Kai Greene Exclusive

His thoughts on competing in the Olympia, Phil Heath, his future plans plus some suprising comments on prize money

COMPETIVE PLANS FOR 2017

What are my competitive plans for 2017? That is a very interesting question, because I really do not know how to answer that. I know this, at the close of 2015 I did not know that I was going to actually do three Arnold contests [The US, Australian and Brazilian events] and win them back-to-back. With everything else that is going on, I definitely did not even think of doing the Arnold Classic in Columbus this March. Some have suggested I make a late entrance, but you need a certain amount of time to prepare in fairness to yourself and out of respect for the other athletes who are not late entrants. A lot of amazing things have been done to grow the Arnold circuit with contests now taking place on six continents and I am very proud to have been part of that expansion. So early 2017 was out for me as regards contests, but it’s a very strong possibility I will compete later in the year.

COMPETING AT THE OLYMPIA

Me not entering the last two Olympias was not by accident. The Olympia was a very real goal for me. My bodybuilding journey and my rise as a winning pro was completed with a real expectation of making it right to the top. But factors occurred which made it impossible. But I don’t feel a victim. I believe you have to face certain disappointments in life and turn them into opportunities to do something else. You have to expand your vision. You have to change your point of view or your way of viewing the situation. To stress about a door closing leads to an acknowledgment that I am not in control of me. But everything I do is under my control. In pro sports there is always a business component. It is very fair to say that if you put Kia Greene's likeness on the cover of a magazine, or recruit Kia Greene's presence at any competitive bodybuilding event, the magazine and event gain from that. That is a very difficult thing to deny. It is about dollars and cents and I generate that interest and that revenue.

There was a time I would sacrifice everything for a Sandow. I would have been willing to sacrifice my organs to make it happen. I would have slept in my car. No price was too great. I had a passion to win a Sandow. I believed it was my destiny. It was that belief that allowed me to put 805 pounds on my back and squat down to the floor that made me throw up but it didn’t put me off doing it again and again and again. I had the passion, the belief, that all this effort was worth it to fulfill my dream. A few years ago I accepted a twenty thousand dollar pay cut to leave one organization to go to the other with the expectation of believing that in some way it would advance me towards attaining that Sandow.

RELATIONSHIP WITH PHIL HEATH.

Ed’s Note: At the 2014 Mr. Olympia Kai Greene was very critical of Phil Heath at the press conference and then at the prejudging he ignited an in-you-face confrontation with the reigning Mr. Olympia that looked like it could have come to fisticuffs. So against that background it’s interesting to get Kai’s present day thoughts on the man he has finished Olympia runner-up to three times.

I’ve always got along with Phil. [Ed’s note: he breaks into uproarious laughter] … well, maybe not always. He has been faced with some interesting challenges that others would be unable to deal with. What he had to deal with in the past few years, family illness, divorce, big business problems, was huge. And he had to deal with all that in public with people picking apart and analyzing what was happening. So I have a great deal of respect for Phil and what he has overcome. You have to have very strong shoulders to support what Phil represents. I think for the 99 percent of the population who have never been ranked number one in their discipline, it is difficult to comprehend the pressure on him. To be top dog in your field is something most people can’t relate to.

Phil and I are cool now. I heard of some of the things that he went through earlier last year. The man had to have an incredible amount of resilience to be able to hold it together like he did. Just trying to get his head together and still show up at the Olympia and fight like he did merits a load of respect.

KEVIN LEVRONE COMEBACK

I applaud Kevin for being able to make his own decisions about his own life. I think some people would argue whether or not it was safe. I think that Kevin is an intelligent 50-year-old grown man with legendary status in the sport. He was well aware of some of the risks that could be associated with a comeback. I think that he was practical enough and wise enough to map out the safest road possible to make the comeback. Plus, he was accepting the role and responsibility of helping to revitalize interest and enthusiasm in last year’s Olympia that did not have a compelling storyline until he came along. In thinking of Kevin Levrone I think there is much more to consider about his legacy that what he looked like at the last Olympia. His comeback was a unique story. Some were critical of his decision and liked the back and forth between him and Shawn Ray. But for me the truth is what he accomplished was something that required a tremendous amount of humility. I think an ability to concentrate on such an arduous project was more important than just the potential for egg on the face. Kevin’s legacy is what he achieved in his prime. It’s like we revere Muhammad Ali for all he did in his prime not for getting into the ring ten years after he should have retired. That is not the way we remember Muhammad Ali.

VIEWS ON THE 2016 OLYMPIA

I never watched the 2016 Olympia, not on the webcast or on DVD. That would have seemed strange to say at one time. I remember watching Lou Ferrigno do an interview when he was actually at the 2010 Arnold Classic. He was filmed walking through the Expo, and talking to different personalities that were there. He was asked, “Who’s going to win tonight? He said, "Actually, I do not really pay attention to the show." I cringed. I thought what? How could you? You are Lou Ferrigno. You are an ambassador. You are supposed to endorsee the event and show interest. But fast forward to today seven years later -- in this moment, I totally get it.

NEW TALENT & THE MIDDLE EAST

Certainly seems as if a lot of new guys are making headway in the pros. Guys like Dallas McCarver and Justin Compton and William Bonac who has really improved these past few years. Then there’s the guy from England Nathan DeAshe; he really impressed me when I saw him at the Bodypower Expo in Birmingham, England last May. Then he made his pro debut and showed incredible shape and balance. He looks like he has eaten more than his share of steaks and things. No doubt the anabolic chicken they have in Kuwait [DeAshe spends a lot of time at Oxygen Gym in Kuwait] helps him.

I think we shall see more bodybuilders like Big Ramy coming through from Arab countries. I’ve been to Oxygen Gym and in the Middle East they have tremendous enthusiasm and a love for the sport of bodybuilding of a level we do not see in the United States. The owner of Oxygen, Bader Bodai, has a great set-up out there and a lot of talent training there. A lot of that talent will be coming through at the top level in the next few years. They are so focused in the gym and men and women train separately within the five-floor building. Imagine going to a gym that has every piece of training equipment that you could imagine. You can train any muscle from any angle. It’s a really cool amenity that you don’t find over here.

Big Ramy is the figurehead for Middle East bodybuilding and it’s not been easy for him. He has a lot of pressure on him; coming to another country and learning a new language. He carries the hopes and dreams of a whole slew of countries from that region. Many people may think that’s an aid to him, thinking such support makes it easier for the athlete. But it’s a whole lot of pressure on him. I personally know what Big Ramy has had to overcome in the effort to build himself into this machine that he appears to be.

One thing that is really important to recognize is there is new talent coming through. I think we always need to celebrate and make room for the fresh energy that new talent brings. You used the phrased “Changing of the guard” and I think that is a good thing – it’s supposed to happen.

As regards new talent, I think in some respects some of the progress that we have seen in the development of men's physique and classic bodybuilding has kind of derailed open bodybuilding. I think that some of that talent that would have otherwise gone into open bodybuilding went the men’s physique and classic bodybuilding route instead.

THERE IS A SECOND ACT

Developing my skills as an actor is something I’m currently working on. Appearing in the film Crazy Fist and having done my own one-man show at the Soho Theater, New York (which is being planned to be released on Netflix), makes me want to get better at it. In the one-man show I’m live onstage giving insights into my past – both bodybuilding and non-bodybuilding – about things you don’t see in the bodybuilding media. Acting is a challenge, and I suppose the biggest difference between me and those who have been trained to be actors is the amount of time I spend learning the craft of acting. What a professional actor learns in an hour, can take me 15 hours. I want to reduce the amount of time it take me to process what a character is all about so that I can the deliver my lines and give an honest portrayal of that character. My approach to honing this new skill is an offshoot of what I do in bodybuilding. You have to have a goal and harness the factors and discipline needed to get better or master these new skill sets. It’s the reality of seeing my personal growth and development expand in the effort to embrace a larger vision of my success. I realize that bodybuilding is just the beginning. I have learned how to take responsibility and hold myself accountable for my actions. Of following through and persevering even when there are a series of objections. Those are the skills that I had to develop to become a champion athlete. I am finding my previous learning processes critically important now to navigate these new challenges and responsibilities. It’s a process of becoming more proficient and being able to be a better man.

THE REALITIES OF PRIZE MONEY

I did not make money on stage. A lot of the fans and enthusiasts see these cash prizes and think they represent very lucrative paydays. But the truth is that for the athlete who’s working to achieve the success they dream of the dollar and cents return is debatable. You do not win money on stage. What you are doing is competing for something else that is an expression of your innermost desire – to continue your journey of improvement. You are not there on stage with the expectation of making money.

AGELESS DEXTER JACKSON

Dexter Jackson is an example of improving over the long haul. And just between you and I Dexter Jackson is 68 years old. For the past ten years he has told me every year that the next year he will retire. He’d say, “You had better get me now Kai before I retire.” He told you me that back in 2006 and he told me the same thing at last December’s San Marino Pro.

THE PLACE HE IS IN NOW

I am currently working very hard. I am still training, still learning because the experience of bodybuilding has been crucial to my overall development, not just that of my physique. It has give me an all round education and has given me the foundation and schooling that allows me to feel that I intuitively understand concepts that would previously have been very vague. My current knowledge and sense of purpose is a result of being a lifetime athlete and professional bodybuilder.

I came up through the ranks. I competed in all of the teenage bodybuilder competitions. To start from one place and to be able to understand how some of these bodybuilding fundamentals evolved to apply themselves to other aspects of my life is a concept I embrace. Understanding that at one time, this 23 or 24-inch arm was once a seven-inch arm and how everything evolved from there is essential to keep the education process going. Mine has been a lifetime, of developing myself as an athlete, a bodybuilder and a person. The journey helps me understand the more complex ideas of positive self-development.

MOVING ON

The question you ask is, am I reaching a point now where I am moving towards other pursuits that are fresher or more challenging than competitive bodybuilding? I do not want to say that. Because audiences may misinterpret my intentions. Though you may say something one way, others can hear something different. There is a certain amount of responsibility that I feel that cautions me in answering that question. I do not want to talk in a way that minimizes what bodybuilding and the fans have given me. They put me where I am. Bodybuilding has been, and continues to be the bedrock of everything I have done.

THE FUTURE?

There are new opportunities opening up which is remarkable given that there was a time when I was an institutionalized young man who looked like he was on a path to nowhere. I realize I still have to work hard at developing all aspects of my life. I think Phil, put it best with something he said in Generation Iron. He said that the days of an athlete just sitting and spending his whole day in the gym with a hoodie on are over; that will not help you progress as a pro bodybuilder. Some people saw the hoodie reference as a knock against me. Fast-forward and I will go on the record in saying that he is absolutely right.

I am realizing it now more and more every day that you have to continue working hard not just in the gym but also beyond the gym in business, in your personal life. The ability to realize your own dream is your own. It does not just start and stop in the gym. I still see myself as a work in process. My best is not behind me; it is still in front of me.

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