1. Biography
• Name: George F. Mumford III
• Age: 25
• Height: 5’7”
• Weight (Contest): 165 lbs.
• Weight (Off-Season): 205 lbs.
• Body Fat: 8-9 %
• Hometown: Spanaway, WA
• Gym: LA Fitness (Puyallup, WA)
• Profession: US Army
2. What got you started in bodybuilding/fitness?
When I was younger, I had always admired and looked up to my older uncles as they worked out. I remember my Uncle Jr. teaching me how to do some bench press when I was about 13 and ever since then I have been hooked on working out. Throughout my teens, I would lift heavy and try to maintain somewhat of a diet. I remember thinking eating healthy entailed eating unlimited amounts of chicken and rice so that’s what I did. By the end of my senior year
I ended up weighing 240 pounds but had around 20 percent body fat (I assume).
In high school, I was motivated by trying to be the biggest guy in school. After high school I kind of lost interest in working out because I had no challenge to compete against like in high school. So I stopped working out a bit and was eating semi-unhealthy. I started working out again when I went to Washington State University in 2007 but it wasn’t the same—I had no motivation.
It wasn’t until I finally got coffee with this girl on Christmas break that I regained my spark so to speak. I remember showing her bodybuilding.com and the first thing she saw was how ripped this guy was. I now knew that I should try to get ripped to impress her so my journey began. I signed up for the 2nd Annual MuscleTech $50,000 Transformation Contest sponsored by Bodyspace. I ended up taking 3rd place but that didn’t matter to me—all that mattered was if I impressed that girl I got coffee with. I lost contact with her during a brief period so she didn’t get to see my transformation until later but she was impressed—mission accomplished!
Ever since then I have been living a healthier/bodybuilder lifestyle. This past year I was sponsored by MuscleTech Research and Development and I cannot explain how fortunate I have been. I took the Overall Novice win at the 2010 Vancouver USA Natural and 4th in the middleweight division at the 2010 Emerald Cup. I don’t know what the future will bring but bodybuilding will always be a part of my life.
3. What keeps you motivated to train?
Right now the main thing that motivates me to keep training is my wonderful and amazing girlfriend Jillian. She is such an amazing woman and her transformation story has inspired me. Jillian is the reason I get up everyday and everything I do seems to be to try and be the best boyfriend I can to her. I really just want to stay in shape for her and be healthy so we can have a long life together. I am also training for the US Army so my bodybuilding type workouts have been put on a halt until further notice. I am now formulating most of my workouts to help me excel in the Army.
4. What workout plan has worked best for you?
Below was my bodybuilding workout routine for the Emerald Cup.
Day 1: Chest / Bicep
Chest
• Incline Barbell Press: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Flat Barbell Press: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Flat dumbbell Flyes: 3 sets, 10 reps
• Pec Deck: 3 sets 10-12 reps
Bicep
• Barbell Curls: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Hammer Strength Preacher Curls: 3 sets 6-10 reps
Day 2: Triceps / Calves / Abs
Triceps
• Weighted Dips: 3 sets, Failure
• Rope Pushdown: 3 sets 8-12 reps
• Close Grip Barbell Press: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Skull Crushers: 3 sets 6-10 reps
Calves
• Donkey Calf Raise: 3 sets 10-20 reps
• Standing Calf Raise: 3 sets 10-20 reps
Abs
• Roman Chairs: 3 sets to Failure
• Rope Crunches: 3 sets to Failure
Day 3: Back / Rear Deltoid
Back
• Lat Pulldown: 4 sets 6-12 reps
• Reverse Grip Barbell Rows: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• T-Bar rows: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Low Cable Row: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Hyperextensions: 3 sets to Failure
Rear Deltoid
• Bent over lateral raises: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Reverse pec deck: 3 sets 8-12 reps
Day 4: Deltoid / Hamstring / Calves
Deltoid
• Cable side laterals: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Behind the neck military press: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Machine side lateral raise: 3 sets 10-12 reps
Hamstrings
• Standing single leg curl: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Lying Leg Curl: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Stiff leg deadlifts: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Seated leg curl: 2 sets failure
Calves
• Standing Calf Raise: 3 sets 10-20 reps
• Leg Press Calf Raise: 3 sets 15-20 reps
• Seated Calf Raise: 3 sets 15-20 reps
Day 5: Chest / Bicep
Chest
• Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Flat Barbell Press: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Cable Crossovers: 3 sets 10-12 reps
Bicep
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Hammer Strength Preacher Curls: 3 sets 6-10 reps
Day 6: Quads / Abs
Quads
• Bike: Warm-up
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets 20-30 reps
• Hack Squats: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Smith Machine Front Squats: 3 sets 6-10 reps
• Leg Press: 3 sets 10-15 reps
Abs
• Roman Chairs: 3 sets to failure
• Rope Crunches: 2 sets to failure
• Ball Crunches: 2 sets to failure
Day 7: OFF
5. What is your philosophy about cardio?
I really believe cardio is a key part in losing body fat. I was doing three hours of cardio the last two weeks of my contest preparation. With cardio, you can add or cut back to sculpt your physique. I would still rather cut back on certain micronutrients rather than add cardio so if my nutrition manipulation isn’t working, I will add more cardio.
6. What is your philosophy about weight training?
I think weight training is essential to contest preparation. For me, I learned I had to lift heavy with low repetitions on an almost ketogenic diet. When I performed higher reps, I seemed to lose weight too fast—maybe because my body was depleted of glycogen and I could have tapped into my protein for energy. Weight training (depending on how you formulate your workout) can be beneficial to losing body fat. If you up your endurance and rest a short period of time between sets, you can burn many more calories. For me, I just focused on lifting heavy and resting moderate time between sets.
7. Do you prefer HIIT or steady state cardio?
On a ketogenic-type diet, I would definitely prefer steady state cardio since you do not have much stored glycogen for energy. Tapping into fat as energy is the way to go! Right now I do some HIIT cardio for endurance purposes and I think it’s great. I have used it in the past and if I wasn’t on a keto diet then I would use it a couple of times a week along with steady state cardio.
8. What are your top 5 favorite exercises?
• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Low Cable Rows
• Skull Crushers
• Barbell Rows
• Incline Hammer Strength Press
9. What is your philosophy about nutrition?
I think nutrition is 99 percent of getting in shape because for me, I can have a calorie deficit enough to make me lose weight. I can sit around the house all day and if my nutrition was on spot then I would be able to get ready for a show that way. However, I do not want to eat that low of an amount of calories because I love my food!
Food is amazing and certain foods work better than others. Some people do not handle carbohydrates very well, so a ketogenic diet is better for them. Some people have learned that they can eat massive amounts of calories because their metabolism allows this. Nutrition is different for everyone.
10. What nutrition plan has worked best for you?
Contest
Meal 1: 7 oz Fatty Meat -5 ounces Broccoli -1 Tbsp Macadamia Oil
Meal 2: 2 scoops MuscleTech Nitro-Tech - 1.5 Tbsp Almond Butter
Meal 3: 4 Whole Omega-3 Eggs - 5 Egg Whites
Meal 4: 7 oz Lean Meat - 40g Almonds
Meal 5: 2 scoops MuscleTech Nitro-Tech - 1.5 Tbsp Almond Butter
Meal 6: 2 scoops MuscleTech Nitro-Tech
Meal 7: 2 scoops MuscleTech Nitro-Tech - 1.5 Tbsp Almond Butter
Off-Season
Meal 1:
• 2 scoops MuscleTech Nitro-Tech Hardcore Pro Series
• 1.5 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal
• 1 serving MuscleTech Anabolic Vitakic
Meal 2:
• 7 ounces Skinless Chicken Breast
• ½ cup Brown Rice
• cups Mixed Vegetables
• ½ serving MuscleTech Leukic Hardcore
Meal 3:
• 2 cups Egg Whites
• ¼ cup Fat Free Cheese
• ½ serving MuscleTech Leukic Hardcore
Meal 4:
• 7 ounces Skinless Chicken Breast
• ½ cup Brown Rice
• 2 cups Mixed Vegetables
• ½ serving MuscleTech Leukic Hardcore
Meal 5: (Pre-Workout)
• 2 scoops MuscleTech Nitro-Tech Hardcore Pro Series
• 1.5 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal
• 1 serving MuscleTech Nano Vapor Hardcore Pro Series
• 1 serving MuscleTech Anabolic Vitakic
Meal 6: (Post Workout)
• 2 scoops MuscleTech Nitro-Tech Hardcore Pro Series
• 1 serving MuscleTech Cell-Tech Hardcore Pro Series
• 1 serving MuscleTech Anabolic Halo
Meal 7
• 7 ounces Skinless Chicken Breast
• ½ cup Brown Rice
• 3 cups Mixed Vegetables
Meal 8:
• 2 scoops MuscleTech Nitro-Tech Hardcore Pro Series
• 1 tbsp Almond Butter
11. What is your favorite cheat food?
I love desserts, so Strawberry Shortcake, Apple Pie, Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, Red Velvet Cake, McDonalds Big Mac.
12. What is your favorite health food?
Chicken Breast Wraps, Mixed Vegetables with Lean Meat, Chicken Salad, Salmon with Vegetables, Egg Whites.
13. What supplements have given you the greatest gains?
I have always believed in MuscleTech products and I have gained most of my mass through a Cell-Tech and Nitro-Tech combination starting when I was about 16-18 years old. Recently as a sponsored athlete, I have used NanoVapor, Vitakic, Anabolic Halo and IntraVol. They have all gave me amazing pumps and mass gains. I was able to keep all my lean muscle taking Creakic, Cryotest, Nitro-Tech and NanoVapor pills during my contest prep (which was a blessing).
14. What does your pre and post workout nutrition consist of?
Pre-workout in the off-season, I will usually take NanoVapor in the powder form with Vitakic. I will have 2 scoops of Nitro-Tech and some old fashioned oatmeal.
15. Which tools have helped you most with your nutrition and training?
I do a lot of my own research online through various sites. I like to read PDF files on nutrition like Lyle McDonald and Chris Aceto. Other than this, looking at my long term goals help me keep focused.
16. Have online resources (social networks) helped you in your training? If so, what are they and how have they helped you?
I wouldn’t say that Facebook or Myspace has helped me in my training but I did meet my girlfriend Jillian through Facebook and she is the one that keeps me going on a daily basis!
17. Where is the first place you turn to when looking for training / fitness / nutrition advice?
I turn to Google.com. Once there, I will just try and find the best website that fulfills my needs in information. I usually will turn to some of the health and nutrition books I have bought over the years.
18. Who are your favorite fitness/bodybuilder competitors or role models?
My girlfriend Jillian is a bikini/figure competitor and she is my primary role model—I love her to death. My favorite bodybuilder would be Mark Dugdale because of how he can handle a regular job with a family and be a great father to them while being a professional bodybuilder. He inspires me to live my dream and be a good man.
19. What obstacles have you had to overcome (injury, illness, relationships, etc)?
Last year was a very tough year for me having a girl that I really liked totally just crush my heart but I am in a better place now and loving life more than ever. I ruptured my quadricep muscle two weeks into my contest prep last year and that really set me back a little with cardio and my workouts.
20. What was the biggest mistake you made when you first started training?
My biggest mistake was gaining too much body fat. I thought that eating rice and chicken six times a day would be healthy because it really does sound healthy (except for the fact I was eating way above my maintenance calories). As a result, I paid the price. For my workouts I worked everything equally but I regret not doing more free weight movements.
21. What tips would you give to a beginner?
The main thing you want to do is create a goal to strive for. Whether your goal is to look better for the opposite sex or to be overall healthier you need to have that goal in mind the whole time. You must never lose focus of your goals because once you do, the chance of you quitting greatly increases. When the going gets tough, you must keep going no matter what!
Lastly, stay 100 percent natural, no matter how much you want to give in to using something to help give you that edge. If you don’t do it naturally then can you really give yourself all the credit?
22. What are your future fitness goals?
Unfortunately, bodybuilding is going to be put on hold for a while. By going into the US Army, I will most likely lose most of my muscle. I only say this because I may end up going to many schools like Ranger School where they deprive you of sleep and food for 60 days to see if you can operate with low calories and sleep. The US Army is my career and I want to excel in that, so I will concentrate on more endurance. I will hopefully be back to the stage in a couple of years once I get everything settled down.
23. Where can we find you on MuscleDog.com?
Check out my profile, Spartan25. You’ll see my fitness stats, bio and photo gallery—which includes my before and after pics.
