Interview with Randy Stamper
Bodybuilder of the Month - July 2010
Interviewed by: Carrie Ann
Throughout Randy Stamper's life, he has always been an athletic person. From the age of 5 until he graduated high school, he played baseball, as well as football, in my later school years. While playing the more mainstream sports that kids get into, he started racing BMX at the age of 15 until he was about 20 years old. At which point, he just lost interest in the sport because of pressure from sponsors to keep doing well. At 20 years old, having that kind of pressure is the last thing he wanted to deal with.
Shortly after he stopped racing BMX, he met his beautiful fiancée, Nicole. They have been together for 7 years now, and have a beautiful 4 year old daughter named Emma. When Nicole was pregnant with Emma is when Randy decided to start working out. He hadn’t done anything really in a few years and he knew he didn’t want to be an out of shape young father.
He started working out just for general fitness, and with his friend, Drew Smith, they had the wild idea to do a bodybuilding contest. The first show he competed in was the Northern Kentucky in 2007; where he placed 4th in Novice Heavyweight. From that point on, he was totally hooked on this sport. He competed in 2 more shows in 2007 as a light heavy, where he placed as well as 2nd in his last show of that year.
In 2008, he competed only once, where again, he placed 2nd in the light-heavy class. In 2009, he felt he was ready to step up to the plate and tackle a big show. He entered the Arnold Amateur where he placed in the top 15 in the heavy-weight class out of 30 competitors.
Later in 2009, he did the Mr. Ohio where he placed a very close 2nd place in the heavy weight class. His trainer, Mike Davies, and he decided that he should take off a year. He is now coming back to competed in the Mr. Ohio again in 2010. This contest is all he had focused on since he stepped off stage in September 2009. Will he be able to pull this off?
"...I’ve never just tried to maintain my physique. I have always tried to keep making gains and keep pushing my body. While it’s not possible for the body to keep making linear progress, I have always tried to keep making my overall physique better as a whole."
(WP): What has been your stepping stone to get where you are today?
I would like to be able to tell everyone that I have a secret formula to success, but the truth is that I don’t. I feel that the greatest key to making the progress that I have made is consistency. From the day I said I was going to do a bodybuilding contest I have lived that lifestyle 24/7. The human body will not keep changing, or growing, without a consistent schedule to keep pushing it along. I always think that if at any point I slack on my diet or training, that will give my competition a chance to catch up, and that’s just something I cannot accept. When I step on stage, I want to know in my mind that if I get beat it will not be because someone worked harder than me.
(WP): What has it been like to maintain your physique? Have you done anything different lately?
To be honest, I’ve never just tried to maintain my physique. I have always tried to keep making gains and keep pushing my body. While it’s not possible for the body to keep making linear progress, I have always tried to keep making my overall physique better as a whole. I do, however, feel that my trainer and I have found something that really works for me. This off-season, I have eaten considerably more red meat than I had in past years, as well as adjusted my training to a more high intensity style system. With those components changed, I was able to reach a weight of 277 lbs. at 11% body fat. This year I am hoping to compete at around 230 lbs, which will be a gain of about 16 lbs since September 2009.
(WP): Where do you reside now?
I live in Dayton, Ohio with my fiancée Nicole and our daughter Emma Claire. I've lived in Ohio my entire life, but grew up in a small town in southwest Ohio called New Lebanon.
(WP): Tell me about your family. You mentioned a child and a fiancée.
I have a very small tight family. Really, in terms of close family, I have my mother and my sister. My father passed away about 6 years ago from a heart attack. I really wish he could have had the chance to meet my daughter and be here for me throughout my bodybuilding career.
On a happier, lighter note, I am happily engaged to Nicole and we have a gorgeous 4 year old daughter named Emma. Nicole and I have been together for 7 years, and she is really my rock when it comes to getting ready for shows. She has been with me since the very first contest, and I really owe so much to her for sticking beside me and pushing me through the hard weeks of dieting.
(WP): What was the hardest thing for you to overcome when you first started?
I would have to say that the hardest thing for me to overcome when I first started competing was the fact that I have a huge sweet tooth. I love cookies and ice cream. I always tell people that I have a little fat kid that lives inside me and he and I are always in a battle of wills. It’s not so hard anymore, but whenever I have a cheat meal, or finish a contest, I always fall back on my sweets. Dieting and training aren't the hard things for me; I actually like the challenge. What is tough is overcoming normal urges to eat bad food.
(WP): What was the hardest thing you had to deal with when it came to your diet?
For the first couple years, I was kind of on my own when it came to my diet and stuff. That was hard because if you ask anyone for advice they will all give you different answers. You wrestle a lot with what is the right way to diet, should I eat this, is this too many carbs, when should I cut my water, and all of the other madness that goes with a contest diet.
(WP): What are the key factors that dictate the way you train today?
I would have to say that there are a couple factors that weigh very heavily on my training. My first issue that I seem to be having all the time now is my schedule. I’m very busy trying to juggle time between work, family, down time, and training. I’ve moved my training split around and finally feel I have something that will work out well. The second factor that plays into my training is how my body feels. I will never force myself to go to the gym and train. I think that if the body is tired or even if I’m tired mentally then I need to take a break. I don’t think that I can give the effort needed in the gym when I’m already tired, or mentally wore down.
(WP): How has your training changed over the years?
My training has really only taken one big change in the 3 years I have been training. Early on, I always trained with a more high volume style of training. In the beginning it seemed to be working fine for me, but I later realized that because I had never really trained before at all that any weight training was going to give me some changes. Before I decided to give my training an overhaul my off-season weight had never been over 240 lbs. After my last contest in September ’09, I decided it was time to do something different and see what would happen. I began training with a low volume high intensity program. This consisted of me doing only 1 working set for each exercise I did. I modeled my training of my bodybuilding idol Dorian Yates. This time when it was time to begin dieting for the 2010 Mr. Ohio my bodyweight was at an all time high of 277 lbs. I really feel now that I have found what works for my body, and hopefully I can keep making the great progress I have been.
(WP): Where do you see your career and life in 10 years from now?
It’s hard to say where I see my career 10 years from now. In terms of my life though, I would love to have another child and enjoying life with my family. I try not to put a lot of pressure of myself in terms of where I want to be in bodybuilding. From the time I started in this sport I always said that I would take things a year at a time. As long as I getting better and being more competitive each year then I will continue to keep competing. If the times comes that I am not progressing, or that I’m not as competitive then I will stop competing. Any competitor will tell you how demanding this sport is, and to keep putting my body and mind through that even though I’m not getting better is just unnecessary torture.
(WP): Are you doing any modeling? If so, please tell me about it.
I have only done one modeling shoot in the past. It had a shoot with Rick Lohre, who is a great photographer out of Southern Ohio. I was very nervous going into it because I had never done anything like that before. In the end it was a great experience, and I was able to show a different look/side of myself. Most photos I have are of me from competitions or progress pictures while I’m prepping for a contest. It was good to do something different. I hope that I’m able to do some more shoots in the near future.
(WP): What are your pet peeves?
To be honest, I really try to stay pretty calm and collected about things. For the most part, I really try not to let things bother me too much. I will say, however, that if there is one thing that peeves me more then all others it is some peoples lack of common sense on the road. For example, when people drive considerably slower than the speed limit, and they are busy with things other than driving. These things really bother me more now in life because of my daughter, when she is with me I’m even more cautious than usual when I drive. I would say 9 times out of 10 it’s other drivers that make the road dangerous, because I can be as safe as possible but if others aren’t then I’m still at risk.
(WP): What do you consider to be important in life, and why?
I consider everything in my life important. I have been blessed with many things, and learned many tough lessons in my life. I try to look at everything as a blessing, even though those blessings may be in disguise sometimes. The truly great things in my life though are my beautiful daughter, Nicole, my mother, my sister; and all of Nicole’s family. They have all been with me since I had the crazy idea to do a bodybuilding contest, and without them I couldn’t/wouldn’t be where I am today.
(WP): How have you changed over the past few years when it comes to thinking, actions, and life in general?
I would say that I have matured a lot over the past 3-4 years. Obviously, becoming a father has made me look at life much differently. I’m no longer just living for myself and my own well being, but I’m living for my daughter and her success in life. Things that held merit early in my life have taken a back seat to my daughter, as they should. I also feel that bodybuilding has helped me become a better person as well. What I mean by that is that bodybuilding has taught me discipline above all else, and has also taught me time management. If you were to ask any competitor with a family what the hardest thing to deal with when prepping for a show is, I can almost promise you that he/she will always say that finding time for family and all the training needed is a struggle. I would like to think that all the trials and tribulations in my life have lead me to this point and made me the person I am today. I can firmly say that I am proud of who I am.
(WP): What are your stats such as height, weight, biceps, and waist?
I’m 5 feet 10 inches tall, which sadly is tall for bodybuilding. My anticipated contest weight this year is 230 lbs, my off-season weight got as high as 277 lbs. I have never measured body parts. I feel like the numbers don’t play any role in what I look like on stage. I just strive to keep my physique balanced and symmetrical while adding muscle every year.
(WP): Any shout outs?
I would like to thank my family for all the support they have given me over these past 3 years, Nicole for always sticking by my side, my beautiful daughter because I want her to be proud of daddy, my friend that I started bodybuilding with Drew Smith, RD Caldwell for being my cardio buddy every morning, Kelly for pushing me through leg day, Brett and Dean Hines, Seth Feroce for showing me that a young dad can make good in this sport, Dave Parker, you; Carrie Ann, for getting me this interview, and anyone else that I forgot I’m sorry. I love and cherish all of you.
(WP): Thanks for the shout out, Randy. Give me an example of your workout.
My training split as of 12 weeks out from the Ohio is this Monday- AM- Cardio/PM - Shoulders
Tuesday- AM- Cardio/PM - Arms
Wednesday- AM- Off/PM - Chest
Thursday-AM- Cardio/PM - Back
Friday-AM- Cardio/PM - Off
Saturday-AM- Off/PM - Legs
Sunday- AM - Cardio/PM - Off
(WP): Give me an example of your diet. What do you normally eat each day?
My trainer Mike Davies, changes my diet ever 4 weeks to prevent my body from growing accustom to any certain foods or dieting phases. For now, though my diet consists of 7 meals, which breaks down like this (please note- I eat a lot of green beans because they are about the only veggie I can stand, Ha-ha!)
Meal 1
2 cups egg whites
3oz chicken
1 cup oats
Meal 2
12 oz. Cod
2 cups green beans
Meal 3
9 oz tuna
2 cups asparagus
Meal 4
12 oz. Cod
2 cups green beans
Meal 5
12 oz. Chicken
2 cups green beans
TRAIN
Meal 6
9 oz tuna
6 rice cakes (3 of which have honey on them)
Meal 7
2 cups egg whites
1 cup spinach
(WP): Could you tell me about your future projects?
As of now, I’m really just focused on this contest and making sure that I bring the best package I can to the stage. After that, I’m going to take a little rest and spend some time with the family, and then get back into the gym. If all goes well you’ll see me on the national level stage in 2011.
(WP): It has been a pleasure interviewing you! I wish you all the best of luck!
Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
