omantic Times 2007!If any of you are familiar with the Romantic Times convention you know that it’s a little crazy, a little fun, a little business. This year it was held in Houston Texas at the end of April. A couple hundred authors attended, along with dozens of editors and agents a host of dedicated fans.
But today I’m focusing on….the cover model contestants. This year there were eight men vying for the title of Mr. Romance. And this year Fred Williams won not only the People’s Choice award, but the Contestant’s Choice award.
He’s a body builder, a poet, a working man, and a really nice guy. So please pop in, say hi, and get a chance to win an autographed copy of the 2006/07 Between Your Sheets calendar.
Here's Fred!
Hey, this is Fred. Lois contacted me and asked me to blog. What a surprise! I was like sure so I look forward to chatting with all of you.Conversation is OPEN but if you need an angle to think of a question....
-Staying motivated to meet fitness goals.
-My column for www.SculptMagazine.com
-Life as natural bodybuilder/power lifter/cardio kickboxing instructor/personal trainer.
-My first RT 2007
-My poetry
-My short story Scramble which is turning into a novel. :))
-Life in St. Louis
-Anything you might wonder....
TTYLFred
www.myspace.com/fredwritespoems
And here's Fred's bio.
Fred Williams is a Network Service
Manager for the local phone company,
a devoted St. Louis Rams fan, and
a natural bodybuilder. He divides his
free time between writing, attending church, and the gym.
He’s a fitness columnist for Sculpt Magazine who’s expertise is staying motivated to achieve fitness goals. A newcomer to the personal training arena, Fred will challenge the champion in all of us by setting goals and raising the bar through one on one outdoor fitness courses, cardio kickboxing and sculpt training.
Fred is also a seasoned author searching for his first publisher. He loves to write short stories. His first was a critically acclaimed short story conceived in 2002. He has since stretched his talents to include over 100 poems written and three additional stories with his latest in Feb. 2007.
He received an Associates Degree in Engineering Science from St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Missouri-Rolla specializing in Mechanical Engineering.
Fred has competed in ten natural and open bodybuilding competitions, placing in the top five in eight shows including 1st place middleweight Division at the Show Me Naturals-St. Louis in 2003, and recently taking 1st place lightweight division in the 2006 Oklahoma Bodybuilding Championships. His recent achievements include winning his first power lifting meet last month with a total lift of 1,255 lbs over three events.
He’s dedicated to breaking a sweat to help meet fitness aspirations for all shapes and ages. He takes a passion to all who’s priority is to look and feel good, but emphasizes true confidence comes from building a healthy spirit.
Ask away folks!
21 comments:
Whoa!! Muscle!! And skin!!
Okay everyone, I want to preface this by saying I wrote to Fred and asked him for some pics and a blog. He was kind enough to send some very nice, kind of businessy type of photos and a little about himself. I wrote back and said, yes, the photos were wonderful, but ummmmm....well... our readers could use a little more...well..a little more...Fred. I guess he got my not so subtle message. Cuz this is a serious amount of Fred. I didn't even know he did bodybuilding. I think he's working today and won't be able to log on until evening.
But Fred, wow!! So tell me, what is 'natural bodybuilding' exactly? And if I work reallllly reallllly hard can I pack on muscle like that? :)
Welcome Fred! You have one eclectic resume! How did you get connected to the RT cover model pageant in the first place? And what did you think about the convention? Did all of that feminine attention delight you or make you wish you'd stayed home?
Also, what age did you take up body building? I'm wondering if it's too late for me. cough cough. And what is your favorite method for dropping a few excess pounds?
Again, welcome! And good luck with your multiple careers. Also. . . I don't recall you mentioning wife or girlfriend. Do you have either?
:) Betina
Hi and welcome Fred! "true confidence comes from building a healthy spirit."(this speaks volumes and I agree. How do you keep yourself dedicated to so many things? I assmume there has to be a real love there also but to persevere takes dedication.
I love the poem writing aspect of you; a great way to put ones thoughts down on paper.
Okay, Fred... How DO you stay motivated to reach your fitness goals?
I've taken lots of classes--ballet, aerobics, yoga, boxing, spinning, weight training--and they're fun while they last. But they never last more than a few months. And then I do pretty much nothing until the next oh-my-god-I've-got-to-get-in-shape moment.
I had one of those moments recently and started a four-week "boot camp" program. One hour a day, three days a week for four weeks. Eleven "recruits" in the class, two instructors, non-stop movement for that one hour. The first class was yesterday and my thighs are threatening a boycott (lots of squats and lunges yesterday!) Tomorrow is abs and arms, so I probably won't be able to sit up on Thursday...
So, any tips for staying motivated beyond the four weeks?
Welcome, Fred! How nice of you to join us here. I'm a dedicated gym rat these days and really enjoy being active. But tell us about the poetry!
Welcome Fred! Do you want to be a published writer as a career?
What kind of short stories do you write? Fiction, non fiction, scifi, mystery?
Okay, I admit, I'm not Fred, but I got the low-down from him about how he got involved with RT:
Last year fellow author, Pat Simmons, convinced her son, Jerod, to do the cover model thing. He's young. I don't think he's twenty yet. But he was really a sweetie. Anyway, Jerod's dad works with Fred and they convinced him to compete. And ta-dah--People's Choice. I thought he won because he smiled ALL THE TIME, but now that I see the pics...
Hi, Fred. You are amazing. Have so much enthusiasm. You must be young.
How old are you? (I can ask 'cause he's a guy!) :))
Glad to have you here today Fred! My question to you is are you single?
Very impressive. When did you start to get interested in body building and has this influenced your future endeavors.
You are a real renaissance man. Such diverse interests of writing and body building. What prompted your interest in writing?
We seem to have a reoccurring 'are you single' question, Fred. Hmmmm.
Alrighty then!!!!!
WOW! I didn't expect so many questions. I am moved to tears :))
I guess the first question to answer is I turn thirty-one next month. Okay I'm not a spring chicken anymore.
The next question is yes I'm single. That's quite a show trying to balance everything listed. I do like to from time to time.
The bodybuilding came years ago from watching my brother workout in the basement. Well I hated being skinny (Trust me 4'9" in the 9th grade is quite tiny) so i got to lifting. I also did it in the off season of playing football and wrestling. Well I ended up liking to train in the off season better than the playing the sport.
The writing came many moons later. I was siting with friends from college at a buffet and they were talking about poetry. Well I decide to showboat and made up what i thought was some purity mess!! They thought otherwise and invited me to their open mike later on that week. So instead of bringing one poem, I made up three more and read them all. 200 poems later I'm trying to publish my first book and decided to really sell it, that i needed something different so I added a 10 chapter short story with my poetry. Well I almost fell in love with writing stories more than my poetry because I more time to express thoughts.
Staying motivated to workout involves a couple of things. Go to Sculptmagazine.com under motivation where I go in depth. I'll keep it simple here.
-Something has to go! I recommend the T.V. Rent the t.v. program at the end of the season and watch it then.
-Make a set time to workout! Build your life around that. Make it known "This is my time!" Plan around the job, kids, and husband.
-Go when you don't feel like it! Anyone can workout when they feel like it. Go in when you don't want to and it is ten times better. Showing up and having a bad workout is better because you still made it in.
-Do not look for physical results. Base progress on numbers!
Are you getting stronger? Do you feel better? Do you have more energy. After a while visit a relative who hasn't seen you in a while. They will tell you. You see yourself everyday. It will become hard to notice changes after a while.
-Change the routine! Walk a new park! Take a new class! Try new equipment!
-Find a workout partner at the gym who has the same goals. Bringing a friend may/may not work because they might not have the same goals you have. Conflicting schedules and they may/may not keep you focused.
-Get into your fit! Buy an outfit that you can't fit in or pull one out the closet that you use to be able to fit in. Hang it on the refridgerator (spell ck!)
-Have a plan before working out. Set goals based on your value system. Don't train like a bodybuilder if you are running a marathon. Use google!
Rt was a blast. I enjoyed meeting so many people with the same writing aspirations that I have. It was funny because the tone of the conversation changed when I mentioned that I was partly there for the same reason they were you know besdies Mr. Romance. Trust me, I was truly honored to be the People's Choice for Romance. My two agent interviews also were very good. They gave me good feedback so now I'm back at the keyboard attempting to turn my short story into a novel.
But Fred, wow!! So tell me, what is 'natural bodybuilding' exactly? And if I work reallllly reallllly hard can I pack on muscle like that? :)
Alright, I'll try to answer this one as best as I can. When i first started going at bodybuilding like a full time job, I considered natural to mean not taking anything to enhance the growth of my muscles such as steroids or human growth hormone that creates muscle mass by altering the body's natural design. I didn't want to be a cheater and i was afraid of the long term side effects. Well ten years later, I've added to that definition to include any type of supplement that doesn't come from food. You have to see what's out there. With the big scare from ephedra, I decided that no one is really testing these products before they come to market. My nutrients will come only from the foods I eat. Okay i've had a couple of protein shakes but man they have a peanut butter and chocolate one! Yummy! No needles for Fred!
So what's your regiment? How many times a week? How long? How many reps?
I change it on a weekly basis, but I normally workout from Monday thru Sat.
Monday is my Cardio day.
Tuesday-Saturday is one bodypart per day except my chicken stick legs. I train them twice a week.
Sunday I sleep in.
Sets and reps always change but i like to stay within 8-12 reps for a set. My sets run anywhere from 4 to five except my chicken stick legs! I hit them hard usually from anywhere between 8-10 sets of ten reps.
Love your motivation ideas, Fred. I'm going to try to incorporate a few. I work out on a regular basis, but have plateaued lately.
And I'm SO impressed you don't use any muscle building supplements - agree with you wholeheartedly - there are some consequences down the road for heavy users. Good for you!
Good luck on your poetry and short stories. Sounds like you're on to something!
Heeeeey, Fred! And hi, Lois!
I came over here for the Citizens Police Academy entry and look who I found!
Fred, meeting you was so much fun! I have the picture you signed for me hanging up in my office!
So, which do you find harder -- getting to the gym to work out, or sitting in the chair and writing? 'Cuz I soooo don't work out but man, some days I have to strap myself into the chair in order to get the wordcount...
M
Post a Comment