“Be proud but never satisfied when it comes to your success. Let normality and mediocrity be your biggest fears of all. Be better than you were yesterday. Someday, Be great! Knock down your goals one by one in pursuit of living out your dreams.” – JC Salter
Every month I will be featuring a powerful person on my blog. I like to find motivation in myself and others. Being a female, I never thought I could find motivation from a guy. I thought the “fitness view” was different to men and woman, but JC nailed it when he said it’s about “personal goals”. A goal is a goal and watching other people reach theirs makes you more determined to reach your own. In this interview JC shares his weakness for Sour Patch Kids to his most embarrassing moments. He gives us tips: on the perfect “gift” to buy our boyfriends, ideas for an active date, the perfect date night recipe and what guys look for in a girl. JC also has great advice for upcoming freshman, maintaining a social life and how to eat healthy through out the week. Now excuse me while I go to the gym from all this motivation!
Please tell us about yourself.
I am a college student and paramedic in training. Last year I went off to play baseball in college, after the season ended I decided it wasn’t what was best for me anymore. I have lifted weights ever since my freshman year of high school but I really found my passion for the gym last winter, so that’s where I have been spending the majority of my time ever since. Now I am aspiring to work my way up the ranks competing in physique and bodybuilding competitions. My first show will be at the end of this coming February at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio! Some other things about me, I turn 20 years old on November, 22nd. Besides being a fitness and nutrition junky, in my free time I love music and enjoy playing my guitar as well as being outdoors. I consider myself a very strong minded person, I am determined and bound to achieve the things that I set my mind to. Fitness is a great place to put those skills to use. I also love sharing the knowledge that I have with others, so please feel free to add me on instagram, twitter, or facebook and ask me questions! I want to keep you motivated and help you reach the top on your fitness journey. It’s a long road, so don’t walk it/jog it/or sprint it alone. J
What does “being healthy” mean to you?
Being healthy to me doesn’t just apply to fitness and diet. Being healthy comes down to how you think, feel, your relationships and abilities to interact well with those who surround you in life. To me, with a healthy mind it is much easier to keep a healthy body.
What are your goals when it comes to health? Why is it important to you?
Im always trying to build on what I already have, each time I go to the gym my goal is to beat my best prior effort. Also, I have a long line high blood pressure and heart disease that runs in my family, so I decided to take a stand to that and do something about it. I do the best I can to be as fit and healthy as I can be. You only get one body and one life, treat it well
Where do you picture yourself 5 years from now?
Hopefully I will be a successful personal trainer, sponsored fitness model and competing to become an IFBB pro athlete. Always set your dreams high, then knock down goal by goal on your way.
What does your workout routine for the week consist of?
I work out on a 4 day cycle. (Day 1: Legs and Core), (Day 2: Chest and Calves) (Day 3:Shoulders and Core) (Day 4: Arms and Calves), then I start over. I do not take a rest day unless I feel like I need it. I know my body well enough to know when my body truly needs a day of rest. Right now I am on a bulk diet, so I don’t do to much cardio simply because your body needs to be in a surplus of calories to build muscle efficiently. I never do the same weight or the same workout, its important to always mix it up to keep those muscles confused!
Staying healthy can be difficult during a busy schedule. How do you fit exercise and eating well into your lifestyle.
When it comes to working out, it seems no matter how busy I am I always find time to get into the gym for the day. If I skip a day, that’s one less day I have in my life to get better. As for eating, prepare your meals in advance! Sunday nights I take about 2 hours of my time to prep my meals for the week ahead, I store them in glade ware tubs. This way, I never have to take the time to prepare meals during the week! It will save you so much time if you are a person with a busy schedule.
Being fit and healthy is very much a mental thing as well as a physical thing. How do you keep yourself motivated and focused? When you eat badly one day or miss a workout or gain a bit of weight, how do you come back from that?
I’m always finding new motivation in things. I love finding quotes that really light the fire inside of me, my iPod is jammed full of music that keeps me pumping and in the zone during my workouts! Most importantly, I MOTIVATE MYSELF ! When it comes down to it, your success is up to you; you decide how hard you’re going to push yourself, what you are going to eat for your next meal, if you are going to crash your diet on the weekend with alcohol and junk food just to start all over again the following Monday. Identify your goals and attack!!!
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. What healthy meal do you like to eat to start your day right?
I always feel best after a breakfast full of high protein and a high amount of clean, healthy, whole wheat carbohydrates. My ideal breakfast is oatmeal mixed with a scoop of peanut butter and a dash of almond milk, a pile of scrambled egg whites and either an orange or banana!
If I’m in a hurry I throw some protein powder, 1 cup of oats, a banana, 1tbsp flax seed, 1tbsp peanut butter, 1tbsp honey into a blender then add milk until the shake is the consistency I like. Then I’m out the door!
What is your one weakness you can never say no to?
SOUR PATCH KIDDDZZZZ!! My favorite, go to for guilty snacks, but of course always in moderation and very rarely. I am going to eat a whole bag after my competition!
What do you eat before/after you work out?
A pre workout meal should be abundant in carbohydrates (ENERGY!) as well as at least 20 grams of protein to fuel you through your workout. Today I had a banana and protein bar.
Immediately after a workout is your muscle recovery meal and the most important meal of the day. I eat some simple sugars while leaving the gym (such as Gatorade or a handful of dried fruit) to spike my insulin levels. Spiking your insulin opens up the pathway to your muscles so that they can absorb as much nutrients as they possibly can. As soon as I get home, when my insulin is at full force, ill eat a meal high in protein (chicken, fish, lean beef) complex carbs ( sweet potato, rice) and a green vegetable (asparagus, broccoli, spinach), this way im hitting all aspects of my macro and micro nutrients. supplying my body with as much nutrients that it can soak in after an intense workout.
Some people face the challenge of being surrounded by junk food and unsupportive parents or friends. What advice could you give them?
Luckily for me, I’ve always had a supportive back round. When I was younger I turned my nose up to all of the nutritious food my mother took the time to cook and place in front of me. I didn’t realize the benefits of that food until college when I got into bodybuilding and realized that the saying is true, “you are what you eat.” So I started eating right, my gains and progression skyrocketed! My advice is, if you have a goal that you are passionate about, you will do whatever means necessary to achieve it. Try to open up the eyes of the people around you about how important diet really is. I know from experience that once people start to see your progress, they will be asking what they can do to get the same results.
Are your friends on board with your lifestyle? If so, how do you motivate each other?
My good friends are getting really into the same lifestyle as me. Its exciting that they are always asking for tips on workouts, supplements and diet help. They motivate me to become better because I love giving people the correct advice.
Would you say staying healthier is easier now that you are out of high school? If you could go back to high school, what would you do differently?
In high school, I was uneducated about the diet aspect of fitness. I was a good athlete in high school. I was a football captain, baseball captain, I ran track and also played basketball for the 3 out of 4 years. I could only imagine how much better I could have been if I was motivated to have a clean and healthy diet.
What advice do you have for college freshman trying to find a healthy lifestyle?
Surround yourself with people who have similar goals as you. ASK QUESTIONS! Talk to and learn from the people who care! Like me J
Do you think men and woman have a different view on fitness?
I don’t think it comes down to the categories of just men and women. Everyone has their own personal goals and ideals of what is healthy or attractive in fitness. I’ve met men and women of from all spectrums that break the stereotype. Some women want ripped up muscle, some men want to be able to run long distance. It just comes down to how you want to look and perform. For myself, I want to be a well rounded fitness athlete and try everything.
Now let’s get a little more personal because we are all dying to know, what is your ideal type of girl?
I need a lady in the streets and a freak in the… gym! Haha but seriously, a girl that’s going to support me and back me in everything I do. Obviously I would love a girl that is into fitness and health just as much as I am, but besides that, someone who I have trust in and someone who is going to be there with comfort and support in everything I do because as positive and as motivated of a person that I am, there are always those tough times when it feels good to have someone who genuinely cares for you that you care for just as much.
What are some of your favorite activities for staying active and healthy on a date?
The coolest healthy date Ive been on was to a place called Sky Zone. This place was packed with trampolines. There was basketball, dodge ball, foam pits to jump into softly while practicing tricks, ALL ON TRAMPOLINES. We went for an hour and let me tell you, it was some crazy cardio!
If you were to cook a healthy meal for a girl what would it be? Please include the recipe for all of us to try.
Sweet potato tacos! Might be my favorite meal ever!
Ingredients: corn taco shells, sweet potato, black beans, corn, white Mexican cheese (find this at any Mexican grocery store) and your choice of chipotle sauce.
Heat potatoes, corn and black beans together in a skillet then put the contents into a hard corn shell, top with cheese and chipotle sauce. I also like to add some pico de gallo on top of mine for extra flavor.
It really tastes too good to be that simple!
When I feel like being bad, I like to fry soft corn shells and shape them. They do taste better that way in my personal opinion, but that’s totally up to you.
Enjoy.
Who is your celebrity crush? What attracts you to them?
I have a huuuge crush on Dana Linn Bailey, i you don’t know who she is YouTube her.She’s a professional fitness physique model who is sponsored by MHP supplements. If you watch her videos you will notice her: care free, spontaneous, fun personality. Not to mention she’s ripped and athletic. Too bad she’s married to a guy that would squish me like a bug.
What is your favorite T.V. Show?
Family Guy, hands down. It brings the childish humor out of me. Some episodes I’ve cried from laughing so hard! Laughter is healthy J
The holidays are coming up and a lot of girls (including myself) face the challenge of “the perfect gift”. What’s on every guy’s gift list that us girls are oblivious about?
A guy can never have too much underwear, that’s a fact! Otherwise, STOCKING STUFFERS ARE BOMB! Some people think its not as thoughtful to give gift cards but personally its what I look forward to most! Fill your mans stocking full of gift cards to his favorite clothing stores and restaurants, also with simple small things that he loves. Also, clothes that you think he would look good in, a guy likes to know that his girlfriend likes how he looks. Some big things on my wish list this year are the new ipod nano touch (im tired of having my bulky itouch in my pocket) or the iphone 5.
Everyone has an embarrassing moment, what is yours?
My junior year of football, I was wide open down field on a pass route. Our quarterback threw me the ball; I caught it and had running room for days! Would have been an automatic touchdown, but I tripped over my own feet on the 5 yard line and fell just short of the end zone! Everyone laughed, including me. I didn’t feel so bad after we won the game 69-0. My friends and I just look back on it and laugh about it.
If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? Why?
Ive already been all over the country playing baseball, Ive cruised with friends to Mexico, The Caymans and Jamaica! I really want to go to New York City but if I had to choose somewhere out of the country, I would love to see Europe! I want to see if it really is as amazing as what the movies make it out to be.
Who are some fitness legends you look up to?
Ive been a Chicago sports fan my whole life and Michael Jordan has always been my favorite athlete. Basketball was my first love, as a young kid I always wore his shoes. I thought it made me play like him!
Who is your favorite athlete?
My favorite athlete is Josh Hamilton, an all star outfielder for the Texas Rangers. He has a great story about how he overcame the adversity of a serious dark point in his life. His book is a must read, its so inspirational.
Question from Laura Flores @SoCALala: what do guys think when they’re at the gym? Like what’s in their minds.
For me, I’m all business. When I go to the gym, I want to get my workout in and put all of my concentration on that. Rep by rep, set by set with extreme intensity. If you want to be your best, that’s what it takes. But after my workouts, I love to hang around and talk to anyone who wants to!
A lot of people want to know “what supplement can I take to get big!?” what supplement do you suggest?
This question really grinds my gears. A lot of people think there is a miracle supplement out there that is going to give them the bodies that they see in magazines. I don’t mean to be a downer, but there isn’t an overnight success pill! It all comes from years of hard work, proper diet, and intensity in your fitness training. Roam wasn’t built in a day and neither was anyones physique. Put in the hard work and the results will come.
What supplaments do you take?
I stick with the basics, Protein powder, creatine monohydrate, pre workout stimulant and BCAAs (branch chain amino acids). I also take fish oils and a multi vitamin in the morning with breakfast.
It seems like there is so much fitness advice out there, how do I know what really works?
There is tons of great information out there when it comes to diet and fitness routines but you have to decide what really works best for you. What works best for me might not work as well for you. It all comes down to trial and error, I am still trying to come more familiar with my body to find what works perfect for me. Do what’s best for you.
Want more from JC? Follow him on twitter @Salter6 and Instagram – Salter6
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