Jeffrey Beck - Mr. World Physique
August 2009
Interviewed by: Leesa Paul
Q. Let's begin with you telling our viewers a little about yourself.Gee whiz, where do I begin! I think I will provide a short list:
Q. What has been your stepping stone to get where you are today?
Ever since I was eight years old, I have always seen myself doing what I am today, but attaining the personal fitness merit badge in scouting when I was about thirteen is what really got the ball rolling for me. From there, I bought Arnold’s Bodybuilding Encyclopedia book to get an idea of how to take my workout routine a step farther.
Q. What has it been like to maintain your physique? Have you done anything different lately?
The most important thing I have been doing to maintain my physique is to keep my body guessing. I never do the same workout routine from week to week. I am a firm believer in doing that because it helps to prevent plateaus and keeps your workouts from getting stale.
Q. Where do you reside now?I live on the planet of Utah, specifically in West Jordan (just south of Salt Lake City).
Q. Have you ever played any type of sports or activities?
Mainly just bodybuilding and martial arts, although basketball is my favorite sport. I try to play every now and then to switch up my cardio routine.
Q. What has modeling taught you thus far?
Well, apart from feeding my ego and evoking my inner narcissist. Ha-ha! It has been a pretty good experience so far. I always treat this area of my life like a sport, in the sense that I always set goals to shoot for. If I didn‘t, I would probably become very lazy and end up looking like I could be cast as John Goodman’s role in a remake of the television series ‘Roseanne’!
Q. What was the hardest thing for you to overcome when you first started?
My parent’s disappointment! Ha-ha! Can you imagine their disdain when their youngest son wanted to grow up to be a bodybuilder, instead of the church leader they wanted me to be? I’m only kidding! My parent’s have been supportive, but getting that support when I started fitness modeling was hard. My mom still has a hard time with her son showing off his body (which is understandable). Why the hell did I ever become passionate about this path in life? I don’t know, but I enjoy it and that’s all that matters!
Q. What was the hardest thing you had to deal with when it came to your diet?
Golly, I wouldn’t know what that’s like because I absolutely love dieting! I mean, who wouldn’t like cutting their normal calorie consumption in half, eating less than 60 grams of carbs a day and the only meal you look forward to is choking down a dry chicken breast with tap water? I’m being sarcastic of course, since dieting is the hardest part of getting in shape. I don’t agree with the old adage ‘listen to your body’. If I did that, I would be eating nothing but junk all day long! Your body needs fat and sugar. It can’t get enough of it. You need willpower and goals to make it through a diet. Listening to your body when it comes to eating is like taking financial advice from your bankrupt Uncle or something. That’s probably why our country has an obesity problem. Too much listening to our bodies! Pull a George Costanza and do the opposite of what your body craves (did anybody get that reference?)
Q. What are the key factors that dictate the way you model today?
Like I mentioned earlier, I view this aspect of my life as a sport (calm down die hard sports fans, I know it really isn’t!). The reason for that is, if I didn’t, working out wouldn’t mean as much to me. I’ve never gotten into shape just to get women and puff up my ego, I have always done it to better myself, compete and set goals.Q. How does your training compare to when you model to when you do not. What do you do differently?
I step up the cardio to 5 to 6 times a week, scale down my strength/power training just a tad and hit the diet pretty hard.
Q. What titles/accomplishments have you thus far? Tell me about them.
Here’s a short list of my accomplishments:
Q. Can you tell me any photographers you've worked with, or someone you'd like to work with?
Top photographer on my list to work with is Ralph Dehaan. I’ve worked with quite a few photographers, but the most memorable would be the time I worked with Robert Reiff on a shoot for another fitness magazine. It was in LA and I got lost trying to find the gym where we were shooting. After I arrived, it was a grueling eight hours of lifting heavy weights (plus, holding them in mid-stride), moving equipment from one station to the next and getting my picture taken on the beach wearing my posing trunks by middle aged housewives (oh, and Robert took a few for the magazine too! Ha-ha!). It was a great shoot and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
Q. What supplements do you currently take?
I’m trying NO-Xplode and, of course, and protein shakes. I take flaxseed oil too for the essential fatty acids. That is about it. I don’t believe in loading up with supplements.
Q. What are your pet peeves?
Let’s make another list, shall we?
Q. You like lists, don’t you?
Ha! It gets the job done! Here we go!
Q. Yelp! You like lists! Ha-ha! What do you consider to be important in life, and why?
Happiness. My father is the happiest man I have ever known. He has spent his entire life doing what he loves, which is working as a mechanic (the most honest and best one on the planet). He’s never made a lot of money and barely made enough to support the family when I was young, but he always had a smile on his face everyday. He still has that same attitude and it has been something I try to emulate in my own life.
Q. How have you changed over the past few years when it comes to thinking, actions, and life in general?
Well, I’ve become more of a rational thinker, so there are quite a few things in life that I find completely ludicrous and insane now that I didn’t think were so crazy when I was younger. I’ve also learned that life is full of disappointment and joy and they usually go hand in hand. I realize that life is fleeting and also scary. We’re all just ‘passing time until we die’, so why not make the best of it (that phrase isn‘t meant to come across as morbid!)?
Q. What are your stats such as height, weight, biceps, and waist?
My height is 5’10. My weight is between 185 to195 pounds. My biceps are18 inches during off season and 16 inches during on season. My waist is34 inches.
Q. Give me an example of your diet. What do you normally eat each day?
I eat lots of protein (chicken and fish). I love red meat, but I usually only eat a steak once a month. I try to get at least 60 grams per day in the form of fat fee milk and egg whites, since they contain all nine essential amino acids, making them complete proteins. I eat brown rice and oatmeal, too, for carbohydrates.
Q. Could you tell me about your future projects?
Just sitting next to my phone waiting for Calvin Klein to call! Other than that, I’ll be working on my website with my photos, videos and online personal training. I’ll also be trying to schedule some photo shoots later this year.
Q. Let me know if Calvin Klein calls. Ha-ha! When he does, tell him I said hey! Thank you, Jeffrey, for taking the time to do this interview. Good luck with all your future endeavors.
