Anthony Catanzaro Athlete Profile

Your Background

Competition History

• 2005 INBF Natural NYC Middle Weight Champion
• 2003 Fame America Model Universe-First Runner Up
• 2002 NPC New York State Bodybuilding, Middleweight winner & overall champion
• 2001 INBF Tournament of Champions, Middleweight Champion
• 1998 Natural Bodybuilding, Middleweight Champion
• 1997 Mr. Fitness Champion

What is your background and how did you get started in bodybuilding?

I started working out at the age of 15.  I used to train in a little spare room in my house in Bay Shore, New York.  I used to compete in fitness competitions, and then in 1998 I entered my first natural bodybuilding show and took first place!

Why do you love bodybuilding?

I love natural bodybuilding because to me it’s just as spiritual as it is physical. It’s a great way to get in touch with your self and your physical/mental health for me bodybuilding is much more than muscles to me its everything.

Training

What is your training philosophy?

I pretty much train the same way on and off-season. I’m always trying to gain new muscle so I don’t believe in going light when I’m cutting up for a show. I will continue to lift as heavy as possible using a 12, 10, 8, 6 rep range the entire year.

This way I get the best of both worlds. A lot of guys go real heavy in the off-season only to lighten up when there looking to get cut. But the bottom line is the heavier the weight, the more muscle you will have and keep. I’m still growing! I’m 38 years old right now and I grow a little every year.

I’m like the Blob. I can’t be stopped. LOL.

What's a good workout routine that has given you results?

Monday - Chest

• Barbell Bench Press - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Incline Bench Press - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Incline Dumbbell Flys - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Dumbbell Pullover - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6

Tuesday - Back

• Wide Grip Pull up - 4 sets to failure
• Lat Pull Down - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Bent Over Row - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• One Arm Dumbbell Row - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6

Wednesday - Abs

• Decline Bench Crunch
• Decline Bench Reverse Ab Crunch
• Broom Stick Twist

Thursday - Legs

• Leg Extension - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Squat - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Walking Barbell Lunge - 4 sets of 100 feet
• Leg Curl - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Stiff Leg Deadlift - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6

Friday - Shoulders and Calves

• Seated Dumbbell Press - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Barbell Upright Row - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Rear Delt Machine - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Seated Calf Raise - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Standing Calf Raise - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6

Saturday - Arms

• Barbell Cheat Curl - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Cable Curl - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Cable Tricep Extension - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6
• Tricep Dips - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6

Sunday - Abs

• Decline Bench Crunch
• Decline Bench Reverse Ab Crunch
• Broom Stick Twist 

If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

1. Push up - Because it gets the chest pumped like nothing else.
2. Pull up - Because it works the width of the back and also the arms.
3. Squat - Because it works the entire leg - front, back and butt.

What's the best training tip you could give to others?

Stay focused and keep your eye on the prize!  Get in the gym, do what you got to do, and stay focused. And try and go heavier the next time!

Nutrition

What is your philosophy on nutrition?

Eat clean to be lean! I eat every 3 hours - same food same time!  You aren’t going to build the best body from your training alone. If your nutrition isn’t correct, you’re just spinning your wheels and going no where.

Give us a typical day in your off season diet:

I have to be honest, I don’t have an off-season diet.  I don’t believe in an off-season. To me, off-season is just an excuse for natural bodybuilders to turn into fat pigs. The only thing I do when I’m not looking to be super ripped is have a few more cheat meals that’s it.

Give us a typical day in your diet (contest prep):

• Meal one: 8am - 1 cup of oatmeal made with hot water, 1 scoop of vanilla protein, 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter and cinnamon added. 1 cup of egg whites scrambled.
• Meal two: 11am - Low carb vanilla lean body or designer protein shake made with ice water.
• Workout
• Meal three: 2pm - 6 oz of grilled chicken, 1 cup of steamed broccoli with tbsp olive oil 4 oz yam.
• Meal four: 5pm - 6 oz grilled chicken and 1 cup of string beans 1 tbsp of olive oil.
• Meal five: 7:30pm - Low carb vanilla lean body or designer protein shake made with ice water.
• Meal six: 10pm - 8 oz of fish with mixed salad on side 1 tbsp of olive oil.

What are your favorite meals and foods?

When I’m looking to be ultra lean I like foods like oatmeal , natural peanut butter, grilled chicken, broiled fish, lean beef, spinach broccoli, salads, eggs.

Favorite cheat food?

Pizza.

What's the best training tip you could give to others?

If God made it use it, if man made it lose it!  That means trust in WHOLE food rather than supplements and processed foods!

Supplements

What supplements do you use that give you great results? How do you use them?

1. I take a multivitamin once a day. It's good insurance.
2. Glutamine: I feel extra glutamine can help with recovery and digestion.
3. 1000 mg of Vitamin C. I feel this is very important and helps the body recover and grow also helps the body fight harmful toxins and aging.

What brands do you think are offering the best products at the moment?

MET-RX - Designer Whey - Lean body. I think these supplements offer the best bang for the buck!

What do you think is a good off season muscle building stack?

Beef and potatoes!

What do you think is a good pre-contest/fat loss stack?

Cardio!

Advice For Others

What are the 3 best tips you'd give to someone thinking about competing in natural bodybuilding?

1. Don’t worry about getting as big as you can. Focus more on your shape and definition. The more cut you are on stage the better you will look next to your competition!  Size isn't everything...shape and definition overrule size!
2. Work on your nutrition and find out what works best for you. Learn about how many calories you need a day to continue burning fat throughout your competition diet.
3. Don’t focus your thoughts on anyone else on stage with you. Go into the show thinking you are the best, and nothing can stop you! I used to put this in my head, I’m the best and all of these guys just wasted the past 3 months getting lean for nothing. They didn’t get the timing right. They're all fat next to me. I know this may sound crazy, but in order to be the best you have to know you’re the best.

What is your best advice for looking your best on competition day?

Get your timing right…this may not happen the first time you compete. You might come in a couple weeks short, or over do it and look flat the day of the show.

Timing is everything! Keep monitoring your body fat and make sure you're losing what you need to be losing, or else you will be losing the show!

How do you stay motivated? What advice would you give to someone who's having trouble staying on track?

If you have trouble staying on track, I always do this to myself.  Put a photo up of someone shredded on stage - I mean shredded! And then look at yourself. You're going to think you're fat! You need to create a mental image in your head of what you need to create. That’s how buildings and houses are made. Everything has to have a blue print!

Future Plans

What shows have you got coming up, where can we see you compete?

As of right now I don’t have plans on competing. I will once again take the natural bodybuilding stage, but at this point in time I don’t have a contest date.

What would you like to achieve in your natural bodybuilding career?

I’ve achieved it already!  I was a 15 year old kid working out in a little room in my home in Bay Shore, NY. And now I have traveled the world teaching fitness, shooting commercials, covers and have inspired people from all walks of life.

I set my goal when I was young and I stood true to myself. I have never taken any steroids or enhancement drugs ever in my life. My goal was to be the best! I have no regrets!

Favorite Competitors/Idols

Who are your favorite bodybuilders and idols?

I have to say Arnold. I know this is a common answer, but if you look at what Arnold did with his body and with his life, you can clearly see why bodybuilding is much more to me a way of life than a sport!

I want to be remembered in life as someone who brought the best out in people. I’m a dream builder, not a dream breaker. I believe that in life we all need inspiration, and I was born with enough inspiration and motivation to shake up the world. And that’s what I plan to do. Modesty has never been a word in my vocabulary and I hope it never is.