WNBF Pro Jon Harris Talks With Simplyshredded.com

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

My elder brother bought a home gym set when I was about 11 or 12. I started playing around with the weights and liked the challenge of lifting heavy and seeing my physique respond. At the age of 16 I joined a commercial gym, and it was then that others saw that I had pretty good genetics for the sport, so I entered my first contest at 17 and got hooked.

What is your training like?

My best routine would be 3 on 1 off. Day 1 would be back and chest, day 2 legs, and day 3 arms and shoulders. I blast through workouts quickly using alternates, that is, performing 1 set on 1 bodypart, followed by another set on another bodypart, before repeating. It reduces rest times and speeds up the workout. I usually perform 2 or 3 exercises per bodypart, and use 2 work sets to failure for each exercise, using a varied rep range of 8-15.
Here is an example programme:
DAY 1 (Chest / Back)
Lat pulldowns / Flat DB presses
Bent over rows / Incline DB presses
DB shrugs / Dips with weight / EZ bar pullovers
DAY 2 (Legs)
Workout A
*Squats
Leg extensions / Seated hamstring curls
Standing calf raises / Hanging leg raises
Workout B (rotated with workout A)
Leg presses / Toe presses
*Stiff leg deadlifts
Standing calf raises / Hanging leg raises
*Straight sets without alternates are performed here, as more rest is required.
DAY 3 (Arms / Shoulders)
Seated DB press / Seated DB curls
DB side laterals / Hammer curls
Bent over DB laterals / Tricep pushdowns
Concentration curls / Lying EZ bar extensions
DAY 4 (rest)

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

Plenty of low intensity cardio does the trick for me. Usually a brisk walk outdoors twice daily, for about 30-45 minutes. I become more active generally, and often walk instead of using the car for short journeys.

Jon Harris Gallery

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What is your Diet like?

It’s fairly clean year round. I don’t bulk and I very rarely drink, and stay within 10-15 pounds of contest condition in the offseason. I consume about 6 or 7 small meals a day, using a calorie ratio of about 50:30:20 for carbs, protein and fats. My metabolism is good so I can get away with eating quite a lot of food for my size. That’s around 4000 calories a day offseason and 3000-3500 when dieting.

What is your supplementation like?

Fairly basic, really. I use a good quality whey protein supplement, multivitamins and minerals, creatine and EFA’s. Pre-contest I might add in some glutamine and the occasional fat burner.

Plans for the future?

Just to stay healthy and enjoy training for what it is. I have no immediate plans to compete, and am happy with what I’ve achieved in the sport. I might consider writing another book on bodybuilding, since it’s been a while since I released ‘Pro Natural’ and I do have some new ideas to share. I might even produce another training DVD, and it’d also give me a good focus to get back in top shape.