such a humble manner. This member is a huge asset to the board and has a wealth of knowledge he continues to pass on. It’s my pleasure to introduce guns01.
LT: guns, you have been with Fitness Geared for a while now and have recently been promoted to admin. First off congrats on the promotion. Tell us how you got involved with FG.
Guns: Let’s see, I started off as a member of es way way back before fuzo took over. Once he took over es he gave me the invite over to the other two boards. Steroid mass and es where my original stomping grounds and I was a vet there for years before getting onto the mod team. I then ventured my way over to here and have put in work since coming on board.
LT: You’re a pretty easy guy to get along with. What’s your relationship with FUZO and BABY like?
Guns: I would say we all have a pretty good working and personal relationship. It’s nice to work with a pair of owners that when i get fired up i can shoot them a message about why I am fired up and at whom. Then we can either come up with an agreement or disagreement on how to handle the situation. I have learned a bit from both on handling certain situations for sure. We can always bounce ideas back and forth off of one another and no one really gets upset if they don’t agree with the direction we go.
LT: As an admin, is it easy to put personal feelings on an issue aside and be diplomatic, or do you have moments where you would like to give an unfiltered maybe more colorful opinion?
Guns: I sometimes have to put myself in check because of my position but i think i do a pretty good job at remaining diplomatic 99% of the time. There are very few things in this world that will get me fired up faster than lying and being disrespectful. Those are the two things that can really get me to lose my temper. If I get overly fired up, I will just send over my concerns to baby1 and go from there. You will rarely see me call someone out off of impulse or out of anger.
LT: What’s life like away from the forum? Family, hobbies, we know you like to lift but tell us what a typical day looks like?
Guns: I am married with a pair of kids. I am retired now so a typical day for me is pretty boring for the most part. i eat train, maybe work with a few people and that's about it. i am home when the kids get home normally and i am up and have eaten when it is time for the them to get up. Other than training and working with people about the only other things we do at my house is hit the beach or pool and do a little shooting. My family thinks I am pretty boring but that's how I like to roll now a days.
LT: A lot of us live to lift and train. What in your daily life gives you motivation to do what you do and how do you focus that energy into lifting?
Guns: I have to do a back story on this one. For those that don’t know i was injured pretty significantly by a gunshot to my back a few years ago. It did a ton of damage to my nerves on the right side of my body. The first thing they told me was I would never lift again and that I would never be able to get on stage again. Wrong answer for this guy for sure. Now after seeing numerous nerve docs, orthos and everyone else under the sun, they have all told me that if i stop doing what i am doing I will have an entirely crippled and useless limb. My activity and bodybuilding is prolonging the process of keeping it functioning but eventually I won’t be able to use it at all. So I know that at any point my competitive and lifting career/hobby could end. Now I am trying to maximize as much as possible and be the best i can be before i reach that point.
LT: It’s pretty clear to see you love this way of life. The hard work, the dedication to your diet and training. Have you always had a passion for lifting?
Guns: Another cool story that got me into competing all the way back in high school. We all lifted for sports anyway but i was fortunate enough to have a history teacher and coach that owned a gym and where state champion bodybuilders. I linked up with him when i was a freshman and worked my butt off through high school to compete. i won my teenage class and thought i was going to die during the process but i was hooked. i have my training and nutrition logs going all the way back to that time frame if you can believe that. Looking back at the way they did things and what we do now, is night and day different and pretty much insane. It was and still is a huge learning experience. I saw that guy who is pretty freaking old now and showed him some stage pics of me over the years. When he told me i had far surpassed him and his expectations of what i could do, I was floored.
LT: I think it’s safe to say most of us that lift look up to others who do the same thing. Maybe it’s just because of their image or perhaps their knowledge of the sport. Who are some of the people that inspire and influence you?
Guns: I would say my first one would be an old 1stsgt of mine. He took me under his wing and taught me a ton about every aspect of the sport, even the drug side. Kind of funny since he was my boss. The teacher I spoke about in the earlier question. John meadows and Dave Tate. Only reason i say those two is both their knowledge passion and drive to succeed. Both of those guys where not built to do what they have done but they still busted their ass and achieved great success. Hell, john impressed me so much that i hired him to coach me.
LT: There comes a point in most of our lifting careers where we ask ourselves, “are we going to take this to the next level?” and with that question I am referring to steroids. When did you first realize that you were going to take that step and was it an easy decision?
Guns: I had already been competing for a bit and i had pretty much peaked out at around 230 off season weight. I was 25 years old and stuck and nothing was working to get everything back moving again. It was not a hard choice at all especially since half my company was already doing it for fun or whatever.
LT: What was your first cycle and how did it go?
Guns: well being deployed to all the lovely countries around the world and having easy access it was sust 250 right out of the pharm in Spain. I went with 250mg 2x per week for 12wks. i gained about 42lbs on that run and about 90% of it was water. Man, we sure didn’t know much of anything back in those days and the people in charge of us were either clueless or just didn’t care. I would say it went well but again it was a learning curve for sure.
LT: What advice would you give someone who has done their homework and is ready to run their first cycle?
Guns: Stick with the bare bones minimal to make gains. if you need to go up in time then do so when the gains stop. Diet is far more important than the compounds you choose at the end of the day and they will determine how successful your run is. I look back at the 500 I did and wonder what if I would have only went with 250? It may have cut the weight in half but it probably would have been drier and more productive. Once you jump up normally you can’t go back.
LT: AAS use has become a hot topic in the news and especially in sports. Is all this attention blown out of proportion of is there some reason for concern regarding AAS use?
Guns: No it is not imho. They put so much attention on it it drives more kids to use. Hell they probably wouldn’t even know about it if it wasn’t blown so out of proportion. We all know that no matter how much you take you still aren’t going be able to hit a 90mph fast ball or make an nfl team. It is just another example of stupid people and the stupid media.
LT: True of false, most professional athletes use some form of AAS.
Guns: True and the worst offenders being cyclists.
LT: Lots of old school guys refer to using AAS as “going to the dark side”. Is that a fair representation of AAS or do you think AAS is more main stream than people realize?
Guns: I wouldn’t call it so much the dark side anymore. If you look at the statistics far more normal everyday people are using than ever before. The beach bum and regular gym rats are the majority of users now a day. You can walk into any gym in the country and pick out a host of both males and females that are using.
LT: Now we know that with proper planning, bloodwork and common sense, cycling AAS can be done safely. That being said, would you let your son or daughter use AAS?
Guns: I am not a hypocrite at all. When my children are 18 what they do is their business. If it is brought to my attention then I will help with proper guidance if they want it. if not they are grown and it is their bodies. I don’t look down upon anyone for trying to make themselves better.
LT: So the next step after the training and the supplementation is competing. Most never make it to that level and if they do have no clue what it takes to be “stage ready”. What was your first competition like and what is it like now when you get ready to compete?
Guns: I won’t even say my first comp as much as my first few years of competing were absolutely miserable and horrible. I had a hell of a time getting in shape, I had piss poor guidance and I just basically sucked. I had the mindset of so many others that I could cut corners with drugs and cardio and not have my diet as tight as it should be. I was constantly losing to people that no way should have ever beaten me even at 90%. So I hung it up on doing stupid stuff at that point. I did some research on a few different methods of dieting, mixed and matched and came up with what i currently do. I don’t starve all the time anymore and it isn’t a completely miserable process. It must work pretty well because I have been nationally qualified for about the last 10 years. I actually can say that I now enjoy the entire process of getting ready now, minus not getting any sugar.
LT: What has been your best and worst experience competing?
Guns: My best experience to date was actually just under a year after being told I wouldn’t ever do it again. I actually took a 3d a 1st and an overall in that time frame and it was my best package I had brought at that point. My worst experience probably came a year after that one. I busted my nuts and was ready way ahead of sched. I didn’t want to change anything so I just pushed and ended up dropping close to another 20lbs of pretty much all muscle. i was peeled to the bone but very small and stringy for my frame. I ended up in a class of 20 people and placed 6th. I actually had judges and people from the crowd that I didn’t even know and apologize to me for the piss poor judging. That was a serious kick in the nuts. Well, all my clients won their classes so we still celebrated.
LT: It takes an enormous amount of will power to your body to the point you do. The pain, the stress. Tell us a little bit about your mindset while you’re training?
Guns: I tend to joke a bit between sets depending on who i am training with but I can switch it on and off when it's go time. My mindset is always I have to be better than yesterday and I can only control what I do. That’s what drives me to work harder because if I am better than yesterday then I am a head of myself.
LT: What advice do you have for someone who is thinking of getting on stage and what kinds of things should they be expecting.
Guns: First and foremost get a good coach. Next, be humble and always remember there is always going to be someone that is bigger and better than you are. If you follow your diet to the t, train as hard as you possibly can and don’t miss your cardio sessions then you will be the best you possible. That makes you a winner. If you deviate from any of the above that will always leave that question in the back of your mind, what if i wouldn’t have snuck that candy bar, what if i wouldn’t have cut back on cardio, what if I would have pushed those last 2 reps. I could have won that show.
LT: On top of all that you do you are a personal trainer. Tell us a little bit about how you began working with others.
Guns: I have always enjoyed teaching and helping others out. I guess it started with just random people coming up to ask me questions. Then it evolved into helping tweak people's posing and stuff. I figured out hey i am pretty good at this stuff and people are seeking me out. So I jumped on board doing it. Now keep in mind here I don’t just work with anyone. If I see potential in a person and i think they will follow direction I will bring them on board to work with me. It isn’t that I am a dick but that person is a product of you and if they don’t do what you tell them then they misrepresent you and what you are doing. Locally if someone is trying to come on board, I will take them through a leg and back workout. If they make it and come back then chances are they will be able to hang.
LT: How rewarding is it when you put time and effort into someone else and they begin to see the results they want.
Guns: I get more enjoyment out of other people's success than I do of my own. When people come to you and say I have never been able to get into that great of shape etc.... and you take them to a high placing or even an overall win on their first try or two, it is hugely rewarding. Winning yourself is great but helping others achieve success is far better. I was always taught if you can make someone better than you are then you are a master at your craft. That’s what I strive for.
LT: From what I know you work with people of all fitness levels. What are some of the basics that people should start with and some key pieces of advice for those looking to begin training?
Guns: Start at the table to begin with with a solid nutrition plan. That is foundation that everything else is built upon. Next would be get that first good 6 months of initial super growth in. 4 day split of upper 2x per week and lower 2x per week. Then we will progress to the next level with supps and other training setups. Nutrition will always be the foundation.
LT: We know you keep a detailed log that you have been maintaining for a while now. How important is it to record your progress?
Guns: Like I mentioned earlier, I have kept a log since high school. I don’t do it for others to see but i do put it out there here for you guys. My personal log is a bit more detailed but the one here is pretty good. It is essential to me to see what is and isn’t working and to make sure i am not stalling out. If I am getting sick or hurt at certain points I can go back and find what it may be coming from and adjust. If my numbers are going down I can also cut back and fix it. If you don’t keep an accurate account of what you are doing eating and feeling then you are basically just spinning your wheels to success. I always want to keep getting better so it is very important to me. The log was a huge asset when I started working with that 1stsgt. He went back a year and completely changed everything. I freaking blew up from it big time.
LT: Can you ever picture a day where you are not lifting or doing some kind of training?
Guns: Maybe me not doing it the same way I do now but I will always be doing something. I will continue to coach as long as people seek me out. Hell, I will be in a wheel chair if I stop doing what I somewhat do.
LT: Let’s switch the mood a bit. What’s on your playlist?
Guns: Oh man, I listen to everything from Hank Williams sr to hate breed. Don’t tell anyone but I even have a little old school rap on there as well. My daily gym go to would be hate breed kittie killswitch engage and staind.
LT: One food you cannot live without (can’t be tilapia)
Guns: Beef and it can be any kind even though I only get it once or twice a week now.
LT: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Guns: Still spending the majority of my time in my recliner tearing up fg.
LT: One movie you never get sick of watching.
Guns: Anchorman haha.
LT: BABY or FUZO…….
Guns: Can’t pick one or the other because they both bring different perspectives to the table. If it were to gripe and complain I would have go with baby1. She gets to hear me ***** probably more than anyone else does.
It was great to get to know a little bit more about you guns and I could have written about a hundred questions. It was great to get this opportunity and on behalf of everyone here, thanks for doing the interview. LT
"You don't know how strong you are until strong is your only option."
Tweetvery nice! thank you both for the interview!
glad to get to know you on a more personal level guns!
thanks for sharing!
o2
TweetI knew you were this awesome before even reading this. Thanks for sharing all your great info, and stories. Thanks for considering me your biatching buddy, lol. Us crabs stick together you know! We are very grateful for all you do here, and for being a great friend to us.
Much thanks again to LittleTom for taking the time to do this and bringing this great idea to out Fg family!
Veritas Vos Liberabit
TweetAwesome!
TweetThanks to you both.
TweetThat was a very good read thank you to both of you
TweetAwesome interview!! Such a great, humble guy and a wealth of knowledge. It's an honor to be on board with you here brotha.
Tweetgreat interview. one's boring life is interesting to another. otherwise i would have clicked off
TweetThanks for the kind reviews. I had the easy part and guns really put a lot into it. Excited to do another one and thanks again to guns for making me look good.
"You don't know how strong you are until strong is your only option."
TweetGood job Lt. Guns is a good dude, I've always liked the crap out of him.
Animal the manimal
Tweetlt did a great job on this and i am glad you guys liked it and got to know a little more about me in the process
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TweetHell yea that was a great read guys! Guns is no doubt one of the best on this site and always take time to read his replies.
Guns, how much do you charge for training?
TweetGuns is a celebrity! Haha
TweetExcellent interview!