I'm a former competitive bodybuilder with a question I bet you don't get very often. I recently got a great job with a Fortune 500 company. I invested in a few very nice suits and had them all tailored to fit me perfectly.  So what's the problem? I haven't trained consistently for a couple of years because I was getting my MBA and now I'm ready to get back in the gym. I just don't want to grow out of my suits, which cost me a few thousand dollars to buy and alter! My weight a couple of years ago was 245 and now I'm around 215. I know you will probably say to lift lighter and do more reps, but I have always loved training heavy. Nothing else feels right to me. And please don't tell me to just do cardio, because there's nothing in the world more boring to me. I will do it three times a week for a half-hour for a healthy heart, but that's it. I know everyone else wants to know how to get big, but I want to know how to keep from getting big. I hope you can offer some suggestions.

            Before I answer your question, please do me a favor. Go back and read it one more time. Can you see how you're contradicting yourself? You say you love training heavy, but it's very difficult to train heavy and not get bigger. Even powerlifters, who train with pretty low reps, are huge guys. Theoretically, if you train with reps in the range of one to five, you'll build mainly strength and not stimulate much growth. But I wouldn't count on it. The fact that you previously carried 30 pounds more muscle than you do now tells me that any type of relatively heavy training is going to cause that "muscle memory" to kick in, and you'll start getting a lot of your former size back quickly. 

I could also tell you to under-eat, which would probably be an effective "anti-muscle-gaining" strategy, but then you run a risk of getting injured.  Without adequate nutritional support, your connective tissues won't be strong enough to safely support the heavy loads you'll be subjecting them to. So, here's what I suggest. You have two choices. Either don't train at all, or have your suits altered again. And you were right. Nobody has ever asked me how to keep from growing muscle before.  

I was running about 30 to 32 minutes at a moderate pace and getting in about two to 2.5 miles about four or five times a week. But I felt like my body fat loss tapered off.  So, I started bumping my intensity and started interval running for about 20-22 minutes (alternating between really fast and jogging over and over) and getting almost two miles in. I'm almost running as far, but doing it in a lot less time. Which one is actually better for fat loss? I read an article that said less time and higher intensity is better for fat loss, but you can't believe everything you read.  

            Both of those methods work. More often, I prefer to do longer sessions at a more moderate pace. I will do 40 to 45 minutes on the treadmill, keeping it between 3.3 and 3.5 miles an hour at a seven to 10 percent incline. But I have also done interval-style training for my cardio. For the 2003 Olympia, most of my cardio was done on a stationary bike. I would alternate between a minute of cycling as fast as I could (about 115 rpm with more resistance) and a minute and a half of lighter resistance at only around 65-70 rpm. The whole session was only 15 minutes, but I worked up a real sweat working so hard. When I was pedaling fast, my legs were literally a blur. Since I have leaned out using both types of cardio, I'm convinced neither one is really superior to the other.  But because the body is so good at adapting, you may want to alternate four weeks of moderate-pace cardio with four weeks of faster, interval-style cardio so your body is kept guessing.  

            I have some questions about tanning and I'm asking you because your color at the NOC when you won was absolutely perfect. Do you use tanning beds, self-tanner cream or self-tanning mist at the tanning place, or all? I'm also curious about what you think about the safety of tanning beds. I went to a bed a couple of days ago for the first time. Everything is fine except for the front of my upper thighs and my stomach. They are red, itchy and burned. I'm guessing it's because these parts don't see much sun, even though I'm wondering why my chest, complete back and hammies have no burn. They didn't have any tan before, either. I'm supposed to go in today for the second tanning appointment, but no way with these burns. What has been your experience? 

            As for what I do, I like to tan for five weeks leading up to the show, then apply three or four coats of Pro Tan. I don't like any of the newer self-tanning products for competitive bodybuilders. Pro Tan has always worked well for me and many other guys and girls, so I don't like to mess with success. Now, let me offer up some advice based on what I have learned tanning all these years for shows. You don't want to shower for at least 90 minutes before tanning.  The reason is because showering exfoliates all the dead skin, leaving you with new skin, which burns faster. You always want to use some type of lotion or moisturizer both before you tan and later, after you shower, to keep the skin from getting too dehydrated.

             A lot of the premature aging and wrinkling occurs because people fail to attend to that issue. I'm sure you don't want that leathery, alligator skin a lot of older beach bums have in places like California and Florida. Don't ever use baby oil before you tan, because that stuff will literally fry your skin. It sounds to me like you have sensitive skin, so you need to approach tanning in a more planned manner from now on. Even as an African-American man, I have burned when I started tanning and stayed in the beds too long.

Treat it like a workout and take a progressive approach. Let's assume you're going to be using a tanning bed that has a maximum time limit of 20 minutes. On your first visit, go no more than five minutes, then take at least a day off. Obviously, if there's any sign of burning, wait until it has healed. You seem to have done this instinctively, but I point it out for everyone else. On your next visit, stay in for seven to 10 minutes, then take at least a day off. After that, you can do 10 to 15, and you may be ready for the full 20 minutes at that point. But when in doubt, always exit the tanning bed or booth. You already know how painful a sunburn can be, and they are also very damaging to your skin. Burns should be avoided at all costs. 

What I like to do is start with those standard types of beds or booths. Then when I have a good base tan, I move on to the more powerful stand-up unit called the Cyclone. This machine is so strong they only let you stay in it for eight minutes. But I like the efficiency of that. I walk in there, hold on to the rings, and before I know it, I'm done and out of there. Are tanning beds safe? I don't know and I don't think there has ever been any definitive answer to that from the medical community. But I would say you can probably minimize the risk of damage to your skin by avoiding getting burnt and by taking care to moisturize your skin after each tanning session.

I'm about two months into a bulking phase and I'm starting to wonder if I'm letting myself get too fat. In the right light, you can kind of see the outlines of my abs, but my quads don't have any separation at all and my face looks pretty round. But I'm afraid to start cleaning up my diet too much because I have added 12 pounds in just under eight weeks, and all my lifts (except chin-ups, ha ha) have improved. How do you decide when you are getting too fat in the off-season? And how can you cut back on calories without interfering with your muscle and strength gains?

            Let me paraphrase that Jeff Foxworthy "you might be a redneck" dude right here. If you can't see a single cut in your legs, you might be getting fat.  You should always be able to see your abs in any type of light. I'm not saying they have to be a deep, clear six-pack all the time, but you should be able to see individual abs. Your face should be the real giveaway here. Once your face starts getting round, come on! You know you're getting too fat, I think you just wanted to hear it from me before you did anything about it.

             Look, bodybuilding is about building muscle, not fat. I'm betting that at least six of those12 pounds you gained were pure lard, and you should get rid of it as soon as possible. Try cutting back on the junk and on the carbs in general, until you start seeing some lines in your quads and your abs are a little sharper. Then you can start gaining again, but do it gradually. So many guys get caught up with the scale and go entirely by the numbers. Numbers and weight never tell the whole story. But that's how a lot of guys get so fat that nobody even recognizes them as bodybuilders anymore. 

You have to understand that you can only put on muscle so fast, especially drug-free. You can't rush it, and when guys talk about gaining 20 or 30 pounds in few months, you can almost guarantee they got fat in the process.  I can tell you firsthand that gaining too much fat just makes your diet that much longer and more miserable when it eventually comes time to lean out. By staying leaner in the first place, you're closer to where you need to be in terms of body fat, and the diet isn't as tough. So, do you need me to say it one last time? Yes, you are getting too fat and you should nip it in the bud before you really turn into a roly-poly marshmallow man.

            My problem may not sound that important, but it is to me. I just moved and joined a new gym. It's a Gold's, but it's not that hardcore. I went one time at night and there were a few pretty big guys, but in the morning when I prefer to train, it's mostly rich housewives in their thirties and forties. The parking lot is full of minivans, BMW's, Lexuses and Mercedes Benzes. I'm 26, 220 pounds at 5-7 and have a few tattoos. Maybe I should mention that I'm Latin, too, and there isn't a lot of color at this gym. These women all look down their noses at me like I'm some lowlife. Little do they know I actually own my own small business and do very well. I could afford any of those cars, but I choose to invest my money so it makes more money, rather than blow it all on car payments and high insurance rates. It's not like I'm trying to pick these women up- I have a girlfriend who puts them all to shame, actually. It's just the staring and the little comments they make to each other. I don't know why I let stuff like this bother me, but it does. I find myself wanting to brag to these high-class housewives just to let them know how wrong they are about me, but I know how ridiculous that would be. What would you do, Marvelous?

            Man, pray for them, for they know not what they do. People like to judge what they don't know or don't understand. You know what I really think you should do? Smile and be nice and polite at all times. Introduce yourself, help them with equipment if they need it, just be as gracious as you can be. This can't help but draw them in and win them over. Even if they appear to be looking down at you, I can assure you they're admiring your body. Their husbands sure aren't built like you, I bet. The typical American adult male has skinny arms and legs, no butt and a big belly. Then there's you, with broad shoulders, a powerful chest and arms, a V-taper and round glutes. Those housewives might be afraid to admit it because they are afraid their friends would ridicule them, but I bet they are all staring at you not because they think you're a lowlife, but because they think you're a stud. 

I had to go through this a couple of years ago when I started training at the Powerhouse Gym in Chatsworth, California. When I joined the gym I was 260 pounds and the morning crowd was pretty intimidated. But because I had a smile and a kind word for everybody, they quickly saw I was really a nice guy and not some jacked-up thug. As I dieted down and got leaner, for some reason I was more acceptable and people really warmed up to me. Then they even started asking me about diet and supplements and what I was getting ready for.

Any stereotype can be broken with a little effort. As for your financial status, don't worry about it one bit. I wouldn't brag about it, as that would just make you seem like an insecure jerk. If someone happens to ask you what you do for a living, you can tell them you own your own company. They will probably be so shocked they'll spread the news all over the gym. Then you won't have to worry anymore about being pegged for being something you are not. But really, as long as you know who and what you are, it doesn't matter what others think about you.

Melvin, I'm very upset because my training partner and good friend Al, who's in the National Guard, was called up to report for duty in Iraq a couple of weeks ago. I know MD is a bodybuilding magazine, but we are all Americans and I'm curious about your opinion. How much longer do you think our soldiers are going to be over there? Do you see an end to the war, or could this thing drag on for years and years and cost us thousands more American lives before it's all said and done?

            I have a great deal of respect for the soldiers over there fighting for what they believe in, and I hope and pray every day that they all come home safe. But as far as the actual war, I think we have been too strategic. We have been playing by all these rules, while the insurgents have none. Civilians, women, children, hospitals, nothing is off limits for them. We need to fight fire with fire. But the bottom line is we need to get our troops out of there. Obviously, the country is too unstable for us to leave now, but we need to work on getting a leader these people are comfortable with. If not, once we leave they'll just kill that guy and some other dictator like Saddam Hussein will rise up and we're back to square one.

But I have a confession to make. I'm a Christian man, but nothing outraged me so much as when I saw the news footage of the people dancing in the streets with joy over there right after 9/11. I would have sent in our deadliest troops and weapons and just obliterated them all. I know how rash and extreme that sounds, but I am being honest and telling you what was running through my head at that moment as an American watching others celebrating our most horrible tragedy. How long is this situation in Iraq going to continue? I don't think anybody knows. Let's just hope it's fairly soon and not something our children have to deal with.

            My trip to South Africa and it's On for the Arnold!

            I just got back recently from Shawn Ray's Muscle Camp in Johannesburg, South Africa. The event was promoted locally by Tommy Frazier, and the guests included Shawn, myself, Troy Alves, Lee Powell from the United Kingdom, new Ms. Fitness Olympia Adela Garcia-Friedmansky and Timea Majorova. I also brought my wife and my mother along; Adela was accompanied by her husband Brian and his mother; and Timea had her husband along, too. 

            The first day we didn't really do anything except rest up and eat, as we were wiped out with jet lag from the very long flight over. The second day we all headed over to a convention center where we gave a daylong seminar and several of us guest-posed. Adela did her fitness routine from the Olympia. The crowd really lapped it up. They showed us so much love and appreciation the whole day, it was humbling.

            The next day was a big national championship for bodybuilding, fitness, and figure. And get this- all of us pros were on the judging panel! We did it all very fairly. Not one of us knows any of the competitors, so nobody could say there was any bias or favoritism at all. The judges weren't allowed to talk to each other or compare notes, so none of us influenced the scores of the others. This is how it should be. The guy with the best overall package won, and the biggest guy took second. Had he been a little harder, he would have won.

The winner received $12,000. Did you catch that? The winner of an amateur show in South Africa got more money than what most of the pros get for winning IFBB shows in America and overseas! I know it sounds weird to have an amateur receiving cash in the first place, but this is South Africa and they do whatever the heck they want over there. Everybody seemed pleased with the results of the show and I didn't hear any gripes about people placing higher or lower than they should have- a first in bodybuilding to be sure! We also sold a lot of photos and signed autographs, just like we had done the day before at the seminar.

            The next morning was the Muscle Camp at a big gym, where the campers got one-on-one coaching from the pros. They were all very serious and hung on our every word. Not too many pro bodybuilders make it over there, so they took advantage of each and every second they had to ask questions and learn better form.

            The highlight of the trip was definitely the safari. Tommy owns 40,000 acres of land about three and a half hours south of Johannesburg, with all kinds of animals. I had my camera and my camcorder with me because this was quite an opportunity for me. It's one thing to see these animals at a zoo, and quite another to see them in their natural habitat. We saw zebras, antelopes, monkeys, kudus, gazelles and even a couple of leopards. We even got to see a couple of big old elephants scratching their butts on trees. 

            Later on, when we were inside the compound, they brought in some baby lions for us to hold and take pictures with. I guess they were trying to find homes for them, because they would eventually grow up and eat too many of the other animals. They were the cutest things you ever saw. Where was the mother? I don't know. I'm just glad she wasn't next to me while I was holding her cubs. I want to thank Tommy for the wonderful accommodations he had for us in Johannesburg. Most of us had suites and Shawn had a virtual palace with a kitchen, a bar and a Jacuzzi big enough for about six people to lounge in.

            Now I'm back home and I just started training for the Ironman and the Arnold Classic. I did my first cardio session today and it sucked! You know how it is when you haven't done any cardio in a while, you're huffing and puffing like an old lady. But I always get my cardiovascular fitness back pretty fast. As I write this, the first show, the Ironman, is 12 weeks away. I have no idea what my weight is right now. In fact, I won't step on a scale until the show is five weeks away, just to see what's going on. I am staying pretty lean in the off-season lately, so I don't have a whole lot of fat to get rid of. I'll talk to you all next month when I'm deeper into my diet and preparations.  

            Thanks to all of you who have been offering your positive encouragement through my web site, http://www.melvinanthony.com/. I appreciate all the love I get from you all.

Got a question for Melvin? Contact him through the "Ask MD" section of http://www.musculardevelopment.com/.