Shelby Starnes interviews Troponin Athlete Danny Fung

Full Name: Danny Fung
Age: 32 Years Old
Hometown: I was born in Hull, Quebec in Canada (now called Gatineau)
Currently reside- Gatineau, Qc… I’ve been living here all these years. lol
Home Gym- I currently train at a gym in Gatineau called Gym-Max. I’ve been training here since its opening in 1994
Height- 5’9”
Contest History: I’ve only done one contest so far, which was over here called the National Capital Classic show, which had athletes from Quebec and Ontario. It is a Regional show held yearly, which qualifies you for the Provincials (equivalent to a state show in the U.S.)

Upcoming events: I’m just getting into my full-on off-season training right now, preparing for the 2008 Quebec Provincials in Montreal. Right after my show last June, I had taken two weeks off to relax and enjoy some more “normal’ life with my wife and being less stringent on my diet by enjoying some evenings out at the restaurant together. Then upon returning back to the gym I injured myself training, most likely doing squats, and had two herniated discs in my lower back. I was out for two full months after that. Couldn’t even walk, sit or stand properly. My whole right leg was completely in pain. Luckily for me, my doctor also specializes in back therapy and I received prolotherapy treatments which is basically a dextrose solution that is injected into the injured ligament and tendon where it attaches to the bone. This causes a localized inflammation in the injured area which then increases the blo d supply and flow of nutrients and stimulates the tissue to repair itself. I’m feeling good now, and about 95% healed. So I’m back at it at the gym, except for heavy leg training or deadlifts, not ready just yet. Just the thought of those intimidate me still. lol

Shelby: How did you originally get involved with bodybuilding?

Danny: I used to fight Muay Thai and MMA and had a school called Fighting Arts Academy, where local talent would train to either get into shape or prepare for competition. That was during 97-2003. But I had been training in Muay Thai since 1996 before that. My training then consisted mainly of endurance and callisthenic exercises and anything to train the slow-twitch muscle fibers for extended bouts of the fights. We did lots of running and sprinting and lifted weights, but the workouts consisted mostly of a circuit-type training with repetitions in the 15-25 range using lots of supersets and also some exercises to build explosive strength such as cleans, push presses and box jumps along with other plyometrics. Of course, I had always been interested in the bodybuilding diets and supplementation as I found that reading the magazines and expanding my knowledge of nutrition always gave me that edge over people who just ate whatever and whenever they wanted.
I was fortunate enough to train for a while with Bas Rutten and Pat Miletich and stayed at Miletich’s house while I was down in Iowa and did MMA fights there.
That’s pretty much the extent of my weight training before I got into it seriously last year. A friend of mine invited me to the Regional show on May 13th, 2006 and that evening I set my mind right then and there that I’d be doing the bodybuilding show the following year.

Shelby: You went through a major transformation under Justin’s guidance. Can you tell us a bit about that experience?

Danny: Well I wasn’t too sure if I had what it took to do my first show as far as knowledge of nutrition and all the intricacies that go with a pre-contest diet and prep.
I had committed to doing a show and was willing to go all out into transforming my physique into the best that I could for my first show. One evening last year, my wife and I were at Chapters (which is like Barnes & Nobles in the U.S.) and I browsed through an Ironman magazine and saw on the cover “the new Jedi of nutrition” so I flipped the pages to the article to see who that was. It was an interview with Justin about his nutrition philosophies and how he prepped people for shows. I read the whole article and wrote down on a piece of paper his name and website address. I then contacted the website through his contact form and started working with one of his nutritionists, Chris Perticari on July 24th, 2006. That was my first real bodybuilding diet and advice that I had received ever. Then in October, Justin agreed to take me under his wing and we started working together. I was really happy cause I knew that he normally didn’t work with first timers. We had a lot of work to do as I started my prep at 234 lbs and 20% bodyfat.

Shelby: How has working with Troponin Nutrition changed your outlook on bodybuilding?

Danny: Well first off, I have to say that Justin’s knowledge about diets and nutrition, and that includes supplementation too, is, to me, is on a whole different level than anyone I’ve met. Before that, I thought I knew pretty much all there was about dieting and nutrition. I had the mentality of always wanting to add weight on the scale. The bigger I got the more I thought I was progressing. Now, after learned so much from Justin and having been through the contest dieting process and achieved contest shape on stage, I realize that weight pretty much means nothing. Quality means everything. I don’t want to be blowing up to 240 pounds anymore only to have to lose all the extra bodyfat to make it to contest weight. I looked so much better at 180 than I did when I was 234 that’s for sure! Lol! Justin changed my whole outlook on bodybuilding and contest prep. He made me realize that the leaner you start in to your diet when pre-contest rolls around, the better and probably bigger you’ll look at the final result on stage. I also now understand the difference between losing fullness versus losing muscle size during the contest diet.
Justin is also someone who will go beyond telling you what to do. And since I’m someone who always has to know why something is done a particular way, it made out for a perfect team working with him, as he would always explain to me why certain changes were done and what strategy was being used every time we would change up or modify certain things during the diet.
And that, to me, is very important. I had full trust in Justin’s abilities and it worked out great. Something he said in one of his interviews that always stayed in my head was that “to look great after a workout in the gym under good lighting as light years away from looking great on stage when you’re wearing a posing trunk under all that bright lighting”! and that kinda scared me… so I think that was a major reason why I pushed it so hard.

Shelby: How much of bodybuilding would you say is physical, and how much mental?

Danny: 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical. The reason I say this is because, yes you have to train and go to the gym, and do all the cardio and all this must be done day-in and day-out. But you have got to have the drive and discipline to want to do it every single day, day-in and day-out, that’s the most important thing if you ask me. Consistency is the key. The training part is easy. Everyone likes going to the gym and the feeling of lifting heavy poundages and working out. That’s why everyone trains and all the gyms are always full. But to be a true bodybuilder, a competitor, takes a whole new level of determination, drive and focus. That’s why only a selected few from the hundreds and thousands of people that workout actually do go through the whole process and do step on stage. I’ve gained a whole new level of respect and appreciation for everyone, amateur or professional, that ever stepped on stage, cause I understand now what’s it like. You have to be strong mentally to be able to endure the strict and rigorous dieting that must be done.

Shelby: What’s your favorite thing about bodybuilding? Least favorite?

Danny: As weird as this may sound, it would have to be being different from my entourage and friends. And I’m mostly referring in terms of nutrition as I say this. I have absolutely no remorse about having to carry my cooler every single day with me, wherever I go, knowing that its contents are what will help me achieve my ultimate objective, which is developing my physique to the best it can be. Knowing and understanding the philosophies of nutrition and how it can improve your health and having friends ask me about how they can incorporate some of the things I do daily into their own lifestyle is something I always appreciate.
I don’t really have a least favourite thing, but I would really like to see the sport of bodybuilding evolve on a much larger scale. I don’t see why some of bodybuilding’s best athletes, either amateur or professional, couldn’t get a major endorsement from large companies such as Nike or Adidas. I would really like to see the sport go a bit more mainstream. Perfect example is look at the beginning days of Mixed Martial Arts when they were trying to get it banned and now look at how far it’s come.

Shelby: Do you have any advice for newcomers to the sport?

Danny: I would have to say have a goal or an objective. Once you know what you’re trying to attain, never give up on your goals and never lose focus. I can only speak for myself, but during the 16-20 weeks of strict preparation for my show, there were so many times that I reflected upon myself and asked myself why I was doing this.
I realized that when you’re at such a beginning level and not making any income from it, it’s really about passion and loving what you do. But trust me that in the end when you win, it is so worth it! And I’m not only saying winning by receiving first place at a show, but winning as in knowing you gave it your all and did everything that had to be done and gave it your best.
The feeling… there’s nothing like it.
You also need a strong team. For me, that is my wife Julie. She’s so supportive and gets involved with me and understands that I love bodybuilding. She’s also my training partner and best friend. I’m grateful to be married to such a strong and intelligent women.
Last but not least, find someone you trust. A reputable trainer or nutritionist that can help you achieve your goals. And listen to them! Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but listen to them.Remember why you hired that person in the first place and let them do what they do best.

Shelby: Ok, enough of the serious stuff… what are some of your favorite cheat foods?

Danny: As a meal, I’d have to say McDonald’s or a real cheese burger from a steakhouse-style restaurant. For sweets, and I have a sweet tooth, then it would be doughnuts or pecan pie with ice cream!

Shelby : Ok, last question – what did you eat today?

Danny: That’s easy lol cause it’s pretty much always the same thing…. For breakfast I had egg whites, and oats along with some crystal light. My next meal was 4 ½ oz. of chicken breast with basmati rice. Meal 3 was Tilapia with basmati rice again, Meal 4 was the same as meal 2 and I still have three more meals to go for today, which will mainly consist of round steak and chicken breast with oats and brown rice for the remaining meals.
Today is a high day. I rotate between low, medium and high carb days. Obviously when the carbs increase, my protein servings are lower and when the carbs decrease, then the protein servings increase. But the foods pretty much always stay the same. I really like to keep things simple. That way I can easily stay on track and that’s what keeps me motivated. Justin’s told me something once and it stuck in my mind which was It’s not about being perfect ALL the time, it’s about being CONSISTENT all the time. No one can be perfect for 15 years, but anyone with good motivation can be consistently good for that long. I also read Tom Prince state consistency is why 99.9999% of bodybuilders out there don’t turn pro. I mean, the best bodybuilder in the world right now, Jay Cutler, always preaches and talks about consistency!

Shelby: Thanks for the interview Danny, and best of luck to you at the 2008 Quebec Provincials. Keep us updated on your journey - I’m sure it’s bound to be just as motivating as the last!