I think your posing and your onstage presentation is yet another piece of the craft. So anytime you get onstage to show the muscles and show the finished work, that should be looked at with the same kind of respect and appreciation. I'm glad everybody else appreciates it, but I still want to get better.

It’s therapy. It’s just something to do so you’re not lost in your own not-so-nice thoughts, and it’s an opportunity to think about something a lot nicer and to do something that’s with more purpose. So you do it, and you take your passion and you put a lot into it, and at some point you get recognized for it. But that recognition doesn’t mean the man is without his own demons or without his own struggles.

My goal is to be a contributor and to encourage others as they realize their dreams.

It's like you have to save your own life, nobody is going to be your savior for you, so we have to do what we have to do, no matter what it is

The weight is just a tool. Do you focus on the hammer or the nail? You better focus on the thing you're trying to hit.

I don't really believe in cardio. I train with a very high intensity, which in turn gives it an aerobic effect. I like to use anaerobic resistance type movements or exercises. I don't believe in sitting on a Stairmaster or a bike for hours, that's just not me.

It’s a very interesting thing to try to be your absolute best—not a percent better or a percent worse than that.