SC: Thanks for the interview Neil. Can you please tell us a little about yourself?

NF: Hey and you’re welcome. My background is pretty diverse. Both my parents came from the Philippines, however I was born in Boston, Mass (accidentally on vacation), but raised in Newfoundland. So I really consider myself to be a Filipino-Canadian-American-Newfie. I came to Ontario to go to university where I obtained my Bachelors in Kinesiology/Biology from York University and subsequently finished my Bachelors in Physiotherapy at Queen’s University. I worked for about 4 years before I did a bit of traveling in Australia where I also obtained my Master’s from Curtin University. Since that time, I have been working as a manipulative physiotherapist in Brampton Ontario. I firmly believe that my educational background has helped shape my love for health and fitness and my desire to pass on that passion to many other people!

SC: How long have you been into bodybuilding / weight training?

NF:  Well like many people I got into weight training shortly after I began college. I’ve always been a slight and smaller individual so I basically started to put on weight. Having said  I don’t think I really switched from “working out” to serious “training”  (that meaning proper nutrition, sleep and training) until about 4 years ago.

SC: Tell us about how you got into bodybuilding.

NF:  In all honesty, being a smaller individual I never ever thought of real bodybuilding since when you do think of those terms, you think of people like Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler and of course Arnold. Bodybuilding and myself never really seemed like a combination. So you could say I somewhat stumbled into it.

SC: What or who inspired you to compete?

NF:  In conjunction with the previous question, I credit my whole induction into the sport to my first and only trainer, Mr. Ian Walling. He used to train at my gym in Brampton and as I got more serious into my training and nutrition he noticed my development and always used to encourage me to train with him. So one day I did and signed up for 3 weeks of personal training sessions. He stripped me down to the basics about nutrition, training, rest and taught me how to put that all together and in no time, the results were dramatic. At the time Ian was working for another fitness organization and encouraged me to compete. I did, came in 2nd and from that point on, I was hooked.

SC: I wanted to congratulate you on winning the Open Lightweight Bodybuilding Class at the IDFA Toronto Classic!

NF:  Thank you. It certainly was one of the best moments of my short career. It came after my first season where I had 2 second place finishes and 1 third.  I had a taste of the podium but I wanted my first win. I had just come off a second place finish at the Ontario Naturals  which was truly very disappointing so my win at the IDFA Toronto Classic was very re-inspiring and rewarding.

SC: You are known for putting together crowd pleasing classic Posing Routines as well as having great stage presence during the Mandatory Posing rounds. Do you have any tips for the upcoming bodybuilders?

NF:  In respect to posing, I find that most athletes just starting out (and a few who have been competing) do not place as much emphasis into this training as they should.  I do say training because as part of the sport, posing is vitally important for many reasons including conditioning and development.  Poor performance in this area can mess up an otherwise, impressive physique. I would recommend practicing your mandatory poses early and often. When I’m in competition mode, I often practice my specific poses when I train certain body parts. For example, when I train chest, I may practice my side chest or crab most muscular after an exercise.  It’s a great way to maximize muscle contraction and get a great pump. But start your posing training early. It’s something you cannot put together 2 weeks out from a show.  People will notice but more importantly, the judges will.

As for your routine, pick music that suits your personality and hire a DJ to mix your music for you. For myself personally, I chose music that starts out relatively slowly, has a buildup to a climax (great for doing your favorite poses) and slowly fades out. For the beginners I recommend K.I.S.S. or keep it simple stupid.  I find that by just doing variations of the mandatory poses to music that you enjoy works really well.  When it doubt, or if you mess up, I find that crab most muscular works really well.

SC: What is your favourite bodypart to train?

NF:  My favorite bodypart to train is in fact the weakest part of my physique.  Genetically speaking my legs need the most improvement. I’ve always said that when I started competing that my legs are a 4-5 year project. So far its 3 years in and each year, they get a tad bit better. I have a love-hate relationship with leg training. As silly as it sounds, I can get a little nauseous early in the day if I think about training legs too much. But I don’t think there’s one workout that personifies real, hard core training than leg day! I always wear the same shirt and I think it says it all---“Squat till you puke”.

SC: Do you have any advice for anyone looking to compete for their first time?

NF: Do your research and have a plan. Know what you’re getting yourself into.  To many people’s surprise, it’s much more than lifting weights and eating right.  Bodybuilding is in effect a lifestyle and all about preparation.  How well you do is directly correlated to how well you prepare. You’ll find that those catch words like “dedication”, “determination” stems directly from how well you prepare. If you prepare and follow through to the best of your abilities, you’ll leave no questions unanswered. There in lies the victory, no matter what your placing is in the end.

SC: Do you train on your own or do you have a training partner?

NF: I do train occasionally with a couple of people but I find I get the best motivation from within.  On a particular difficult exercise either through weight or fatigue, I’ll recruit the occasional spot but ultimately, I put on my workout toque, put my earphones in, chalk my hands up and press play on my MP3 player….then it’s just me and the IRON.

SC: What about supplements? What are your favourites?

NF: I am a big advocate in supplementing healthy fats and vitamin supplements with your normal nutrition since obviously there are some things that we cannot just obtain from food. For my nutritional supplementation, I use a good high quality whey protein, glutamine, BCAA’s, and a high glycemic  drink like waxy maze or dextrose. As for performance, I may use creatine and a preworkout drink like Supercharge by Labrada.

SC: Will we see you on an IDFA stage in 2009?

NF:  I’m coming off 2 spring shows in which I did do quite well but my body right now is a bit tired. I had planned on doing the summer IDFA Toronto Classic but at this point the fall Canadian Classic may be more realistic.

SC: Any final words?

NF:  Set a goal, be consistent. And of course, train hard, train natural… train like me!

SC: Thanks for the interview Neil. 

COMING IN JUNE!!
The Overall Novice Figure Champion and Overall Novice Bodybuilding Champion will win an "Athlete of the Month" profile in June!