WPM Bodybuilder of the Month (07/12) - Rusty JeffersRusty Jeffers, a resident of Cave Creek Arizona, has been training since he was 14. Growing up, he was influenced by the body building greats: Arnold, Franco and Zane. Also, Rusty has played guitar for almost as long as he has been training. We had the opportunity to interview a quiet yet passionate man. Enjoy the interview!
WP: Let’s begin with you telling us a little about yourself.
I’m a die hard bodybuilder, I’ve been training since I was 14, and I just LOVE lifting weights. Loved it since I first saw the greats! Arnold, Franco, Zane. On a more personal note, no pun intended, I have played guitar for almost as long, I also play the ukulele!!! I love to sing and take long walks…like really long walks. We do that almost every day. I have a golden retriever, Max, a Chihuahua, Biscuit, and a mini horse named Honey. And yes, I take her for these long walks! Strange I should have a mini or anything small, huh? You should see the looks I get when we walk down a well traveled road. I’m extremely laid back, rarely get even remotely angry, but I’m passionate about what I believe, what I love, and what I like to do.
WP: What was it that made you know without a doubt that you wanted to go into bodybuilding?
I liked sports like football and wrestling growing up, but I liked training FOR sports better than the actual sports. I would get into trouble for not going to wrestling practices or football training because they’d find me in the gym.
WP: How long have you been lifting?
33 YEARS!!!! I’d say that makes me somewhat of an expert!
WP: What competitions have you appeared in and what place did you win?
Wow, ya gotta long piece of paper? I’ve done just over 50 shows since I won the teenage Arizona, which I won 3 years straight. I’ve won everything local, regional and I turned Pro at the Nationals after placing 2nd at the USA the week prior. You can go onto my website, it’s a very long list and most of them are overall wins…till I turned Pro! LOL Then things definitely changed. There, everybody is really good.
WP: Do you have any advice to people that wish to build more mass and/or more cut?
Every person who takes on bodybuilding has their own dragon to slay. Some have trouble growing while others have trouble cutting it up. It’s very individual like a finger print. One size advice does NOT fit all…lots of personal trainers will give you a quick answer, which says they have no idea what they’re saying. It’s not that easy. That’s where my years in this business really becomes apparent. You have to get to know quite a bit about each person till you can start dishing out their personal advice. Know their nutritional likes/dislikes, allergies, food fetishes, yes there are folks with those, ability to cook or get the foods they NEED. There are so many people that have no idea what a calorie actually is. It’s a huge long learning process but all my clients are very well versed once all the problems are dispelled, I hear the same stuff all the time…”I eat well” or “I eat X amount of times a day” or “I eat 100 grams of protein a day” then I make them do a 1 week journal and go through all the calories and what each actually have and about 99 percent of them are shocked at what they actually are or are NOT eating. These are a huge majority of people who just are not reaching their goals and would swear they are stuck or cannot make their goals. When they are on the right track nutritionally and the right track in their training, they just soar. It is rare I have a competitor place. I think I’ve had 3 placers in the past 3 years….they ALL win. I don’t’ accept less. If they’re not ready, I tell them. I need them HAVE a positive experience as much as they WANT it.
WP: What do you eat in a normal day?
2500 calories a day. 425-450 protein grams, Just over 100 gms of carbs 40 gms of fat when I’m dieting. It varies a good bit when I’m not. I REALLY love to eat. I’ve never been fat or overweight in my life, nor have I been thin. I love to train and eat well so it shows. This keeps my skin in great shape due to that it never has to shrink or grow which is why you see a lot of bodybuilders with stretch marks. Do it right, do it steady, get the physique you want.
WP: Do you allow yourself a cheat day?
Absolutely! I normally only have a fun meal once a week, but I really don’t eat a lot of sugary stuff, but I love to eat a big meat meal. I like ice cream and all that stuff, but if I want to cheat, I eat a big MEAL instead of sugar.
WP: What supplements do you take?
I like lots of different things. First and foremost I always cover the basics with a multi vitamin/mineral…always. John Scotts VM, Optimum Nutritions Stress Complex, Dymatize Iso100, Dymatize recoupe, lots of B complex or B12, always sucking down vitamin C because being in the gym and in close proximity to people all day, it keeps me healthy…I think!
WP: Could you tell me a story of how you have gotten where you are today?
There’s no story. Just consistency over a long period of time. I always have a physical goal on the horizon. I’ve started at the teen Arizona and competed at the pro level till I turned into a masters competitor. That’s the story!
WP: Do you have anyone you can thank for helping you get where you are?
My wife, Francy. She’s been with me through thick and thin. She’s a great person. She pushes me when I need it, I can always count on her for honesty and judgment when I’m dieting. Surprisingly, that is hard to come by when you’re really dieting because no one will tell you what is and what isn’t.
WP: Where do you want to be in 5 years?
5 years older!
WP: You look great! How do you keep the physique you have? What is the hardest thing for you to face when it comes to keeping your physique.
Nothing is hard, I enjoy it. I enjoy training and eating right.
WP: Tell me about your future projects. Have any in sight?
I’m working on a training DVD of my favorite routines, which I have several. All for different phases of training. People like to read magazines but most of them are really for the photo shoot, not for what you REALLY do. I’ve seen my photos attached to workouts that I’ve never done or would never have combined those exercises. Except for the ones in MuscleMag. They followed us around and shot around what we were doing. They said it was the best shoot they’d ever done. Totally unrehearsed and unedited. They ran it over a period of 5 magazines consecutively. They loved it. I did that with my friend Lee Priest. My arms grew quite a bit when I trained with him!!
WP: Are you married, dating, or do you have kids?
Married with a teenage daughter who works out with us, and yes, she keeps up!
WP: Who had the most impact on you growing up?
The late great pro bodybuilder Mr. Universe Carlos Rodriguez and Mr. America Mr. Universe Marlon Darton. I followed them around and copied everything they did and they gave me a ton of information and their time. I never forgot it and I train several teenagers and I try to do the same for them. I emulated what they did which is a great way to start. Most people muddle along for several years. I copied the best and it worked.
WP: What is your work-out regimen?
I have a 5 day split, 1st day is legs, 2nd day is Arms, 3rd day is Chest, 4th day is back, 5th day is Shoulders. Abs and calves alternating every other day and Glutes and Hams on chest day but I do those at a different time. I will train twice that day. Easy to do when you work in a gym!
WP: Have you played in sports before?
Football and wrestling in high school
WP: Anything you would like to see change in the bodybuilding world?
Less emphasis on glute striations, it seems that there is a lot of guys that don’t have very good physiques that do well in the sport because of the glute striation thing…It’s kind of one of those “flavor of the year” items right now, the next few years it will be something else,,I remember when only the most hardest competitor would win and have a lousy physique. I like the idea of a more complete physique, with emphasis on development rather than just on sharpness…the overall package should be what is judged. The bodybuilding world has gone astray from what it was originally.
WP: Any shout outs?
To all my friends at Freedom Fitness in Cave Creek, Arizona
WP: What is the funniest story that has happened to you during competitions or while working out?
How much time do you have? Any workout that involves Lee Priest is gonna be funny, we filmed a lot of great stuff that is all over YouTube, like a guy training with us doing legs and throwing up all over, that was pretty d**n funny…
WP: What is your greatest achievement in bodybuilding?
Absolutely, positively, turning Pro. Extremely emotional time…so many years in the making!
WP: How can someone reach you if they wish to? Myspace, websites, email address: (GIVE THE ACTUAL URLS)
www.rustyjeffers.net is my site that is up now…I just finally got
www.rustyjeffers.com which I’ve not made a site yet, but it took 10 years to actually GET that.
WP: What is the proudest moment of your life?
Getting married to my best friend, Francy!
WP: What are your interests outside of bodybuilding?
Playing guitar…etc already answered that one
WP: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Taller would be nice!
WP: Is there anything else you would like to add? Now is the time!
Yes…all competitive bodybuilders out there…there are more poses than mandatories for your routines!!!! I could never put that out there more earnestly.
WP: You have been a pleasure to interview! Thank you for your time and good luck in your future bodybuilding endeavors!
Location:
Cave Creek, Arizona
