Written by Craig Titus
30 October 2006
KEEPING THEM FEMALE

Craig, I heard that all the female athletes in our sport (bodybuilders, fitness, figure) are now required to decrease their muscularity by 20 percent. What the hell gives? I've always liked the muscular chicks. Shouldn't the athletes be allowed to make their own choices about their appearance? Isn't this the heart of bodybuilding?

 First of all, they're focusing mainly on the fitness and figure girls. I watched the prejudging and couldn't figure out why Kelly and a few other girls got hammered in the physique rounds by women who were wayyyy too muscular!

If you look at the photos from the Fitness Olympia you will surely find that some of the girls are coming in far too lean and muscular. I think the 20 percent decrease is muscularity will be the perfect standard. Female fitness athletes should not display such extreme muscularity. A tight, healthy, toned body is the ideal standard. Kelly optimized this standard in both the Arnold and the Olympia and was not rewarded for it at all. I think this is step in the right direction; this is fitness and figure, not bodybuilding.     

 

DO A BIG ASS GUT SOME GOOD

I'm 26, 5'9" and weigh about 300 pounds with a big-ass gut. If I do cardio every day with sit-ups three times a week, will my stomach get hard and not lose the fat, or will it slim down? A lot of people have told me I should lose the weight before I work on my gut.

I absolutely believe you should do sit-ups at least two to three times a week, along with your cardio. When you eventually strip the fat off, you'll have muscular abs underneath. Without the ab work, you may have a smaller gut, but it will be soft. Cardio will strip the fat away, but it won't give you a six-pack.  Only direct ab work can do that. Having said that, let me remind you that thousands of sit-ups will not burn fat off your midsection. Spot reducing is a myth. Cardio will burn the calories. The combination of cardio and diet are the best ways to rid the entire body of fat. Then the ab exercises will tone and develop the muscles so you can show them off properly.

 

IS THIS CRAP THE REAL THING?

Craig, I'll ask you because you're the only one who won't bullshit us.  Are we wasting our time with the new prohormones like M1T and so forth?  Should we stock up before the ban? Or should we save up for a good mail order? What do the professionals (you) say about the stuff when nobody's watching?

Truth be told, I have never used the prohormones. In the past, I used some of the andro poppers that Pinnacle has made. They were very effective but are no longer available on the market. I've never even heard of the one you mentioned, so I have no clue. I'm not sure when the ban will go into effect, either. Be very careful if you're thinking of mail ordering athletic enhancement drugs. The Victor Conte BALCO scandal hit the airways on "20/20" recently.  Believe me, there will be a crackdown on sports technology. Don't be one of the poor bastards getting caught in the web.

 

BIG TIME SNITCH

Craig, holy shit! You're not going to believe what I just saw. On "20/20," that same dude who interviewed Michael Jackson just interviewed Victor Conte of BALCO Labs. I saw pictures of Ronnie Coleman, Milos and other bodybuilders in this huge-ass steroid exposé. Victor was sitting there giving the whole steroid cycles of all these top athletes, including Marian Jones (allegedly). He was naming stacks I already knew. I was baffled as to why he was doing this. Isn't he afraid of getting his ass shot to pieces?

Victor Conte came out because he had nothing to lose. He's letting everyone know this has been going on for the last 40 years. The media and the powers that be are acting like it's a huge underground secret. Who are they trying to kid? They've known about the rampant drug use in baseball, football, track and field, and all the other sports. After a few celebrity names got caught, they're like, "Omigod! Where did this come from?" Give us a break!

            People are playing stupid, but this has been happening since day one.  Anytime an elite athlete is trying to break a world record, don't you think they'd do whatever it takes? Look at Kelly White. She set world records and got two gold medals. Then she tested positive for EPO and other substances and got stripped. But then the second place winner tested positive, too. In fact, I think the third place finisher tested positive, also. See where I'm going with this?

            Victor Conte is coming forward because he wants to let people know that using these substances is not cheating; when everybody is using them, it evens the playing field, makes it level. It's absurd that people are acting like they have no clue. Some of the athletes were saying they rubbed cream on their bodies, but didn't know what it was. I'll tell you right now, if I was rubbing anything on my body, I'd sure as hell know what it was.

I think the average sports fan deserves to know. Will they be able to handle the truth? Common sense tells you the story. An athlete who won gold in Australia and barely anything at the last Olympics was probably unable to use anything due to the recent scandals. Professional bodybuilders have known about these other athletes for years. This is where bodybuilders get the shit end of the stick. The average Joe looks at us and thinks we're using because of the muscle. That same guy will look at a baseball player and not assume a thing because the ballplayer doesn't look like anything. Those drugs are enhancing his ability, technique and power, but not really his muscularity- at least not to the point where it's blatantly obvious. That's why the drugs have always been pointed toward the bodybuilding world instead of other sports.  Now the truth has finally come out.  I think it's a good thing.

As far as repercussions for bodybuilding go, I don't think it will affect us much at all. Everything is fine in our sport. Ronnie repeated, as expected. 2005 is shaping up to be a barnburner. The future of bodybuilding is in good hands at the moment. 

 

ALL THE TOOLS IN THE SHED

Craig, how you been doing brother? I want to change things up with my program; nothing drastic, just a break from the norm. A sample routine for the legs would be much appreciated. I only have dumbbells, a Smith machine, leg extension and a leg curl machine. By the way- even though Phil Barone would kick my ass- everything I have seen and heard about this guy shows he's a huge prick with no respect for anybody.  

In regard to Phil Barone, I don't even know who the guy is, so therefore, I don't have anything to say about him. As far as your leg training goes, you have everything necessary to create some pretty monstrous wheels. Here's a good routine:

 

Hamstrings

Leg curl                                  4 x 10-15

Single leg curl                      4 x 10-15

Straight leg deadlifts           4 x 10-12

with dumbbells        

 

Quads

Leg extension                       4 x 10-15

Single leg extensions         4 x 10-15

Front squats                          4 x 6-10

Squats                                   4 x 6-10

Smith machine lunges       4 x 8-12

 

Don't do every single exercise in one workout. Split it up so you're doing two to three moves for both quads and hamstrings. You have to work extra hard for massive legs. Eventually, you will need to join a good gym with a wide variety of equipment and enough weights. That old myth about being able to create a great physique with a barbell and some dumbbells at home is exactly that- a myth. High intensity and hard work are paramount, but you need variety to stimulate complete muscle growth. I have a 500-square-foot gym in the back of my house, yet I still go to Las Vegas Athletic Club every other week. The energy of the environment is something you can't duplicate at home, either. 

 

LARD-ASSING IT IN THE OFF-SEASON

What do you think about the following training ideas? First, whatever happened to the old concept of eating over 3,000 calories a day? You could eat 6,000 calories a day. You'd bulk up and put on a lot of fat and water, but muscle too. I believe Lee Priest does this. If it worked so well then, why not continue to use it? Second, what do you do for your forearms? They don't receive much attention, but you have radical development. Your vascularity is disgusting, and I mean that as a compliment. Do you train them specifically, or was it just a natural occurrence over time?  

            I'll address the second question first. I don't train forearms. Sorry, bro.  They've just developed through years of training. I do a lot of my movements without straps, forcing me to use forearm strength to hold the bar or ‘bells. I only use straps when the weight's way too ridiculous. There's no sense in using them if they're not necessary. The vascularity is genetic. They've always had the thousand rivers since the very beginning. I don't know why I'm so vascular.

            As for bulking up, holding a lot of water and fat in the off-season wasn't an issue because I wasn't booked 27 weeks a year to guest pose when I first started. As a professional, you can't show up to guest pose at NPC and IFBB shows held all over the world when you look like a "before" ad. Believe me, the bad taste lingers. I'll get to a show and they'll tell me how fat so-so was last year when they guest posed. I want promoters to be satisfied and entertain the possibility of inviting me back. It's about repeat business. That's the reason I don't balloon up in the off-season.

            Now, that doesn't mean it won't work. Putting on fat and water works. I used to eat Burger King once a day. However, I don't think you can necessarily pack on more muscle by hauling around all that extra luggage. I haven't gained any more muscle in a year's period of time whether I was 40 pounds or just 20 pounds over contest weight. It's been six to eight pounds of muscle per year for the last three or four years, regardless of how heavy I get. Plus, instead of looking like a doughnut junky, you get to look like a bodybuilder year-round.

 

 

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: REDEMPTION

Well, getting set to kick off 2005 with a bang- Titus Style, of course! My sights are set on the Ironman in February. Me and Kelly will also be doing the Superstar Seminar the following Sunday after the show.

Been traveling a lot. I've been to Spain and Portugal for seminars and guest posings. I feel rested, to say the least. Training commenced on Monday, December 6, making it eleven weeks out. I'm working with Richard Greenbaum, one of my main buds since day one. We're going old school.  Whatever I look like two weeks out from the show is exactly what I'll look like onstage. No miracles, secrets, or black magic rituals. It's just old-school hard work. There'll be no drastic changes at the end.

            I was guilty of the cardinal sin: trying to fix something that ain't broke. In all the shows I've placed well in- 2001 USA, 2001 San Francisco, 2001 Arnold Classic, 2004 Ironman- I never made humongous changes during the week prior to the show. Every time I did, it was a disaster. The water fluctuates and the glycogen doesn't stay in the muscle. I end up flat. Those days are over. I'll be in shape and walk onstage in shape. I'm gonna train like an animal. This is my redemption. I feel fantastic. There are no injuries to hold me back. I won't disappoint my fans again.

I'm at 255 pounds right now. After the GNC disaster, I didn't go crazy and bulk up. I took a few weeks off to regroup. Since then, I've been hitting the gym for about three to four days a week; nothing hardcore, just an easy pace to get the blood in there.

 

HEALING THE HOUSEHOLD

Other than preparing to kick ass, there's not a whole lot going down.  Kelly's had a hard time recovering from that kick in the stomach at the Olympia.  We thought it was her time. I've never seen my wife so low after an event. She was totally devastated. My focus was on getting her back to her championship form. It was touch and go for a moment, but she's back to her old self now.  Don't let her sweetness fool ya'. Kelly's as tough as they come. Team Titus is primed for next year.

 

SPEAKING OF HOUSEHOLD

Kelly and I are remodeling our theater in our home. I wanted to give a special shout out to Michael Godard who happens to be the creator of some of the coolest art I've ever purchased. Every wall in the theatre is Michael Godard artwork. Go to http://www.michaelgodard.com/.  I'm telling you right now, his stuff is pimp! 

 

LET'S PARTY DUDE

I'm still trying to decide if I want to do the Arnold Classic after-party. I'm not sure. I may make a few calls this week and see if I can do something with one of the club owners. I had almost 1,800 people last year. I'd like to bring it to a different place and give an Ohio club promoter the chance to jump in on the party. The Olympia party was such a wild success that we're debating whether to do one for the Arnold or not. We just haven't tasted the same sort of success at the Arnold.

 

PIMP STYLING

Some young dude asked me how to pick up a fitness chick. I told him to get one of those fake Jacob watches, spend a couple of hundred on some nice duds and tell her you're a doctor. That ought to do you some good. Seriously, I've never had to play that role. Do you have to be a bodybuilder or a model? I don't think so; every girl is different. I know industry girls who are married to bodybuilders, football players and just normal, everyday guys. I think the only thing you can do is walk up to her, tell her she's fine and you'd like to take her out. See what happens from there. Just be confident. Don't be an arrogant prick and try to be something you're not. Just be yourself. You never know what will happen unless you try.