*** Members' Intreview with BIGDOWNUNDER ***

This week member BIGDOWNUNDER has kindly agreed to be interviewed by you.

Please use this topic to ask him any questions about  lifestyle, training, diet and progress,  - or anything else - though please, nothing too personal or invasive.

Please bear with him and give him time to reply , there is a time difference!

BIGDOWNUNDER, 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) What are your top cutting and bulking tips?

3) What is your day job?

4) Have you always lived in Australia?

Good choice.

1) Do you know many ockers?

2) Why do kangaroos always stink of dung?

3) Is there anything you miss about England?

4) What are you best ever lifts ever, you were pretty tonk at once stage!

5) You mentioned in another thread you would like to set a nursing agency up with your missus if you become rich. Did she nurse in England before Aus (can't remember if she is British) and if so how did she find the change? My other half is a nurse and found nursing in Aus pretty crazy!

1) Can you give us a brief rundown of how you got into working out and how long you've been training?
G'day and thanks for this opportunity- I have been training just over 18yrs with no layoffs. I used to work in a Butchers shop part time whilst I was at college-this guy I used to go to school with who was a competitive BB used to come in a buy all his meat so we got talking and he said his current training partner had just changed jobs so was unable to train and asked would I like to train-so I jumped at the chance.
I had always been into Martial Arts from being 10yrs old studying Shotokan Karate 2yrs, Wing Chun 1yr and finally settling with Ninjutsu in Manchester Sensei Dave Evans, after about 8yrs of MA I was constantly suffering injuries and was advised to try weights by my Chiropractor and this coincided with being offered to train with my old school mate. I have never felt the urge to compete but have always enjoyed going to shows and the buzz that these events used to bring.

2) What are your top cutting and bulking tips?
I was always a skinny kid so from day one of lifting weights I ate what ever I could get my hands on-of course as I have gotten older in order to stay relativley lean more care was needed. I never even considered dieting until I had bulked for about 6yrs-the trouble with most BB today is they want everything now! to be huge, ripped and all in 3mnths!. My body responds pretty well as soon as I reduce my carb intake-and even when dieting I don't count the calories.
My tip is to concentrate on one thing at a time if your going to bulk set your timeframe out on a calendar and the same with dieting. Don't keep jumping on the scales. Its not rocket science.

3) What is your day job?
I am a Supply Chain Manager for a large Cosmetics company-my role is office based and can change from week to week depending on what department is under performing. I really enjoy my job as there is very little actual work to be done just degrees of responsibility. Only downer is I recently moved out of the city and up the coast so I now commute everyday.

4) Have you always lived in Australia?
No-I came over in 2000 for the Olympics with my GF just to have a look around and maybe backpack for a while, we had a holiday for 3mnths then she was offered sponsorship by the Mater Hospital in Sydney-she is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Oncology-she teachers student nurses. So we both jumped at the chance.
So we got married at the end of 2001 and now 2 children-Josh whos 2 and Lydia who is 4 going on 18!.
 

You come across as a nice guy and very family orientated so I am looking forward to this interview.

My question is what are the pros and cons of living in Aus compared to the UK?

Irish Beast


Good choice.
Cheers mate how are you now your back in Blighty?

1) Do you know many ockers?
 
I don't really-theres a few at work mostly Asians

2) Why do kangaroos always stink of dung?
 
Your not cooking em right!

3) Is there anything you miss about England?
 
Ton's mate-Family(my family not the Mrs), Sarcasm and taking the p*ss, some foods-spit and sawdust gyms and mostly contacts!-I ever need anything I have to buy it!!!

4) What are you best ever lifts ever, you were pretty tonk at once stage!
 
Never ever done single lifts-deadlifted 400lb for 8reps-squatted 500lb for 8reps benched about 350 for 6reps all these lifts were done within a full workout.
5) You mentioned in another thread you would like to set a nursing agency up with your missus if you become rich. Did she nurse in England before Aus (can't remember if she is British) and if so how did she find the change? My other half is a nurse and found nursing in Aus pretty crazy!
 
I was just shooting form the hip-Mrs is good at what she does-and I know theres mahooosive money to be made from helping UK nurses get work in Aus.
My Mrs is English and she thinks the Nursing is not upto UK standards-thats whay she will only work in Private Hospitals in Aus.

Cardifflad


You come across as a nice guy and very family orientated so I am looking forward to this interview.

My question is what are the pros and cons of living in Aus compared to the UK?

Hi mate,
 
You are right mate-My family in Aus is everything to me, the main reason we are out here is for the lifestyle we can offer to the kids-something that we never had as kids.
People under estimate the power of waking up with the Sun shining!-your whole mindset changes.  I do miss the UK because I am Engilsh and always will be-but things were getting me down and I'd had enough of the rat race and needed a new start.
 
Aus isn't for everyone-its just as fckin hard to make a go here as in the UK-but you have none of past to keep creeping up and smacking you in the face. A clean start to do the right thing.  Australians will give you a hand but only if your serious.
 
 
 
 
 

OK, so you mentioned a better lifestyle. Can you say how your quality of life is different/ better to what it was in the UK. Anything in particular that really stands out (obviously other than the weather)?

You say you miss the UK. What specific things do you miss the most?

Have you ever tied a kangaroo down sport?

When i visited Australia in 2008 in August/September two things surprised me; the 'blokeyness' of the place, and the level of racism bubbling under the surface.

What has been your experience of these two things?

Have you ever had any serious training related injuries?

BIGDOWNUNDER


4) Have you always lived in Australia?
No-I came over in 2000 for the Olympics with my GF just to have a look around and maybe backpack for a while, we had a holiday for 3mnths then she was offered sponsorship by the Mater Hospital in Sydney-she is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Oncology-she teachers student nurses. So we both jumped at the chance.
So we got married at the end of 2001 and now 2 children-Josh whos 2 and Lydia who is 4 going on 18!.
 

Would you recommend Auz as the place to re-locate, in 5-10 years i hope to just leave england maybe sooner as i have a business idea which will take Auz by storm. Is it the place to be? Are the people nice?

Also do you really see people walking around with corks dangling off strings on their hat?

Am I correct in assuming your the same guy from the Doggpound?

Thanks for doing the interview this week!

One quick question:
Are you really big downunder, or at least, does your partner tell you you are?

badladmark


OK, so you mentioned a better lifestyle. Can you say how your quality of life is different/ better to what it was in the UK. Anything in particular that really stands out (obviously other than the weather)?

You say you miss the UK. What specific things do you miss the most?

Hi,
 
well apart from the weather!-Australians will give you a fare go at anything if your serious, something that I findlacking in the UK.  I spent 28yrs of my life in England and one thing is British love to is knock you down as sooner give you a hand up.
I don't think it was always this way and I'm sure things will change here,  Australia is such a new country in so many ways. I always felt a sense of having to fit in to a particular label something I'm sure you can appreciate.
 
I could never afford the things I have in Aus back in the UK without continuing down an illegal route.  My kids will go to private school, I live walking distance to the beach, 5mins to a huge shopping mall, 7yr old 4 bedroom house with a pool-2 cars and the only thing that keeps me awake at night is the wildlife not some inconsiderate chav!.
One of the best explanations I have read about Aus is 'Its America 25yrs ago" before it started to go all pear shaped.
cheers

essex_chris


Have you ever tied a kangaroo down sport?

When i visited Australia in 2008 in August/September two things surprised me; the 'blokeyness' of the place, and the level of racism bubbling under the surface.

What has been your experience of these two things?

Have you ever had any serious training related injuries?

 

I've tickled a Joey! does that count.
 
Australia is like any place with it's different characters-There are a lot of Blokey blokes and as I said in a previous reply Australia is quite a new country so I think there experiencing what we did in the 70's in England-a large influx of immigrants.
A lot of the older Australians are very racist and its something I do have a problem with at work.
 
I have never had any serious training injuries just the odd niggles as I get older-I have always been a big candidate for warming up properly- 1 or 2 sets of 30 plus reps slow and controlled.
 
Cheers

Blue_Lagoon3000

BIGDOWNUNDER


4) Have you always lived in Australia?
No-I came over in 2000 for the Olympics with my GF just to have a look around and maybe backpack for a while, we had a holiday for 3mnths then she was offered sponsorship by the Mater Hospital in Sydney-she is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Oncology-she teachers student nurses. So we both jumped at the chance.
So we got married at the end of 2001 and now 2 children-Josh whos 2 and Lydia who is 4 going on 18!.

Would you recommend Auz as the place to re-locate, in 5-10 years i hope to just leave england maybe sooner as i have a business idea which will take Auz by storm. Is it the place to be? Are the people nice?

Also do you really see people walking around with corks dangling off strings on their hat?

I would highly recommend it-but my only advice is come out here and travel round to see if you will like it.  If you have lived in a major city in the UK and try to settle in most small towns in Aus you will feel like you just stepped off the deck of the 'Starship Enterprise' onto rowing boat!-things tend to move a lot slower in Aus-people priories are to go surfing and do as little work as possible-If your streetwise and now your sh*t you'll do well.  I have never had an argument with an Aussie in 9yrs-Irish, English, Italian yes!
 
And I'm struggling to type with these corks getting in my eyes!

Valhalla


Am I correct in assuming your the same guy from the Doggpound?

Hi,
I have been a member of the Doggpond for quite a while but not under this username-haven't been on in years started to get  abit to self loving.
 
All hail Dante

James


Thanks for doing the interview this week!

One quick question:
Are you really big downunder, or at least, does your partner tell you you are?

Thanks for asking me to do the Interview-Now James your just trying to turn this into another Badladmark thread aren't you!!-I know sex sells but come on!
 
In answer to this (my Mrs won't be reading it) I'm hung like a Grand national winner!

The grand national hasn't been won by a horse with a cock for about seventy years. Would you care to reconsider that last answer ?

Hey bro you mentioned previously that u packed in AAS when u had kids. Was that the sole reason, or were u looking to come off anyway & used the kids as a motivating factor.
 
You are still in good nick judging from that hulk dad photo, but do u ever miss the AAS at all??

Fat Pete


The grand national hasn't been won by a horse with a cock for about seventy years. Would you care to reconsider that last answer ?

Maybe thats what I was angling at

Quagmire


Hey bro you mentioned previously that u packed in AAS when u had kids. Was that the sole reason, or were u looking to come off anyway & used the kids as a motivating factor.
 
You are still in good nick judging from that hulk dad photo, but do u ever miss the AAS at all??

Good question-Yes having kids was the main reason it was also financial.  At home I would get as much gear as I needed for free some of my less reputable friends were dealers and I'm talking regular trips over to Greece and coming back with 3 or 4 suitcases full weekly-so over in Aus with no contacts I was paying top dollar.
-the Mrs had to drag me kicking and screaming off them!-I dabbled with AAS for about 8 to 10 yrs, and its not until your completley clean do you realize how much they really effect you-probably psychologically more than physically.
I love training Naturally now it poses its own challenges-and from the base physique I had gained over the years from hard training and gear use its pretty easy to maintain a above average physique.
 
Cheers