Interview with Michael Parriski (AKA Iron Mike)
Featured MMA Fighter - July 2010
Interviewed by: Carrie Ann
Growing up, Mike was fairly nonathletic, excepting for fighting in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms - ultimate geekdom) until 1989, and he had an epiphany. "If I was a 'warrior' I should look like one! Behold! On June 26, 1989, at 5:30 am, I embarked on weightlifting and have never looked back.", says Mike.
Of course, he never tends to do things rationally and pushed his body to the limit. When he entered the gym for the first time, he weighed 150 lbs., benched 95 lbs., and squatted 135 lbs. Two years later, he weighed 210 lbs., benched 405, and squatted 600 lbs.; ALL naturally and with psychotic will. "I was a firm believer in Arnold's statement, "You have to will yourself to get bigger and stronger!"
In 1991, he decided powerlifting was the way to go, and began to embark on a powerlifting career that would span 11 years. During those years, he set many WV State Records and lifted with the USAPL (formerly ADFPA) and NASA (Natural Athletes Strength Association). In his best meet performance, he strict curled 191 lbs., squatted 585 lbs., bench pressed 475 lbs., and deadlifted 625 lbs.
He has also been invloved in martial arts for over 20 years. He first learned Chinese Kendo, then Tiger Kung Fu, Sum Nung Wing Chun Kung Fu, Lethwei (Burmese kickboxing), Western boxing, and recently began learning Japanese aikijujutsu. He started teaching Wing Chun in 1996 and still teaches it privately. Currently, he primarily teaches Lethwei and grappling/submission skills in the context of MMA since he fights and has students who fight. Besides, nothing says "fun" like a kick to the leg or punch to the head, right?
"Just because someone is a geek or nerd doesn't mean they've got to look like one!"
WP: Wow, Mike! You have a great story behind you! You are actually our first MMA feature. Let’s begin with you telling our readers a little about yourself.
I'm 43 and an architect, and while most 43 year-olds are checking out the recent Lazy-Boy recliner models for the Sunday game, I'm either lifting weights, teaching martial arts, or fighting in MMA competitions (cage fights). In hindsight, perhaps a recliner would be a good idea after a fight! Ouch!
I'm also a geek. I've been working on computers for 30 years and am a ravenous anime addict that requires a daily dose of anime.
WP: What was it that made you know without a doubt that you wanted to go into bodybuilding?
I was fairly nonathletic when young and grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons. My only athletic endeavor was sword fighting in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms; ultimate geekdom). In 1989, I had an epiphany. If I was a "warrior" then I should look like one, and I've been building my body since. I made some substantial size and strength gains during my first two years.
WP: How long have you been lifting?
As of June of this year, I have been lifting for 21 years.
WP: What are your best lifts?
In my best powerlifting meet performance, I strict curled 191 lbs., squatted 585 lbs., bench pressed 475 lbs., and dead lifted 625 lbs. All this was performed at a body weight of only 208 lbs. In the weight room, I tend to perform best in the squat rack and enjoy working legs more than any other body part.
WP: Do you have any advice to people that wish to build more mass and more cut?
For those specific goals, I'd say "Eat!" While diet isn't the absolute solution, it is extremely important for adding mass and reducing body fat. The old adage, "Eat to get big; eat to lose fat," should be memorized. Obviously, portion control, portion size, and portion contents are the fine details for separating attempts to build mass or lose body fat. Also, I'd recommend a wide variety of rep ranges from singles to 50 reps on large body part exercises. Yes, low reps can help you gain mass and become lean; and yes, mega-reps can help you get stronger, gain mass, and get leaner.
WP: What do you eat in a normal day?
Unfortunately, I tend to not eat enough due to work stress and do not have a particular set of foods that I eat every day with one exception: I eat peanuts and cottage cheese before bed. Every day. It's a bit of an addiction.
Before I turned 40, I tended to follow a diet that was 60% proteins, 30% carbohydrates and 10% essential fats. After I turned 40, my body went topsy-turvy and required a different combination. To build muscle now at 43, I usually eat a diet of 40% proteins, 50% carbohydrates and 10% essential fats.
WP: Do you allow yourself a cheat day?
Most definitely! I usually reserve a 24-hour period on the weekends where I'll eat practically anything I want (pizza is common). Besides the psychological benefit, a cheat day helps keep your metabolism from adapting to a rigorous dietary scheme.
WP: What supplements do you take?
During the 1990's, I tried every different supplement I could afford, but presently I feel supplements are overpriced, and the current quality is dismal. Still, there are a few exceptions. Currently, I take 1000 mg of vitamin C every day, and since I need additional endurance for MMA, I often take 500-1000 mg of rhodiola rosea. An hour before training, I also like to take a pre-workout endurance drink that contains BCA's.
WP: Could you tell me a story of how you have gotten where you are today?
I gained 60 lbs. during my first two years of training, but I didn't have the luxury of expansive amounts of rest or food. During this period, I worked a full-time job, worked part-time for a professor, carried 15 credit hours a semester, and usually worked out at 5:30 am every morning. When I entered the gym for the first time, I weighed 150 lbs., benched 95 lbs., and squatted 135 lbs. Two obsessive-compulsive years later, I weighed 210 lbs., benched 405, and squatted 600 lbs.-all naturally and with psychotic will. I was a firm believer in Arnold's statement, "You have to will yourself to get bigger and stronger!"
WP: Do you have anyone you can thank for helping you get where you are?
Yes-my workout partners over the years. Having good workout partners is essential for keeping you safe, keeping you motivated, and helping you push beyond what you thought possible. If you want to be a powerlifter, you need good workout partners.
WP: Where do you want to be in 5 years?
Living on a tropical island or being a Powerball Lottery winner would be nice, but my magic 8-ball tells me "Not a chance!" Since those aren't happening, I'd like to be able to afford to have a regular Lethwei (Burmese kickboxing), Wing Chun Kung Fu, and MMA school with many students. Currently, I teach just teach privately and don't charge anyone.
WP: You look great! How do you keep the physique you have? What is the hardest thing for you to face when it comes to keeping your physique?
Keeping my physique is primarily due to consistency. Weight training is a lifelong endeavor. Sure, doing squats on a Friday night or morning is probably not considered an enjoyable way to start the weekend, but sometimes you have decide what is most important.
Weight loss and the feeling of being "small" has been the hardest thing for me to face. For several years, I was able to hold 220-230 lbs, which I preferred, but I job stress would often make me lose 10 lbs. or more in a week. Ironically, I'm stronger at my standard weight of 205-210 lbs.
WP: Tell me about your future projects. Have any in sight?
The downturn in the construction industry has played havoc on my job as an architect, so I've been thinking about a career change. I'm considering going back to college to get an additional teaching certificate in mathematics or pursuing a structural engineering degree. I have considered competing in powerlifting again to see if I can break the previous records I set and also break some Master's level records.
WP: What gets you up in the morning?
Insomnia and my alarm! I wake up around 4:30 am every morning so I can arrive at the gym around 6:30 am. My workout partners (Nerds of Fitness) and I workout at 7:00 am, four days a week.
WP: How do you approach a challenge?
I tend to be excessively focused when confronted with a challenge, but also very patient. Being patient is important because I also often place extreme expectations on myself. Getting first place in a powerlifting meet or winning an MMA fight isn't as important to me as being able to look back and say, "Did I exceed my expectations?"
WP: How do you create balance in your life?
Much to my chagrin, balance and I seem to be antithetical. The only way that seems to help is maintaining an exacting schedule of tasks throughout the day.
WP: What one piece of advice you can share with me on how to gain the most muscle the fastest?
After 21 years, I can emphatically say two things: consistency and hard work. While diet is important and various supplements can assist, neither is a panacea. There is no magic pill; no perfect rep scheme; no mystical workout program. Actually, the expression "fastest way to gain muscle" is a misnomer since "fast" is going to be relative to each person's individual genetics and their degree of dedication.
In the end, gaining muscle is going to require time (consistency) and effort (hard work). Being aware of what works and doesn't work is an essential part of the consistency variable because not everyone responds well to every exercise or set and rep scheme. Learning how to weight train is mandatory and requires practice and time like any other sport. Also, weight lifting is not easy or pain-free. A person has to be willing to apply a hard work mindset and be willing to add extra weight to the bar or increase the reps substantially, regardless of whether or not it’s comfortable.
WP: Are you married, dating, or do you have kids?
My wife is from Australia, and I've been married for 6 years. I have one daughter who will be 20 this year.
WP: Who had the most impact on you growing up?
I know this is clichod, but I'd definitely have to say my mother had the most impact. My mother is a Vietnam War Marine veteran and instilled a very strong work ethic. As a single parent, she was able to support and raise five children on a very limited income.
WP: What is your workout regimen?
Currently, my workout partners and I do a variant of my 4-Phase Holistic Power-building Program combined with the Spartacus Workout (interval training). On weight training days, we do a warm-up, heavy powerlifting sets, plyometrics, and finish with a high rep weight exercise or 3-minute nonstop bodyweight exercise. On Wednesdays, we do the grueling Spartacus Workout.
I also teach Lethwei for two hours twice a week, and take a very cardio-intensive aikijujutsu class for 90 minutes twice a week.
WP: Have you played in sports before?
I never had much interest in traditional team sports when I was younger, and to be blunt, I suck at all of them. Strangely enough, this isn't the case with martial arts or combat sports. As an example, if someone placed me at home plate with a bat, and told me to hit an incoming softball, I'd miss or fumble the whole process in a dumbfounding manner. On the other hand, if I gripped a katana (Japanese sword) and was told to cut whatever was pitched at me, I'd more than likely cleave it in two. Very weird, isn't it?
WP: Anything you would like to see change in the bodybuilding world?
Is this soapbox sturdy? I'm going to be jumping around furiously. My pet peeve is the constant regurgitation of unimaginative workout routines and dogmatic paradigms. I'm particularly opinionated against the belief that someone must separate training into mass cycles, strength cycles, and "cutting" cycles. The same applies to the ridiculous absolutes regarding rep schemes for these cycles. This information has been rehashed ad nauseum and is what can happen when myth gets perpetuated as fact. Will those cycles work? Yes, to a degree. Can you do all three at once? Absolutely.
In 2001, I set out to disprove the myths and prove that all three could be done at once without having to constantly change a workout routine. Using a simple routine I created called the "4-Phase Holistic Power-building Program," I was able to become stronger, gain lean muscle, and reduce my body fat to very low levels--all at the same time. I used this program continuously for 18 months with very little modification. I've tested it on about 40-50 other people over the years and had about an 85% success rate.
As an example, on an average leg day, I'd work up to 500 lbs. for one or two reps on the squat, but I'd also finish with 225 lbs. for 50 reps. My body fat at that time was as low as 6.85%.
WP: Any shout outs?
Yes! I'd like to give a loud shout to Jason, Demon, and Mitch, who are my workout partners. We are the Nerds of Fitness!
WP: What is the funniest story that has happened to you while working out?
Oh, I have many, but since I don't want to embarrass anyone, I'll just embarrass myself. Many years ago I worked out in a "health club," and the manager hated heavy lifters. If anyone clacked the weights or uttered a grunt, he'd sprint across the floor and berate them. The manager and I did not get along.
One day I was doing heavy squats with a good friend who was a very large 275 lb. bodybuilder. As I was finishing my set, I grunted through a couple reps. Suddenly, I heard the manager, who had sneaked up behind me, scream, “Shut up! This isn't a gym, this is a health club!" I was startled and luckily crashed the weight back into the rack without dropping it. Unfortunately, I went ballistic. I turned toward him with violent intent my eyes, and he did a very smart thing: he ran across the gym and locked himself into his office.
I was angry and started to chase him, but thankfully, my friend intervened. He knew I was a martial artist, so he tackled me and proceeded to sit down on my back since he outweighed me by 70 lbs.. As he casually sat plopped on my back, I thrashed around and yelled, but I suddenly started going quiet. The problem was I couldn't breathe and was turning purple. He rolled me over, and asked me if I was okay, and my only response was, "Are we done with squats yet?" I think we actually received applause from the other members for the show.
WP: What is the proudest moment of your life?
I'd probably have to say when I stepped on the scales in June of 1991 and weighed 210 lbs. Many naysayers had told me it wasn't possible to gain 60 lbs. in two years without a particular supplement or drug, but I proved them all wrong. Some still are skeptical about the size and strength gains I made during my first two years of training.
A close second is when I squatted 135 lbs. for 100 reps in 2002 at the end of a heavy leg workout. A 100-rep squat is a very "enlightening" experience.
WP: What are your interests outside of bodybuilding?
I have also been involved in martial arts for over 20 years. I first learned Chinese Kendo, then Tiger Kung Fu, Sum Nung Wing Chun Kung Fu, Lethwei (Burmese kickboxing), Western boxing, and recently began learning Japanese aikijujutsu. I started teaching Wing Chun in 1996, but currently, I teach Lethwei and grappling/submission skills in the context of MMA since I fight and have students who fight. Besides, nothing says "fun" like a kick to the leg or punch to the head!
WP: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My height. I hate being only 5'-8" tall, but I don't see medical science advancing in this direction anytime soon.
WP: Is there anything else you would like to add? Now is the time!
Just because someone is a geek or nerd doesn't mean they've got to look like one!
WP: You have been a pleasure to interview! Thank you for your time and good luck in your future bodybuilding endeavors!
