Interview By: Leonard Armenta for Bodybuilding.com

Bodybuilding.com: Tell me a little about yourself and where you come from…

JoJo Ntiforo: My full name is JoJo Ntiforo. I have been working out with weights for about 15 years, about 9 have been seriously toward bodybuilding, and It took me just over 3 years from the first time I stepped on stage before earning my pro card at the 2002 NPC Nationals. I have 4 brothers, 3 older, 1 younger and my family is from Ghana, West Africa.

BB.com: What were your interests before bodybuilding?

JoJo: Sports have been a very important part of my life from day 1. My dad ran in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, and he got me started in track and field at an early age. I did really well winning everything locally, and regionally before going on to place 2nd in my age group at the TAC National track and field championships. I have always been a great athlete and enjoy all sports.

BB.com: At what age did you start bodybuilding?

JoJo: Back when I was 9, my oldest brother Frank was into bodybuilding and he had a huge collection of old muscle magazines that he would sometimes let me read. A few years later, when I turned 14, Frank bought me a weight set for Christmas and from that point, my brother Korbie and I worked out in the garage every day after school until I graduated. In 1993 I bought a gym membership and decided to take my physique as far as I could.

BB.com: When did you know that bodybuilding was what you wanted to do for a living?
JoJo: I knew back in 1999 when I won the overall at the NPC New Mexico State Championships, the first show I ever entered. I already knew that I had the genetics and work ethic in the gym to get big and look impressive, but after the show I proved to myself that I had the mental toughness and discipline to follow a pre contest diet and get ripped, which is the most difficult and challenging part of competitive bodybuilding.

BB.com: Outside of bodybuilding, what are your other interests?

JoJo: I like American muscle cars and European sports cars. I own a Black 1993 Mustang Cobra, which I have been modifying a little at a time over the last few years. It is an expensive hobby but it's fun. It looks completely stock, but it has about 420hp to the rear wheels right now. I also really enjoy video games and hanging out with my girlfriend.

BB.com: Do you have another job besides bodybuilding?

JoJo: I help run a personal training business owned by my brother Korbie. He has a 1500sq foot gym built onto his house specifically for training clients.

BB.com: During the off -season, what type of diet do you maintain to put on size, but to also stay lean? (give a sample of your day)

JoJo: In the off-season, I eat 6 meals a day and stay pretty clean although if I feel like some junk food every now and then I will allow myself. An average day might be something like this.

Meal 1: Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich on oat nut bread, 2 ½ scoops of Max Pro
Meal 2: Spaghetti and lean ground beef with tomatoes and sauce
Meal 3: 2 Chicken burritos (2chicken breasts, vegetables and 2whole wheat tortillas)
Meal 4: (post workout) 3 scoops Max Pro, 1 scoop Alpha one, 1 green apple or cookies
Meal 5: Usually a junk food meal like a burger and fries
Meal 6: 8 oz. Steak, two whole eggs, vegetables

 

BB.com: What type of workout do you do in the off-season? (give a sample of your weeks workout)

JoJo: In the off-season I train every other day, allowing for more recuperation and mass building.

Day 1: chest, front and side deltoids
Day 2: off
Day 3: back, traps and rear deltoids
Day 4: off
Day 5: biceps, triceps and forearms
Day 6: off
Day 7: quads, hamstrings and calves

BB.com: What type of workout do you go to when you are preparing for a contest? (sample week)

JoJo: During pre-contest I will follow the same workout, except that on my off days I will train abs and another muscle group that I feel needs to be worked again. For instance abs and some light deltoid work.

BB.com: What type of diet do you have when preparing for a contest? (sample day)
JoJo: Pre-contest I will keep my protein consistently high with moderate to low carbs and fats, although I will play with carbs and fats depending on how I look in the mirror. Here is what I might eat on a given day.

Meal 1: 1cup oats, 2 scoops Max Pro,
Meal 2: 8 oz. Chicken breast or lean beef, 8oz. Red potato, steamed vegetables
Meal 3: same as meal 2
Meal 4: (post workout) 3 scoops Max Pro, 1 scoop Alpha one, 3 slices of pineapple
Meal 5: 8 oz. Chicken breast, 4 oz. Red potato, steamed vegetables
Meal 6: 8 oz. Lean steak, 1 or 2 whole eggs, salad
Meal 7: 1 scoop Max Pro, ½ tbsp peanut butter or flaxseed oil

BB.com: What is your supplementation like during the off-season vs. getting ready for a contest?

JoJo: Whether pre contest or off-season I usually supplement with protein powder, glutamine, creatine, vitamins and minerals. Pre contest I will add essential fats, Vanadyl Sulfate, fat burners, l-carnitine, ALA and branch chain amino acids.

BB.com: What are your favorite lifts?

JoJo: If I could only do one lift for each muscle group it would go like this. Hammer curls for biceps, weighted dips for triceps, barbell incline press for chest, one arm at a time dumbbell side laterals for shoulders, weighted chins for back, squats for legs, seated calf raise for calves

BB.com: What are your least favorite lifts?

JoJo: Least favorite would have to be abs.

BB.com: What are your thoughts on bodybuilding today?

JoJo: I would like to see bodybuilding looked upon more as a true sport with television and media coverage. I remember when I was starting out, watching shows like American Muscle, Flex Magazine Workout, coverage of the Arnold Classic and other competitions on T.V. and it would be great to see shows like that come back.

BB.com: What do you think can be done to make it better?

JoJo: I think in the 70s and up until the early 90s bodybuilders had physiques that most of the general public would not necessarily consider attainable, but found to be ideal and something they would want to look like. Now, due to an over emphasis on freaky mass, a lot of the top physiques just aren't appealing to the average eye. I am not saying that a limit should be put on muscle mass, just that we as bodybuilders should put the same emphasis on symmetry, proportion, condition and presentation.

BB.com: Do you think bodybuilding will ever be mainstream, and what do you think we can do to get it moving in that direction?

JoJo: I think it is possible, but to do so will require a lot of changes. Getting Shawn Ray appointed athlete's representative is a step in the right direction.

BB.com: How do you want to be remembered as a bodybuilder?

JoJo: I would like to be remembered as someone who never compromised his integrity or lost his true sense of self, and also as someone who was approachable and friendly because that has always been something that was very important to me as a bodybuilding fan when I started out. Beyond that, I want to be looked back on as one of the great champions in the history of the sport.

BB.com: Thank you for your time today JoJo. Do you have any closing thoughts?
JoJo: I would just like say thank you for the interview. I really appreciate