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How did you get started with bodybuilding?

I grew up in Huntingdon Valley, PA, a small town near Philadelphia. Throughout my childhood I was extremely active in sports including soccer, swimming, and baseball. In high school, I earned 11 varsity letters in these sports and was an all-regional athlete. I was recruited by a number of smaller, Division-1AA colleges but always lacked the size to earn a scholarship at a Division-1 school. When I graduated high school, I was 135 pounds soaking wet! Deciding to pursue academics over athletics in college, I chose to attend Penn State University’s Scheyer Honors Program. I graduated as valedictorian with degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Economics. Although I was extremely focused on academics, there was something missing. I missed the training involved with athletics so as a freshman one of my roommates introduced me to the weight room. I was instantly hooked. Although I lived on cold cereal, by the time I graduated I had a well-built, 175-pound frame and had learned a lot about proper training. After I graduated, my Biochemistry background allowed me to perform my own research and investigation into proper nutrition and supplementation, which really helped me make gains. In 2002, a year after I graduated, I was encouraged by a bodybuilder at my gym to compete. I won the overall novice division at my first show and was instantly hooked once again.

What is your diet like?

Although I occasionally enjoy a “cheat meal” in the off-season (I love my sushi!), I never stray from my diet when preparing for a show and always eat extremely “clean” year round. It is important to stay lean in the off-season so that when it is time to diet down, the journey is much easier. However, in order to make muscle and strength gains, I think it is important to not worry too much about putting on a little extra weight in the off-season. Personally, I have found that staying within 5lbs to 10lbs of contest weight does not really allow for the muscle growth I am looking for in the off-season. I feel that I am the strongest and that I create a very anabolic environment when I am closer to 20-30 lbs over my contest weight. Just as I diet down slowly (no more than 1.5 pounds per week) over the course of 20+ weeks in order to retain as much muscle as possible, during the offseason, I also strategically gain weight slowly to minimize fat gains.

OffSeason:

Although 20-30 pounds of extra weight sounds like a lot, I always make sure that it is quality lean mass and that my cardio health and body fat stay low (i.e. full set of visible abs). During the offseason I generally eat a 40:40:20 diet where 40% of my calories come from carbs, 40% come from protein, and 20% come from fat. These percentages vary slightly depending on the bodypart(s) that I am training on a particular day. I try to consume more carbs on back and leg days and fewer carbs on the smaller bodypart days. My calories generally range anywhere from 3200-4200 calories each day, also depending on my activity level. On cardio only days, I am usually closer to the lower end of this range. I generally eat above maintenance calories for a couple weeks at a time, with the goal of gaining 1-2 pounds. I then will back off the calories slightly for a week to help keep the bodyfat at a minimum. This allows me to constantly gain lean mass over an extended period of time.
Pre Contest:
When I enter precontest mode at 20+ weeks out I usually begin a stricter carb cycling approach. I have found this allows for the continual loss of bodyfat during the course of a long diet and at the same time keeps the metabolism high. As mentioned above, I consistently adjust my caloric intake and carbohydrate levels so that I lose no more than 1.5 pounds a week. Whether I’m offseason or dieting for a competition, the backbone of my diet consists of lean turkey, beef, chicken, brown rice, sweet potatoes, old fashion oats, asparagus, broccoli, mixed vegetables, fish oil, natural peanut butter, Core PWO, Core MRP, and a number of different protein blends.

Where does your motivation come from?

To be honest, I’m not really sure. I just am a extremely type AAA person and a perfectionist (almost to a fault).  Not matter what I do, I always try to do the absolute best with what God has given me and will push as hard as I can until I get there. I was a skinny kid and have always been extremely competitive so when I started lifting weights it was natural for me to want to push myself to my limits.

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

I personally like low intensity steady state walking on an incline first thing in the morning after a scoop of whey and some Core ABC.  I generally don’t do much HIIT but it is very effective for many people. I save my intensity for the weights!

What is your supplementation like?

I am a big believer in high quality supplements and truly believe that a well designed supplement program can make an impact on ones physique (diet is most important though). In addition to your general multi-vitamins, fish oil, Vit C, glucosamine and chondroitin, and protein blends, I rely on Core ABC (megadosed), Core MRP, Core PWO, Core ZAP (preworkout). I also love USP Labs products and have had great success stacking Prime, Powerfull, SuperCissus, Recreate, and AP/Pslin (CEO Stack).

Plans for the future?

I don’t have any immediate plans for the future. You can say I’m retired (so was Bret Favre lol). Right now I am focusing on a number of business opportunities (with my wife Stephanie Miller – www.stephmillerpro.com) including opening a training studio in Arlington, VA (sometime in March it should be open) and expanding Core Nutritionals (along with working a full time job). I also need some time off from competing because it is a very self centered and consuming sport and I want to have more time for my friends and family right now.

Favourite Quote?

There is no offseason!

Bodyspace: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/dam225/

Website: www.corenutritionals.com + www.dougmillerpro.com

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