marcus300 interview Igifuno


marcus300: Where about's in the world do you reside and how do you like living there?
Igifuno: I live on the East Cost USA, Baltimore, MD. I was born in Massachusetts in a small Italian, Irish and Polish town. Both my parents were born there and pretty much all of my extended family still lives there, but I was fortunate enough to get away and move around throughout my life. My old man was a developer and so we moved around for several years…. NH, TX (Dallas, Houston, Brownsville), VA/DC. We moved back in the late 80’s but my folks ended up divorcing in 91, and my mother sent me to DC to live with my dad in 92… Been in the DC/B’more area ever since (except when I moved back to TX on my own for several months with this chick I dated).

marcus300: What are your current stats?
Igifuno: 33 years old, 5’6 183lbs 12% bf. I’m fairly happy with where I’m at considering the time I took off from fitness due to work travel in 2009. Also, I have a lot that goes on in my life with respect to family, work and fitness and I'm grateful that I have the health and the energy to get in the gym and do what I love.

marcus300: What do you do for a living, and what would be your ideal job?
Igifuno: I’m in real estate and I’m an Investment Manager for a global property management company. I manage assets up and down the east coast. I'm actually looking for a new gig because, as of 7/31, I may be out of a job because we’re closing the DC office. Got an offer to x-fer to ATL or Tampa, but declined, so we'll see what happens. My ideal job would be to help people in need in some fashion. I've volunteered on occasion which is pretty cool, and I've also raised money for disaster relief on various occasions, but I think if I had it my way, I'd want to do something to benefit the lives of children in abusive households.

Members question: What kind of car do you drive?
Igifuno: Got two rides.. 04 Acura MDX and 08 Civic EX

marcus300: Do you have a big family or have any children?
Igifuno: I'm married (twelve years in September) and we have two beautiful kids (12 and 7) as well as a golden-lab who will be 3 next month). My family is my world and I have no idea where I would be right now if it were not for them.

marcus300: When did you first start bodybuilding?
Igifuno: I played football in HS, so that’s when I was introduced to lifting, but I started bodybuilding when I was around 20. I’ve been through so many phases in my bodybuilding life and the concept behind “sport and science” captivates me. I'm a relatively short guy at 5’6, and I've been as heavy as 195 and as light as 168 at 8% bf. Come to think of it, I was actually at 203 at the beginning of 2010 but wasn't in very good shape at all due to a long period of time off. Leaned out to 175 in a matter of 6 weeks with a disciplined diet and ECA.

marcus300: What has been the most productive cycle/regime you have done?
Igifuno: My last cycle was two years ago and I feel I gained the most from it. As you can tell from my name, I like IGF-1, and it’s been a staple in my last two cycles and I have it ready for my upcoming one I’m going to start in October. My last cycle was IGF-1, prop, tren, winny. I’ve never felt so good in my life. My upcoming cycle is IGF-1, cyp, eq, winny (although I may drop the eq and replace w/ deca.. or I may trash the whole thing and go with something else by then but that’s what I currently have on hand..lol). As far as lifting regimes, I’m testing different things currently, I know what has worked in the past, but I’ve found that I’m not responding to diets and lifting techniques like a used to (could it be that I'm getting old). I'm currently consuming about 3k cals/day, high protein, moderate carbs/fats, no sugar/dairy. I also just switched up my cardio routine to 2x per day at ½ hour each session at low intensity (thanks Bertuzzi and Fireguy1). I feel like I have a higher energy level with this regime and I’m expecting some progress in the upcoming months.

marcus300: What kind of training program do you adhere to?
Igifuno: 5 day workout schedule off Mon/Fri.. I like to change my movements and splits every two months. Currently Tu:chest, Wed:back/rear delts, Thurs:bis/tris/forearms, Sat:quads/hams/calves/abs/lower back, Sun:shoulders/traps.. cardio every workout day and now I'm doing low intensity cardio on days off as well.

Members question: Which Pro's bodybuilders would you most like to look like?
Igifuno: I’d have to say Dexter Jackson.. I love his physique.

marcus300:What as been the happiest and sadness moments in your life?
Igifuno: Most wouldn't guess from my everyday interaction on the boards, but I'm actually a pretty emotionally influenced person. I’m pretty private and my biggest life focus is the value of friends and family. I'm pretty fascinated with people in general and truly care about the well being of the people that I have the pleasure of coming into regular contact with in this lifetime. That being said, it’s hard to limit the most emotionally influential times of my life with happiness and sadness considering events that have had significant impact in my lifetime. I've experienced new life with the birth of my children, the death of friends and family, the emotional high of reconciliation from near divorce with my wife, and the emptiness and confusion with the divorce of my parents and being separated from my brother when he was still a toddler.

marcus300: How did you take your parents divorcing, did it affect you in a negative way?
Igifuno: I think so, but I can’t blame them for how I handled it internally, that was my choice. I think my focus was mostly on the fact that I couldn't live with my brother anymore, which hurt, but I didn't acknowledge it as hurt at that time. When they decided to divorce, my father moved to DC and me, my little bro and mom stayed in MA. It was about that time that I started to rebel (dad left and I tried to take over) and my mother wasn’t too tolerant so when I was in my room doing my homework one day she came in with a plane ticket and told me I was moving. My dad was pretty effed up over the divorce so he was always out partying and doing his thing, pretty much leaving me on my own. So I began to do the same.. got pretty heavy into drinking and rec drugs and barely made it through school. As a result of my lifestyle, I didn’t talk to my mother for years and went long periods without talking to my brother as well. Time made it better but I’ll always have an awkward relationship with my mother because of what happened. There’s a lot more to the story but.. whatever

marcus300: What was the reason to why you and your wife nearly divorced and how did you get it back on track?
Igifuno: My wife and I met in 92 when we were in HS and hung out from time to time. We started hanging out a lot and dating after HS and she ended up getting pregnant in 97.. we got married for the wrong reasons in 98 after our daughter was born and were never truly in love with each other. We were both 21 and pretty wild.. so as you can imagine.. we both wanted to party a lot and do our own thing. I’m the one who typically won that battle and I went out all the time for years.. sometimes I wouldn’t come home for two days at a time. I know I had no business doing that with a wife and kid at home and I’m ashamed of that now that I know better. So we ended up just going through the motions. Through the years I’ve done a lot of things I’m not going to get into, but weren’t good for the marriage, you could say. In the midst of the years we got pregnant again, and ended up aborting, which is the worst decision we’ve ever made in our lives and I regret it everyday. We ended up resenting each other for this.. got over it on the surface and ended up having another daughter the following year. Fast forward to two years ago.. After finding responsibility in my life and composure with my marriage, I don’t know what came over me, but I was a mad man.. went out all the time again and did things I had no business doing (all the time) and she got really depressed. I actually initiated the notion of divorce, which she agreed to and, at the 10th hour, she let me know that she truly loved me, that she had no intention of divorcing me and wanted to “start over” with our marriage. I agreed to give it a shot and we did just that, started over, got to know each other and learned what changes we had gone through throughout the years. I had never paid attention to her like that before and she deserved that.. we became friends again and fell in love with each other.. we have had a whole new life for the past two years. She’s still a bitch though, and I’m still a d*ck, but you know.. if the shoe fits…

marcus300: Are you religious
Igifuno: The answer to that is no, but I think this life is a gift, either way, which is a contributing factor of why I find relationships so incredibly valuable. In this day and age, we have the web to broaden our past limitations on who we can get to know and who we can have the opportunity to have a relationship with. I have no idea what is in store after we die. My father is 100% Italian, my mother is 100% Irish (haha.. I bet no one knew I was half Irish), so as you can imagine, I was raised Catholic. I’ve read the Bible and spent a good deal of my youth being exposed to the church. I used to believe in God without question and, truthfully, I wish I still had that faith. I envy people who have absolute faith, I just don’t. Years ago, around the time of my parents divorce, I began to question the validity of the Bible and the teachings I had come to know. As I read scientific theories regarding the evolution of earth and man, it made a lot of sense, and science has since, in my opinion, proven the creation of man with great opposition to what is outlined in the Bible. Besides, I didn’t ask to be here, so I’m not too excited about a God who tells me I have to do certain things in life or suffer in a fiery pit for eternity. My wife is Buddhist and I’ve visited the temple with her countless times over the years. I like that environment and I agree with their basic principles, but I’m not a practicing Buddhist either. I do everything I can in the best interest of family and humanity and hope that we’ll be okay in the next phase of being.

Members question: you spoke to me about having drug abuse issues, how did you overcome this, what was your motivation?
Igifuno: I’ve battled with drugs since I was about 18 until about 3 years ago. I’ve overcome it over the years by focusing on fitness, however that didn’t always work in the long term. Most recently in 06/07, I got addicted to cocaine and pain killers and I just hit rock bottom. I would wake up in the middle of the night to take a leak and do a bump of coke.. not cool. I knew I had a problem when I was bumping up and falling asleep at the same time. I crashed my truck because I feel asleep at the wheel (while I was working) and I was just a mess. One weekend my family went away to a wedding (I was supposed to go but made up some story about work and told my wife I had to stay), and a couple friends and I went through a few 8 balls and I had one left when they left so I kept going. At one point, I had done so much I knew something was about to go seriously wrong. My heart was beating out of my chest and I was walking around my house with my cell phone on the call button for 911 for hours. I was done.. told my wife everything about my addiction and asked her to help me.. I got help and never went back. So my motivation was life…

marcus300: You have been a member for a long time, what makes you coming back and posting?
Igifuno: I’ve taken long stints off throughout my membership, but keep coming back because of the obvious wealth of knowledge available as a reliable health resource. I have most recently been more active with developing relationships with many members I now consider friends. There is a trust factor that I find to be precious and, again, we quite possibly only live once, so I find these relationships valuable and the members here are important to me. I also love being given the opportunity to help people with roadblocks or hurdles that they’ve encountered in their life, whether it is with aas, life or fitness questions, if I’m able to help, it gives me a sense of serenity and I can rest assured that I’ve contributed in some way.

marcus300: I am pleased that your more active recently, but what would you change about this site and what would you implement to make it better?
Igifuno: I don’t mean this as a cop-out, but I like it just fine the way it is. I really don’t get pissed off at some of the content that frustrates some others. Yes, it can be frustrating when members come for advice and argue with it because its not what they want to hear, but it is what it is.. and with all the advice hear consistent with sound principle, there is a lot of good that comes from this place and it really is a get away for me.. something that I really enjoy and even cherish. I believe a lot of members feel the same way. Besides, I know nothing about running a website and reading Admin’s interview, I think he’s got it under control..lol.

Members question: I understand you have recently come up with a new alchohol/protein beverage.... can you please explain to everyone on AR how you came up with it and how to make it.... most of all... Does it taste good??
Igifuno: Yes indeed, however I cannot take all the credit.. I was the mad scientist of the plan but me, Bertuzzi and Vandhul were chillin’ in dukkit’s room one night and I couldn’t decide whether or not to have a vodka or a protein shake. One of those geniuses suggested a vodka/protein drink. It sounded intriguing so I figured I’d give it a shot.. here’s the recipe. Vodka/Ice/3 strawberries/1 bananna/2 scoops whey protein (vanilla)/5 grams L-glutamine/splash of Malibu rum.. Blend.. and there you have a Vanduzzifuno. It’s money… highly recommended. Don’t be a wuss, try it.

marcus300: Where in the world would you most like to visit and why?
Igifuno: I’ve not been all over the world by any means, and want to visit so many places. I’ve been all over the USA, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic/Caribbean .. That’s about it. My wife was born in Southeast Asia (Cambodia) and her family escaped the Khmer Rouge invasion in the early 80’s (quite a story). She hasn’t been back since so that’s my first choice. Italy and Ireland would be a toss up for my second choice because those countries are my homelands. Grandfather was from Italy and Great Great Grandfather from Ireland.

Members question: If you could have one super power which one would you have, able to fly, be invisible, strength, etc?
Igifuno: If I could have one super power, it would be the power to heal. To me, there could be no better power one could possess. I would heal the sick, injured, people with mental issues.. everything. I would be a busy person. We could set up an AR Healing Forum and I could be the mod.. lol..

marcus300: Which members would you most like to meet?
Igifuno: Damn dude there are so many.. ok let me start dropping names then: I would love to meet all my brothers in the lounge – Mr. Rose, Bertuzzi, calgarian, Hazard, Vanhuhl, DSM, MaNiCC, ghettoboyd, Ernst, bjpennn, stack_it. I love hanging out with these fools.. true funny dudes with a lot of friendships and humor to offer. I’d also love to meet some of the members I consider mentors from the knowledge I’ve gained from reading their thoughts and insight – 007, cgb, spy, Swifto, Amorphic, big, Marcus (you), D7M, Fireguy, Gear, gixx, Muscle Science, Nark, Ronnie Rowland.. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with many of these guys off line or through PM as well and they’re always willing to help in any way and are typically really fast about it. Much respect for these guys, who are the most solid contributing members to the society we call AR. I’m sure I’m forgetting some others I’d love to meet as well but big props to all these bruthas.. love these guys.

Members question: Describe what motivates you in life?
Igifuno: I’m motivated in all sorts of ways. I enjoy the little things in life, music, celebrations, coming home, feeling good about doing a good job at work – I’m also motivated by the big things in life, my family, my health and training, providing for my family requires hard work commitment and dedication. I also love helping people and solving problems, which is a big part of what I do for work… like piecing information together like a puzzle. I like figuring people out so I can relate better to them – some people respond better or are motivated if you relate to their interests, hobbies or backgrounds. Music is a big part of my life and it provides me with a great deal of motivation as well. I love going to concerts and have been to countless live shows of various genres. I’m the most musically diverse person I know and, with my ever changing moods, different kinds of music motivates me for different reasons.

marcus300: If you had to live your life over again, what ONE thing would you change?
Igifuno: I battle with this a lot. What I mean by that is, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life, and I could tell you about how I would do things over differently all day long, so it’s hard to narrow down one thing I would change. Therefore, I don’t consider this because it’s impossible, I do my very best to only look forward to tomorrow.

marcus300: You can't get out of a question that easy, let me re-phrase it for you: If you had to live your life over again, what THINGS would you change?
Igifuno: Aside from the obvious things like invest money in apple or Microsoft, I think the first thing I would do differently is take my education more seriously instead of focusing my life on getting hammered years ago. I think life could be easier in the future if I would have done so. Also, I wouldn’t have allowed people to tell me I couldn’t do things when I was a kid. There were so many things I wanted to do but lost confidence because of lack of support from my parents. I would like to go back in time to have a better relationship with my grandparents. The last time I saw my grandmother, I had stayed out all night doing E, K, G and whatever the hell else I did and was a zombie when she visited.. my wife was so pissed at me for weeks over that. She ended up passing away a couple months later. I never got to talk to her again after that day she visited so I’m disappointed about that. There are other things I wish I could take back, but I’m not convinced I’ll never do those things again either so that wouldn’t be fair to mention. Lastly and most of all, I would have convinced my wife not to abort our second child.