Competitor Profile: Grant Reid of Team G-Fit

1. How did you get started in bodybuilding? (both training/getting bigger and competing)

Ever since I can remember, I've always been infatuated with Muscle. It all started when I watched Pumping Iron when I was about 5 years old. Growing up, the Incredible Hulk with Lou Ferrigno was my favourite t.v. show and I dressed up as the Hulk pretty much every Halloween.

I played competitive football as a teenager and I started lifting weights to help make me a better player. I was naturally a powerful guy who added muscle more quickly than the average person but was always stocky and wanted to have that lean, cut look.

When I was 19, I stopped playing football, started to lift more and also focus on my nutrition to the point that I got really lean for the first time in my life. It was an incredible feeling, and that was sort of the start of bodybuilding for me. The gym became part of my daily routine - no matter what. Ever year I would go through the old school bulk up in winter and then lean-up for the beach in the summer. But, I didn't decide to actually compete in bodybuilding until about 15 years later.

2.How did people react to your transformation when you first started?

Most people's reaction was very positive.  It gave me a lot more confidence as people would compliment me and ask for tips or advice.

3. Could you tell us a little bit about your competitive history (how many contests, where, etc.)

I started bodybuilding a little late. For years, people would say to me; "Man, what a waste! Why don't you compete!"

But I wasn't sure that I wanted to, or if I could make it through the gruelling pre-contest diet required to do well in a show. I've always been a big eater, so the diet part was scary! Haha.

I finally decided that to do my first MABBA Novice bodybuilding show in 2010.  I took 1st place in a Light Middle Weight class with 7 competitors. I weighed in at a mere 167 pounds.  Then in 2012 I did my second competition- the MABBA Provincial Championships. I came in 2nd place in the Light Heavyweight Division. The gentleman who got 1st in our weight class was the contest's overall winner - Mr. Manitoba. In that competition, I weighed in at 196.4 pounds. A full 29.5 pounds heavier than two years prior.

4. What is your diet and training looking like nowadays? Are you worried about staying leaner right now, or focusing more on size?

A true bodybuilder always wants the best of both worlds... big and cut!

But, these days I am basically trying to maintain my muscle size, and at the same time stay relatively lean. I'm focussing more on the health and detailed nutrition and supplementation side of the sport. I'm currently in the process of working with a wholistic doctor and master herbalist as well as a new nutritionist. My goal is to learn a more about food allergies, cleansing and detoxifying the body - in particular; liver, kidneys and colon.  All of the training, diet, supplements, fluctuation in weight etc. can put stress on the central nervous system and organs. I feel that it's important to look after your health on the inside too, especially as we get a little older.

I want to keep myself healthy and teach my friends and clients to stay healthy as well. And as a coach or a leader I feel that you earn a lot of credibility when you go through a process yourself first, before teaching it to others.   

5. You have your own contest prep coaching business, Team G-Fit--When did you start that? What motivated you to do that?

I had always had a passion for training and nutrition and even had a bit of a Nutrition background in Human Ecology at U of M.

For years I had people coming up to me and asking me for advice, tips, and pointers. My close friends would see other trainers who were experiencing a level of sucess and tell me that I was crazy not to be doing it too, and that I'd be a really great coach! 

After I had competed in my first show in 2010, a lot of people were asking me to help them out and it really began as more of a hobby and not a business.

My first client was a guy named Greg Davis who competed in the Novice competition in 2011 and the Provincials in 2012. We began working out together and I helped him with his nutrition and supplement plan leading up to the Novice. His transformation was nothing short of amazing and I really got a rush watching him throughout the process and up on stage. During this time, I took some Personal Trainer Courses and decided that this was something that I really enjoyed doing.

It's easy to be successful at something when you have a passion for it. I am also a sponsored athlete with Gorilla Jack Supplements, and they've played a key role in helping me to ensure that myself and the athletes I work with are taking the proper supplements, vitamins and minerals. The knowledge that I have gotten from them is invaluable, and at the same time being associated with such a top notch company pushes me to be a better coach.

6. Without naming names, have you ever had a client who either refused to do what you recommend, or just plain was totally convinced they knew better than you? How do you bring these sorts of people down to earth, if at all?

I have been extremely fortunate to work with a great group of people and I think there is amazing chemistry on our team.  

I have a full-time job, and do fitness consultation part-time, so I really have to be selective in who I work with because I just don't have enough time to take on a huge number of clients. I always try and take the time to explain,  "This is WHAT you are doing, and this is WHY you are doing it." Once they understand the process and see the results that you have gotten with others and are achieving with them, you usually earn their trust and get their buy-in.

But, if I really think back I could say there has been two very brief, and minor incidents in the days right before a competition when athletes were under pressure and stressing out to the point that I had to use a little bit of "tough love." In both instances, my clients and I knew that we were in it together, and we both wanted to win! In reality, it probably brought us you closer together in the long run. Afterwards we talked about it, apologized, laughed and moved on.  

7. For people going solo (without a coach) what are some major pitfalls to avoid?

One big pitfall I see when people go solo, is that they get feedback or advice either from people who aren`t qualified, or generic information from the internet which is not specific to their body.  Another pitfall I see, is when athletes get stuck in their comfort zone and become complacent with diet or training and fail to maximize their potential.

The human body will adapt very quickly to the same workload and diet. A good coach keeps your body progressing by employing a periodization program for you to peak at the right time. They also keep you focussed, motivated and most of all.... accountable to your goals. Bodybuilding is mainly a mental game and when you don`t have the right coach or support system it can be very difficult to do on your own. Its nice to have a coach who can push you through a rough patch or assess your physique on a regular basis to ensure you are on course - and if not.... make the necessary changes. This way, you don`t have to stress or worry so much and can focus on your training, posing, cardio, meal prep, work, rest, relationships etc.

It`s for all of these reasons that I too have my own coach, despite all of the knowledge and experience that I have under my belt.


8. What are some of the strangest/most extreme things you've had to do with clients to get them to lose the extra bit of fat/prevent themselves from wasting away?

Well, bodybuilding is definitely an extreme sport - but probably the craziest thing I have heard is a prep coach who has their athletes do anywhere from 4-6 hours a day of cardio in the weeks leading up to a show.  This one poor guy's house was a disaster because all he had time to do was work, train, eat and sleep. In my opinion this is extremely stressful and catabolic on an athletes mind and body. I have done up to 90 minutes of cardio a day - but if a coach has to get you to do 4-6 hours a day of cardio they should be fired. Like seriously, what the heck did they do to get you so far off the mark in the off-season. Sorry but it just seems crazy and ridiculous to me! 
9. What do you think of your placing at the 2012 Provincials? What did you think of your competition?

The competition was awesome, and there were probably half a dozen guys or more that could go on to win Mr. Manitoba if they keep going in the sport. I think that my 2nd place showing was correct and fair. I've received feedback from several of the judges at the show saying that it was very close between myself and Danny. Certain aspects of his physique were stronger than mine and vice-versa. But I feel his conditioning and incredible back was enough to beat me and the other competitors in the show.

The 2012 Provincials was a remarkable competition for me. First and foremost I gained 30 pounds of muscle in 2 years - an incredible transformation.  I was trained by IFBB Pro Fouad Abiad and leaned a ton of information from one of the worlds elite professional bodybuilders.  Last but not least I suffered a complete tear of my glute muscle 5 weeks before the show. It was a set-back and painful but I didn`t quit, fought through the adversity and did my best, which was a victory in itself. I also coached Davis Gilbert who tore his ACL 2 weeks out and still competed and got 2nd in his weight class!  And, Greg Davis who had a hernia through out his entire prep and manged to tough it out and take 1st place in a stacked Heavyweight division.  A few examples from my own team, of just how fierce the competition was!

Thanks a lot to Grant Reid for his time to speak with Manitoban M.U.S.C.L! Please check out his consultation service at Team G-Fit! Stay big, Manitoba!

Top photo credited to Manitoba Muscle (Duane Riz).