10 questions with bodybuilder C.J. Smulligan

Next time you need help opening a pickle jar, look no further than C.J. Smulligan.

The junior at Penn State was recently named the United States Bodybuilding Federation 2015 Junior National Bodybuilding Champion and now he’s looking to take his award-winning muscles all the way to the pros.

As Smulligan can attest, there’s more to bodybuilding to than a decent set of weights. In the months leading up to the competition, he maintained a strict diet and exercise regiment and battled a high fever only days before the big event.

Smulligan, a Pennsylvania Furnace native, talks more about the ups and downs of transforming his body.

Q: When did you start bodybuilding?

A: I’ve been weightlifting since 8th grade and got seriously into it in 9th. My focus started to shift to bodybuilding when I hit college and my sophomore year was when I started the dieting and preparation for my shows.

Q: What was your inspiration?

A: I had several people who influenced me to be a weightlifter and bodybuilder more specifically. The man who first inspired me to start lifting was my uncle, Tim Holt. He even gave me my first set of weights and first weightlifting plan, the whole nine yards — I owe a lot to him. As far as bodybuilding, I had inspirations in the form of famous bodybuilders, my favorites being of course Arnold, Ronnie Coleman and Kai Greene.

The last person was my coach Travis Struble, without whom I would’ve never competed in the first place. I owe my success in this sport to him for sure. Personally I wanted to see how far I could push my body and how close I could get to physical perfection. I wanted to see what I could do and what my limits are to be able to break them.

Q: Was the prospect of training for something like this intimidating?

A: I started my training for my competitions about 8 months out since it was my first time, so at the start it wasn’t bad or intimidating. However, as I got closer to the competition, the nerves definitely started to rack up. You constantly think if after all the work you put in, will you be enough? Will you be big enough or cut enough or will you get embarrassed on stage? It’s definitely intimidating, but there is always an intimidation factor with any sport in my experience — it’s just about how you deal with it and get past it.

Q: Obviously this required a great deal of physical preparation. What kind of mental preparation was required going into the competition?

A: Physical prep in the form of diet and exercise was a large part, but I’d say mental preparation was the by far the biggest and hardest part. As a bodybuilder, you have to be extremely strict about what you eat. As a college student where most people are eating delicious but unhealthy foods while you can’t, your willpower definitely takes a hit. Also when you diet down for a competition because your macros get very low, you have no energy and are drained all the time. You have to be ready to somewhat lose a large portion of your social life, as eating out is harder and you just don’t have the energy.

Q: What is the most difficult part of your exercise regiment?

A: I didn’t have a single exercise or something of the sort that was harder than anything else. I mean yes, cardio sucked and leg day, as always, takes a lot out of you, however the hardest part was in general trying to keep up an elite level performance in the gym at low macros and very low energy levels.

Q: Was there a person or thought that kept you going after a particularly grueling workout?

A: In my opinion, I couldn’t have done this without support. I feel like natural bodybuilders need family and friend support to make it through. Personally I had a couple things. Support and encouragement from my coach and his girlfriend, Val, support emotionally and with meal prep from my family, and the idea of the title drove me as well. However, the No. 1 person that kept me going was my girlfriend, Sarah Macklin. She was there for me whenever I needed even at my super lows during prep and lifted me up and encouraged me 100 percent of the time.

Q: Getting ripped for competition is one thing, but are there any disadvantages to being that big in day-to-day life? Did you have to buy new clothes?

A: For these competitions the problem was on the opposite end, around my waist line. When I was bulking before competitions, I was outgrowing clothes. But when I cut down for competition, none of my clothes would fit because they were now too big. I had to get different belts so my pants wouldn’t fall down.

Q: A few days before your first competition you came down with a fever of more than 100 degrees. Was there ever a point where you thought that all your hard work would be for nothing?

A: Yeah, coming down with about a 104 fever was just the icing on top of the cake. For about probably two months leading up to the competition I had those thoughts. Once the fever hit, I was devastated and yes, I did indeed think it was over and I’d lose if I could even get on the stage. This was where support from the people mentioned definitely came in handy.

Q: How did it feel after all of that hard work to finally be named the USBF 2015 Junior National Bodybuilding Champion?

A: It’s hard to put into words the emotions that occurred after the show ... I’d say it was the best I’ve ever felt in my life. To dedicate not just one aspect of your life but it in its entirety to a single goal and achieve it is the most rewarding and unbelievable feeling. It is a literal dream come true.

Q: Have you started thinking about what’s next for you?

A: Currently I am just trying to focus on still eating clean but bulking up to try and put on some more muscle to bring an even better package for my next shows. The next goal Travis and I decided is to try and go pro. I want to be the best.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 12:44 AM with the headline "10 questions with bodybuilder C.J. Smulligan."