Interview with Dr. Tim Baghurst

I recently sat down with fellow OSU professor Dr. Tim Baghurst to do an interview for his GOAT Sports Performance website.  We talked about a lot of good stuff, including using failure as motivation, the importance of visualization, and my take on what champions do - and don't do - during their journey. There is also some footage from my most recent contest prep in 2015.

Interview with GOAT Sports (16 min)

The video is relatively short (16 mins) and is transcribed, which makes it easier to watch.  Thanks Tim for a great interview!

WNBF Athlete Profile

A big thanks to the WNBF for interviewing me as part of the competitor profiles on their site.  I have competed with the WNBF since 2006, and still view the WNBF Worlds Overall title as the absolute pinnacle of natural bodybuilding.  The profile gets into influential people throughout my career, and I also provide some advice for up-and-coming bodybuilders.  You can check out the profile here:  Brian Whitacre WNBF Pro Bodybuilder

Interview with PRYMD Radio

I had the opportunity to do a really cool interview with Dr. Joos Meyer and the guys at PRYMD Radio late last year.  These guys are focused on every aspect of optimizing human performance, and have had a multitude of amazing people on their show (including neuroscientists, muay thai champions, and cognitive experts).  It was a great discussion, and we delved into some of the techniques I use in both everyday life and in bodybuilding - such as habits, planning, and visualization.  Check it out here:  http://www.prymd.com/blog/episode-9-brains-brawn-excelling-bodybuilding-academia-brian-whitacre/

http://www.prymd.com/blog/episode-9-brains-brawn-excelling-bodybuilding-academia-brian-whitacre/

Autographed 8x10s Available

I now have autographed 8x10s available for purchase.  I am not making any profit on the $5 price; it only covers the cost of materials & shipping.  I am proud of what I have achieved in natural bodybuilding, and I hope to give back to the community by helping to inspire the next generation!  I want to personalize each autograph, so please let me know your physique goal when you fill out the PayPal form.  

http://www.brianwhitacre.net/autographed-pic 

Recent Appearances

I had the chance to present at a couple of great natural bodybuilding events over the past several weeks.

The first was at Layne Norton's VIP Camp, where my talk was on the Lessons Learned during my journey as a natural bodybuilder.  It included a discussion of why failure is crucial to progressing (both in life and in bodybuilding).  It also focused heavily on 4 things I think Champions DO during the journey, and 2 that they DON'T.  It got a lot of good feedback from the attendees...thanks Layne for having me out!  I love this camp because it features people in academia doing actual work relevant to bodybuilders...and oh yeah I got to hang out with World Champion powerlifters as well.

The second was John Gorman and Cliff Wilson's Physique Summit.  My talk there was on "Physiological Changes During Natural Bodybuilding Contest Preparation" and walked through the things I look for as I diet down into contest shape.  It was an awesome environment, with over 150 attendees learning from some of the best in the business.  Thanks guys for an amazing event!

 

Upcoming Appearances

Here is a list of some bodybuilding-related events that I will be participating in over the next few months:

1) Mar 4 - 6:  Arnold Classic, Columbus, Ohio.  I will be at the Core Nutritionals booth.  

2) Apr 30:  OCB Cowboy Classic, Stillwater, OK.  I will be serving as head judge for this competition - now a WNBF pro qualifier!  My good friend (and fellow Yorton Cup Champion) Valentine Ezugha will be judging as well.  You can find out more information here 

3) Aug 4-7:  Layne Norton's VIP Camp, Tampa, FL.  Always an incredible time with some of the most amazing minds in natural bodybuilding!  The science-based lectures are phenomenal.

4) Aug 12-13:   The Physique Summit, Springfield, MO.  Put on by John Gorman and Cliff Wilson, 2 of the top natural bodybuilding coaches in the world.  "Where Scientific Research Meets Real Life Application."  

Post-competition Interviews

I have had the chance to do several interviews with people from the natural bodybuilding community after my overall wins at both the IFPA Yorton Cup and WNBF Worlds.  I talk about various aspects of my prep (including almost giving up after developing serious osteoarthritis in my right knee).  I also delve into how I managed to mesh this prep with other aspects of my life - including helping to raise twin 1-year olds and a 4 year old - while maintaining my productivity as a professor.  Thanks to Jeff Nippard, John Bosse, Anthony Monetti, and Anthony Bevilacqua!

Interview with Jeff Nippard & Robin Gallant:  61 minutes

Interview with Inside Natural Bodybuilding (John Bosse):  51 minutes

Interview with Anthony Monetti (WNBF Pro and yes, the guy from MTV!):  45 minutes


Interview with New York Muscle Radio (Anthony Bevilacqua):  40 minutes via Skype so you can see my awesome office at OSU!

FINALLY

2015 was without question my best year in natural bodybuilding. I returned to the stage, competing in arguably the two best federations in natural bodybuilding (the IFPA and WNBF), and was able to capture World Overall titles in both organizations. I became the first person to win both World Pro Overall titles in natural BBing history. I will have a lot more to say about this contest season when I finally find time to update my website (a full-on revision is in the works), but for now THANK YOU to all my supporters. This has been nearly a decade in the making for me, with a lot of setbacks and disappointments along the way.

Below you can find a video of the Yorton Cup Overall, where I defeated the Heavyweight champ Shevon Cunningham (avenging my 2013 1-point loss at WNBF Worlds). I was proud that I was able to obtain 5 of the 7 judge's votes in this decision.

Here is also a video of the WNBF Worlds Overall, where I defeated the Middleweight champ Cleveland Thomas and Heavyweight champ Shevon Cunningham. Cleveland was the 2014 WNBF Overall Pro Champ and Shevon was the 2013 WNBF Overall Pro Champ, so to be able to claim a decision over two great champions made the win that much better. Again, I was able to garner 5 of the 7 votes (with Cleveland and Shevon each getting a vote).

Squat / Deadlift Highlights

After recovering from a groin strain in 2014, I had some success building back some strength in both my squat and deadlift. Below you can find a video of some off-season testing right around the time I began my prep for the 2015 contest season.

Not Squatting or Deadlifting Stinks

My offseason training was progressing nicely under the supervision of Dr. Zourdos, as I was working up to doubles in the mid-500 range for conventional deadlifts (I haven't pulled sumo since the contest with Layne - see post below) and finally getting some good reps with over 4 plates for squats. Unfortunately, however, something felt "off" during a squat rep about a month ago and although I trained around it for a while, I ended up pulling my groin fairly extensively during a heavy deadlift attempt several weeks ago. At that point I promised myself I wouldn't squat or deadlift again until everything was completely healed.

Training without heavy squats or deadlifts stinks.

I have been doing my best to do a "traditional" bodybuilding routine since then, but it's simply not as enjoyable.

2014 Update

This update is long overdue. Since competing at Worlds in November 2013, my focus has primarily been on family and work.  About 10 weeks prior to the show, Jill and I found out that she was pregnant once again – with twins this time!  Our excitement was soon tempered when we found out that the twins shared an amniotic sac – a condition known as a mono-mono pregnancy (this occurs in about 1 out of every 30,000 pregnancies).  Umbilical cord entanglement was likely, and mortality rates were scarily high (most recent research put them between 20-50%).  Jill was required to stay under constant monitoring at a tertiary hospital for the last 10 weeks of the pregnancy, literally only getting out of bed for 15 minutes a day.   This was a very trying time for our family, but we received constant support from our families, co-workers, and friends (including the natural bodybuilding community).

We were blessed to welcome Remy and Paige Whitacre into the world on March 14.  After a relatively short 9-day stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unity, they came home and joined our family. Aside from some minor sleep deprivation, we are all doing great!  The twins are growing nicely and Sidney is enjoying being a big sister.

On the bodybuilding front, OSU was proud to welcome my friend Dr. Layne Norton to campus in April for a series of seminars and some friendly competition.  Layne spoke on a variety of topics, including “Fitness Facts and Fallacies” and “Optimal Training Routines.”  The two of us also competed in a 3x bodyweight deadlift contest, which was watched by over 150 people at the OSU gym:

Layne ended up pulling 651 lbs for 7 reps weighing 217 lbs, which was pretty amazing to watch.  I managed 533 for 8 reps at 177.  It was a great time and definitely one of the highlights of my lifting “career.”

I knew even before the 2013 Worlds that I would not be competing in 2014.  With the additions to our family and everything that we had been through, going through the rigors of a contest prep was simply not very high on my priority list.  I am enjoying my training (and the amount of food I get to eat!) with the goal of returning to the stage in 2015 or 2016.  I am still working with Dr. Mike Zourdos on my training split, and though I am currently training around a couple of injuries I am happy with how the off-season is progressing.  My training partner Jason Vlastaras just won his IFPA pro card, and given the new “opening up” of the WNBF we hope to compete together at a few shows over the next couple of years.

2013 WNBF Worlds Write-up

I had a chance to complete my write up of the 2013 WNBF Worlds - it is posted in the Gallery.

5th time - Not a Charm!

The WNBF Worlds was held on November 9, 2013 at Worcester State University. I walked away from the contest with my 5th LW World title, but lost a very close (1 point) decision to the MW winner, Shevon Cunningham for the overall title. A total of 33 pro men showed up to vie for the World title, and the lightweight class was probably the most competitive of all. Each of the top 5 in the LW class had either won a pro show or won their class at a pro show, something no other class could claim. I managed to get unanimous first-place votes in the class for the second straight year, which to me was very impressive since two very good WNBF pro show winners (Levi Burge and Francisco Montealegre) were standing right beside me during most of prejudging. Shevon, the overall winner, was fantastic – dense muscle all over, with a great structure – and in the best shape I’ve ever seen him in. It was a hard fought battle during the overall, but he managed to beat me when I felt I was at my best and get 4 votes to my 3. Congrats Shevon!

Again I was very pleased with the improvements I made to my physique over the past year. A big thanks to Mike Zourdos, whose programming helped me to keep more muscle than I’ve ever had onstage. I will try to get a full write-up on the event soon.

Here is a picture of the 4 class winners battling it out in the overall:

Abraham Tchabe (HW), Shevon Cunningham (MW and Overall), Brian Whitacre (LW), Mark Oakes (BW)

Also a shot from  my routine during the night show:

And a pretty good video of most of the overall mandatories and posedown:

Layne Norton's VIP Camp Part II: Another Incredible Event!

I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in Layne Norton's VIP Camp in late June this year. Last year's camp was amazing, and introduced me to some of the best scientists in the U.S. in the field of hypertrophy and bodybuilding nutrition. This year's camp promised to be even better, with the addition of Dr. Joe Klemczewski and perhaps the most decorated natural bodybuilder in history, Philip Ricardo Jr.

The campers (which included people from all over the globe - and quite a few from Australia) and pros all met up in Tampa on a Thursday evening. It was great to see so many familiar faces from the natural bodybuilding world, and Layne and his wife Isabel once again did an outstanding job planning out all the events and making sure everything ran smoothly. This was no small feat considering that Isabel was about 8 months pregnant! After a group dinner on Thursday night, it was time to get down to business on Friday. I was partnered with some intense Australians who both set PRs as we squatted and deadlifted, and I was happy with a 425 x 5 squat on my last set that day.

Friday afternoon was spent on campus at the University of Tampa in Dr. Jake Wilson's lab, taking quad measurements and listening to awesome lectures about the latest news in the world of bodybuilding science. I was particularly impressed with Dr. Wilson's recent research on the benefits of band / chain training as well as incorporating a varied version of "extreme stretching" into your training routine. I will be thinking quite a bit more about the best way to include these in my current split. The campers were also lucky to hear more about Daily Undulating Periodization from Ben Esgro, recent studies into the benefits of a ketogenic diet from Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, and an awesome look into the mindset of one of the most promising young bodybuilders out there, Ryan Doris. Of course Dr. Joe's famous lecture on "Perfect Peaking" went over well, and my own lecture on "A Visual Progression of Dieting" walked the campers through the changes in my physique as I diet down into contest shape.

Again, the science and analytical way of thinking about bodybuilding is what sets this camp apart from all others like it. Layne is to be commended for recognizing the demand for this type of event.

Saturday and Sunday were also filled with some incredible lifts (including Layne's 675 x 3 sumo deadlift!) and great Q&A sessions as the campers picked the brains of people like Layne, Dr. Joe, Dr. Wilson, Philip Ricardo Jr. Dave Goodin, and Alberto Nunez.

I chose to save my deadlift session for Sunday when I was able to accomplish perhaps my most impressive lifts to date...

Here is a video of my 605 x 5 sumo deadlift:

And another of my 635 x 2: 

I am amazed to say this but I think I had a little more in me! That kind of atmosphere is just awesome, everyone was cheering each PR attempt and the intensity / comradarie was inspiring to say the least. Here is a nice compilation video of some of the other lifts from the camp, and another one featuring the amazing Philip Ricardo Jr. interviewing me about the camp.

Great job Layne and Isabel! Thanks to everyone who participated. I am already looking forward to coming back next year!!

Kurt Weidner article: Slow and Steady Progress

My good friend Kurt Weidner authored the article below and posted it to his site. I thought it was outstanding, and offers some insight into the mindset of a natural bodybuilder as his career evolves.

Plus, the link between economics and bodybuilding is fantastic! I've always thought it was interesting that Doug Miller, Kurt Weidner, and myself hold economics degrees...now if I could just deadlift 500 x 20 like those guys.

- Me and Kurt backstage at the 2012 WNBF Worlds

When I was in my twenties, progress in terms of muscular development and strength was easy to come by. For instance, I would have periods where I was able to set PRs every single week in the gym. There were several factors that contributed to this. First, as a young amateur competitor, there was plenty of room for improvement. Second, my body’s recovery capability at that point in my life was exceptional. Lastly, I had not yet sustained as much long term wear and tear on my tendons and joints, so nothing was ever interfering with my ability to train with maximum intensity. In other words, it was easier to enable muscle growth regardless of what approach I took, as long as I maximized my input.

At 37 years old, having trained for over 20 years, improvements to my physique come at a much steeper price. I once taught Economics and I can therefore parallel this idea to the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns. This law states that with other inputs fixed in the short run, as you increase the variable input, total output will increase, but at a decreasing rate (this is typically used to analyze the effects on output of an increase in labor in the short run while capital remains fixed). This can otherwise be termed as declining marginal productivity. This is similar to what I have experienced over the course of my bodybuilding career. As I have continued to allocate more resources towards the relentless pursuit of excellence in improving my physique, greater and greater inputs have yielded smaller results over my sixteen year bodybuilding career.

There are, however, two things to realize here. First off, even though progress increases at a decreasing rate over time, it still continues to increase as long as you’re keeping up with input. Second, the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns is specific to the short run where other inputs such as capital are fixed. In Economics, this can be offset by changes in physical and intellectual capital, technology, etc. in the long run, which enables greater output with the same level of input. This means periodic enhancements of the capital infrastructure can reset the equation.

So how does this translate to bodybuilding and making progress with one’s physique? In the long run with training, more inputs become variable as well (rather than fixed). These include: access to new information, implementation of new training and nutritional methodologies, use of new equipment and implementation of new exercises or new approaches to the same exercises. Just as companies must adapt in order to increase the production possibilities frontier, we as physique athletes must adapt our approaches to continue pushing the limits of our genetic potential.

There are two important points to recognize here: First, long run total output is the product of consistent input over a long period of time. Second, one must recognize when short run output potential has been maximized (marginal cost = marginal benefit) and be open-minded enough to adapt and manipulate other variables (implementation of new methodologies, exercises, etc). The bottom line is that while effort is important, it is not enough to make you a successful competitor in the second and third decade of your career. It’s not always about training harder…sometimes you need to train smarter. Applying ridiculous levels of effort with the same old methods will not only stop yielding positive results, but can actually detract from total output (consistent with the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns, which states that at a point increasing input in the short term will yield negative returns). It’s easy to make progress in the early years of your career. Continuing to make gains in the later years, when you’re approaching your theoretical genetic potential, requires periodic innovation. When you look at the upper echelon of competitive natural bodybuilding, the margins that decipher between the top pros get smaller and smaller. The great ones are those who find a way to continue to improve!