1. Biography
• Name: Thom Bowser
• Age: 56
• Height: 5’ 8”
• Weight (Contest): 147 lbs.
• Weight (Off-Season): 165 lbs.
• Body Fat: Off-season: 10-12 %, Contest: 3.5 %
• Hometown: Mt. Park, OR
• Gym: The Health Habit
• Profession: Own The Gym (as of 2008)
2. What got you started in bodybuilding/fitness?
Daily pain on a scale of 10, it’s usually 6-7. I was in a sports accident that ended up crushing three vertebrae (L3,L4,L5). I was basically paralyzed for 30 days below the waist – contraction with a ton of pain pills. Once I was able to get up, I saw three back specialists - all stating never to lift anything over 20-25 lbs., get my back fused if it does not fuse itself and just learn to live with pain pills. For years after the accident if I sat down, the lower body would become numb and I would have to wait until some feeling came back to get up. By age 40, I was in constant pain. I do not want to take pain pills so never did once I was out of contraction. You learn to deal with it as best you can.
I decided to research the back, my injuries and see if I can do something to reduce the pain. After researching and studying the muscles, bones, etc., I headed to the gym. Within a month, pain was starting to drop. At that point, it was around a 5 on a scale of 10. Cool…let’s keep going.
A year later, I had gained 15 lbs. (went from 120 lbs. to 135 lbs.), which was the most I had ever weighed and I felt the best I had felt in years. My pain was around a 4 on that scale now, and was still reducing.
I am now hooked on bodybuilding. My pain is usually a 1-2 daily—which is very manageable.
3. What keeps you motivated to train?
The fear of severe pain returning is the predominate motivator. The second motivator is how awesome I feel after a workout and how I am in the best physical shape ever. Even at age 56, I am in better shape than I was at 50.
4. What workout plan has worked best for you?
The one plan that has worked the best for me is hitting one body part a day—otherwise I do not stick to one plan. I consistently change up my exercises & reps. I go heavy – down to 2-3 reps and at times, up to 50. At times, I will hit body parts twice a week (though, this is only a couple times per year). I believe in keeping my body guessing.
Here is my off-season workout plan:
Day 1: Chest
• Incline Bench: 5 sets of 6, 6, 8, 10, 10 reps
• Flat Bench: 5 sets of 6, 6, 8, 10, 10 reps
• Decline Bench: 5 sets of 6, 6, 8, 10, 10 reps
• Push-ups: 3 sets to failure
• Crunch: 3 sets to failure
• Leg Lifts: 2 sets to failure
Day 2: Legs
• Leg Press: 5 sets of 25 reps
• Leg Extensions: 5 sets of 8 reps
• Standing Leg Curls: 4 sets of 8 reps
• Lying Leg Curls: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Lunges: 3 sets of 25 reps
• Seated Calf Raises: 3 sets to failure
• Leg Press Calf Raises: 3 sets to failure
Day 3: Shoulders
• Arnold Press: 5 sets of 10, 10, 10, 15, 15 reps
• Shoulder Press: 5 sets of 8, 8, 10, 10, 10 reps
• Side Laterals: 4 sets of 10 reps
• Front Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps
• Rear Delt Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps
Day 4: Back
• Wide Grip Chins: 4 sets of 10 reps
• T-Bar Row: 5 sets of 8 reps
• Bent Over Row: 5 sets of 10 reps
• Seated Row: 5 sets of 15 reps
• Lat Pulldowns: 5 sets of 12 reps
• Leg Press Calf Raises: 3 sets to failure
• Seated Calf Raises: 3 sets to failure
Day 5: Arms
• Tricep Pushdown: 5 sets of 12 reps
• Preacher Curl: 5 sets of 10 reps
• Two Arm Dumbbell Triceps Extension: 4 sets of 12 reps
• Incline Seated Dumbbell Curl: 4 sets of 10 reps
• Reverse Grip Pushdowns: 3 sets of 10 reps
• Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 10 reps
Days 6 / 7: Rest
5. What is your philosophy about cardio?
First off – I dislike it. It is the most boring activity—though needed. I typically do not do much cardio until 90 days before a show. I control my body fat by how I eat as well as my workouts and rest periods in between sets. By keeping rest periods low or going to circuits with higher reps, this works very much like a cardio session.
Cardio is important if you allow long rest periods between sets, as this does not build any strength in the heart or increase lung capacity. Each person is different.
6. What is your philosophy about weight training?
The key to growth is feeling the muscles work while not pushing weight. We have all heard of this, though this is much tougher than just pushing weight. It causes more muscle burn and fatigue, thereby working the muscle better….a mind-muscle connection. When I train others, I make them drop the weight and go a little slower, taking momentum out.
7. Do you prefer HIIT or steady state cardio?
HIIT is great for most and also a good start to cardio when preparing for a show. This burns a ton of calories. As the show time comes closer, I move more to a slower paced cardio for increased fat burning and not calorie burn. Both should be used.
8. What are your top 5 favorite exercises?
Chin-ups, Seated Rows, Incline Chest, Tricep Pushdowns and Preacher Curls.
9. What is your philosophy about nutrition?
Use nutrition to manipulate your body with exercise. I am a huge fan of 5+ meals a day – I usually have seven, and increase this to 10 closer to show time. We need to adapt nutrition to our body types. Nutrition is not just what you eat, it is also when you eat. The point is to not be catabolic.
10. What nutrition plan has worked best for you?
My nutrition plan changes during the year, depending on if I’m bulking or cutting. I typically run with 250-320 g. of protein, 450-600 g. of carbs and 100 g. of fat as a daily average. I track this weekly and check my averages. Normally, my calories change by 100-200 daily.
Contest prep - I run at 45 % protein, 30-35 % carbs and 18-20 % fat.
Meal 1: 6:30 AM
• 2 Eggs
• 3 Egg Whites
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• ½ Cup Oatmeal
• 3 Strawberries
• 8 oz Coffee
• 24 oz Water
• 1 Piece Dove Chocolate
Meal 2: 10:30 AM
• 6 oz Chicken
• 1.25 oz Noodles
• 2 Cups Veggies
• 6 oz Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 3 CLA Caps
• 3 Omega 3 Caps
• 1 ALA Cap
• 8 oz Coffee
Meal 3: 1:00 PM
• 1 ABB Blue Thunder
• 5 g BCAA Powder
• 16 oz Water
Meal 4: 4:00 PM
• 5 oz Ground Turkey
• 1 oz Brown Rice
• 2 Cups Veggies
• 6 oz Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 Piece Dove Chocolate
Meal 5: 7:00 PM
• 1 Scoop Cytosport EvoPro Protein Powder
Meal 6: 2:00 AM
• 1 Scoop Cytosport Muscle Milk
• 1 Scoop Cytosport Complete Whey
11. What is your favorite cheat food?
Dove dark chocolate – depending on when I cheat, it will be 1-5 small pieces. Off season: five pieces, early into cutting: three pieces and last month of cutting: one piece.
12. What is your favorite health food?
Whole grain pasta (egg noodles and wheat flour).
13. What supplements have given you the greatest gains?
• Vitrix by Nutrex helps boost testosterone.
• L-glutamine for recovery and growth – sip with BCAAs during a workout and I usually take 10 g. afterwards. I take 5 g. in the morning and 5 g. at bedtime.
• BCAAs for recovery – sip during workout.
• NO Products (NoXplode, Shotgun, etc.) for extra focus and push when working out.
• Muscle Milk at bedtime and at 2:30 AM to stave off catabolism.
14. What does your pre and post workout nutrition consist of?
Pre: 1 hr before a workout— 40 g. protein (chicken or ground turkey), 60-70 g. carbs (pasta or brown rice) and 6 g. fat (omega-3 and CLA).
Post: 10-15 minutes after a workout—24 g. whey protein and 40-60 g. simple carbs (OJ, large white potato, ¼ angel food cake or a RTD recovery drink with 40 g. protein, 60 g. carbs and no fat). Then, I eat a regular meal within one hr.
15. Which tools have helped you most with your nutrition and training?
The books I go to frequently are:
• Sports Supplements by Bill Phillips
• Sliced by Negrita Jayde and Bill Reynolds
• Natural Hormone Enhancement by Rob Faigin
• Ultimate Sports Nutrition by Fred Hatfield
• Serious Strength Training by Tudor O. Bompa and Lorenzo Cornacchia
• PT manual by ACE and NSCA
16. Have online resources (social networks) helped you in your training? If so, what are they and how have they helped you?
Not really – most of what I learn comes from books and articles.
17. Where is the first place you turn to when looking for training / fitness / nutrition advice?
All the books I have purchased first, then I go to the Internet and search mostly about nutrition. I have not seen much on the web about training that I have not already encountered in books or articles along the way. Those I have cut and kept.
18. Who are your favorite fitness/bodybuilder competitors or role models?
Frank Zane, Steve Reeves and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
19. What obstacles have you had to overcome (injury, illness, relationships, etc)?
Three crushed vertebrae, which prevent me from doing squats, deadlifts and going deep on leg presses. I also cannot use a straight or easy curl bar as it locks up my back.
I have bone spurs through my spine and neck, with arthritis in my hips and back. My neck has no curve in it so I need to roll a towel under my neck to alleviate intense headaches. I realize I will never be able to be real thick due my inability to perform heavy compound movements like deadlifts, squats, clean & jerks, etc. I am also not able to do any bar work. I can, however be the best I can – look bigger than I am and have serious definition.
20. What was the biggest mistake you made when you first started training?
Not getting my nutrition on target, not totally understanding the body and also how to put a routine together that did not cause me to over train. At the time, it seemed like no one who was in bodybuilding wanted to give tips on anything.
21. What tips would you give to a beginner?
1) Get nutrition squared away- how many calories you need and what a good breakdown of P, C & F per your body type.
2) Start with full body workouts for at least 1-2 yrs. to build a solid foundation. Too many of us want to move into the Big Dog type of workout and without a foundation, it will take years longer to reach our goal.
3) Feel the muscles work – forget about the weight. Ego gets in the way more often than not.
22. What are your future fitness goals?
I would like to thicken up a bit more and continue to compete. I plan to continue training men and women for bodybuilding shows. I have trained six competitors for a show last year and they took home six trophies! I love helping people reach higher levels or their goals.
23. Where can we find you on MuscleDog.com?
Check out my profile, Twizard for info on my training stats, photos and more.
