How did you get started with bodybuilding?
I started weight training at age 15. My uncles did some recreational lifting and I noticed them make some good gains rather quickly. Being a short kid, I think subliminally the idea of making up for my height with muscle may have had some sort of influence as well. I competed for the first time at age 20.
Where does your motivation come from?
That’s a great question. I think I’m a bit of a “control freak” and having the ability to change my body through diet and exercise gives me some sort of strange exhilaration. Competitively, I get motivated by my last showing and try to get better at every outing. The motivation is definitely internal. Having my own supplement company also motivates me to some extent.
I like being one of the few CEOs who actually trains the same way as his customers.
What workout routine has worked best for you?
I’ve tried many different routines from German Volume Training to DC Training and they all work for a period of time. Whether it be just switching up the exercises, rep range or tempo, I think mixing things up once things start getting stale is always a good idea. I have a very good routine posted on my blog (www.advancedgenetics.ca/blog) called THE Workout which I think will work well for the majority of people.
If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?
Boy, only three? With my hands tied like that, I’d have to pick the squat, the incline Smith, and close-grip rows. Squats work the lower body really well and have been shown to contribute to overall muscle gains. Incline Smiths hit the chest, shoulders and triceps. You can really load the weight on with the safety of the machine. Close grip pulley rows work the lats and biceps. That pretty much hits every body part except for calves.
What is your diet like?
My diet is pretty much the same all year round. I measure and weigh everything. If I don’t, I get sloppy really quickly, either eating too much or too little. When it’s contest prep time, I follow the Contest Body diet which is a ketogenic diet. For me, nothing works as efficiently as this type of diet for stripping fat. The trick is knowing how to do it right. In the off-season I add carbohydrates to my pre and post-workout meals.
Other than that it’s exactly the same. I may have two cheat meals in the off-season instead of just one.
They say that the pre and post-workout meals are the most vital meals for the day, what do yours consist of?
Pre-workout off-season (about an hour before the gym) I usually eat 7 oz of chicken breast, 1/3 – 1/2 cup of raw nuts (I like cashews), and 1 1/2 cups of white rice. About 30 minutes after training I drink a shake consisting of 50 grams of whey isolate and 70 grams of waxy maize. During contest dieting I just eat whatever meal is next on the daily agenda. I take GP3 30 minutes before and immediately after training both off-season and pre-contest.
When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?
I do low intensity long duration cardio. I feel this is the best type of cardio for maintaining muscle mass while dieting.
HITT may be more efficient time-wise, but I certainly don’t want to risk losing muscle when getting ready to hit the stage.
What is your supplementation like?
Supplements have always played an important role in my passion for bodybuilding and are the reason I started Advanced Genetics. I’ve got almost 20 years in the industry and have worked with some of the biggest brands out there. Bodybuilding supplements don’t need to be complicated and I designed some pretty cool formulas to cover all the bases: GP3 (creatine, glutamine and BCAAs), ALPHA (testosterone, growth hormone and anti-aromatase), DRIVE (off-season for energy), and F-10 (fat loss and energy during contest prep). For health, I take a multi-vitamin mineral, greens, a joint product, Omega 3 fish oils, Evening Primrose oil, calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin D.
Favorite Bodybuilders?
There are a lot of great competitive bodybuilders these days and I like the direction bodybuilding seems to be going – back to a well-balanced physique rather than just globs of muscle. I have to admit that I don’t follow pro bodybuilding that closely. I really like taking in amateur contest when I’m able to and have the utmost respect for all of these guys, amateur and pro, and what they’re able to achieve. I also have much respect for bodybuilders who never get on a stage at all. The lifestyle is what makes us all “connected” on some level.
Favorite Quote?
I don’t have a favorite quote, but I do live by the mantra that everything happens for a reason and everything unfolds the way that it should. Maybe it’s a dumb-downed version of Taoism, I’m not sure. But it certainly helps me keep my head about me when things seem unmanageable.
Bodyspace: www.bodyspace.com/chrisjohnsonAG
Website: www.advancedgenetics.ca
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