The Road of Life Holds Infinite Possibilities
Growing up is never easy. You hold onto the past; you wonder about the future. In fact, some of us never mature; or we try to rebel against it. Sometimes it's comforting to know that the universe is ever-expanding and so are our dreams. In the case of Cody Lewis, he's living his focused dreams every day of his life. At 20 years old, he just won his first Mens Open Overall title at the NPC Contra Costa Bodybuilding Championships on May 7th.
A rebellious teenager from Modesto, California, Cody went from an out-of-control youngster to a disciplined National Teen Bodybuilder Champion. By setting out each and every day believing whole-heartedly in his dreams . . . knowing without a doubt that he is destined for greatness... Cody Lewis is a rare breed indeed. In the following interview, I set my sights on identifying exactly where this confidence and deep belief in himself originates.
First off, Congrats on winning the mens open overall at the Contra Costa Bodybuilding Championships. I know how busy you are and how hectic it is after a show to get life back on track. Tell me how this road to success all started.
Basically Gail, when was 13 years old I was headed down a very bad road and making very bad decisions. I got kicked out of school at 13 years old and had to much time on my hands, this lead me to start training.
Why did you get kicked out of school?
When I was young I had a hell of a temper. I was always the kid that strived to be original and have my own style. I was always a leader and looked up to by many other kids in school, but then there were those who hated me for whatever their personal reason was, and at the time I was too young to care. I didn't make smart choices and walk away. Instead I'd rather just fight them. I was never one to back down. I had a lot of pride and still do, but now I know how to control my temper. I used to let it control me instead of me controlling it.
Did you ever go back to school when you got kicked out at age 13?
Yes, I went back to school the next year in the 8th grade and got kicked out again. Then I went back to school the next year in 9th grade and finished high school.
What started you training?
I started off training for wrestling because I had been wrestling since I was 6. I wanted to have a nice physique, but never in a million years thought I'd be here. As I trained I became more addicted to the results and the happiness it was bringing me. I also realized it was taking up a lot of my time and causing me to stay away from the bad crowd of people I was hanging out with. At 16 I met a man named Rick who trained me for my first two shows in 2008 and then after that I took two years off after a bad offseason. My trainer got me way over weight, thus causing him and I to part our separate ways. I had always dreamed of competing in the Teen Nationals and I planned on doing it in 2010 at 19. I did, but right before I started prepping, I met the most wonderful trainer and friend. We met through a friend and this man took me under his wing and totally changed my life. His name is William Ayoubi. To this day he still trains me and I've never lost a show since he started training me. He's made me better than I could've ever imagined.
What do you like to do outside of bodybuilding?
Outside of bodybuilding I love to hang out with friends, work on my 69 Chevy C10 shortbed truck and ride my Yamaha R1 streetbike. I carry a fulltime job as well, which is very time consuming because I have to commute and everything.
What is your full time job?
I am a welder and laborer currently. I'm working with a company called Monterey Mechanical to build a new Keiser Hospital in Oakland California. Very long hard days. I commute two hours to work and two hours back home every day, and still find time to give training my all and eat all my meals on time. I work as hard as I possibly can.
What do you hope to accomplish in regards to the sport of bodybuilding?
In bbing I hope to accomplish being the very best I can possibly be. If that means Mr. Olympia one day then yes, I hope to accomplish that. But each day my main goal and dream is to accomplish all I can and to progress every day and do the best I can.
Tell me about your training style.
My training is very intense! Hardcore and fast pace is how I train! Sets with very little rest. Maybe 30 seconds at a time. I normally like to train with lots of different exercises rather than lots of sets of the same exercise. I train with not so much of a volume based workout, but more high reps, and focus on the contraction of the muscle. But I do believe in high volume training. I'd say 1/3 of my workouts are high volume with more rest at a slower pace and 2/3 is more intense high repetition training.
What is something NO ONE knows about you?
Well there's a lot of things people don't know about me, but that's cause I don't want them to know! LOL! One thing most people don't know is that my best friend in the whole world is my cat Mikey.
If you could put 5 things in a time capsule and open it up in 20 years, what would you put into it?
A picture of myself and my family together, the first magazine I was in, my first bodybuilding trophy, a copy of my first bodybuilding measurements and a letter I wrote to myself when I first started bodybuilding, promising myself I'd never give up on my dream no matter how hard it gets.
What was it like competing as a teen and then competing in open?
As a teen I was very confident in where I stood. I knew I was one of the best in the world and that helped me to relax going into the shows. Competing in the open mens division was more of a wonder in my mind. I didn't quite know where I stood with the big boys on the stage and I didn't know who my competition would be. My strategy was to bring the very best conditioning I could. They may be bigger but I knew I'd at least have great conditioning. If it was good enough than great but if it wasn't I knew I couldn't do more. Thank God it was enough! I won my first open mens debut at a bright age of 20 yrs old!
What challenges did you face that you hadn't faced before?
Not knowing what to expect competing in the open class.
What is the hardest part of contest prep for you?
Finances are definitely the hardest part for me. In my mind I'm a champion. I can always train as hard as possible and stick to a diet without even thinking about it, but finances are always tight. But its so worth it to me!
When can we next expect to see you on the stage?
I plan to take off a whole year. I want to bring up my back thickness, arms and upper chest by focusing more on them and training them more often. I want to put on a good amount of overall muscle. Then I will start my contest prep for the 2012 NPC USA Championships.
What motivates and inspires you?
The most motivating thing is knowing that what I'm doing is what God put me here to do. Every day I look at it like I have only this chance to change someone's life and to inspire new people. I'm inspired every day to be the best I can be for God and that's my way of showing him my appreciation.
What lesson would you like others to learn from your experiences?
The most important lesson in regards to bodybuilding is helping to change people's lives and inspiring people to understand that you only live once and each day of life is a blessing. I hope to inspire people to make the most of their life and accomplish their dream. No matter what you want to do with your life, it may seem impossible, but NOTHING is impossible. Live your dream and let nothing stop you. You have one chance!
Who would you like to thank?
I first would like to thank my parents for being the most supportive people anyone could ever ask for. They have been there for me no matter what the situation and always will be. I'd also like to thank my trainer William Ayoubi from the bottom of my heart, for not only making me the best I can be, but for being a brother to me and being there for me. I'd like to thank my sponsor, Lana's Eggwhites. Mama Lana you have been the most amazing women I have ever met! You're my angel and I love you dearly from the bottom of my heart for all of your wonderful support. I'd also like to thank Species Nutrition and Dave Palumbo for having me on their team. Your supplements are the best out there, by far, and your support is incredible. Thank you for being there for me when I needed it the most. You really picked me up when I was down. Thank you to Iron Mulisha for all the wonderful clothing and support as well. I'm looking forward to doing big things with the new Cody "The QuadFather" Lewis clothing line coming out. And much more that we are going to do together!
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000564783843
****Photography by: Jason Mathas
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