*** 10th Anniversary Special - Members' Interview with Jason and James ***

As Novermber 10th, 2010 is the 10th anniversary of MuscleTalk, I thought it would be a good opportunity to interview it's owners Jason Barnham and James Collier.

The usual things apply: please use this topic to ask them any questions about lifestyle, training, diet and progress, or anything else.  Please, nothing too personal or invasive.  Please bear with them and give them time to reply, they are very busy guys!  Please do not use this thread to moan about IT or moderating issues!!

JB and JC, thanks for agreeing to take part in this interview.

1) Can you give us a brief rundown of how you got into working out and how long you've been training?

2) Why did you choose a degree in Nutrition & Dietetics?

3) James, what were your reasons for leaving the NHS to start your own practice?

4) Jason, why did you make the switch from dietetics to web-development?

5) James, how many box sets do you own?

6) Jason, how many guitars do you have and which one is your favourite?

7) If you could only keep have one box set, what would it be?

8) MuscleTalk has grown as a business over the first 10 years, what are the plans for the future?

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Thanks to the following sponsors for donating prizes for the MuscleTalk 10th Anniversary Competition - ENTER HERE
Isopure
Sci-MX
Bodybuilding Warehouse
Muscle Finesse
Echo Supplements
Muscleform
MaxiRAW
Ultralife
Trojan Nutrition
1 Rep Max Clothing


MuscleTalk: The First Ten Years

Thanks

1) I started training just before my 16th birthday and have been training ever since (with a few gaps of at the most 3-4 weeks off at a time).  Currently, I'm not really training at full blast due to being busy.  I started coz i was always very skinny and always wanted to be bigger.  I caught the training bug striaght away.

2) Because my mum was always interested in nutrition and it rubbed off on me and because I was just getting into bodybuilding when I applied - I thought: knowledge = power!  I would do anything to 'get big'.  Also, the science of nutrients fascinated me, and even before I began my degree I realised that were a lot of myths out there.

3) I always wanted to be self employed since day 1, but I knew that I needed experience clinically to have any credibility.  I dwindled my hours down to part time because I had a good boss; so there was an overlap in me being self employed and working in the NHS.

5) I'll count them!

7) Lost

8) Loads.  We're part of so much and have a major UK presence and a noted presence in the US now and the British Grand Prix & Fitness Expo 2011 will put us out there even more as we're an official web partner.  We have a few things we're going to add to the site as well.  We'll be adding a mini- MT shop soon where people can buy MT merchandise, shakers, Liquid Sun Rayz and other competition products, as well as some of the DVDs we're producing.  We also plan to expand Team MT and promote more bodybuilders, strongmen and even people from other strength sports.

Finally!!!!

As my comedy inspiration, it's only fitting I ask this:

What's your best joke?

To both of you - what's your biggest regret in life?

To both of you - what's your proudest achievement?

Favourite MT tantrum?

How many banned members are there out of the 45000 registered members? I always fine it amazing when a thread from 7 years ago is bumped and there is loads of banned members, often with high post counts in the threads!

How much is MT worth to you both (not talking about value as a business)? If someone offered you lets say 3 or 4 times what MT is worth as a business would you walk away content or is there still too much you want to achieve to do that?

LMC


Finally!!!!

As my comedy inspiration, it's only fitting I ask this:

What's your best joke?

This is obviously aimed at me!

Two oranges walk into a bar.  One say's to the other "your round".

essex_chris


To both of you - what's your biggest regret in life?

This is personal and I can't post that here

To both of you - what's your proudest achievement?

I actually think MuscleTalk is!

Favourite MT tantrum?

There can only be one reply to this: neb!

john_cappa


How many banned members are there out of the 45000 registered members? I always fine it amazing when a thread from 7 years ago is bumped and there is loads of banned members, often with high post counts in the threads!

I really don't know.  Some of those would be duplicate memberships and trolls with aliases

How much is MT worth to you both (not talking about value as a business)? If someone offered you lets say 3 or 4 times what MT is worth as a business would you walk away content or is there still too much you want to achieve to do that?

Not for that much.  There's still a lot we want to achieve.  MT can be very stressful and demanding at times.  Due to the real time nature of the site, things have to be done there and then and they can't wait.  This is probably the only negative thing about MT, but unfortantely it's a pretty big negative!

Secretly right now how many members do you want to ban right now, no names jsut a number.

^^ as above, but with names

@ James - do you think you will ever get the urge to get on stage again (I am right in thinking you competed some time back??)

@ Jason - I don't recall ever seeing a pic of you, are you in to training, if so, how much?

Tony Barnes


^^ as above, but with names

Is he says "3"...I think it safe to read between the lines.

we are going to need those photos, so better find your scanner!

apart from that, if you wouldnt mind listing all the members from most to least favourite..... pmsl!

Who's idea was it to start MT, was it planned and has it turned out the way you expected.. or did you not really have a set goal from the start?

@ James - how is your back injury at present? Is it hindering training at all?

@ Jason - Hazel mentions you switched from dietetics. Is this where you met James? If not, how did your friendship/partnership come about?

@ both - how do you both organise the running of MT and Healthy Action (plus your other ventures)?. I picture your working day as: Jason surfs the web, James practices his comedy routine and Hazel does all the work, but I imagine it's something slightly different...

LMC


@ Jason - Hazel mentions you switched from dietetics. Is this where you met James? If not, how did your friendship/partnership come about?

Lonely hearts

James

LMC


Finally!!!!

As my comedy inspiration, it's only fitting I ask this:

What's your best joke?

This is obviously aimed at me!

Two oranges walk into a bar.  One say's to the other "your round".

And he doesn't let me down


Something I've been dying to know. You two were the first members of MT followed by BILL, Bal, turtle3, a few others, etc but it took 6 months before you had your first 10 members. Almost a year later and you had hit the 100 members mark which, unless they were all regular users can't have amounted to a lot of activity.

Basically, for the first year or two MT must have been deserted.

Did you ever think it would never take off?
Did you ever think it would get as big as it is now?

some of the answeres to those questions are in the 'MT the first ten years'  report that james has written and linked to!

well worth a read!

I'm such a noob!!!

http://articles.muscletal...uscletalk-10years.aspx

Hahaha i might have to have that answer of Neb as my signature

What is your favourite joke of all time?