Ryan Nelson (Pro Teen Bodybuilder)
WPM's Bodybuilder of the Month - December 2011
Interviewed by: Mike Hall
19 year old Ryan Nelson recently competed in his first bodybuilding, The OCB Steel City Championships, in October. He swept the whole competition and took his IFPA Pro status. He won the following classes and awards:
-1st place Teen
-1st place Novice Tall
-1st place Novice Overall
-1st place Men's Open Bantam Weight
-Best poser
-1st place Men's Overall and IFPA Pro Card winner won his IFPA pro card.
Ryan started working out when he was in the sixth grade. Working out was his main focus throughout his middle school and high school years. It kept him out of trouble and taught him the importance of hard work and discipline. He now applies these principles in other areas of his life such as school. He is now currently a sophomore in college and studying to become a doctor.
His goals also speak hard work and determination. A few of his current goals include competing in his first pro show within the next two years and to get accepted into medical school.
We are proud to introduce to you to our December Bodybuilder of the Month, Ryan Nelson.
"...Simple, what you put into it is what you are going to get out of it. If you work your butt off in the gym every day, follow your diet exactly for the whole duration of your contest prep and you practice posing constantly, you are going to win."
WP: Let’s begin with you telling our viewers about yourself.
My name is Ryan Nelson. I just turned 20 at the beginning of this month and I am from Belle Vernon, Pa. I started working out when I was in the fourth grade doing basic exercises like pushups, sit ups, and pull ups. At this young age I followed a very strict workout routine and was very serious about what I was doing despite being so young. Then, during the Christmas of my first year in middle school, 6th grade, I received my first weight set. Receiving this present was a great moment for me because I was now able to incorporate a wide array of exercises into my routine instead of just the basic bodyweight exercises that I was doing.
My middle school years are also when I stumbled upon bodybuiling.com. I wanted to learn as much as I could about working out at this point so I started visiting the website daily and reading as many articles as I could. I learned how important nutrition was through my readings and began following a mass gain diet that really helped me increase my results. This is also the time when I discovered the sport of bodybuilding and I knew as soon as I saw the pictures of the bodybuilders, that this was a sport for me. I then joined a local gym during my freshman year in high school and I guess you could say this is when the bodybuilding bug bit me as I spent much of my high school years inside this gym doing what I love the most, lifting weights!
Today, I am a personal trainer at this same very gym. I am also a full-time student at California University of Pennsylvania where I am a pre-medicine major. The fact that I love helping others and how much the human body amazes me is what inspired me to want to become a doctor. Finally, I am proud to say that I am an IFPA pro bodybuilder as of September 17th.
WP: What was it like stepping into your first competition and winning your pro status?
It was easily the greatest moment of my life. The sport of bodybuilding requires so much hard work and sacrifice and to finally be rewarded for all my efforts was amazing! I also was so obsessed with becoming a pro that it was all I thought about during my training and dieting leading up to my show so to finally see my vision become a reality almost felt unreal.
WP: Everyone fears the first time stepping on stage. What were your fears and how did you overcome them?
I had a few. My biggest fear was honestly not winning. I left no stone unturned during my contest prep and put in maximum effort in everything I did and I just kept hoping that it was not going to be a waste.
Another fear that developed in the last five weeks prior to my show was of me getting sick. I was in such a deprived state that I knew it was going be very easy for me to get sick and that's the last thing I wanted to happen right before my show and it is funny because two days after my show, I actually ended up getting strep throat so I consider myself very lucky.
I also feared that my posing was going be shaky when I was onstage. I practiced posing so much but did not know if it would be enough since I never competed before and it actually ended up being a strong point for me so I was very happy. I will say that I welcome all these fears because in the end they made me work harder.
WP: What did the judges say to you and were there any improvements you can make for your next competition?
I did not get to talk to them myself but my diet coach, Aj Hrible, did and he told me that they said I need to bring my traps and chest up which I agree. They also said my posing was very good and I had a lot of people backstage say that I have a great future in the sport.
WP: What advice would you give those that wish to follow in your footsteps?
Simple, what you put into it is what you are going to get out of it. If you work your butt off in the gym every day, follow your diet exactly for the whole duration of your contest prep and you practice posing constantly, you are going to win. On the other hand if you slack off in the gym and cheat on your diet you are not going to win. The person who works the hardest always comes out on top regardless of whether we are talking about bodybuilding or other areas of life.
WP: Spoken like a pro. What has been the hardest aspect for you during your journey?
Dieting. Ha-ha. I think it is for most people. It sucks to have to force yourself to eat pounds of food a day when you are in the off-season and it sucks to have to only eat 2,200 calories a day while working out every day during the final weeks of your prep but it is what has to be done and it makes you feel that much better in the end knowing that you were able to do this.
WP: Have you set your sights on which competition you will appear for the first time as a pro?
No. I do plan on doing one within the next two years though. I will say that I would like to do one in the early fall because then I would be dieting in the summer which is much more convenient for me as I am in school during the rest of the year. I am going to use the time now to put on some much needed size before I step onstage with the other pros.
WP: What are your hopes for in this industry?
I would love to see it go main stream as I am sure everyone else who is involved in the sport would too. I think bodybuilders are very badly stereotyped as being meatheads and drug abusers and that is one of the main reason why I think the sport has not gone mainstream which is obviously not true since many bodybuilders have college degrees and being that bodybuilding is basically a science itself.
Also, I just think that the sport and its athletes deserve so much more recognition for their hard work. I honestly do not know of any other sport that requires as much discipline and sacrifice as bodybuilding does. It is a 24/7, 365 days a year sport.
WP: What other sports or activities do you enjoy?
I used to play ice hockey in high school, but gave that up for bodybuilding. Currently, I like to hunt, fish, and kayak on occasion. I also love eating out and going to the movies!
WP: What has competitions taught you thus far?
That anything is possible if you work hard enough.
WP: What was the hardest thing you had to deal with when it came to your diet?
Low energy levels. I remember when I was about three weeks out from my show; I was changing my shoes in the gym parking lot and had to take a five minute break in between tying each shoe because I was so tired.
WP: How has your training changed over the years?
It has stayed pretty consistent for the most part up until now. The majority of the years prior to my show I followed the typical higher volume bodybuilding workout but since my show, I have been experimenting quite a bit. For the first 6 weeks after my show I tried Neil Hill's Y3T training program and just last week I switched to Layne Norton's Power/Hypertrophy workout.
WP: What supplements do you currently take?
Scivation Extend, EAS whey protein, Optimum Nutrition's Amino Energy, and GNC's Creatine 189.
WP: What are your pet peeves?
Ha-ha! I will keep it related to working out. I hate when people stand right in front of the dumbbell rack instead of taking a couple steps back so other people can get their dumbbells. Oh yea, and people who do not train legs!
WP: What do you consider to be important in life and why?
Friends and family, goals, and being financially well off are all important to me. Friends, I believe, can sometimes be more important than family as they sometimes know you better than your family. It is also good to have people like your friends that you can go out with and have a good time. Goals are very important to me as they always have and will be. I am always setting new goals and working towards something. I believe a life without goals is a waste. You are only here once so you might as well make it great. The last one might be considered shallow but with money you can do so much more, whether it is travel the world or just to have a sense of security.
WP: Any shout outs?
Yes, I would like to give a shout out to Aj Hrible who helped me with my diet and my best friend Cam Peer who has been my workout partner for the past few years.
WP: Give me an example of your workout.
Monday- Off
Tuesday- Power Upper Body
Wednesday- Power Lower Body
Thursday- Off
Friday- Chest, Biceps Hypertrophy
Saturday- Lower Body Hypertrophy
Sunday- Back, Shoulders, Triceps Hypertrophy
WP: Give me an example of your diet. What do you normally eat each day?
This off-season I am trying to stay leaner, so I am not eating nowhere near as much as I have in the past but my meals for this offseason are as follows:
Meal 1
Protein shake
1 large whole wheat pancake
2 slices whole wheat bread with 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter
2 whole eggs
8 oz orange juice
Meal 2
4 oz chicken breast
1/2 cup brown rice
1 orange
Meal 3
5 oz 93% lean beef
1 medium yam
1/2 cup green beans
Meal 4
4 oz chicken breast
3/4 cup brown rice
1/2 cup green beans
Intra-workout- Protein shake
Bannana
Post-workout
Protein shake
1.5 cups pasta
Meal 6
Tilapia
2 Tbsp natural peanut butter
Meal 7/midnight snack
Casein shake
WP: Could you tell me about your future projects?
I plan on competing in my first pro show within two years, getting accepted into medical school and moving south. I also have given some thought to starting my own online personal training business.
WP: Is there anything I have forgotten to mention that you would like to bring to light?
I wish everyone who is reading this the best of luck with their training and goals as well!
WP: It has been a pleasure interviewing you! I wish you all the best of luck!
Same here. Thanks for the opportunity.
