Introduction
Gerald Williams is an up and coming star in bodybuilding. Gerald is the
Teen National Bodybuilding champion, and has aspirations of turning pro
in a few short years. Interestingly enough, Gerald is a long time member
on the ABCbodybuilding forums, and credits his success to this site.
We had the pleasure of meeting Bonnie Stuckenschmidt at the San Jose
Bodybuilding show, where she won the overall Figure Masters over 35
title, placed first in Figure B Class, and won the overall Figure
competition.
These two athletes were generous enough to allow us to interview them.
Enjoy!
Gabriel
Wilson:
Gerald and Bonnie, can you please share your ABCbodybuilding testimony?
Gerald Williams:
I learned
a lot from the message boards. Every time I posted people responded. And
it gave me a foundation. It gave me a lot areas to look at such as
exercise and nutrition and answered all of my questions. It really gave
me a place to start until I actually had someone to ask questions to in
person.
Honestly, if I had not come across ABC, I don’t even think I would be
doing this. It led me into the whole bodybuilding world. It helped me
make the transition from sports such as football to bodybuilding. I
found that site in the summer, between my sophomore and junior year of
high school, and I did not even finish my football season. It became too
hard to train, go to practice and school, so I got into bodybuilding
full time.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
I went to your site, and I really liked how you showed the amateur
pictures, because as an amateur, it’s really nice to see the commonality
in terms of competition. The pros are motivating, but they are pretty
much higher than the sky, so it was nice to see that. And I also liked
the presence of your site.
Gabriel
Wilson:
Why did you start bodybuilding? And who or what motivated you to start
bodybuilding?
Gerald Williams:
It was not
really a who. I really just wanted to look like a super hero, and this
is my opportunity to look like a super hero. After I did my first show,
I knew I really wanted to be a bodybuilder. There is no one particular
person I want to look like because everyone is different. I may have a
similar frame to someone, but there are no duplicates.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
I am 35, and when I
was in my 20’s, I always wanted to be a bodybuilder. But I was not
really together enough mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, to follow
through with the sport. 2 years ago I got to a level of fitness where I
could not get any farther. But then, somehow I came across a flyer to a
bodybuilding show and I went, and I saw a woman on stage, and I said to
myself, “that is what I want to look like, why can’t I get there?” Then,
I started doing the research, did my first show, and I got hooked. I
like the very athletic feminine look—I have always admired that. I have
a background in gymnastics but I never knew that it is not just training
but diet and rest, and mental and spiritual components all put together
to do this sport. And when you do this, and put all your effort out, you
know that you have surpassed anything you have ever done before, and it
is the most amazing thing. I want to go as far as I can, that is my
goal.
Gabriel
Wilson:
What advice would you give to young bodybuilders about competing?
Gerald Williams:
The best advice I could give to someone my age or younger is to find
someone you trust to work with. That makes all the difference. It helps
to have that person you can call in 2 in the morning and ask why do I
look like this, why am I flat, all these kind of things.
In terms of training, don’t train to heavy and injure yourself. For
example, don’t watch Ronnie Coleman and then try to dead lift 800
pounds. Find your own limits, and work within your own boundaries.
Because bodybuilding is not about how strong you are. No one cares how
strong you are when you step on stage, all that matters, is how you
look.
I would also definitely say read as much as possible. You can never
learn too much about this sport.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
There is a wealth of
information available out there, particularly on ABCbodybuilding.com. So
I would advise utilizing what is available for this sport. A lot of
people go in, and say they want to become a pro, and they have never
even gone to a show. They do not recognize that there is a lot more to
it. Like what Gerald said, it is not about how much you can lift, it is
really about whether you want to have this kind of lifestyle, because
that is what it is, a lifestyle change. So do your homework.
And also, for me, I started out just emailing the pros, I starting
emailing Jenny Lyn, and asking questions. I asked several of them, and
they were totally willing to help. In my shows I have made a huge effort
to talk to people, and have developed a huge support network of women
and men. There are times where you are just wondering what you are
doing. You are tired, sad and hurting, and you can’t make a decision.
But you have already made this commitment to follow through, and you
need support to make it through.
Gabriel
Wilson:
What are your aspirations and goals in bodybuilding?
Gerald Williams:
I
definitely want to turn pro by the time I am 24, and I want to be done
with competition by the time I am 35. That will give me 10-11 years as a
pro. 25 was my original goal for turning pro, but I realized it could
happen a lot sooner than that. But 10 years as a pro would be great. And
then just move on to other aspects of life. I would like to do the Night
of Champions. A lot of people don’t realize this, but many pros make
their money at the the European tours, so I want to do those as well.
When I step out of bodybuilding, I want people to know my name, and have
a marketable name so I can still make money when I step off stage.
In the short term, I am going to take this next year off to improve my
body. Then do the Contra Costa in 2007, the Cal in 2007, and the USA’s
and Nationals in 2008. And if I don’t turn pro in 2008, hopefully I can
do it in 2009.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
My current short term
goal is to spend the next 9-12 months to train hard, and then do a
National show. My qualification stands for 2 years to attempt to become
pro, and I am going to try. I would definitely like to turn pro. As a
woman starting in this sport a little later, I placed average last year
because I was new. But I spent the off-season training right, and sought
out people who knew what to do, and it made a huge difference in my body
this year. People saw me last year, and it was almost like I had a
completely different body this year. And that really motivated me. That
was the factor that got me a lot of points, the judges noticed the
difference.
I would also like to help and motivate other women.
Gabriel
Wilson:
Bonnie, how do they judge the figure competition?
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
That question came up
today with a group of girls I met with. And I think figure bodybuilding
is still trying to find its path. They want to distinguish it from
bodybuilding, but at the same time, they don’t want it to be a beauty
pageant. They want muscle, but they also want symmetry, and a fuller
feminine type body. They are looking for an hour glass body. They want
real developed legs, but also to have the proportion and symmetry,
having the tiny waste and well proportioned hips.
I have seen girls that diet for 4 weeks, and then get out there, and
they may have the muscle, but they don’t have the elasticity in their
skin or the texture. And then there are girls, who go to the other
extreme, and they get to such low body fat, and they have these
striations and are shredded. But those striations are in their face as
well, and that is what the judges see. And it does not help their score.
They are looking for a combination between a hard and a soft look.
Gabriel
Wilson:
What is your opinion on the current state of professional bodybuilding.
Gerald Williams:
I see the
shape changing. A lot of guys are doing the opposite of what I have been
advised to do. I am being told to go slow, don’t overdue it, because you
need your body afterwards. But a lot of guys are trying to catch Ronnie
and Jay, and their bodies are not functioning right. I think Lee Haney
was the last really symmetrical Olympia winner. Dorian was just big. But
I think bodybuilding is going back to a more symmetrical look, with guys
like Melvin Anthony and Dexter leading the way. More of a stream line
physic which is good.
Bodybuilding is also trying to become more main-stream which is great
for us, because it will give us more opportunities to make money.
Bodybuilding is one of those sports where you don’t get a 50 million
dolor contract. We are working all the time. You got to football
practice you’re done, you got to a game, you’re done. But we are on our
job 24 7. We get ready for a show for 20 weeks, were on everyday. And it
is a lot more expensive than it is to play ball somewhere.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
Figure bodybuilding
is opening the door for women to enter the sport. The reality is that at
some point, women have to look real freaky, and that is really
unrealistic for most women, unless they are willing to do some very hard
things to their body. And most women are not willing to go to that
extreme. So I think figure bodybuilding is opening the door. It is
bringing in money for the sport, and opening the door for people that
were not even interested. It is also giving women the opportunity who
really enjoy bodybuilding, but know they could not get to that level
unless they were compromising their health.
I think that Jenny Lyn and Monica Brant show that you can be muscular
and still very feminine without compromising your health.
Gabriel
Wilson:
What do you think of the low prize money for bodybuilders?
Gerald Williams:
If people
realized how much it really costs to get ready for a show. You got to
look at it as an amateur; they don’t even make money for winning shows.
However the prize money is not really where bodybuilders make money. We
make money from advertisements, photo shoots, and publicity. Our body is
really our best asset.
As far as prize money for shows, we only have two shows where you make
any money—the Olympia and the Arnold Classic. So you can’t look at prize
money as the only way to make a profit in bodybuilding. It is not
feasible, because there are too many people.
Bodybuilding is one of those things where if you don’t like it, don’t do
it. Because you are not going to get a lot of fame or gratitude, and
innless win, everyone is like who cares.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
If I decided to do
this sport for the prize money only, I would be very disappointed. There
are many sports where the compensation for the sport is low. For me, it
is more about being able to set an example. It is a shame that the prize
money is so low, but I do it for the love of the sport.
Gabriel
Wilson:
After all the competition dieting what food if any in particular do you
most go after once the competition is over.
Gerald Williams:
Oatmeal
cookies, white chocolate raisin cookies, and French fries.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
Chocolate. And
burritos to. I also crave diet cook. Because you drink so much water,
then you go without water. I want something that is fizzy and different
than water. I ate a box of cookies for breakfast after the show.
Gabriel
Wilson:
What is your diet like the first few weeks before a show?
Gerald Williams:
3 fille of
sole fish, a bunch of lettuce, and about 2 protein scoopers of picante
sauce. That is what I ate an entire week before the show. About 12 oz’s
of fish.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
My calories drop to
around 1200-1400 calories right before the show. And the ratio of carbs
go down in proportion to protein. The week before, I start by pulling
out carbs 10-7 days before the show, and then 4-5 days before the
competition, it is mostly boiled chicken and asparagus.
Gabriel
Wilson:
What supplements do you currently take?
Gerald Williams:
Right now
I am on a steady diet of cookies haha. I take glutamine, creatine, whey,
multivitamins, and that is about it. About 14 pills a day total.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
Multivitamin, vitamin C, glucosamine, glutamine obviously, micro
filtered whey so it is very pure, and efa’s. I eat a lot of halibut and
white fish, too.
Gabriel
Wilson:
Are there ever days you come home from a workout and just ask yourself,
"What in the world am I doing this for?" If so, how do you deal with
that?
Gerald Williams:
I am a
constant pessimist. I never think I am good enough. Everyone is like you
have this and that, but I am thinking, my arms are small, my shoulder
suck. But I don’t think I have ever had a day where I asked myself why I
am doing this. If it gets to that point, then maybe I should not be
doing this.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
I feel that way if I
have a really bad workout. The way I deal with it is, I email about 8
female competitors, and confide in them. I also call my trainer and he
will give me advice such as to take a day off.
Gabriel
Wilson: In
your opinion what would you consider to be the biggest misconception the
general public has towards bodybuilding?
Gerald Williams:
I have a
bunch of misconceptions. The first question out of anyone’s mouth is,
“how much do you bench?” I don’t know it has nothing to do with how
strong I am.
Another one is there is a huge misconception between eating, sleeping,
and resting. People ask, how many hours do you spend in the gym? I say,
one, if I can get out of there in less time, I’ll do it.
People also don’t realize that you are on 24 7, there is no break,
really. A lot of my friends are like “let’s go out and party” but I go
to sleep at around 12:00 and they just don’t understand.
People don’t understand the correlation between nutrition, cardio,
training and sleeping. Consistency is the key. You can’t do this for a
week and expect something to happen.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
People don’t recognize that in order to grow muscle, you have to eat
food. They think I am starving myself. Or, they don’t understand the
relationship between food and muscle growth. That is something I am
continually telling the people I am working with. A lot of people think
I am always on a low carb diet, but that is not true. I eat a gram of
carbs per pound of body weight in the off-season, and then cut it down
¾. And that is around 130 carbs, which is not a lot, but it is my diet.
Gabriel
Wilson:
How much cardio do you do pre-contest?
Gerald Williams:
I prepare
for my contest for 20 weeks usually. I start out by doing an hour, and
then up it to 2 hours of cardio a day (an hour early, and an hour at
night), 7 days a week up until about 6 weeks out, then it turns into
about 1.5 hours, and then about a week out, about
1:10. I do the Stairmaster often, that is why I think my glutes
and hamstrings have exploded. I do the Stairmaster Monday, Wednesdays,
and Friday, the Treadmill Sunday and Tuesday at a 7 incline, and the
other days are the bike.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
I do about an hour a
day. Then I see where I am at 4-6 weeks out, and up it to double day
cardio, and do an hour early and an hour at night. And I sometimes give
myself one day a week where I do 3 hours of cardio. I use the
Stairmaster often.
Gabriel Wilson:
What other passions do you have besides bodybuilding?
Gerald Williams:
I play
music; I am actually the base player at my college. I am a working on a
major in psychology, so I am passionate about that. I really like my
dog, he is a German Shepard.
Bodybuilding is my hobby, and it’s great. But it is one of those things,
where you may not be able to make a living in, so I try to keep my
options open.
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
I really don’t have any other sport passion. But I am very passionate
about my cats, and love animals. I have two cats.
And believe it or not, I am very passionate about my work. I bring the
same passion to my job as I do to the gym.
I also have a passion for meditation, which helps my sport a lot. I
always recommend these types of activities to people, so that they can
do activities outside of the gym that help them feel at peace.
Gabriel
Wilson:
What does your training split look like right now?
Gerald Williams:
It will
probably change in a few weeks, but as of right now:
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: 30 minutes of cardio
Thursday: Hamstrings and calves in the morning, quads and calves at
night
Friday: Shoulders
Saturday: Arms
Sunday: Cardio
Bonnie
Stuckenschmidt:
Right now I am
working on designing a split for my next competition, but a split I did
recently consisted of training each body part twice a week. I would
train shoulders, chest, abs, then Back bis, and tris, then I had 2 days
of legs, spread out during the week. I was typically still fatigued
during my second leg workout. Also, I did not perform cardio the day
prior to legs.
Gabriel
Wilson:
Thank you very much for the interviews Gerald and Bonnie.
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