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NM - How long have you been involved in bodybuilding?
 Mark - I began bodybuilding at the age of 16 after making a physical transformation from overweight to anorexic. As a junior in high school, I was suffering from a terrible disease that made every aspect of my life suffer. It was at this point I decided to pursue bodybuilding (though if you saw me then, you’d of laughed like most people did who heard my bodybuilding idea) as a means to take nutrition and training and use them as a friend rather then an enemy. From this change I learned a new lifestyle.
NM - What was your first contest and how did you do?
Mark - My first contest was in the spring of 2006 at the NGA Can/Am. I placed 2nd in both the teenage and novice heavyweight divisions.
NM - What brought you to the NGA & Natural Muscle? 
Mark - 3 years ago I began working at an elite high intensity (H.I.T) personal training facility called Overload. Teammates Josh Trentine, Jeff Tomaszewski & Mike Bianchi told me about the NGA events that were run in Buffalo and how great they were for being “clean” and “legitimately” tested. After my first show I was impressed on the way the show was run. Everything was timed right, and I have yet to have as much fun at a contest anywhere else.
NM - What is your training routine like?
Mark - My training is centered around H.I.T principles. I incorporate plenty of variation to ensure cycling of demands as well as avoiding neuromuscular adaptation. To explain all the components of my training would be difficult, but it revolves around 2-3 full body (occasionally a split routine) workouts per week lasting 25-30 minutes each.
NM - How do you stay motivated?
 Mark - Simple, pride. Although at the moment this is a competitive sport for me, I know it doesn’t last forever. As most people age, they tend to let their health slip and I want to be healthy and in shape for the rest of my life. I was married this past spring to a gorgeous woman named Heather, gained a 10 year old son Matthew and have a baby on the way! Having these loved ones in addition to the Team Overload family, I have plenty of motivation to last me a lifetime!
NM - Are you ever prompted by others to use steroids?
Mark - Yes. It is a shame that the general public confuses natural drug free and non tested bodybuilding as the same sport. They are two totally different sports. When I started bodybuilding I was natural and plan on keeping it that way.
NM - Who trains with you in preparation for the NGA/Natural Muscle OLYMPUS in October?
Mark - Again having a second family in Team Overload, there is never usually an instance where I have to train solo. Should there be an occasion where my schedule is different, my wife Heather steps in as my training partner (who I thank, b/c I’m not easy to train with as she’ll tell you).
NM - What is your diet like for contest prep? 
Mark - I wish I had a simple answer to share, but as all bodybuilders know, one doesn’t exist. I took the past 1 ½ years off from competing to allow my body to go through some maturing and keep my calories in a slight caloric surplus to allow for new muscle growth. I hope the fruits of my labor pay off this fall. I have timed up my preparation many different ways and what I found works the best is a long, slow approach. For the Olympus I am running a 26 week diet. I am seeing loss of body fat without sacrificing any extra lean muscle mass then necessary. I am using a totally new approach this year for my actual diet structure, but the only thing that I never change is “tracking”. I log all meals in a notebook once my food is measured/weighed. I set specific macronutrient limits and simply plug in foods that eat up to the goals without going over. I make small reductions along the way when I have not yet achieved a ¾- 1 ½ pound loss for a given period of time.
NM - Do you use any supplements?
Mark - Yes, I would like to thank my sponsor, Millennium Sport Technologies for having me a part of their team as a 2008 sponsored athlete. I am fortunate enough to be a part of this company and am grateful to have access to their supplements. I am currently using their “Kreaceps” for my creatine source and occasionally will use their “Citruvol XS” if I am looking for the Nitric Oxide affect.
I would like to thank Natural Muscle for having me on the “competitor spotlight”. As a Ohio guy, I can’t wait to travel up to the OLYMPUS in a few weeks for a great show but also for that pizza that only New York does right!
NM - Well mark good luck and as you know Buffalo is famous for our wings so save some room on your plate.
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