Christopher Wescott Athlete Profile

Your Background

Competition History

• ASN Musclemania Universe 2009 - 4th Place
• 2009 NPC Lackland Classic- 2nd Place (N.HW), 3rd Place (Military Division)

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

I grew up in west Philadelphia and got into lifting weights when I turned 13. It was my barber, Robert Green, who really helped me change my physique by allowing me to use his weights in the basement of his barbershop. During the summer vacation before my senior year, I lifted five times a week in that basement and quickly grew. When I went to school everyone noticed my change and I wanted more. When I got stationed in Kunsan AB, South Korea in 2007, I began lifting heavy and more often.

I witnessed a lot of my peers taking prohormone supplements and I seen the side effects first hand; that’s when I decided to stay natural. In early 2009 I decided to enter my first natural bodybuilding competition with Musclemania and I had no clue about a pre-contest diet or cardio so I really had to learn by trial and error. I also had the help of Shawn Wolfe who has many NPC titles under his belt. He stressed the importance of dieting and knowing how one's body responds to certain things. With his help, I place 4th in a very competitive weight class and made my name known to Musclemania.

Why do you love bodybuilding?

I love natural bodybuilding because it can never end; you are constantly learning new ways to improve your physique. In any other sport or profession, when you go home at night you are just a regular person, but when you are a natural bodybuilder, you are a bodybuilder 24/7. It makes you a better person too because you learn to endure a lot of pain and push harder for what you want then most people do.

Training

What is your training philosophy?

I train every muscle once per week, but during my pre-contest phase I hit them twice. A lot of people don't agree with that, but it works for me and that's all that matters. I try to hit every area of the muscle, and try not to favor one particular group. Reps stay around 6-8 for mass gain, and once I am able to achieve 6 unassisted reps, I go up in weight. For small muscle groups, I do anywhere between 12-15 sets and for larger areas its 16-20. I am a big believer in Lee Haney's quote: "Stimulate…Don't annihilate".

I really don't like using machines or fancy equipment; bodybuilders like Arnold and Lee Haney were able to develop mammoth physiques by focusing on the "bread and butter" movements like bench press, rows and squats, so those are really the basis of my training. When I am prepping for a contest I lift heavy up to about two weeks out and then I begin to perform high reps. I found out by trial and error that my quads grow by high volume training, so I keep reps anywhere from 10-20; occasionally, I will try heavy weights just to shock the muscles. Another thing I believe in is changing things up and lots of rest. In the off-season, I take about two days off per week and every 8-12 weeks I will rest for five days and I ALWAYS come back bigger and stronger. I never do the same thing twice so my workouts are always different.

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

• Monday - Quads and Heavy Chest
• Tuesday - Triceps, Biceps and One Back Exercise
• Wednesday - OFF
• Thursday - Chest and One Triceps Exercise
• Friday - Back, Rear Delts and Heavy Barbell Curls
• Saturday - Shoulders and Hamstrings
• Sunday - OFF

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

1. Squat
2. Deadlift   
3. Bench Press

I would have to choose these because no other exercises pack on mass like these three. I guarantee that if you took these three movements out of your regime, you would begin to look like a twig. Another reason is because they force you to push harder than any other movement does.

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

DIET….DIET…..DIET. Stop focusing on supplements and get yourself a balanced diet. Stop thinking that more is better; that is wrong, better is better. Anyone can get under a bench and bounce it off of his/her chest 10 times, but a true natural bodybuilder comes down slow for the negative and explodes through the positive. Don’t listen to what other people think, just do it your way. Nobody knows your body better than you, so just because some method works for one person, that does not mean it will work for you. If you have any questions, try to research it yourself and if you can’t find the answer, ask someone.

Nutrition

What is your philosophy on nutrition?

As far as nutrition goes, I a big fan of counting all of the macro (fats, protein and carbs) because most people don't receive enough of them, or they over indulge them by a lot. For mass gain, I eat a "cheat meal" every 4 or 5 days. I keep carbs around 2.5 grams per pound of bodyweight, fat around .5 per pound of bodyweight and protein at 1.5 per pound of bodyweight; eating every 3 hours. Don’t think that just because you have to gain mass, you have to eat a crap load of bad food; just lift heavy and get your macros from reputable sources.

For my pre-contest diet, I bring down carbs week by week until I get to 80-90/day and I raise my fat intake as I drop carbs; I eat every 2.5 hours. On my leg days, I "re-feed" my body by taking in 500-600 grams of complex carbs and keeping fats low. Cheat meals are usually on Sunday for pre-contest and it is usually two cookies and a steak sandwich. I believe that cheat meals are very essential because it keeps your metabolism humming and it helps you avoid temptation throughout the week.

Give us a typical day in your off season diet:

***Measurements Are Uncooked***

• 0700: 1 cup of eggs w/ 2 yolks, 1 cup oats and ¼ cup organic raisins, Animal Pak
• 1000: ½ cup brown rice and 12oz. 93% lean ground beef
• 1300: ½ cup brown rice and 8oz. chicken breast
• 1600 (pre-workout): ½ cup oats, 2 scoops whey protein, Animal Pump, 5g creatine, 5g glutamine and BCAA’s
• 1730 (post-workout):  5g creatine, 5g glutamine and BCAA’s
• 1800: 4 scoops CYTOGAINER w/ 16oz. skim milk, Animal Pak
• 1900: ½ cup jasmine rice and 12oz. 93% lean ground beef
• 2200: 1oz. cashews, 1 scoop BSN Syntha 6, 1 scoop whey protein, 16oz. skim milk and ½ cup oats

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

• 0700 (Cardio): 1 scoop whey protein, 3 CLA tablets, 500mg caffeine and 750mg green tea
• 0800: 1 cup egg whites, 1 yolk, 1 cup oats and Animal Pak
• 1000: 8oz chicken and ¼ cup brown rice
• 1300: 8oz. chicken and veggies
• 1530: 8 oz. chicken and sweet potatoes
• 1700 (pre-workout): 2 scoops whey protein, Animal Pump, 5g creatine, 5g glutamine and BCAA’s
• 18:30 (post-workout): 2 scoops whey protein isolate, 5g creatine, 5g glutamine, BCAA’s and 1 TBSP flaxseed oil
• 1930: 12 oz. top sirloin and 15 asparagus Spears
• 2130: 2 scoops casein protein, 3 ZMA tabs, 3 CLA tabs and 1 TBSP olive oil

What are your favorite meals and foods?

I am not really a big fan of tasty foods to tell you the truth; being a bodybuilder has turned off my taste buds. Usually, I just throw some A1 Sauce on my meal and it tastes good. Also, I am stationed on an island and the food choices aren’t as good as most people’s, so I just cook all of my meals myself.

Favorite cheat food?

Like I said earlier, I really don’t have that many choices because of my current base. We have a Subway on base so I go there for most of my cheat meals. My favorite one would have to be a 12 inch sandwich called “The Feast”. It has about seven different types of meat on it and I get that with three cookies and a Pepsi. One of those sandwiches has almost 2.5 grams of sodium!

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

The best nutrition tip I could give someone is “find what works for you”. Some people do things differently because genetically, their body responds differently. Eat a meal and see how it makes you look about an hour later. Experiment with different types of meats and carbs; you don’t have to have chicken and brown rice all of the time. Try some flounder and quinoa, or elk meat……trust me, it's worth the price!

Supplements

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

1. Creatine Monohydrate: I think that creatine should be a staple for every bodybuilder. As long as you hydrate enough, creatine can really help you maintain size while you diet.
2. Animal Pak: Truthfully, a person can’t really test the potency of a multivitamin, but Animal Pak gives you EFA’s, BCAAs along with other nutrients that a healthy young man needs. I would not take the chance by buying a cheap multivitamin; your body is only going to put out what you put in it.
3. Weight Gainer: I really don’t like relying on supplement substitutes for meals, but when I am in my off-season training, I go hard in the gym; I don’t think that just a flimsy whey protein shake will do the trick, so I added a weight gainer to my arsenal. Another thing that it is good for is when I am on the go. Since I am active duty military, I am on call 24/7. There have been times where I have been given a moment's notice to get up an head out to the squadron as fast as I can. When I am in times like these I have to get something in my stomach to avoid being in a catabolic state for too long, so I down a weight gainer shake with some milk, cashews and oats and I am good to go for the next three hours.

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

I truly believe the Optimum Nutrition offers the best supplements out right now. They don’t have any fancy labels that claim to build up to 700% more mass in 2 hours; it’s simple, inexpensive and straight to the point. Another brand I like is Scivation. They don’t get the credit that they deserve, but their products such as “Xtend” are amazing.

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

A weight gainer, creatine, good multivitamin, ZMA/tribulus and a healthy diet of course.

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

CLA, caffeine, green tea, ZMA, tribulus, BCAAs, whey protein isolate and a healthy diet.

Advice For Others

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

1. Study different types of pre-contest diets and “peak week” variables before you jump in.
2. Learn about the venue and the area before you try and compete there; it’s good to know where the nearest supermarket is at and what the hotel is serving.
3. DON’T FALL INTO THE “DARK SIDE”. Being natural is very tough, I would be lying if I told you that I never contemplated taking illegal supplements, but take a look at all of the side effect and you will be quickly turned away. This probably counts as a 4th one but stay humble; a lot of competitors are very cocky and conceited. Just stay humble, give everyone props no matter if you beat them or vice versa, don’t go around bragging or trying to show off your muscles. Be thankful for what you have and just know that it could be taken away as quickly as you got it. 

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

Find out what work for you and stick with it. As far as appearance goes, bring plenty of towels and tanning solution with you. Hot Stuff is an excellent tool to bring your veins out. Bring at least three pairs of trunks with you and some PAM. Don’t pump up too much because you will get tired quickly and don’t pump your legs; just light stretches. Be ready at least three classes ahead of you because the time will sneak up on you and you never know what the judges may do; one class might be out there for one posedown while the other class is doing four different call outs and stuff.

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

I stay motivated by looking at other people my age binge drinking every night and eating whatever whenever and looking like trash. I never want to get like that. If you are having trouble staying on track, surround yourself with people that have the same goals as you. I am very fortunate to know six individuals that have the same goals as I do and they are stationed here. Every time they are in the gym, it’s like I have that mentality that I can’t “girl out” on my last couple of reps and it helps out a lot.

Future Plans

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

I am currently training for the 2010 Musclemania Universe in Miami and that contest is in June. After that I will try the 2010 Musclemania America in Vegas on 21 November 2010. In 2011, I think that I will have enough experience to go for a WNBF pro card.

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

My goal is to get a pro card in at least 5 natural organizations and to help people achieve their goals. It will be tough to accomplish because of my job, but I will not use that as an excuse for failure.

Favorite Competitors/Idols

Who are your favorite bodybuilders and idols?

On the natural side, I am big fan of Morris Mendez. He has a pretty old-school training method and classic size, conditioning and symmetry. I am also a big fan of David Henry. A lot of people don’t know this but he is active duty Air Force and he is able to balance an IFBB career and a military career. He is very underrated and has one of the best backs in the IFBB.

How Can People Contact You?

How can people contact you?

chris_wescott15@hotmail.com