SC: Thanks for the interview Tony. Can you please give us a description of yourself?

TM: Well, in general, my background is 100% Italian. I’m 44, married, 4 kids, one cat. Been a police officer with Toronto Police Services for about 20 years. Been working out with weights for I’d say around 30 years or so. My off-season weight is about 230-235. My competition weight is anywhere from 170 to 185 or so. I’ve done 10 shows and have about 20 trophies in various weight categories, including a bunch of best poser awards.

SC: How do you juggle being a dad, husband, and police officer? You are a busy man, how do you do it?

TM: The three older kids pretty well take care of themselves so it’s not too bad. When they were little I tried to spend as much spare time with them as possible. With shift work, overtime, pay duties and court that was pretty difficult. Now it’s not so bad anymore because between their school, part time jobs and them going out, I don’t see them, or my car, that much. My wife helps me a lot with my diet. I write it out every day and we will usually cook up my 7 meals for the next day. She’s pretty strict and measures my food a little too accurate. I like to add a little more yam or rice on the measuring scale. I like carbs. She knows I add a bit more food so she takes some away without me knowing it.

SC: Your family must be very proud and supportive of what you do.

TM: At first they were kind of excited about it. This is my 11th show now. It was three weeks into my diet for this show that they even realized I was dieting for a competition. Again, they’re pretty busy with their lives. They do snitch on me and tell “mommy” whenever they catch me looking in the fridge sneaking a bit of icing off a cake or something like that...I can depend on them for that. My wife is very supportive with the diet, making sure I get all my meals in, I don’t cheat, I get my water, tell me if I look good or flat or whatever etc.

SC: You are a true inspiration and role model to all those out there who say they have no time or they’re too old. Do you have any tips or words of motivation for them?

TM: I’m guessing we’ve all heard this before: “Make time.” I think the whole key for me is to set a goal and monitor, monitor, monitor your progress. I can’t stress that enough. When I diet for a show, I keep track of everything — charts, graphs, notes, daily goals, measurements etc. I get pretty anal about it, but it works. I basically have 10 goals a day I shoot for, paste a chart in my kitchen cupboard and give myself a score of 10 every day. I also have a chart for my daily waist measurements and bodyweight which helps me figure out my body fat and lean body mass (I use a formula that is about 3 feet long), another chart with weekly progress and other stuff I can’t remember right now. It sounds a little odd, but you would be amazed how you can see the changes on paper based on what you do every day. You don’t have to take it to my extreme, but without some type of goal or see how you’re progressing or not progressing, you’re kind of going into it a little blind.

SC: Speaking of inspiration, what or who inspired you to compete?

TM: I’ve wanted to compete ever since I saw pictures of bodybuilders back in the 70s in magazines. I always thought I could do it. However, the more I learned about bodybuilding and just how tough it was to put on weight (I was extremely skinny), the more I found out that I wasn’t as good as the guys in the magazines, because they were obviously taking drugs. So, I did it for many, many years just for the sake of bodybuilding. Over the years people approached me and told me I could compete. I was and still am 100% natural (yes I’m a virgin in that aspect) and watching these guys compete saying they were natural and later finding out from them that they really were not, kept me off the stage. I went to watch a couple of ‘natural’ shows and again, later found out that some of them were on steroids or diuretics — so much for competing natural. Then I found out about the NGA, saw a couple guys that competed for this federation and I said, “Hey. I can do this. These guys look good. They don’t look like freaks and look pretty natural.” I did and I did quite well. My very first show was the 1996 Olympus, I placed 2nd and 3rd in novice and the open.

SC: When did you first start working out with weights?

TM: I was about 13 years old. I saved my pennies and went to Canadian Tire and bought those spring/pulley things. Not sure what you’d call them. Even back then I still had the sense of keeping track of my progress. I remember my first measurement, my chest was 32 inches. I was so excited after a month when it ballooned (?) right up to a massive (HA HA) 33 inches. Then at 15 years of age, my uncle (we didn’t have a car yet) drove me to Consumers Distributing and we picked up my first weights. My friends and I would do clean and presses every day in my back yard. It was fun. Then I started adding equipment over the years. I made squat racks in shop class. I got a tiny leg extention machine. Used a rope and broomstick with weights for forearms, chin-ups on the stairs and other makeshift inventions. I got some pretty good workouts.

Oh, I gotta tell you this one: I was in grade 8 and two of my friends and I would sneak out of school at lunch hour. Back then we had an hour and 15 minutes for lunch and we were not allowed to leave the school grounds. We would run to my buddy’s house, put on Nazareth on his stereo, very loud of course, inhale grill cheese sandwiches (we hardly ever got past the first song we ate so fast) then go downstairs and take turns doing shoulder presses in his basement. Man did it ever burn the shoulders. Then we would run back to the school. I’m not sure if it did any good, but it was a lot of fun. At least we got good cardio out of it.

SC: What is your favourite bodypart to train?

TM: All of them. I used to be like some of these guys in the gym, “Oh man. I gotta train legs. I hate legs.” Or, “Man I hate doing back.” That attitude sucks. You’re there to train, not complain.

SC: What is your training philosophy?

TM: Hmmm. That’s a toughie? I’d say maybe, train smart and don’t worry too much about the weight you’re using. I guess that comes from the five surgeries I had over the years of working out stupid. Plus from competing and knowing I’ve beaten guys as much as 30 pounds heavier than me on stage (you know what that’s like when you beat me that one time, right?). Just one point I’d like to make: I only diet for my shows. In the off-season I eat anything I want.

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

TM: On my own. I’ve seen others at the gym with partners and I see the same complaint where they’re waiting for the other to show up and one is usually late, one waits, then they get frustrated, then the workout is shot. Unless you’re fortunate to find a good partner, it’s pretty difficult to be on the same wavelength. To each his own I guess.

SC: What about supplements? What are your favourites?

TM: I take protein powder and creatine in off-season. Then I add glutamine when I diet. I find creatine makes a difference in my workouts. I like it. I also take the usual vitamins and minerals like everyone else does.

SC: How is your training going for the Canadian Classic? I hear you put on a great show... any tricks up your sleeve? Not that you will have any sleeves on stage...

TM: Training is good. Dieting is usual. My routine...you’ll see.

SC: Any final words?

TM: I just hope I do well in this show.

SC: Thanks for the interview Tony.