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Team MD'S #1 CONTEST COVERAGE

Hey, Craig, you are one of the best bodybuilders out there. I have a personal question for you, if you don't mind. I've read your articles for MD and you're obviously an outspoken guy who gets right to the point. With that in mind, I want your opinion on steroids being labeled as "performance enhancing drugs." The way I see it, steroids are just nutrients being added to a person's body to allow muscle growth. How is that any different from eating beef or chicken? The steroids themselves don't enhance performance. It's the talent and skills of the individual that determine performance. I want to hear your point of view on the topic.    
I think steroids were made to benefit mankind. In the sports arena, that means athletic performance. They make good athletes great ones. Great athletes become the elite. I can't see the negative in that. It makes for a more sensational athlete, game and sport.
I don't think an athlete who uses steroids is cheating because everybody's doing it. It's an even playing field. Steroid use will never be stopped. Basic human nature dictates this. There will always be an athlete, somewhere in the world, who wants to be better. And he or she will always find a way- always. It's evolution. Look at Victor Conte of BALCO. He allegedly created designer steroids that were undetectable on tests. You still can't detect them and people are still using them!
If an athlete is any good to begin with, adding steroids to the mix will only make him better. Everybody knows this. That's why it will never stop. Every athlete wants to break the world record, run faster, leap higher, swing harder, hit more home runs, or what have you. If you take steroids out of the equation, you'll see a huge decline in professional stats.
The bottom line is steroids in sports shouldn't be an issue whatsoever.  Just go ahead and play the game. What an athlete takes in the privacy of his own home is his business and his business alone.

    HIP FASHIONS
Craig, I'm totally with you in regard to looking good. It's sure as hell one of the main reasons I train to stay lean and get bigger. That's why there's nothing better than custom-tailored threads to show off all the hard work at the gym. After reading last month's column, I was really stoked to hear about your new gear. Where the hell can I get my hands on the goods?  
Sorry to break it to you, but contract negotiations did not go as expected.  So, unfortunately, we won't be moving forward as planned. It had nothing to do with the merchandise itself; the clothing is top brand apparel. It's just that the figure they proposed was nowhere near the amount we felt would be adequate to endorse, promote and distribute the line. When it's all said and done, at the end of the day it's all about getting paid what you're worth. And they offered us peanuts. Such is life.
But fear not. Kelly and I are in the market for a company to manufacture our very own private label. We've envisioned a clothing line for athletes from all facets of professional sports. We're confident everybody will enjoy the style and comfort they afford.
One thing I've noticed about this sport is that everybody wants you to make money for them. With all the different companies, you're always endorsing their line and making buckets of cash for them. It's time to say, "OK, now it's time to endorse my own company." It's time to make money for myself.  With the money I make, I'll pass those savings on to the consumer, as well.  Repeat business is what it's all about.       

    YOU CAN'T SEE ME
With terrorism at its most dangerous, why do you think steroids are first and foremost on the minds of politicians? We're in a war built on false pretenses with upwards of 2,000 casualties and around 10,000 injuries.  Why all the fuss about steroids when more pressing matters are at hand?
I see some of you have been watching a hell of a lot of CNN lately. Well, that's a tough one to answer. I'll tell you what I know for certain. Since Arnold has been in office, a lot of hypocritical bureaucrats have been trying to bring him down. Shining the spotlight on steroids seems to be one of their underhanded tactics. They think it will take away Arnold's validation as a politician. Did you notice that it wasn't until after Arnold was elected that everything blew up in the political arena with steroids? Arnold has been player-hated since day one, but he still manages to rise to the top. What a dishonorable tactic! At least, that's the way I see it.

    BEING MUSCLEBOUND IS GOOD
Craig, thank you for being a true professional and ambassador for our sport during your recent visit to Gold's Gym in Modesto, Calif. I recently began using your blood volume training principles and noticed immediate results. I've read quite a bit about you possibly taking on the MMA fighter, Phil Baroni. I'm concerned that your training has hindered your reflexes.  Would your muscularity impair your ability to deliver quick, high-velocity blows? Or do you think the extra power is worth the loss in speed?
If bodybuilding has slowed my fighting reflexes, I haven't noticed it.  Common sense says putting on a lot of muscle mass would probably slow down your timing and speed, slightly. But by the same token, you're going to be a lot more powerful. In my opinion, the added power makes up for any decline in speed. I will say that I believe bodybuilding can make you a better fighter. I wrestled freestyle collegiate Greco-Roman for 16 years and I can guarantee that bodybuilding gave me an advantage.  

     FAT-BURNING CREATINE? GET REAL!
I read about this fat-burning creatine. I think you're full of shit.  Creatine makes you big, strong and full. How the hell am I going to do that and lose weight at the same time? It's like saying you can bulk and get shredded simultaneously. This ain't going to happen. You don't know what you're talking about.
No, you don't know what you're talking about, buddy. It is happening! It's in containers as we speak, waiting to hit the shelves. Pinnacle has created the world's first fat-burning creatine on the market. I'm using it in my off-season for a leaner, harder look before starting my diet for the September shows. It's working wonders! I'm lean, big and hard. Trust me, this is no bullshit. You'll see it for yourself in the near future.

    BOB'S OUR MAN
Hey Craig, why weren't you elected as the athlete's rep? I heard it was going to be Bob Cicherillo.
Honestly, I don't think there's a better man for the job. I've talked to quite a few bodybuilders and it's unanimous: Bob's the ideal candidate. He's the guy who could speak on our behalf to make things better in this sport. To a man, everybody's really happy that Chick's going to be the athlete's rep. Now it's up to the IFBB to listen and take him seriously. If they reciprocate, I think he'll do an excellent job.  

     TITUS STYLE: ALL TALK, NO BALLS!
Why don't you do deadlifts, bent-over barbell rows and chins? You don't do the real hardcore moves. Are you pussying out with cables? Do you just feel them better? If so, why? And how many sets do you do?
     I don't do chins because I'm too heavy. My bodyweight is as much as I can do with pull-downs. If you can do 300 pounds on the lat pull-down machine, it's going to be more effective than doing chins with 260 pounds. As for deadlifts, I do use them. I hit deadlifts every other workout for back. I don't do bent-over rows or T-bar rows because of my exceptionally strong back. I'd have to use 400 or 500 pounds and that's too hard on my lower back. I stay away from anything with the potential for injury. Sets are around 12 to 15.

POUNDAGE PARANOIA
I've read a lot about your blood volume training. I was wondering if you ever worried that by using medium weight for high reps, you weren't lifting heavy enough to get bigger.  
No, absolutely not. I'm still using heavy-ass weight! I'm not doing max poundages, but I'm still lifting heavy. Max poundages at every workout is not good. With my blood volume system, I'm not reducing the weight that much.  I'm still doing 285-pound seated rows for 15 reps.  

ROAD TO THE DALLAS SUPER SHOW
Training Journal: May, 2005

    THINKING AHEAD
Here's what's happening on the training front. Right now, I have five weeks left of really hard gym time. Then I'm taking a month off before starting my diet and training for the show. We've designed it so I'll be picking it up at 10 weeks out. Believe me, my once-a-day sessions are extremely intense right now because I know I have a month off coming up.  

    THIS TIME, IT'S FOR ME
As good as training's going, it's not my number one priority at the moment. Our bodybuilding and fitness takes a back seat right now. That's secondary in the Titus household. Remember what I said about making money for yourself? Well, toward that end, we have tons of other projects going on.  Kelly has gone to work for a mortgage company and is starting to write actual mortgages. We've also spotted a rental property that we're interested in purchasing. And finally, we're looking to open up a clothing store and/or a nutritional store right here in Vegas. As you can see, we're securing other avenues of income, which requires a lot of time and planning. But like everyone else, we've got to work hard to get what we want, ya know?

    YOU CAN HAVE SUNNY CALIFORNIA
Living in Vegas is the bomb. It's great. The economy's good and there's always something to do. The few friends we have here are the close, personal kind. It's totally the opposite of LA. I found people in LA to be deceitful backstabbers. Thanks to our time there, we know how to deal with those characters. That's why we made sure to have trustworthy friends when we made the move over to Sin City.
We live about eight miles from the real nightlife, the Strip. It's the suburbs and it's just gorgeous with a beautiful home. We're not part of the nightlife scene, unless we go down to the Strip and engage in that lifestyle.  Actually, we haven't been out in a month. Occasionally, we'll go out to dinner and a show. Recreationally, we haven't done much, except watch some movies here at the house and relax. My daughter Ashley lives with us now. It's a bit of a different world. It feels really cool being the dad. We're all very close, so it's nice. She thinks she's an adult, which is pretty funny. I'm enjoying it all.
     I tell you, Vegas is it for me. The only thing I miss about Venice Beach is the weather. It was absolutely beautiful. But the cost of living is so high. You end up spinning your wheels. You just can't get ahead. The real estate here in Vegas still has another five years of growth before capping off. And that's not me talking, that's straight from the mouths of serious real estate agents. We've bought a few homes that we'll sell off in about four or five years for a tidy profit.   But back to Vegas. I have to say that it's an even better place to live if you're young and single. You can really explore and get the true pulse of Vegas. They don't call it Sin City for nothing!
Anyway, I'm out for this month!


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