August 4 saw Vince Taylor fly into Lynchburg, Virginia for yet another predictable defense of his Masters Olympia title. As four-time 
Masters Olympia winner and one of the most genetically gifted bodybuilders on the planet, there is little doubt that Vince considered this contest to be like another guest-posing for him; a guest-posing with a $10,000 paycheck. After all, Vince Taylor was the man that none other than 8-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney named as his most likely successor.
Taylor no doubt was picked heir-apparent because of his beautiful structure which consists of full muscles complimented by undersized joints. His shapely arms are among the best in the sport. His personality, genuinely caring and outgoing, make him one of the sports most liked figures. Stage presentation is Taylor's true strength. If we listed bodybuilding's best posers, the roster would consist of Vince Taylor and those that do a good job copying the posing of Vince Taylor.
But for Vince, August 4th was NOT a good day.
In addition to a hungry and contest-ready John Hnatyshak, Vince Taylor found himself squaring off with a completely unknown 47-year-old mass of ruggedly thick muscle and sinew. Outweighing Vince by what looked like an easy twenty to thirty pounds, this newcomer meant business. Starting with impossibly wide delts and arms that rivaled Taylor's own, the challenger also possessed a thick armor-plated torso and legs that seemed to defy the traditional "thinning of the quads" that plagues all masters competitors. If the size difference wasn't devastating enough, he also displayed an unparalleled level of hardness and separation with skin so thin that (if you squinted your eyes) you could swear you could witness protein synthesis taking place. What audacity! Didn't he realize that this was Vince's show?
The identity of this previously unknown beast? Don Youngblood. If not a name you have heard before, it's sure to be one you will be hearing in the future. Don easily dominated the pre-judging. Strangely enough, in a sport in which the officials are to judging what Barney Fife is to law enforcement, even the judging agreed. Don left the prejudging with a decisive lead over the incumbent champ, Vince Taylor. It was only at the finals, where Taylor's posing prowess shone its brightest, that the judging panel mysteriously reversed itself. Was it Taylor's posing that was so great as to demand an scorecard about-face or was it just the panel's desire to grant the reigning champ the advantage in a close decision? We will never know. What is known is that, although the 2001 Masters Olympia title went to Vince Taylor, the audience left the auditorium seeing Don Youngblood as the champion.
In an era in which many bodybuilders spend their time playing Nintendo while mooching off of their stripper girlfriend or barely weaseling out a living as a personal trainer, Don Youngblood selected a different path.
At twenty years-of-age, Don bought an old truck. As he relates it, "It was just a junker. I worked all day, fixed it up at night and then saved up for a new truck, then a second truck and before you know it, I was on my way to building a trucking business." His story is a stereotypical American one; in which the hero transforms years of ambition and sweat into a lifetime of accomplishment and prosperity. Along his Horatio Alger-like odyssey he moved from his native California to settle in NW Arkansas.
While building a business, Don was also building a family. With his wife Suzanne, he heads up a clan that includes three children and a trio of grandkids. His oldest daughter is twenty-seven, his son is twenty-one and his youngest daughter is seventeen. Between family and work, it comes as little surprise that Don put physique stardom on the backburner for awhile.
"Lifting is something I always wanted to do," says Don. "I spent the early part of my life building a business so I never really had the opportunity to lift seriously. Later in life, when I had experienced enough success in my business so that I could afford to do something for myself, bodybuilding was what I chose to do." He was thirty-three when he started bodybuilding seriously.
"Most bodybuilders start bodybuilding early in life and, at about the time I began, most of them are approaching a point in which their bodybuilding may have progressed but financially they are not doing well," he says. "Their families may have done without things and they do not have the security they may have had." It is obvious Don has the ability and intent to quickly make up for any time lost.
I asked Don if he felt running a large business holds him back as a bodybuilder. Taking a slow deep breath, he responds thoughtfully, "Without a doubt. I have to run my company every day and that's my number one priority. That's how I support my family and live the lifestyle that I live. With most full-time bodybuilders, who have a sponsor, training and eating IS there job. It has to be much easier."
As he continues, his face lights up, "My passion is bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is not just working out. It is preparing food and getting enough rest to have good workouts. My wife helps me out with my food program. I have a very good support system." He exudes the subtle confidence of a man who lives his life with few regrets.
Pulling double-duty as business owner and bodybuilder makes for a hectic daily schedule. Don pulls it off by getting up for his first meal at 6:00 am. Then he goes immediately in to work. Twice a week, he meets training partner Roger Bullington at Gold's Gym in Fort Smith at four in the afternoon. Twice a week, that time is pushed back to six in the evening. Sunday is not a day of rest for Don and Roger as that day is set aside for an extensive and brutal leg training session. Next month we will detail this workout and it will be evident why it could never be tacked on the end of a hectic workday. This puts Don and Roger on a five-days a week training schedule.
TRAINING
Sunday: legs
Monday: chest
Tuesday: back
Wednesday: off
Thursday: shoulders
Friday: arms
Don and Roger's training is definitely of the "old school" variety - high volume, heavy weights, "pushed balls to the wall." They like to regularly vary their workouts to constantly cause the body to adapt and to "stay sore." This way they always feel like they are stimulating maximal growth.
One aspect of their training remains constant. They train extremely heavy all the time, employing 12-16 sets per bodypart. Their rep range is mostly in the 8-12 range, although on heavier days this will shift to the 6-10 rep range. From time to time, they will even max out with singles. But, no matter what the rep range, the weights are always heavy.
"When we say ‘heavy,'" adds Roger, "we mean ‘HEAVY!' We are talking about 8-10 reps in the shoulder press with up to 405 pounds." Don has competed in a number of powerlifting meets in and around the Arkansas area. His most recent meet was in 1997. He opened with an extremely respectable 550-pound bench and tore a bit of his oblique. He has since set aside competitive lifting in order to concentrate on the Masters Olympia without fear of injury. Although he no longer deadlifts, Don has pulled 670. He has squatted with over 700 pounds. He is capable of a 600-pound bench press (although he prefers using 500 pounds for sets of eight to ten reps). Sounds pretty heavy to me!
Realizing that, as a masters competitor, he no longer can delude himself with the invulnerability of youth, Don and Roger have developed a training game plan that addresses longevity. Roger's profession as a chiropractor makes him even more keenly aware of this necessity. The first part of this strategy is to that they have both developed an awareness of the signals their body sends them. As Don says, "If I feel anything that doesn't feel right I just change it immediately. I don't wait until I feel hurt." This keeps minor "twangs" from turning into injuries that can set back their training. They are also both very careful in maintaining strict form, but at the same time, use very heavy, heavy weight.
Multiple sets of progressive warm-ups ensure that their muscles are ready for heavy loads. These earlier sets also alert them of any minor aches or strains so that they can be dealt with or avoided prior to using the big weights.
The main key to their ability to train heavy while avoiding injury is incorporation of ample amounts of pre-exhaustion. As Don explains, "When working legs I need to watch my lower back. We will start with leg presses and then finish with squats so we don't have to squat as heavy to get our quads completely fried. We don't have to squat 600 pounds for reps, we squat 500 pounds for reps and get the same effect. Our back is less prone to injury that way."
Eating is, of course, another crucial aspect of maximal growth. When I asked Don to describe his off-season eating he summed it up with one word - "Nauseating... because I have to eat so much. I eat about 500 grams of protein a day mostly from beef, chicken, eggs and protein powder." He also drinks a lot of American Bodybuilding beverages. As for carbohydrates, Don staggers his carb intake in the off-season. He generally consumes between 400-500 grams of carbs a day but about twice a week allows himself "big carbs" to make sure he doesn't get depleted. "I try to take in as much fat as I want in the off-season," says Don. His top nutrition priority is consuming his protein each day.
Also, in tried and true "old school" fashion, Don believes in bulking-up in the off-season. "Typically, my weight will climb to 290," he says. "This year I plan to push that to 300 pounds."
DON'S VIEWS ON THE MASTER'S O
Going into the contest, what did you expect? Did you train with a victory in mind?
I have gone the past five years and watched the show. I felt that I had the ability to win the contest but, being a first-timer, I would have been happy ending up in the top five. I knew my physique would be good enough to deserve to be in the top two or three. But I knew that if I was "on" I had the ability to win. On that day, I was "on."
Were you made aware after the prejudging that you were winning?
Well no one officially told me but everyone told me that I was way ahead on points. They told me not to do anything crazy and keep everything right on the money and I'd win. I got the first call-out and I was never compared to anyone but Vince and John Hnatyschak. They compared Vince to Robbie and all of these other guys that placed a bit lower so I KNEW I was ahead of Vince.
How did it feel coming that close to winning your first time out?
[A wide grin breaks across his face as he says,] It was awesome.
Do you think you were victim of the IFBB Olympia champion "knock-out punch" syndrome?
When I read Jay Cutler's article in Flex, I felt like I was reading MY story. It was the exact same scenario with the exception that after the pre-judging Jay was six points ahead of Ronnie and I was eight points ahead of Vince. In the end Jay was beaten by four points. I was only beaten by two points so actually it was a closer show between Vince and I at the Masters.
What is bodybuilding about? Is it about dancing or is it about muscularity and symmetry? Most bodybuilders will tell you that they spend their time in the gym getting big and symmetrical. That's more important to them than a dance routine. If people are tied after pre-judging, I can see how the posing can come into play. It could be like the tie-breaker. But if you are eight points ahead at the end of the pre-judging, how can a dance routine beat you? That's my question.
What can we expect at the 2002 Master's Olympia?
I will definitely be bigger. I got sick fifteen months out from the show last year. I came down with a pneumonia and was in the hospital for about seven days. When I left the hospital, I was about twenty pounds lighter than I was when I went in and I had to start my contest diet right after that. As long as I stay healthy this year, I will be 5-10 pounds bigger and more improved than I was last year. I KNOW I will be ripped because that's my forte.
The Master's Olympia is the only show I will be doing. The reason is that I want to qualify for the Olympia. I feel that if Vince finished thirteenth at the Olympia - the top contest in the world, he can go to any open show and place in the top five or six. I know that I am as good or better than he is so I feel that I can be competitive in a Grand Prix show. This year though, I don't want to do anything but win the Master's Olympia so that I am qualified for the open Olympia. After that, I intend to do some open pro shows.
Orville Burke is reported to be planning his debut in this year's Master's O. Obviously as winner of last year's Night of Champions and Toronto shows, he would be quite a threat. What are your thoughts on Burke's entry?
According to Orville Burke's bio, he was born on March 18, 1963, which means he won't be forty until 2003. I spoke with him at the Olympia and confirmed this. There was an article in Flex stating his intentions of doing the Masters Olympia in 2002 so I also spoke with Wayne DeMilia and Rebecca Phillips [a representative from Jan Tana] and they stated he was not on the list of eligible competitors.
Despite all the controversy, if he did find a way to compete, I will give him all the heat he can stand. Personally, I think Orville has a great back but other than that, I don't think he is as good as me or Vince. He is not any bigger than I am, he doesn't have any muscle separation and his is always soft looking. Don't get me wrong... I am not knocking him. He is a great bodybuilder. I am just making some comparisons.
He would definitely have the favor of the judges do to his placing in Vegas so we will have to see how this story unfolds.
The IFBB doesn't seem to have shown much support of the Master's Olympia? If it wasn't for Jan Tana the contest would most likely no longer exist. This is a market that you think would be HUGE!
I don't think people understand the potential of the market. Who has the money to spend down at the GNC store? Your middle-aged person. I recommend supplements to teenage or college-aged guys at the gym all the time. Their next question is always, "How much is it, because I can only afford one item?"
The next guy, who is in his thirties or forties, asks me what he needs to take and I can write out a list for him and he goes to GNC and picks up $200-300 worth of products. So why is it that our industry does not realize the value of Masters competitors and the buying power of the masters age lifters? You would think that supplement companies would recognize and target this market.
I understand their desire to target the younger guy but they would be wise to target the middle-age "baby-boomer." This group of people is a huge segment of the population with much more disposable income.
What kind of things would you like to see changed in order to improve the sport?
I think a lot of positive changes are being made. At the Olympia, the fact that the judges' names were shown beside their scores and they were made accountable was a very good thing.
Overall, I think the judging in the sport is very good. I do think there is too much emphasis on posing. When there is more emphasis on posing than the physique, then that begins to hurt the sport. Posing is an important part of bodybuilding. If it's a close contest, the posing presentation can help determine the actual winner. We have seen two scenarios - the Olympia and the Master's Olympia - in which something needs to change in that respect.
Speaking of the Olympia, what are you thoughts on current physique trends?
I like the big guys. I like the Jay Cutler's, Ronnie Coleman's and I like the bigger physiques, so I like the way the sport is heading. Ronnie Coleman is freaky. Ronnie MAY have taken it too far since we are beginning to see some abdominal distension in his physique but I have the utmost respect for Ronnie.
On the opposite end of the spectrum we have Shawn Ray, who just has an absolutely perfect physique, he just doesn't have the freaky thickness Coleman displays. He may not have added a great deal of size since becoming a pro, but the fact that he has continued to place as high in the sport as he has, says a lot for him and the aesthetic physique he has built.
How close are you to your physical ideal?
I'm still not there yet. I'd still like to be bigger. I still have some things I want to improve on. I still have some fire inside; a desire to improve and get bigger.
How long do you see yourself competing?
Several years. I plan on being Master's Mr. Olympia next year and when I turn fifty, if I am not still the Master Olympia champion, I plan to be the Master's Olympia Over-Fifty Champ.
Until last year, the Masters Olympia was floundering. It received little coverage and barely rated a mention in most publications. Don Youngblood's emergence changed that. The dogfight between Don and Vince Taylor at this year's contest is among one of the most anticipated events of 2002. (I definitely know that Flex Magazine intend to increase its coverage of the event.)
Expect a radically improved Don Youngblood at this year's version of the event. His brush with victory has made him even hungrier. I find myself wondering, I was Vince Taylor's armchair career counselor, what would I advise Vince to do? Perhaps I would tell him to avoid the show at all costs? After all, he barely survived his first encounter with Youngblood with his masters title unscathed. At the very least, I would plea with him to prepare as he never has before as his opponent is an extremely dangerous man.
We are entering some very interesting times, indeed.
Prolog
On May 8th, 2005 Don Youngblood died unexpectedly from a massive heart attack. He left behind a loving family (including his wife and four children), a successful business, and legions of bodybuilding fans. He showed us all that we can have it all, if we are only willing to work hard enough for it. He will be missed as an athlete and great human being.
