Hazel Adames: Hi Simon, I know you are very busy with your competition preparation so thanks for agreeing to take part in this interview for us!
How old were you when you started training and how old are you now?
Simon Cohen: I was 18 when I started training. I am now 38.
HA: What made you decide to start working out and what was your physique like before you started?
SC: It was the Rambo films! I liked Sly's physique. I laugh at it now though too skinny for my taste. I was under 10 stone when I left school but I was pretty muscular though. I had good abs and little guns; they were there but just small.
HA: Where abouts are you from and where do you train currently?
SC: I live in East Anglia and I train at Topbody gym, it is owned by a good friend of mine, Dean McTernin, who will be in the Super Heavy Weights this year at the UKBFF finals.
HA: What competitions have you competed in and where did you place?
SC: The main shows I have won are 2 x Mr Universe, 2 x Mr Britain, and Mr World, EFBB British Champs Heavyweight where I got my pro card.
HA: It was in 2002 when you won your pro card, how did things change for you after that?
SC: Well basically you have to start right back at the bottom and work your way up again. I knew I would place well most of the time in the amateur ranks but being a Pro is a totally different story, you are competing with the best in the world! Plus we British guys don't get much publicity out in the USA so it makes things hard when you get to compete as most of the other guys on stage get the publicity so are already in the judges' minds and they are already known.
HA: We all know you have a great physique but just how tall and heavy are you, (off season/competition weight)?!
SC: Well off-season I'm about 19st 4lb and competition weight is near 18st (I hope), height 5” 10.
HA: Do you prefer to stay lean all year round or when off-season do you bulk as much as you can?
SC: I much prefer to stay lean all year round as I don't like putting on too much excess weight as I feel sluggish and plus it doesn't look good in photo shoots, guest spots and movies when your overweight! Also it makes it a lot easier to diet for a comp. I do have a fast metabolism anyway so my body doesn't allow me to carry that much excess fat.
HA: What's your marital status and does your partner support you in your training?
SC: I am married; I have a beautiful wife and a lovely boy. My wife does no end for me and never moans about me training or dieting. Most of my friends are not into training and their wives and girlfriends would never put up with all this. Also my wife has just started doing figure shows she has done 4 so far and won 2 so all good plus she understands more about my prep now...
HA: How do you schedule your training and do you have a training partner?
SC: I train 4 days a week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday off, Thursday, Friday, and have the weekend off. I train the same all year round, no different when I am getting ready for a comp. My training partners are my wife and also Shaun, Mr Big as he is known at the gym.
HA: Have you had any injury problems that affect your training?
SC: I had a bad injury in 2000, I thought I was finished with bodybuilding at the time as I didn't see a way back; I need to train 100% to be happy. I will never forget it, it was a Bank Holiday Monday and it was a leg day, at the time I was weighing around 20 stone and I was about to start my prep for the British Qualifier, it was EFBB. We had done leg press and squats, so I was warmed up. I then went on to hacks; I did 1 light set then straight in to my heavy sets. It was about the 6th rep and as I went down the tendon in the lower part of my knee snapped and to top it off my knee dislocated as well, I got rushed to hospital. The surgeon I had was fantastic and knew how much it meant to me so he had me in theatre the next day to re-attach it. The surgeon told me that if you attach it as soon as possible you have a better chance of a full recovery. I had to have another surgery done on my knee as the screw they put in to hold the tendon snapped! Believe it or not the leg is now actually the stronger of the two.
I don't think about the injury or how I did it anymore as if I did I wouldn't improve.
HA: Are you currently sponsored by anyone?
SC: I am currently sponsored by Aviform / Muscleform. They cater for all of my supplement needs and they are very good products. I am also sponsored by Titanics who sponsor me with pasteurised egg whites which are so convenient, especially when I am dieting.
HA: In the bodybuilding world, who inspires you?
SC: I really like Markus Ruhl's physique; it is really freaky, maybe not the best but shocking all the same. From the '90s I really admired the physiques of Kevin Levrone and Dennis James.
HA: What physiques do you admire at the moment, who do you think will get this year's pro-card?
SC: I really like Kai Green and Dennis Wolf's physique now though. Who's going to get their Pro card this year???? That's a tough one really, there a 3 or 4 that I think will have a good chance this year and they are Shaun Tavernier, Darren Ball, Stuart Core and Zak Khan.
HA: Have your training or nutrition principles changed from when you started out at all?
SC: They have changed dramatically. When I first begun competing I used to diet for 20 weeks with just fish and rice and I had no idea I could have diet cordial, diet soda's or sugar free gum, that was really tough!! I train hard and heavy most of the time I have made my best gains this way so I stick with the same training all year round.
HA: When and how do you alter your nutrition when you have a competition coming up?
SC: I eat clean all year round so I only make minor adjustments 8 weeks out from my comp. I have tried dieting for longer but I have such a fast metabolism that I always end up being ready around 2 weeks too soon and cannot hold onto the weight so come in too small. I will NOT be making the same mistake this year, I also have James Collier helping me with some of his nutritional knowledge so will be spot on this competition.
HA: You now compete on the international scene, how do you find this compares to competing in the UK?
SC: A lot more expensive ha ha! It is good though because you do get to see the world. Also you are competing with people you only looked at in magazines and to think that you are actually on the stage with these guys is amazing .We all earn our place on that stage and get our Pro card so everybody deserves their place on that stage.
HA: Do you think the standard of bodybuilding competitors has improved since you started competing?
SC: Definitely! The change is enormous but everything is much more readily available now. But the physiques that I admired back then I still admire now. I think the standard of the freaky physique was definitely set by Dorian Yates.
HA: Other than training and living the lifestyle of a competitive bodybuilder, what else do you like to do in your spare time? Do you get much time to relax?
SC: I like to go out with my wife and our son Xander; we like to go to the zoo and the pictures. Also I have a Yamaha raptor road legal quad which is very quick I like to take that out when the weather is good. I also just got a part in a film playing a barbarian; it is a Universal film so its high ends. It is called 'Your Highness', it is due out 2011 so watch out for me!!
HA: What was it like on the film set and would you consider doing more films?
SC: I have a talking part working alongside the stars of the movie which are Danny McBride, who is also the director (he also directed the Underworld movies) and the other is Natalie Portman. It is a real eye opener; I never knew they had so many people working behind the scenes. It is such long days but the lifestyle is definitely lavish. It is quite funny really as I play a barbarian, I wear a wig and I haven't had long hair since the early 1990s. I was quite lucky really to get a speaking part in such a high budget movie and with Universal Pictures too, so it stands me in good stead for many more movies.
HA: Many thanks for taking the time to be interviewed and on behalf of all the MuscleTalk members, I'd like to wish you all the best for the Atlantic City Pro Show. See you on MT!!
Thank you for the opportunity to do this interview for MT, and thank you for your wishes in my competition.
Simon Cohen
IFBB Pro