Lee Hayward Interview

Lee Hayward

Q: Can we get some basic info about you for readers?

A: I’m from Conception Bay South, Newfoundland and I’m self-employed and work as an online bodybuilding & fitness coach. In addition to that I also practice what I preach and compete regularly in bodybuilding competitions. I’m very passionate about bodybuilding & fitness and I’m very fortunate to be able to make a living doing something that I love to do.

My website http://www.LeeHayward.com is currently one of the most popular bodybuilding websites on the Internet. I have an Alexa ranking in the top 100,000 most visited websites online, and that includes all the websites on the entire Internet, even including the porn sites LOL.


Q: When did you first start into bodybuilding and when did you realize that is was the sport for you?

A: I started working out when I was 12 years old after seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Conan The Barbarian Movies. I was just blown away that someone could actually be that big and look like a real life comic book super hero. I was determined that I would someday look like that myself.

My early workouts were pretty basic, I would do exercises like push ups and sit ups in my bedroom before school each morning. I can remember thinking to myself…

“If I do this everyday until the end of the school year I’ll be as big as Arnold in the Conan movies.”

As you can see I was a little naïve at the time and thought building muscle was a lot easier then it really is LOL

That year I asked my parents if they would get me a weight set for Christmas so that I could workout and get big. I can still remember how excited I was Christmas morning when I woke up and saw this HUGE box under the Christmas tree.

After ripping through all the fancy wrapping paper and colored bows there was a York 2001 home gym machine and a York barbell and dumbbell set. We set it up that very day and I did my first official weight training workout on Christmas day 1990.

From that point on I was hooked on weight training. I would workout daily with my little home gym, sometimes for several hours at a time. My dad has always been an active person his whole life and this really helped motivate me early on to workout and keep fit as well.

During high school I worked out consistently and I would read every bodybuilding and fitness magazine that I could get my hands on. I’d get bodybuilding and exercise books from the library. I would record every bodybuilding contest that was on television and watch them over and over again. I was obsessed with learning as much about bodybuilding, exercise and nutrition as I could.

While in my last year of high school I entered my first Bodybuilding contest, The 1995 Newfoundland Provincials, I was 17 years old at the time. Since then I have competed almost every year in bodybuilding competitions. With my most recent competition being the 2011 NLABBA Championships.

After high school I went on to do a computer studies program in College. This is where I got my interest in computers and the Internet. Keep in mind that when I started working out and competing there was no Internet. So I can remember sitting in the computer lab in the fall of 1997 when I logged on to the Internet for the very first time.

I asked the guy sitting at the computer next to me: “how do you use the internet?”
He said: “you go to yahoo and search for something”

So that’s just what I did and the first thing I searched for was “bodybuilding”

In the computer studies course that I was doing they taught a basic class on writing HTML and designing websites. I started off creating some very simple bodybuilding information websites. And then in January of 1999 I created my main website: www.LeeHayward.com Since then I’ve just been focused on improving it, adding more useful information, and making it better each year.

Through my website I have had the opportunity to reach out and help literally thousands of aspiring bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts from all over the world with their training and nutrition programs. And over the past 13+ years www.LeeHayward.com has become one of the most popular bodybuilding and fitness websites online.


Q: Lee, congrats on the recent YouTube agreement, can you give us some details on what your channel is about and how you came to be partnered with YouTube?


A: To help complement my bodybuilding website I started posting workout training videos on YouTube back in 2006. And this has really taken off for me and has gotten a lot of buzz. Right now I have over 200 instructional videos posted on YouTube and I’m adding more all the time. I usually post up at least 1 new video per week.

I love video because you can really show your personality and explain things so much better then you can with just written text and pictures. Plus it lets everyone know that I’m a “Real Person” and that I actually practice what I preach. That I’m not just some made up ghostwriter. And trust me there are lots of those types of websites out there.

Just a couple months ago I was contacted by a YouTube rep who saw the potential in my video channel and they asked me to apply for YouTube’s Next Trainer Program. So I did and they selected me as 1 of only 16 fitness channels to take part in the Next Trainer Program. And now I’m getting coached by YouTube directly on how to improve my video channel and online presence. This is an amazing opportunity and I really feel that this is going to help me take my Total Fitness Bodybuilding business to the next level this year.


Q: How do you think the bodybuilding scene in Newfoundland is different than other parts of North America?

A: I’ve been to several of the major bodybuilding events (i.e. the Mr. Olympia, the Arnold Classic, etc.) and I’ve been to watch local bodybuilding shows in other provinces as well. And the big thing that stands out for me is the fan support that Newfoundland has. Newfoundland bodybuilding fans are the best, they root and cheer for the competitors and show their support more then any other place that I’ve ever been to.

I remember the first time I went to watch the Arnold Classic, I was so pumped up and excited, I had VIP tickets and I couldn’t wait to see some of the best bodybuilders in the world get on stage and compete. But when I looked around the auditorium the rest of audience looked as if they were bored. I mean half the people in attendance watching the show didn’t even clap for the competitors on stage. This just blew me away because back home we could have a first time competitor step on a local stage and get a better round of applause from the audience then some of the worlds top pros get at the Arnold Classic or Mr. Olympia.

In addition to the fan support, bodybuilding in Newfoundland is growing by leaps and bounds. Last year we had our biggest show ever with 65 competitors on stage! There are a lot of major cities throughout North America with way bigger populations then we have in Newfoundland, and they don’t even get those kinds of numbers competing at their local shows.


Q: What’s a typical bodybuilders biggest pet peeve?

A: I think the biggest pet peeve for most bodybuilders is from the general public who don’t understand the difference between bodybuilding, powerlifting, and weightlifting. They think that all these sports are one in the same because the athletes perform weight training. But that’s like thinking that basketball and soccer are the same sport because both have 2 teams and play with a round ball.

I can remember countless times when people would hear about me competing in a bodybuilding competition, or see my picture in the local paper, etc. and then ask me: “How much did ya lift?”
They didn’t understand that bodybuilding is a physique competition, not a lifting competition.

Many times I’ve had folks ask me:
“So you’re on da weights are ya? How much can ya lift over ya head?”

A lot of people just don’t understand bodybuilding as a physique sport.


Q: Is dieting the hardest part of being a bodybuilder (if so why?)

A: For a lot of bodybuilders dealing with social settings can be a challenge. Whenever we get together with family and friends it’s usually over food and drink. So if you are trying to follow a clean eating bodybuilding diet plan you’ll often be tempted with junk food, alcohol, etc. And you have 2 choices; either give in and indulge, or be looked on as a social outcast because you don’t want to be like everyone else.

It is like peer pressure on a higher level. Because not only are you tempted by “Bad” things like drugs, cigarettes, booze, etc. but even simple things like junk foods and stuff that average people don’t consider bad will hinder your progress and cause you to gain excess bodyfat.

So hands down the biggest challenge that a serious bodybuilder faces is sticking with a healthy muscle building nutrition program while also dealing with people and everyday life. And the hardest part is that it’s usually our closest friends and family members who are the ones trying to tempt us with the bad foods.


Q: How important is a training partner and what are characteristics of an ideal training partner?

A: The most important person with regards to your bodybuilding success is YOU. You can make great progress by working out by yourself. You don’t need a training partner. In fact, a lot of the regulars at the gym I train at are lone wolves who train by themselves. They got their ipod, their workout journals, and they just crank it out by themselves.

However, if you can find a good training partner it will certainly help take your training to the next level. Ideally you want to have a training partner who is just as serious about working out as you are and preferably someone who is bigger and stronger then you. This will help pull you up to a higher level.

If you workout with someone who is at a lower level then you, the workouts will become more of a personal training session where you are helping them, rather then both of you pushing each other. Now I’m not saying that this is a “bad thing”, but if you want to maximize your gains you need to train with someone who is at least at your level, or more advanced.

A good training partner can help motivate you to get to the gym on those days you probably would other wise skip out. We often do more for others then we do for ourselves. So if you know you have someone waiting to meet you at the gym for a workout, you are going to make sure you get there. But if you are just training by yourself, you can easily just brush it off and skip the gym especially if you are a bit lazy, busy, etc.


Q: What’s the best part of being a fitness coach?

A: In my situation where I work for myself from home and I do all my work online I have total control over my schedule. I don’t have to answer to anyone and I can work when I want. I enjoy what I do, I love helping people, and I enjoy the freedom and flexibility that I’ve created for myself with my work situation.

Q: ... the worst part?

A: Even though I’m in control of my schedule, things can still get very hectic at times when I need to push to get new projects done. For example, when I wrote the 21-Day Fast Mass Building Program I worked like crazy to get that program finished in time to launch it as a New Year’s Muscle Building Program. There were many days where I literally worked around the clock and just got a couple hour nap here and there in order to get that program finished in time for our launch.

Now it did pay off for me because it has been my most successful muscle-building program ever. But I worked my ass off for it.


Q: What are the upcoming plans for your training and competing?

A: Over the next several months I’m focusing on bringing up some of my weaker body parts. For me I’d like to improve my arms and shoulders, as they have always been stubborn muscle groups for me. In addition to that I’d like to work on getting more upper chest mass, more back thickness, and more fullness in my quads. As I was reviewing the pictures from my last bodybuilding show these are the areas that are lacking the most in my physique.

I’m going to compete again in the 2012 Newfoundland Provincial Championships. I’ve won the overall title at the Heavyweights Classic, but I’ve never won the overall at the Newfoundland Provincials. So I’m going to keep competing in that show until I eventually win the overall title.


Q: Best piece of advice ever given to you (and by who?)

A: I really like the idea of “CANI” which is Constant And Never-ending Improvement. I first heard about this from listening to an Anthony Robbins tape.

We have to constantly strive to improve and grow. There is no such a thing as “maintain”, we’re either moving forwards or falling behind, there is no middle ground. So regardless if you are focusing on business, bodybuilding, personal development, etc. always look to make Constant And Never-ending Improvement.

To go along with this I often tell my coaching students to “Focus On Progress - NOT Perfection”.
No body is perfect and you can never be perfect, but everyone can make progress. As long as you are consistently moving in the right direction towards your goals, you’ll eventually achieve them.


Q: Best piece of advice you can give to others?

A: My number one tip would be to take action and get started NOW. A lot of people procrastinate and put things off. You’ll often hear people say that they’ll start exercising when they have more time, etc. But the truth is you are always going to be busy and you will always have other things going on in your life. You just have to bite the bullet and DO IT NOW! Don’t wait to start.

To help with this, try to surround yourself with people who are in better shape and more advanced than you. When you are around successful people the positive influence will inspire you to improve. Having friends who are in great shape will help pull you up and motivate you to get in better shape just so you can stay on the same level as they are.

And finally, you need to view bodybuilding and fitness as a healthy lifestyle. This is not some quick fix that you are only going to do for the short term. You have to commit to lifelong fitness if you really want to achieve all the benefits that bodybuilding can provide.


Q: Where can people contact you?

A: You can get in touch with me via my website / blog at: http://www.LeeHayward.com

You can follow me on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/total.fitness.bodybuilding

And you can subscribe to my YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/leemhayward