Interview Reflection

Mr. Brett Nelson was a Personal Trainer, Manager for the Personal Training Department, and the Business Manager for Gold’s Gym in the Northern Mariana Islands from 1996 to 2013.  He currently has his own personal training business in Spokane, Washington.  He also consults in Spokane and still consults for Gold’s Gym in the Northern Mariana Islands.  His certifications include certifications from the National Association of Sports Association.  He is also a contributor to their work.  I had a phone interview with him to answer my project questions.

From the interview, the general idea from my project proposal was reinforced.  Natural bodybuilding is beneficial for any person’s quality of life.  For example, Mr. Nelson explained that one-rep max training is beneficial for all that you do.  It is good for strength training.  It is good for bodybuilding.  Mr. Nelson explained that any exercise is good for improving a person’s quality of life.  It is good for improving a person’s mood.

As something good for a person’s well-being, natural bodybuilding has an attraction for me.  As an individual sport, it is easier to find the time for because I do not need to coordinate my availability with the availability of an entire team.  As something that has benefits that is potentially transferable to other life activities or sports, natural bodybuilding has further attraction.

Being someone that is starting out on this path of natural bodybuilding, I have found that doing higher repetition sets of twelve to fifteen repetitions have helped my body remember the different movements I need to perform for various body parts.  As I got comfortable with the movements, it gave me the mental and physical preparation to lift heavier for three to five repetitions.

I have also experienced the importance of diet and proper supplementation in bodybuilding.  When I was not focused on what my food intake was on the day prior to working out and on the day of working out, I found myself sore post workout.  When I tried to be somewhat more attentive on my food intake before and after working out, I found that my muscle soreness was minimized.

When I worked out a few times focusing on improving my posture, I got comments at home that my posture was better.  This is important for me because I know that there are times I feel my back is a little strained and proper posture would be a key to minimizing or eliminating the strain.

From the interview with Mr. Nelson, it is only reconfirmed that bodybuilding is very dynamic.  One cannot simply do the same exercises day in and day out.  Changing out your workout plan is important.  For example, it is a good idea to do high repetition sets for one to two weeks every three months.  Changing out your workout plan periodically would help ensure your body’s improvement does not plateau.

In conclusion, there is a lot that goes into natural bodybuilding.  There is proper diet.  There is proper form.  There are the supplements.  There are a lot of benefits.  If your body functions properly, it would help you perform injury free with other sports.  If your body is muscularly balanced, you would have a physique that you could be proud of.  Bodybuilding should not automatically imply a drug user.  There are many natural bodybuilders with a very respectable diet and exercise lifestyle.