Chad Nicholls Interview(thoughts on 2002 Olympia and 2003)
Just read an interview with Chad Nicholls.
He says that Jay has no chance to beat Ronnie next year. Is this "loyalty" or "reality"???
A Conversation with Chad Nicholls
Chad Nicholls is regarded as the premier "contest prep" guru within the world of professional bodybuilding. His client list includeds many of the greatest names in bodybuilding. Pro Muscle Online recently caught up with the man known as "The Diet Doctor". Here is a transcript of the conversation. Interview conducted by Dan Solomon:
DS: When did you first become interested in working with bodybuilders? (Tell us a little about your background)
CN: Obviously the first athlete I began working with was Kim, and I became more involved in the nutritional part of the sport to help her. As she began winning shows and reaching the top of the sport - I began to branch out and help other athletes - the first two being Nasser El Sonbaty and Paul Dillett back in 1997.
If you remember, many felt that Nasser could have beaten Dorian in 1997. So, from that point, it just kind of snowballed - and at the end of 1997, I began working with Flex Wheeler to get him ready for the '98 Ironman/Arnold. Many felt that was Flex's best overall package and conditioning - and things just really went crazy after that point. I also began working with Ronnie in 1998. He won the Olympia that year and everything has just been like a whirlwind ever since.
DS: Obviously your services are in high demand. How do you determine who you are willing to work with? What do you look for in a bodybuilder before you agree to work with them?
CN: The primary traits I look for in an athlete before working with them, is determination and the willingness to work hard and listen. I need to make certain that if I'm going to put my effort into an athlete's prep, they are willing to put forth just as much effort and follow directions well - not just sit back and let me perform a miracle. I'm also lucky now, because I am at the point where I am established enough to pick and choose the athletes I work with.
There are a lot of factors on picking athletes to work with, but obviously communication is also very important and being able to relate to the athlete and the athlete being able to communicate and relate to me.
2003 will be a very exciting year for me, as I will be moving outside of the body building realm and into other professional sports. So, the body building athletes I take on this year will be less than half of the work load I have taken on in the past.
DS: Can you describe the entire scope of your services? In other words, what is your complete role in an athlete's contest prep?
CN: I lay out the entire game plan for an athlete's preparation. This includes the nutritional program (offseason and precontest), supplementation program (advice on what supplements to take), training, cardio, posing (if needed), tanning advice, suit cut advice - I pretty much advise them on every aspect possible - not just the body. Everyone is different, so not everyone needs all this information. Some people have their training down, some have their posing down -- it's an individual case by case plan. That's what I pride myself on - custom programs to suit every individual. By my services encompassing all these areas, it aleviates a lot of the stress and makes their job easier - just eat, train and diet - I help them with the rest - and I end up being the stressed out one!
DS: Some people have accused you of being a bit "too aggressive" when it comes to the use of performance enhancing products. Are these fair accusations?
CN: I am actually very glad you asked that question. First off, all of my athletes are at the top of the game. I have taken so many athletes from the bottom and taken them to the top that it is hard for people to comprehend that just through hard work and knowledge they can achieve such goals.
When other people can't achieve these goals, they want to believe that the only reason the others have reached the goals are because of doing off the wall crazy things. Even other pros try to play that game too - just like all the rumors with the plasma expanders - all of those rumors were started by pros - and there was actually NO legitimacy to them. In basically every single case, I can guarantee you the athletes I work with are now using LESS than before they started working with me - because with me there is no guessing - everything is set up specifically for that person - so they don't have to question whether something is working or not. In bodybuilding the "more is better theory" comes into play only when a person is trying to compensate for lack of knowledge.
Another key to remember, is that not only am I concerned about the health of the athlete, but the longevity the athlete has in the sport. My athletes will be in the sport for many, many years - and that is something that cannot happen if one is loaded to the hilt.
DS: How many athletes were you working with at this years O?
CN: Too many! I actually had 10 athletes - 9 men and 1 woman. Last year I had seven athletes and said I would never do that again, which I didn't - I ended up with more. I am definitely going to streamline my load for the 2003 season - it's just too much stress to deal with.
DS: Do athletes ever ask to work with you on a confidential basis?
CN: I have only had one athlete ask me to do this and yes, he was a pro. He had been working with another nutritionist and had become good friends with this person and didn't want to hurt his feelings, but yet wanted me to help him. I will NOT do this for a person. Not that my ego is that huge, but it's not fair and out of respect for the other nutritionist.
DS: Some of your greatest work might be the 2 amazing physiques that you helped your wife Kim Chizevsky build? Can you describe that process?
CN: I know Kim's physique better than I know anyones'. In the beginning, the beginning years of bodybuilding, it was a learning process - so, it was a lot more difficult getting Kim to the level of Ms. Olympia, than it was to trim her back down.
Prior to the '99 Ms. Olympia, we had already come up with the game plan to whittle her down to a fitness look. Directly after she finished filming "The Cell" - she began the trim down. She ate protein at her first meal of the day and the rest was carbs and fat. She didn't do any cardio for the first 6 months - burning the bulky muscle and adding fat back to her body. After the first 6 months, we added in cardio - to tone and dwindle the body down further - it was an 18 month process - note we have not mentioned weight training, because during this entire time, she didn't touch a single weight. After her fitness debut at the International, she began incorporating small amounts of weight training back into her routine (circuit training).
DS: Describe the feeling of watching one of your athletes stand victoriously on stage?
CN: For a trainer, it is the greatest feeling in the world. Especially when you have several athletes in the show and you see them walk out onto the stage in the lineup and they are all right on the money. However, when they win, it is an amazing feeling - different from what the athlete is feeling, but still an amazing feeling. I'm just glad that I am able to contribute to helping them reach their goals.
DS: Historically, your clients have done very well, however, can you tell us about any instances in which you miscalculated and an athlete ended up way off the mark?
CN: The very first time I worked with Ronnie for the San Francisco Pro - it was in 1998 before the NOC. I was unable to be at the show - so we had to go by phone calls and guess at the final preparation phase. --The final outcome was that I had over carbed him a little too much. Kevin Levrone won that show. We made the proper adjustments a week later in Toronto and Ronnie won that show - went on to win the NOC and has won 5 Mr. Olympias and the Arnold Classic since that point.
DS: Are you working on anything that will be useful to a beginning level bodybuilder, or are you just committed to working with pro level athletes?
CN: I'm in the process of writing a book - actually I've been in this process for the last 2 years now!! It just has taken entirely more time than I had ever anticipated. I have a lot of respect for those who write books because it has to be a complete dedication of at least 6 months or more to put out a quality piece - and at this point in my life - I just don't have that kind of spare time!
I also have an anti-cramping product that will be coming out in the next month that will help everyone - pro or amatuer - body building, other athlete, or just every day people suffering from cramps or wanting to prevent them. It's the exact same product that I have been using on my athletes for the last several years.
I work with many amatuer athletes, as well as athletes in various other sports, so I am very knowledgeable in many other sporting events - not just bodybuilding. However, I do enjoy body building very much - due to the huge changes in the body when one diets down - and the diets are so in depth and challenging.
DS: Tell us about your new website?
CN: First of all - this is taking up every spare minute of my time right now. I never how much time one needed to spend to really make a site "great"! We are just getting started and have actually been up and running for just about a month and are growing like crazy. One of the main features we have is a discussion board featuring many of the top pros and experts in various areas of the health and fitness arena. It's the only board of it's kind out there. As well, we are going to have lots of information and updates on all the athletes I work with. In addition, for those athletes I work with that do not currently have their own websites, webpages for these athletes will be dedicated within my site.
There will be lots of contest pictures and contest coverage of shows from every spectrum (amateur to pro), and a lot of pictures that most photographers aren't able to obtain, for instance, like some of the pics I've been posting of the guys in their rooms before the show.
As well, we have included a section dedicated to powerlifting and strength training - featuring one of the greatest powerlifters EVER, in the world, Ed Coan. There will also be coverage of strongmen competitions and already have several world class strongmen on board. We have also included a section for females - many of the boards are male dominated - but I wanted to give the women a forum and place to chat and get good information - from the top women in the sport. We have Kim, of course, Lenda Murray and Ms. Fitness Olympia '99 Mary Yockey on board, and will be adding several other top females as time goes on.
DS: Any comments on the 2002 Olympia results?
CN: No real comments. I think Ronnie deserved to win, and he did. It wasn't the way I wanted to bring him in, but everyone had harped on both of us all year long to bring him in smaller (were told to bring him in like the Arnold) - so we did, and they didn't like it. Next year, Ronnie will be close to 280 - and ripped - this will be his alltime biggest and best - and that's where he needs to be. We easily could've done that this year, but we had our gameplan set in motion - and we followed it to a "T". Everything worked out for the best, so I am not complaining. He is a 5 time Mr. O - and he will be the biggest and best in 2003.
DS: Can Jay Cutler defeat Ronnie?
CN: In my opinion, absolutely not. As I stated in the previous question, Ronnie will come in at his alltime biggest and best next year - and I don't think a Ronnie at 110% even has to blink an eye about Jay Cutler. Not taking anything away from Jay - he is a great athlete, but at this point, he needs to wipe Ronnie from his sights and concentrate on beating Gunter before he goes after Ronnie.
And. . .to answer the question of whether or not Jay can beat Gunter, I say absolutely not - next year Gunter will just be too big and dominant. Of course, I am just a little biased, as Ronnie and Gunter are both my athletes.
DS: Congratulations on the fine work you did with Lenda Murray, the new Ms Olympia! You must be very proud of Lenda's amazing comeback.
CN: Yes, I am very proud. Working with Lenda was great - and it was easy for me - she listened to everything and followed it to the letter. As well, Kim and I had focused on her and studied her physique for so long, I knew it about as well as I know Kim's - so it was easy to develop a plan for her. I am happy that we were able to bring her to the stage this year the way SHE had always wanted to look - that is always a great feeling when everything turns out just as the athlete wants.
