displayed some of the pro competition highlights, it showed pros training and I was amazed at how Charles Glass would be teaching these Pro bodybuilders how to pose at Golds gym in Venice, California. This really inspired me to learn how to display the physique as art in real time motion. I also had a lot of my bodybuilding influenced thanks to the time I spent training at Golds Gym Mississauga during high school. Inside that gym were some of the greatest Canadian bodybuilders of the 80 ' s and 90 ' s. Watching them train and pose daily instantly inspired me to be a competitive bodybuilder one day. I was surrounded by some of the big names like IFBB PRO Henderson Thorne, Bob Weatherall, Paul Dillet, Mike Asiedu, Greg Kovacs and many other National Level OPA bodybuilders. I was living the dream for many years being around all of them as many of them had mentored me in my teen years.
Juan: Wow an incredible time to come up in bodybuilding! Growing up, who were some of your favorite posers and who taught you how to pose so well?
Carl: Some of the greatest posers I looked up to were all from the 80 ' s and 90 ' s. Flex Wheeler, Arnold, Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray, Milos Sarcev, Lee Labrada, Hidetada Yamagishi, Melvin Anthony, Bob Paris & Ed Corney. I grew up in my teens being surrounded by IFBB Pros and I was a visual learner. Back then, we didn ' t have the internet with Instagram & YouTube to learn from. It was all from replicating what we see in the magazines, watching others perform in person and being creative with backgrounds such as martial arts.
Juan: I know you were a force to be reckoned with when you were a national level bodybuilder! When it comes to bodybuilding, what are your top 3 highlight moments in this sport?
Carl: Placing just behind IFBB PRO Zane Watson for the 2000 OPA Provincial Championship in the overall round, after winning my weight class. Placing 3rd out of 29 guys in the light heavy weight class at the 2014 CBBF Canadian National. Completing 14 years of Judging as an OPA and CPA Judge and honored to still remain serving( Since 2000).
Juan: Some incredible highlights! What are the top 3 mistakes you see men make when it comes to posing?
Carl: A). Replicating poses that they don ' t have the structure, size or muscle detail needed to execute the pose properly. B). Having no clue what they are displaying with each individual body part & during the transitions. C). Lack of basic foundational principles when it comes to execution of their mandatory poses. Things like understanding how to use their lighting environment, analyzing the point of view from the judging table & what the category requirements are.
Juan: This is something we see far too often. What are the top 3 mistakes you see women make when it comes to posing?
Carl: Exactly the same I mentioned above that men make. Everyone has a tendency to try and pose way above their physique’ s ability when