Amateur Bodybuilder Of The Week: Thomas Rutherford

Growing up for a few years with older step-brothers who were bodybuilders and having a childhood neighbor who loved exercise, I began this journey with a 5.5-pound cement-filled plastic weight in hand. I spent hours from the ages of 9-14 lifting, doing push-ups, and sit-ups in front of pictures of Dorian Yates, Flex Wheeler, and Arnold taped to his wall; moving up from women's plastic weights to a 100-pound skinny bar weight set that my dad bought.

Then, I came off season from football my freshmen year in high school and within 10 weeks of training my boyish but fit body was shot into a near man-child state, having a very symmetrical shape and deep muscle bellies in my abdominals. Gaining 20 pounds in that short time let me know that I had the genetics to take my body to the highest perceivable level.

I train six days per week in and out of my competitive bodybuilding season. During the off-season I have used volume training, HIIT training, and at times a real emphasis on power lifting motions with no cardio at all and minimal abdominal work. In competition prep I do 2-to-3 45-minute cardio sessions and a 60-75 minute weight training session six days per week; using most of the same principles just backing off a bit on some of the intense practices and weights. I always have 1-to-2 warm-up sets before each motion. Calves - four days per week.

Eating every two hours is the key, shooting for about 3500+ calories per day OS. I will pre- and post-workout carb load. I always have at least two 50 gram protein shakes per day maybe more. I eat fast food during the off season daily. Carb cycling works well for me during my pre contest prep.

I have always relied on whey protein thoughout my bodybuilding career. I drink the whey shakes in the morning first thing then later and again after training. CB-1 Weight Gainer is a product I have relied on during the past few months that has given me a lot of gains due to my appetite being increased. I take Herbalife Formula 1 shakes as a meal replacement during my pre-contest prep time. I take a pre workout drink with lots of creatine, NO, and caffeine. Dextrose - post-workout to raise insulin levels.

Almost more than any sport I feel bodybuilding relies on meditative techniques. For a person to deadlift 2.5 times his bodyweight, they need to enter an intense and intimate part in their psyche. That ability for successful bodybuilders to get to the highest levels of intensity coupled with knowledge of nutritional routine and supplementation allows them to constantly improve on their physiques. No one makes a person go to the gym daily. I enjoy watching my body change year-in and year-out and actually the whole 12-week process of getting ready to compete. It is the best after winning a show, rinsing the tan off in the shower, getting dressed up, going out with my girlfriend, and eating/drinking like a king; then having a firm handshake and a pat on my back from my dad!

Through having a muscular physique I am able to help people become interested about weightlifting and healthier routines. People tend to ask questions about healthy things to healthy-looking people. Younger children I work with think I am a wrestler and I tell them to "drink their milk and eat their veggies" and to ride their bike and play. I have helped older kids who might have been heading down a wrong path after running into them in the gym, helping them, and then holding them accountable in school for good behavior and academic success when I see them.

Since I was 14-years old I have never compared myself to an average looking man or a surfer's body type. I have always wanted to be a bodybuilder; plastering pictures of the greatest and the pros of the early to mid 1990s 8th-grade summer all over my walls in front of my little weight set. I woke up one day when I was 25-years old and stared at the ceiling in Miami, FL, and right then made my mind up that I would give the next 10 years of my life to the sport of bodybuilding and see how far it would take me.

Recently I partnered up with Jason Rock and Vicki Nemo to open up Rock Fitness in Richardson, Texas. The clean and new facility will be a training center for those who want real results at an affordable price. We will be hosting bodybuilding clinics and will soon be getting figure, bikini, and bodybuilding teams ramped up in hopes of bringing a whole new level of competition out of Rock Fitness and Richardson, Texas. With the support of my sponsors, clients, family, and friends I have plans of competing at the USA Nationals in Las Vegas in 2012 as a Light Heavy Weight.

Intensity is the most important part of training followed by being an educated bodybuilder. Do your research, some products actually work! Be smart enough to weigh the risks of: super heavy weight VS manageable weights using super crazy techniques. Remember real big guys usually who lift real big weights have had real big injuries. There are powerlifting aspects found in bodybuilding; but it's not always the strongest guy on the stage who wins!

Frank Zane, Jay Cutler, Kevin Levrone, and Arnold.

I like the BodySpace page and all of the ways it has to track my progress through graphs and pictures.

God, my family - especially my dad, Shon Perez, Prince Harrison from www.optimumfitness.com, Jonathan at www.cb1weightgainer.com, Charlie at www.charliegphoto.com, Leigh Ann Wiggins, Jason Rock, Vicki Nemo, Andrew James, and Pose Down Magazine at www.posedownmag.com.

Posedown Magazine
Optimum Fitness