Layne Norton interview

Layne Norton is currently one of the best natural bodybuilders in the world and he is here today to give us an insight into his training and diet.

Hi Layne, its great to catch up with you I have been following your natural bodybuilding career the last year or so and checking out your videos on Youtube. I used to be very serious about natural bodybuilding myself before so it will be very interesting to hear from you, who I consider one of the best natural bodybuilders around at the moment.

So how did you get into bodybuilding initially?

Answer: I was picked on a lot as a kid, more so than the typical nonsense that everyone went through. When I went to school I would fear every day because everyday there were about a dozen people who’s mission in life seemed to be making me feel terrible about myself and embarrassing me.

The summer after my freshman year of high school I decided that I was going to do something about it. I went to the library and checked out about a dozen books on weight lifting and started doing a routine I put together using some sand weights in my basement.

I didn’t get really serious with it until I graduated high school. I had played baseball all the way through high school and once that was over I no longer had a competitive outlet. I loved weight lifting and building muscle, so bodybuilding was the next logical step for me. I did my first show at age 19 and won the teen & novice tall classes, and was totally hooked from that point on!

How fast did you grow at the beginning and what was the reaction you got from other people at that time when you got into bodybuilding?

Answer: I’d say I grew at a decent rate, but I wasn’t all that serious when I first got into it. I might have put on 15 lbs in my first year, but with very little attention to my nutrition or research into training. I was young (around age 17-18) when I first got into bodybuilding and many of my friends thought it was dumb and my parents were concerned at first because the sport seemed so bizarre to them, but fortunately I loved it and that was all that mattered to me.

What are your favorite foods you include in your daily diet that you really recommend to other bodybuilders?

Answer: I don’t really have set foods. I have protein/carbohydrate/fat/fiber goals to hit each day and I change foods everyday to hit those goals. Obviously I consume a lot of the typical bodybuilding staples like chicken, tuna, steak, oatmeal, rice, broccoli, etc. But I am not shy about trying out non-traditional bodybuilding foods like low carb tortillas, greek yogurt, lowfat cheeses, lowfat popcorn, etc.

What supplements are you currently taking and how important do you think supplements are in bodybuilding?

Answer: I currently use Xtend from Scivation for BCAAs, creatine monohydrate, beta-alanine, lipoic acid, Essential FA and Sesamin both from Scivation, as well as carnitine tartrate, HMB, Scivation Whey, and Solution 5 from Scivation.

How often do you train a week and what is your favorite muscle group to workout?

Answer: I train 4-5x per week depending upon my schedule and goals at the time. By far my favorite muscle to train is legs. They have always been my weakest bodypart and I love the challenge of going in each leg day and beating them into oblivion. I may never have great legs, but I take pride in the intensity of my leg training and the feeling of pride I have when I see how drastically they have improved while knowing how much work went into every ounce of growth.

Do you ever take a month off training or do you train all year round?

Answer: Absolutely not, taking a month off would be extremely counterproductive. Within a few days you start losing positive neuromuscular adaptations and within a week you can begin to lose small amounts of muscle tissue. So no way. If I feel like I’m burnt out or my joints are hurting I will deload on my normal lifting schedule but use 60% of my normal weights. This allows me to actively recover while maintaining my strength & muscle mass.

When did you do your first competition and how did it go?

Answer: My first show was in Evansville, IN. It was the 2001 INBF Mid American Muscle Classic. It was like my super bowl. I was 19 years old and it was in my hometown and many people were telling me I had no chance but I ended up winning the teen overall and novice tall class. It was an unreal feeling.

How many competitions have you done now and how have you done in them?

Answer: I’ve done 12 shows and racked up 7 class wins, 3 overall wins, and 2 pro cards.

What are your future goals in the sport?

Answer: I want to place in the money in my first series of pro shows. As for long term goals, I guess as far as competing goes I just want to be known as a guy who did the most with what he had and was an extremely hard worker. I also want to be known as the best contest prep coach.

What do you love most about the sport of bodybuilding?

Answer: I love the personal challenges. I love how everyday you walk into the gym you have a chance to beat what you did previously. Every meal, every rep is a chance to get better and I love pushing myself like that.

What do you hate the most about the sport of bodybuilding?

Answer: Nothing

Apart from bodybuilding, do you have another career?

Answer: Well I recently finished my PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Illinois so I am involved with academia and publishing research, but the brunt of my work now focuses on my company, BioLayne LLC which offers nutrition, training, and contest prep coaching for bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. I work with people all over the country and love what I do. I answer over 150 emails per day from clients and enjoy every second of it, so it doesn’t feel like hard work. You can find out more about me and my coaching services by visiting biolayne.com

Thanks Layne for taking the time to talk to us its been great.

Answer: I appreciate the opportunity, thank you!