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 By: Hugo Rivera New IFBB Pro Patrick Richardson shares with us how he got started in bodybuilding, his training and diet philosophies, and how he got to turn pro at the 2004 NPC Nationals when he won his lightweight class, though from his looks, you would have never guessed he was a lightweight.
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I Was One Of The Strongest Guys In My School. During high school, I was able to take a class in weight training. I immediately fell in love with it. (I was one of the strongest guys in my school pound per pound!) The feeling that I got from weight training was like no other. It gave me great confidence and self esteem. After high school was over I continued to lift weights but not with the same intensity.
When I was 20 years old I moved to Raleigh, NC. I was trained as a jeweler, repairing and making custom jewelry, and I finally received a terrific job offer in Raleigh. After moving to Raleigh, I noticed how much better all of the gyms were equipped. I also saw how people in this area were much more into fitness and bodybuilding than in my home town. This motivated me to start training again with maximum intensity. I would diet down in the summer - you have to look good at the beach, after all. Many people would approach me and ask me if I was a bodybuilder and if I competed. 
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I Started Training Again With Maximum Intensity. After talking with an older friend who had competed and who agreed to help me with the mandatory poses; I was told by many that if I was going to diet down that much and be that strict on my diet that I should compete, so I decided to give it a shot.
I then got some help from a friend of mine who had some good theories on dieting and cycling carbs that I have continued to use throughout the past shows. As I continued to compete I felt that I had a better understanding of my body and what it needed throughout the dieting process. I seemed to take some ideas from here and there and put them together in a manner which seems to work best for me and have managed to sharpen my pre-contest dieting prep. 
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I Felt That I Had A Better Understanding Of My Body. To what I feel is optimal for myself, I feel that I have learned my body better than an individual looking in from the outside. I know what my body craves and only I know how I feel when dieting, so I feel I know what I need to change along the way.
Even training for a show, I train as heavy as possible as I feel it keeps my muscle bellies fuller. The only time I alter my workout to lifting light weight is the week of the show as my workouts are not really productive anyway. At that point I'm simply trying to deplete my glycogen levels and do not want to risk injury days before a contest. 
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Even Training For A Show, I Train As Heavy As Possible. My training now is a four-day split. I train on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Fridays. I train the same body part on Mondays and Fridays and that body part rotates each week so that I'm hitting a different body part each week twice.
Chest and Arms. I will train my chest doing 3 chest exercises for sets of 10-12 reps, with 2 minute rest between sets. For the arms, I will do 3 different biceps exercises with 3 sets of 10-12 reps each, and 3 different triceps exercises with 3 sets of 10-12 reps each.
Shoulders, Back, Traps, and Calves. I'll do these with the same outline as above. 3 different exercises for each body part, with 3 sets of 10-12 reps each.
Day Off.
Thighs, Hamstrings, and Calves. Same outline as above, but 3 exercises for each part of the legs with 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps each.
Same as Monday. I would do the same workout as I did on Monday but change up the exercises.
Take off that Saturday and Sunday to recover. The following week I would start with Tuesdays workout and then on Friday I would do the same workout as on Monday so this way I am hitting a different body part 2 times each week but it is a different body part each week. Keeps it rotating.
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Train Each Muscle Group Once Each Week With Heavy Weight. When training, you're simply tearing up muscle fibers. When you supplement with the adequate protein, nutrients, and essential aminos to help aid in recovery along with adequate sleep is when you will yield good results.
My carbs consist of all complex carb sources such as brown rice, sweet potatos, and oats, except for my post-workout shake. 
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Patrick, Competition Time. I believe in keeping it simple as possible. For fats, I do use on occasion flax oil before workouts in my shake and sometimes in the evening before bed to help keep me full.
I use a lot of the Prolab Pro EFA caps as well as they are a good blend and very convenient to take. After the workout (even during pre-contest), I also use Prolab's Whey Isolate along with DGC (Dextrose Glucose Crystals) in it for my simple sugars and glycogen replacement. Keeping the food list simple makes things a lot easier when trying to prepare my foods and when grocery shopping from week to week. There is not a huge variety of foods one can consume anyway if you are looking to get that freaky look, so why not keep it clean and simple?!
I might drop the meals down to 5 larger meals daily instead of 7-8 small meals. I feel that this slows my metabolism down a bit so that I am able to put more size on. I will also add more carbs to my diet while decreasing the amount of protein in my diet slightly. 
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I Eat About 75% Clean In The Off-Season, But Have To Cheat A Little. I try to eat about 75% clean in the off-season but have to cheat a little bit so that I do not get burnt out on the type of foods that I tend to eat year round. It keeps me sane and it also shocks the body to a degree.
I tend to do more leg presses and lunges at that time. I also alter the amount of weight used the week of the show for fear of hurting myself and for the simple fact that I'm simply trying to deplete my body of glycogen.
I do not feel that in those few days before a show I'm going to gain any more muscle by training heavy nor do I feel as if I'm going to lose any muscle either for just training light in those few days so I keep it simple, smart and light. 
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I Keep It Simple, Smart, And Light.
I find it almost impossible to get everything one needs from day to day to make adequate gains without supplementation.
I am sponsored by Prolab and use many of their products year round. I use the Prolab Lean Mass Complex (their MRP), I use the Prolab Isolate Protein both pre and post workout and the Lean Mass Protein component before bed. I use the Prolab Glutamine at least 3 times a day to help aid in my recovery and to increase cell volume. Finally, I also take Prolab Training Packs for my multivitamin/mineral needs.
A good multivitamin/mineral supplement will help ensure they get everything needed since it's so hard to eat such a variety of foods while dieting. 
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I Have Made Some Good Gains Since The Nationals. I feel that using some kind of essential fat supplement is also a good way to keep your calories up when on a low-carb diet in addition to the many other heath factors they offer. They also seem to help keep your energy levels up while on such a low carb diet as well and accelerate fat loss.
I agree that it is impressive to see a near-300 lb man on stage who is solid muscle, but does that mean he is the best looking guy on stage? I don't think so. It is not even possible for the majority of the bodybuilders today to ever even get close to the 300lb mark shredded to the bone. I know that I will not ever be a 300lb man and will never be able to compete with several of the monsters out there for this reason. I would really like to see the IFBB implement the over and under 200lb class at least. 
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Conditioning, Balance and Symmetry. I think there are a lot of incredible physiques on the pro stage today that are being overlooked just because they are not 250+ lbs. I think this is a shame. It says you're being judged on your conditioning and your balance and your symmetry as you look over the judging criteria. If this is the case, I think that many of the athletes on the pro stage deserve to be looked at a little bit closer. They are presenting the package that they were told they were going to be judged on but are being overlooked because of their weight and not their lack of conditioning or symmetry.
Long term, I would love to own a chain of supplement stores and hopefully a gym to do personal training in. Also, currently I have my own web site, patrickrichardson.net, and I offer the following services:
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One Should Use A Good Amount Of L-Glutamine To Help Aid In Recovery. I hope to add about 10 lbs of lean muscle by the end of next year before stepping on the pro stage for the first time. I have made some good gains since the Nationals despite my injury and am looking to add quite a bit more before next year. I'm currently looking at the Europa Pro show or the Charlotte Pro.
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I Would Like To Thank All Of My Fans And Supporters. Thanks again for your support and encouragement, and God Bless You all and best of wishes!
Thank you for such a great interview, Patrick, and I wish you the very best in your professional debut! About The Author Hugo Rivera is an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer, Sports Nutrition Specialist and Computer Engineer graduate from the University of South Florida. Hugo is owner of hrfit.net, an informational, free fitness and nutrition website and guide for bodybuilding.about.com, an About.com web site owned by the New York Times Company whose goal is to help beginners start a safe and healthy weight-lifting program, choose the right gear for their needs, and offer motivation to help users meet their personal goals. Hugo is author of a self-published bodybuilding e-book called "Body Re-Engineering" geared towards the natural bodybuilder and co-author of one of the most popular Men's Health book in the country (according to Barnes and Noble) entitled "The Body Sculpting Bible for Men" and the very popular "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women". Hugo also just released his new book called "The Hardgainer's Bodybuilding Handbook" in March 2005 and also serves as a nutrition consultant to several professional football players and other elite athletes. Hugo serves as business consultant to many personal training studios as well and offers personalized diet and training programs through his web site. Hugo continues to publish several articles on the subject of health and nutrition in several magazines and web sites, appears on several radio talk shows and has been with Prolab Nutrition for over three years. Hugo competes as drug free NPC athlete at the National Level and his core supplementation has always consisted of Prolab products. Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here!
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