Shelby Starnes interviews Troponin Athlete Alberto Rubinaccio

Our next Troponin Athlete interview is with Alberto Rubinaccio, a.k.a. “Jax250”. Alberto just won the heavyweight class at the 2007 NPC Collegiate Championships, guided by trainer Dante “Doggcrapp” Trudel, and nutritionist Justin “Troponin” Harris. At 20 years old Alberto is by far the youngest athlete I have interviewed, but as you will soon find out his maturity and wisdom, like his physique, are very well-developed. Let’s get to know a little bit about Alberto:

Full Name: Alberto Rubinaccio
Age: 20 years old
Hometown: I grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts.
Offseason weight: up around 250lbs this past offseason
Contest weight: I should weigh around 210lbs for my upcoming show

Shelby: How did you first get involved in bodybuilding?

Alberto: I played football and wrestled growing up and throughout high school I was all league defensive end in football and a sectional champ in wrestling. I always lifted weights for those sports and was a fan of bodybuilding but couldn't compete due to the time needn't to play those sports. Basically the training that was needed for those sports lead me into bodybuilding. I began subscribing to magazine for tips on getting stronger and putting on muscle and would see the contest reports from the IFBB shows and that's how I began to follow the sport.

Shelby: What other interests / hobbies do you have outside of bodybuilding?

Alberto: With school, the gym and eating I really don’t do much else lol. I like to go out on the weekends with friend when not prepping for a show and spend as much time as i can with my girlfriend and family.

Shelby: You're pretty young. Is that sometimes an advantage, and sometimes a handicap?

Alberto: Being young in this sport is an advantage for the most part. I can learn from the veterans of the sport. I also can learn from my own mistakes and improve on them. I can probably get away with more since I'm younger in terms of training and eating as opposed to someone 10- 15 years older. Being young has some drawbacks in this sport because you can get bunt out very quickly. There are so many teen bodybuilders I can think of who just fell of the radar and are nowhere to be found. I think this sport can be overwhelming at times and I think you need to balance other areas in your life at this age if you really want to keep competing for years to come
Shelby: Where do you train? Do you have a training partner?
Alberto: I train at Gold’s Gym in West Springfield, Mass. My girlfriend is my main training partner, she’s the best training partner I’ve ever had she pushes me further than I think I can go and will tell me when I’m slacking. She’s responsible for a lot of the gains I’ve made this offseason. I also train with about 2 - 3 other people who want to compete in the future. I’ve found they make for the best training partners as they are willing to learn and very determined to make progress at that level, I’d rather train with someone like that rather than a pro bodybuilder. This gym is also awesome because of the amount of competitors in it and on any given day if I want to train in with someone or vice versa we do that which makes for some very good on the spot workouts.

Shelby: You’ve been working with Dante / Doggcrapp for a while now. Tell us about that experience:

Alberto: Ya I’ve been working with Dante now since I was a junior in high school. I was 16 at the time so it’s been about 4 years, that's a pretty long time now that I think of it lol. Dante is the main reason I decided to compete, he responsible for how I look right now. He taught everything there is to know about putting on muscle, that's what his specialty is in. He’s helped me back on a solid frame and now I’m at the point where we can fine tune things and bring up bodyparts. I have pictures from when I started with Dante to now and the results have been extremely dramatic. I can’t say enough about the guy, he answers every email year round and offers any input he feels necessary. He’s not about making money or saying his program is the best. He wants progress and really cares about his clients and also the thousands of people using his program. If I ever needed anything from him I know he’s just an email or phone call away. He’s definitely someone who motivates me and pushes me and someone who I have a large amount of respect for.

Shelby: You’ve also been working with Troponin Nutrition for a while now. How has that changed your outlook on bodybuilding?

Alberto: As I just talked about Dante teaching me everything there is to know about muscle building, Justin Harris is how i learned the ins and outs of precontest nutrition. When I came to Justin last year to begin my prep I learned pretty quickly that everything I thought I knew about getting in shape was basically wrong. The great thing about Justin and Troponin Ntritionists is you can ask them any question and you’re guaranteed an answer. so when I get a diet or an adjustment I pretty much always ask why and Justin will basically make me feel like I’ve never read anything regarding the subject and send over a 5 page explanation with words I have to go look up lol. With other nutritionists you get a diet plan but a lot of the time they don’t have any true reason behind what there doing, that's why they are called gurus. Justin goes above and beyond with his clients and I know he’s always learning more and more and is eager to find new ways for us to look that much better.

Shelby: Tell us about your competitive history:

Alberto: I competed in the 2006 NPC Atlantic States where I won the teen overall and then went on to compete in the Teen Nationals where I placed 3rd in the light-heavyweight class.

Shelby: You’re doing the Collegiate Nationals this year. How many weeks out are you now? How is the prep going? Did you make the improvements you wanted to this last offseason?

Alberto: I am currently 3 weeks out. My prep is going very good, I’m right where I should be. I feel I made some very good progress this past offseason. I brought up my lats, lower back shoulders and quad sweep.

Shelby: How do you personally cope with the demands (mental and physical) of contest prep?

Alberto: Dieting for a show is totally different than an off season diet. For me the cardio and the diet are the hardest so I find ways to make those easier. Ill set goals for my cardio sessions to be reached within the 16 weeks of my prep whether its burn x amount of calories in x amount of time or to do 1 hour on the treadmill on with an incline of 15%. I try to keep things interesting. With my diet I eat the same foods so ill just use different condiments and forms of cooking like baking frying grilling etc. I must also say that my family has really helped me out a lot this prep, they know when I'm tired and on low carbs and cant think right, they just leave me alone now and know what I’m going through. and of course my girlfriend is always there for me when I question why I’m eating cod and broccoli and my friends are at McDonalds, she puts it in perspective for me which is usually what I need, either that or a kick in the ass lol.

ADDENDUM: Since we started the interview, Alberto has competed in (and done very well at) the Collegiate Nationals. I got back with him for the following two questions:

Shelby: Can you tell us a bit about your experience at the 2007 NPC Teen, Collegiate and Master's Championships?

Alberto: I had a great time this year at the Collegiate Nationals Dr. Gary Udit treated us athletes great as usual and I met a lot of great competitors who helped me out. I ended up winning the Heavyweight Class and lost the overall to Casey Fathi who looked great and deserved the win. I felt very happy with the improvements I made and I think I filled out and dried out the way Justin had planned. I would have liked to have been tighter/drier which I’ll talk to Justin about once he gets a free second after the USA's but overall Justin set me up with a great plan to win and that's what happened.

Shelby: What are your competitive plans now?

Alberto: I'm still up in the air about what I want to do next. I know I need to fill out my upper body especially my back to compete at the national level and Jr. Nationals or Jr. Usa's seems to make the most sense to me since I'm nationally qualified. I still haven't competed in an open class so I may do a regional show like the New England's or Atlantic States which are both a few weeks before the Jr. Nationals. I hope I can compete next year but if I don't put on the right amount of muscle I’ll wait two years, I’m not going to rush into anything. I just plan to keep improving and enjoy what I’m doing.

Shelby: What’s your take on the current trends in bodybuilding? (Size, aesthetics, what do you personally shoot prefer and aim for?)

Alberto: I personally like all types of bodybuilders, I appeal to the Jay Cutlers the Phil Heath and the Dave Henrys out there. There is no current trend right now in my opinion, just when you think they’re going with one look they go the total opposite way the next show. There’s really not a whole lot we can do with our genes and structure so as long you come in shredded I have respect for that bodybuilder, then it just comes down to preference.

Shelby: Who do you look up to in the sport?

Alberto: I don't idolize anyone or necessarily have any one favorite bodybuilder but anyone who is consistently coming in shows in shape and improving really impress me. I would say though, as much as I’m not trying to suck up here I really do look up to my nutritionist Justin Harris, he has an extremely hard job, two kids, a wife and then does a million and 1 diets on the side, writes articles, all the while preparing for his own shows. This is the type of life I want, where on one side of the spectrum you are a regular person with a "regular" job wife and kids but can still do something you love. You don't see to many people like this in the sport I think maybe Mark Dugdale is someone else that comes to mind. Not taking away from anyone else though, I respect anyone who makes the decision to make a commitment and step on stage.

Shelby: How do you look up to in life in general?

Alberto: I look up to anyone who has found balance in their lives, I think that's real important. I don't look up to anyone in particular but there are many people I look up, to not necessarily in the bodybuilding industry but people who have found there calling in life and keep a strong balance of what is important to me in life are people who I look up to.

Shelby: What is your favorite thing about bodybuilding? Least favorite?

Alberto: My favorite thing about bodybuilding is setting goals and reaching them. I love to challenge myself and I can do that in the gym and onstage by making progress year after year. The least favorite thing about bodybuilding for me is the dieting and how time consuming it is. Also in my opinion you need to be somewhat selfish at times and I'm the type of person who likes to put others in front of me at times where I should be focusing on myself.

Shelby: What would you like to be remembered for in Bodybuilding?

Alberto: I have a long way before I'm remembered for anything in bodybuilding but I would like to be known as someone who is always willing to learn and always willing to share. If I ever became a pro or a household name in the sport I think I would do my best to share as much information as possible and do as many positive things as I could for the sport. I believe there should be no secrets and id love to be able to get across to the mainstream and let them know bodybuilders are willing to share tips and want to see others succeed and reach there goals.
Shelby: Do you have any advice for newcomers to the sport?
Alberto: Take it slow. I’ve heard this a million times but I’ll say it again, bodybuilding isn’t a sprint it’s a marathon. Your gains will come over time, you have to make the commitment to eat 6 meals a day and train when you’re supposed to and make gains in both those areas to reach your goals. There is no quick fix. I would also recommend staying below 12% bodyfat year round if you’re a competitor or wish to compete.

Shelby: What are your favorite cheat foods?

Alberto: Anything with chocolate, pasta, sushi.

Shelby: Last question – what did you eat today?

Alberto: Today was a low day so here’s what it looked like:

meal 1 368g eqqwhite, 40grams carbs from oats
meal 2 8 oz chicken 30g carbs of brown rice
meal 3 10 oz cod 7g fats from borage oil
meal 4 8oz chicken 7g healthy fats from almonds
meal 5 10 oz cod 7g healthy fats from almonds
meal 6 8 oz top round steak 7g healthy fats from walnuts