The Best from the West…
Barny “Big Barn Door” du Plessis
A Man on a Mission!

By Giles Thomas

So near, yet so far away was Barny at this year’s UKBFF British Championships in the under 90kg category. Squeezing down into the weight class by the absolute tightest of margins it was reportedly a flip of a coin between pre-contest favourites Shaun Tavernier and “The Beastly One” Barny. Some said Barny for first, others said Shaun… One thing’s for sure though, he truly does feel that this show was his, no question.

Barny du Plessis, from Swindon in the West Country, simply has to be the area’s best bodybuilder currently, having won numerous shows, and his rate of improvement has been astonishing from when I first saw him in the NABBA Britain in 2004 where he showed awesome mass, absolutely colossal quads, and just needed condition to really move up the ladder in British contests.
When I heard that Barny took second last weekend at Nottingham after all the pre-contest hype and leaks of how incredible he was looking and also how focussed he was for taking the top spot this year after a third in 2007, a second place in 2006, and a third place in 2005. Placing closely behind the UKBFF overall champions and now both pro’s Flex Lewis and this year’s overall winner James Llewellin, I had to pin him down and ask the questions that I just knew he’d want to answer as only Barny can in his frank, no bull manner. Barny du Plessis, not for those of a nervous disposition, look away now if easily offended…

Giles: Barny, long time no speak mate, thanks for coming in for this interview so close after your contest on Sunday. I’d imagine that knowing how you like your food, you’d much rather be eating doughnuts and cereal instead?
Barny: Cheeky monkey! [Laughs]. Yes, I do love to eat, especially when I have been depriving and starving myself for a good portion of the year. So, after a show I loosen my belt buckle and eat junk for a few days. However doughnuts are not so much my fancy these days, but I am rather partial to the odd baked good or three [laughs]. However, the last three years are a very different story. In the past, yes, I would balloon up in the off-season and my off-season body weight would reach around 19 stone! I had the old school mentality of, “Get as big and as heavy as I can”, then deal with getting into condition in the on-season. My life at the time didn’t allow me to do anything other than that. I made some great gains and educated my body to allow and accept being very heavy for my 5’ 7” frame. But these days, I have learned that by keeping my off-season diet clean and calories high from whole foods, I can maintain and grow quality lean muscle staying within focus from that competition condition. My lifestyle now is totally geared towards the training and nutrition needed, as my partner, Josie does exactly the same. We now live and breathe the sport of bodybuilding.
Giles: So, second place at the British, how do you feel?
Barny: To be honest mate, I’m feeling slightly gutted and ripped off. I have paid my dues and I improved as much as I could within the 90kg limit, but apparently being the best I have ever been, dry as I could be, big as I could physically hold weighing in exactly 90.0kg nude, not a nice thought [laughs], with arguably the best condition and best tan of the show just wasn’t good enough. Hmmm!
Giles: Who did you see this year as your main opposition this year when you heard that last year’s under 90kg runner-up James Llewellin was dropping a weight class for the British?
Barny: I knew Shaun [Tavernier] would be my main and only concern really. However, I hoped his inexperience and lack of maturity would be to my advantage. I had to chuckle to myself regarding James Llewellin’s decision to drop back to the Middleweights where he began his journey. I understood the reasons and thought it was a good plan. As much as I respect James as a friend and as a fellow competitor, I do think his plan to change classes was out of necessity, not choice. He had very little time to rebuild after last year’s British. He went on to compete at the Arnold soon afterwards and spent the majority of the year in condition with multiple guest spots at shows around the country. I was watching his movements closely and thought to myself, “How is he going regain his muscle mass staying so close to competition standard?” He was shrinking gradually through the year. The choice was clear and obvious to me with no time left to build any muscle, cut back further and hope for the best. I don’t think it was a planned strategy; he played his hand very well. Full respect to him for having the balls to do it though.
Giles: You were clearly in your lifetime-best condition. I heard a rumour that you really struggled to make the weight limit?
Barny: All of last year my off-season diet was calorie restricted to hold my weight from creeping above 100kg. By the start of my pre contest diet – five months out! – I was tipping the scales at 105kg with abs showing! After three months of gently cutting back on my carbs and gradually increasing cardio my body weight remained at 100kg. Looking good, but not competition standard, I had to find a way to drop 10kg of muscle and fat. I switched to a very calculated researched and effective ketogenic diet. My body loved it, I felt great on it, though a little weak, which is completely part of dieting especially at eight weeks out. Cardio six or seven times per week, mostly twice per day for 40 minutes minimum, training six times per week, calories as low as 2500 and zero carbs except the cheat/carb-up day. At three weeks out I was a ripped 96kg… I had to then cut back more and train more to get my body to drop muscle. The Saturday night before the show I weighed 91.8kg. Fingers crossed my dehydration would take care of a few kilos. When I awoke early Sunday morning, Josie and I decided to go for a brisk walk to help kick start the metabolism and sweat a little more water out. Weighed in at 90.6kg in my y-fronts, socks, t-shirt and a piece of chewing gum. Off came the socks… 90.4. Off came the t-shirt and gum out of the gob, 90.0kg! Phew, no need to remove my kecks! [Laughs]. I was as dry and as full as the weight limit would allow me. Being a shortarse I have always had to opt for the light heavy class, as I don’t think I would make a dent in the heavies at a solid 95-988kg. So, for the past four years I have had to struggle to dip in the top end of the 90’s. Feeling anorexic and small I always knew I would be best at 95-98kg, but wasn’t able to truly show my potential. Always displaying a starved mini me. Now the tables are changing. Watch for the new 100kg heavyweight class. I will be at my all time best without all the stress of trying to cut back hard. Dieting will be a pleasure compared to the past. Full, ripped and dry at 98kg… just you watch!
Giles: Did you not consider going into the UKBFF British as a heavyweight instead (over 90kg)? Would it not have been easier maybe and less stressful for you those last few weeks?
Barny: I would rather be at the top end of a class than at the bottom end. So I did what I needed to do. I know that if I stood onstage at 95kg in a line-up of heavyweights I wouldn’t get a sniff.
Giles: How did you see your class panning out when you knew backstage who was entering?
Barny: Its very hard to see what the general level of competition is when your so close to them. Everyone looks shit-hot pumping up back stage, its hard to measure oneself against the competition. It’s unnerving if you start to look at and evaluate the other guy’s physiques. I have my blinkers on and keep tunnel vision and concentrate on presenting myself the best I can and blank my mind from everyone else around me.
Giles: I heard from two sources that you deserved to win and, of course, some others said Shaun Tavernier deserved it instead, but that’s bodybuilding… totally subjective as a sport. How did you think you’d done after the judging?
Barny: I knew after the first callout something fishy was going on. I had the second callout with lesser guys, then a third callout with Shaun. It was obvious to me at that point that the judging was a little squiffy! [Laughs]. Every single person who watched the show that I have spoken to since has been amazed and miffed for me, as to why I didn’t win the class.
Giles: Were the callouts very telling, would you say, to the end result, or did you feel that they were going to go with Shaun’s overall package over yours before the night show commenced?
Barny: I think the judges wanted to send a good rep from a chosen class to compete at the Arnold next year. Shawn has bags of potential and will be fantastic in the new 202lb class and be a very positive representative of British talent in America. I have exhausted and maximised my potential at that weight class, unable to make any more significant improvements. So I honestly feel Shawn, no disrespect mate, was given the light heavies title so he could represent the UK at the Arnold. However, I know I was better on the day. But hey, that’s the way the cookie crumbled, not the doughnut! [Laughs].
Giles: What did you think about the controversial heavyweight decision, or did you not see any of the onstage action? If you did, what was your take on it?
Barny: I do have my “conspiracy” thoughts on this one too. Those who it may upset… don’t read on. Well ok, just read it and get upset! [Laughs]. I believe that Alvin Small, as good as he is, was given the heavyweight title because of Zack’s [Khan] and Daz’s [Ball] antics on and off stage. I think it was a sort of “telling off” for them. To be honest though, I have only heard about what happened and watched a dodgy clip of the pose down on You Tube. I am just speculating with that statement just made, of course.
Giles: Do you think James Llewellin, who won the under 80kg and overall, will be a good pro?
Barny: He will be fantastic. He isn’t shy of the media, that’s for certain [laughs], and loves to be centre of all the excitement! Plus he will maximise all his abilities. He will work hard and the rewards will unfold.
Giles: So, what’re your plans next mate? Another stab at this class next year or move up? Or try another federation?
Barny: Oh joy! A new class designed just for me. I will have a very serious pop at the under 100kg class [Ed: The new heavyweight class will be over 90kg/under 100kg; there will be an over 100kg super-heavyweight class as from 2009 in the UKBFF British]. Since I stepped off the stage at the British just gone, Josie and I have prepared the plans for a full-scale attack at next year’s UKBFF British. Every single day from now until next year I will be focused on winning! Not just the new heavyweight class, but to win the overall and collect my long-awaited pro card.
Giles: That’s cool Barny. Do you ever fancy a stab back at NABBA shows again?
Barny: Umm… not sure! Not for a few years anyhow. Really trying to get my pro card and don’t want to upset the powers that be in the UKBFF.
Giles: Let’s go back to 2004… I saw you in the NABBA Britain and you were seriously big even then, but not really cut like you needed to be. Then I next saw you at the WPF Wales where I came second in the novices and you really started to sharpen up and if I remember you took second to that big German guy right?
Barny: I’ve done loads of shows since then… can’t really remember!
Giles: Really? I remember the next show was Scott Horton’s WABBA Hercules contest in 2005, which I judged at, and you won against some really good bodybuilders that day and took the whole show. By this point your condition was really starting to show serious improvements. What, if anything in particular, were you doing differently then to show such big leaps forward in your on stage look?
Barny: I started to sort my off- and on-season diet out. My experience was progressing and so was my physique. [Laughs]. I remember that show. I was in a supermarket on a Saturday night trying to buy binge food for Sunday. James L [Llewellin] text messaged me and suggested that I might consider doing the Hercules Show. I wasn’t planning to do that show at all and didn’t even know anything much about it. I was in pretty good nick though, so I thought, to hell with it, might as well give it a bash. The next day I turned up at Colchester completely unprepared. Whacked some goop on, did a few press-ups, then went out on stage and won my class and then the Hercules overall title! [Laughs]. I have won Mr Hercules three years on the trot now, all under similar circumstances. It was a great show. I loved the madness and intensity of it. Brilliant trophies as well, thank you Scott for those memories!
Giles: Hollywood Horton does run a pretty mean show doesn’t he, Barny? I always have such a blast at his contests. You really made a splash at the UKBFF British that year didn’t you? Third wasn’t it, and didn’t you say you’d actually smoothed out compared to how you had looked, due to an infected foot?
Barny: How did you remember that? [Laughs].
Giles: Err, because I’m a geek! A head full of seemingly useless knowledge!
Barny: It was a nightmare. I was gardening two weeks before the show, dirt got into a cut on my foot. I awoke the following morning with a foot the size of an elephant’s! It was really swollen and looked infected. I continued to hobble to work, to go to the gym and do cardio on one leg. My foot got worse and it was eight days out; I was in agony! I visited my local GP and he told me gangrene was setting in and that it was urgently needed that I start on some heavy duty antibiotics. This didn’t stop me. I continued to train and do cardio on one foot, help my mum who was severely ill and in a wheel chair whilst decorating the house and still go to work as a prison officer and look after my son! Everyone was saying I should just forget the show but no way, not me… I’m no quitter! I told them they would have to wheel me onto the stage if need be. I came off antibiotics two days out from the show, halfway through the prescribed course. Managed a respectable third after all that! [Laughs].
Giles: That followed up in 2006 with a second to Flex Lewis. To be honest, by this point I hardly recognised you, your whole physique had changed and you were seriously up there as a contender for the British title and pro card, just what were you doing so differently to totally change yourself as I remember you used to say you struggled to get really hard in year’s past, what changed?
Barny: I started to make the best progress after Josie and I got together, my diet became more in control and my training was at last regular with my newfound training partner Josie. But in 2006, a lot of things happened that would prevent any normal person from continuing to train, let alone train for a competition and then compete. My marriage finally broke down and I left the family home with nothing more than a bag of clothes. I had no money, no car and nowhere to live! Yet I continued to train and also see my young son, Louis, as much as I could. My mother was incredibly ill as she had been for years and needed lots of help and attention. My job was also extremely stressful dealing with “Britain’s worst”, as a Prison Officer. This was an incredibly difficult time for me as you can imagine. Josie as my friend helped me through all of this and our relationship grew from there. We moved three times that year with both of us starting from scratch, so much so that we didn’t have TV for a year or even any furniture! I also changed my job to become a PTI in a Juvenile Prison, which was a positive step forward. With all that going on, Josie was my rock and kept me relatively sane [laughs]. That year I trained at four different, rubbish gyms with minimal equipment and minimal weights! Things only settled down a few weeks before stepping on stage but I still managed to carry on and take the second place trophy.
Giles: I’ve known you for five years Barny and I never knew all that. You kept all those troubles very quiet! And in 2007 saw a third place again to Flex Lewis in first and overall, and this year’s overall winner James Llewellin who placed second just ahead of you that year. Did you really feel into your stride by now with you taking such consistently good placings three years on the trot?
Barny: Here we go again! [Laughs]. In 2007, my mother sadly passed away and Josie and I relocated our lives and jobs to Swindon, a short distance up the motorway from Bristol. I changed careers completely and became a Personal Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach, starting from scratch once again. Still managing all the while to train and diet and make improvements. Again, having Josie as my backbone, I managed to stay focused and motivated, just simple great team work! Bodybuilding is a team effort regardless of what most believe in the sport. I can’t imagine that I could ever have pulled through all these obstructions and come out shining if it wasn’t for Josie. Thank you, my love.
Giles: So, how did you prepare for this year? Was it a full year of hard training with a view to winning? Did you try anything different this year to other years, or was it more of the same?
Barny: Since I stepped off stage last year I made it my goal to work harder than I have ever had before. I decided to compete at the 2007 UKBFF Stars of Tomorrow on the bounce. But by the end of six months hard dieting I was climbing the walls and hallucinating, but I did manage to come in at my all time best ever condition at that time, far better than I was at the 2007 British. I was then simply a man on a mission. All of this year has been focused on just the one event, the British Finals. I made numerous gains and got on top of my game, still lots of room for improvement, mind!
I trained hard despite some very painful injuries that wouldn’t subside. We both gave it our all, making it our number one priority to learn as much as we could by buying numerous books, researching articles, experimenting with various ways of carbing up and sodium manipulation, etc, and talking to experts. We focussed our whole life energies and 100% attention to that all-important day.
In the past, I would compete up to seven times in a year, back then the British was just another show with no particular extra attention paid to it. However, it was now time to stop screwing around. I had had plenty of practice. I wanted to be able to prove to everyone that I am able to be the best in the country and I still do. I am getting older too, 35 now, shit! Time is running out! I feel I need to get the British title before I am 37 to be able to do anything worthwhile with it. When I first picked up a dumbbell all those years ago, I told my mate Will Dawson that I would get the British champ title by the time I was 35 and step up onto the Olympia stage by the time I was 40. The dream is now tangible and becoming a reality. I will still be 35 at next year’s British and I very much intend on winning it, outright, fair and square. My physique and condition will be so far advanced that there will be absolutely no room for any doubt, error of judgement or politics that I am the best. The pro card should and will then be rightfully mine.
Giles: I think the mark of a champion is self belief Barny; it’s motivating for me to hear, especially after the last two years of hell that I’ve had, so much respect to you mate. Back to the judging of this year’s… did you find out what the final scorings were this year? Was it as close on the scorecards as people thought it was and did you get any comments from the judges?
Barny: I have requested my score sheet and have not yet received it. I look forward to seeing what the judges thought.
Giles: Let’s talk about your plans for the future… what’s the game plan for the next five or ten years, mate?
Barny: Next year win my IFBB pro card, Josie to win the over 55kg physique class at the UKBFF British. Develop my PT business “Fusion PT”, internet PT business, complete a bodybuilding documentary, sort the garden out and decorate the house, etc! [laughs].
Within five years I will crank up my PR, gain notoriety internationally, help Josie to promote female bodybuilding, which is something she is so passionate about. Create our PT studio with the emphasis on strength, power, bodybuilding, body conditioning for all walks of life, and develop our very own unique supplement range. Oh, and start training up my young son to follow in my footsteps. In five to ten years, the goal is for Josie and I to relocate to Mexico and build our bodybuilding holiday retreat. We have a wicked plan… oh, and get to the Olympia of course!
Giles: Is that all Barny? Sheesh! What do you think is your ultimate potential? Where do you think you could eventually end up in the scheme of things if you were to reach your absolute physical limit?
Barny: Good question, Giles. I am always progressing, always getting bigger, harder and stronger. My condition each show is getting better and better each time. I have never gone backwards in all my years of competing and training. This is down to various factors… having a stable environment, a healthy positive relationship, a constant whole food calorie controlled diet and good supplementation. Doing my research and ever expanding my knowledge, as knowledge is power. The more you know the better you will get and above all a deep-set desire to want to be the best and constantly want to do better. Looks like I will be getting more books for Christmas! [Laughs].
So, to answer your question, I don’t really know, I just want to keep pushing forward. I would be completely happy and feel I have achieved my life dream when I step onto the Olympia stage. I don’t care if I never make the top 15, just to be able reach that level and I will be satisfied. I would love to think I could eventually get a good sponsorship deal and perhaps make a relatively decent wage from bodybuilding as well as regularly be featured in the international mags and be considered to be a great bodybuilder.
Giles: You’ve always been known for your hard and heavy training, is that still very much the case nowadays?
Barny: I love to train as heavy as I possibly can. I always strive to be the strongest in the gym, however, at Ironworx there are some strong dudes, which keeps me on my toes. [Laughs]. I actually thrive on this, as it makes me want to train harder and be better. I do however periodise my training. I will go through a mass phase alongside an off-season diet and then a hypertrophy phase with a calorie adjusted diet. Mass and strength is run for about three months, and two months for time under tension training (hypertrophy). I also incorporate TUT (time under tension) elements into my mass phase to work on and stimulate certain targeted muscle parts I am trying to bring up. My bench is about 180kg, squat is 290kg, deadlift is 300kg. By the end of this year, I plan to be able to bang out a 200 bench, 300 squat – ass to floor folks, and a 320 deadlift. Drop the poundage’s by 15-20% and I can rep all of above for a good 4-6 reps. So, keep an eye on You Tube.
Giles: How’s the doughnut addiction? Are you getting treatment for that?
Barny: Ha-ha! Next question!
Giles: I heard you used to get up in the middle of the night and eat full boxes of cereal… Tell me, are you another Kellogg’s crunchy nut?
Barny: I might still do that on my high “shit load” carbs day. It’s an important part of my dieting strategy mate, but I do prefer a bit of “snap, crackle and pop” myself nowadays!
Giles: Have you ever approached Kellogg’s or Dunkin’ Donuts for sponsorship or to be a spokesperson or is that the old Barny, not the new and improved super-shredded version?
Barny: Sounds like a good idea! Cos on my high “shit load” day I will eat in excess of 10,000 calories, and three days later I look even more shredded! I could advertise their products and say they were an integral part of my diet. I could do a before and after photo even. Before doughnuts looking fat and pasty, and after 100 doughnuts, ripped to the bone. The crazy thing is it’s true! Ha-ha!
Giles: What would you say has been the best moment you’ve experienced so far in bodybuilding?
Barny: Every time I win, it is such a good rewarding feeling. However I am still waiting for the time when all my years of hard work are recognised and I am rewarded with the elusive pro card… that would be the best. It would also be a massive relief to me too. This would allow me to progress up the ladder, proving to everyone I am a worthy candidate and to make my mark in the world.
Giles: Who impresses you the most in British bodybuilding?
Barny: James “Flex” Lewis has taken the world of bodybuilding by storm. The Americans love him. He is living the dream. The right person at the right place at the right time and with all the right people around him, lucky bastard! What a great position to be in. Great physique and with unlimited potential, so Flex does impress me. Mike Sheridan for some reason, I think it’s his freaky vascularity. Finally, one British bodybuilder whom I completely respect and admire and think he was one of my very first idols and before Dorian’s time. I am talking about Charles Clairmonte. This guy was fuggin’ amazing! Was way ahead of anyone else at that time in the UK. His physique was beautiful, he had condition, size, proportion, it was just all there. One of the UK’s best ever talents, even though he claimed to be originally from Barbados.
Giles: That’s who authorised Charles’s pro card in 1992, he got it through Barbados as he was a top NABBA boy and the EFBB wouldn’t just hand one over unless he did the British and won the overall which would never have happened. Barny, I used to live in Swindon… is it still full of in-bred’s and sheep worriers? Do you ever see any kids that look like me wandering the streets with their mother that walks with a white stick and a wooden leg?
Barny: [Laughs]. To be honest mate, Swindon isn’t all that bad, mate. It’s so full of Polish, Slovaks, refugees, immigrants and transient business people, you would be hard pushed to find a local! Now, a few years back, I lived in Gloucester, man! What a shit hole! The arsehole of England. So many in-bred, ugly, miserable, grey, downtrodden people, it was sooo depressing. Swindon’s a strange place, but Gloucester is just downright “scumville”. Sorry for those of you who are born and bred in Gloucester. No, I feel really sorry for you! [Laughs]. Only kidding… not!
Giles: Ahhh, my grandparents and most of my Dad’s family were and are from Gloucester, Barny! Hmmm, my grandparents used to live on the next to street to Fred West, a lovely family they were, eh? UK pro Lee Powell is from Gloucester too! What’s the massive gym I used to train at called in Swindon, the one on two floors? Ramsford Smith and my favourite and famous comic artist Simon Bisley used to train there? Is that where you train now? What a great gym that was, it had everything.
Barny: Yes, now the gym is called 24hr gym (open 24-7), back then the time you were reminiscing about, the gym was called Every-Bodies. I used to train there; it’s a great gym, fully equipped. However, it is not nearly hardcore enough nor has enough weight for me or even my training partner – my Josie – to grow. She likes to grunt, spit, swear and drop weights; 24hr gym won’t allow such Neanderthal behaviour. So we had to find a cave somewhere. Ironworx Gym is as hardcore as it gets. Rich, the owner, gets upset if we DON’T drop the weights or break his machines by overloading them with copious amounts of added iron. [Laughs]. The gym mantra is “Train like your life depends on it”. If you don’t puke or pass out, Rich gets upset and bans you for being a pussy!
Giles: Sounds like a delightful place and Josie sounds positively meek! Erk! On to the Olympia… what did you think of this year’s?
Barny: A real shocker! Thought it was a brave decision but it makes perfect sense. For a long time now word has been to try to downscale the mass monsters before things spiral out of control and become almost impossible for any mortal man to reach. At the Olympia, standards are set. This echoes throughout the entire bodybuilding world. Downscaling resets the balance making progress through the levels far more achievable and realistic.
On another note, Jay Cutler is struggling with balancing his mass, condition and aesthetics I believe. This year he was on his own in the monster mass class with nothing really to compare himself to. So when you have a razor sharp, completely balanced physique in the name of Dexter Jackson stood next to him, the perspective changes. Jay’s physique starts to show its weaknesses and strengths far more clearly. Dexter is completely consistent in his conditioning and is often used as a marker to judge all other competitors condition against. This time he was the best in that particular line-up, displaying a complete package of mass, condition, symmetry and proportion. His physique is at its peak; the others had imbalances which he showed up. Dexter winning is a good, unbiased un-political decision. He was rightfully awarded the Sandow for being the best on the day.
Giles: I thought Phil Heath was close though, and Dexter does lack a little on the calves mate, although I did pick him as the winner when I saw the photos from the judging on the first day. Who’s going to win it next do you think?
Barny: Ok, this may sound daft but if Ronnie makes his return next year in 2009 after taking two years off from competition and comes in tip top condition, he will be unbeatable. He is the only master of mass who has it all when at his best: mass, size, condition, symmetry, proportion and persona. So if he is fully recharged, hungry and has paid serious attention to detail and covered up any areas of weakness, he will smash it!
Dennis Wolf is both mine and my missus’s choice for second. He is progressing at a rapid rate and looks absolutely fantastic, he just needs some maturing time. He will be the next reigning unbeatable Mr O, though it’s not his time just yet. Josie is keeping a close eye on his progress! [Laughs]. I predict three to four years from now for him to win the O. Sadly, I think Dexter is a one-hit-wonder as far as the Olympia goes; he’ll not win it again no way. The monsters are very hungry, clambering quickly up the mountain. Castle Dexter, as lovely as it may look, won’t be big enough, strong enough nor robust enough to protect the king from being overthrown. Defending his little castle from the uglies will far too be overwhelming for him. The hungry monsters of mass will invade, pillage and leave nothing left accept a faint memory of an idyllic life that could have only existed in a fairy tales. Reality is cold and ugly. People want freaks.
Giles: Nice image you created there mate, nice! What are you doing for a living nowadays?
Barny: I am presently building up my personal training business. I specialise in strength, power, bodybuilding and body conditioning and nutritional consultation. I work with all sorts, from bodybuilders to MMA to rugby players, and other sporting types right through to disabled, developing their fitness, strength and power or whatever their individual goals are. I am known by two names in Swindon now: “Barny the bastard”, and “The Beastmaster”! [Laughs]. I train my clients hard!
Giles: You sound like you enjoy it though mate, good for you. I hear you’re training with a girl at the moment and that she’s going to compete soon… Who is she, is she as good as I hear on the grapevine?
Barny: Josie my partner, mate, she’s no ordinary girl. She’s an Amazonian warrior! Trains like a freak! She scares some of the hardcore musclehead’s at Ironworx and puts them to shame. She has just done a show, her very first. She wasn’t really ready for it but it was a practice run, to get her toes wet. Next year she will be awesome, just wait and see! Her aim is to win the British next year also and so for us to be the first couple to win the overall British title together at the same show… ahhh how romantic, bless her! [Laughs].
She was into her serious training before we met, but neither of us would be where we are now if it hadn’t been for each other.
Giles: Bless! Do you stay in relatively good shape all year now or do you go heavy in the off-season?
Barny: These days I stay in relatively good shape per week in the deep off-season. I do three or four 30-40 minute cardio sessions per week and train five times. My diet is completely calorie and protein, carb and fat controlled, so everything is weighed. Nothing changes. However on a Saturday or Sunday Josie and I have a full day off. We will eat whatever we want, whenever we want, as much as we want until we are sick! It’s great fun! I can assure you, we don’t hold back, ha-ha! I stay within 15 kilos of comp condition. That’s good for me, isn’t it, Giles?
Giles: Much better Barny, well done! Tell us about your pre-contest diet… what does that entail?
Barny: I will start my diet five months out from the show. I keep everything constant but gradually drop my carbs. Three months out I will go onto a very specific zero carb diet. It’s a ketogenic diet, but modified. It’s a fantastic way to burn fat and maintain muscle. Energy levels are good, hormone balance remains good and my emotional status is far better than on a carb-restricted diet. Believe me, I have done around 35 shows now, dieted so many different ways. This system I use now is the way forward.
I started to use this approach after Josie had introduced it to me about six weeks out from the 2008 British. I needed to cut weight, I couldn’t cut my carbs any further as I was down to 50g per day. I felt like death everyday, no sleep, etc. Something had to be changed. I switched completely over to my modified keto diet and hey presto! I felt good again, training resumed, energy picked up, sleep patterns got sort of back on track. Above all I felt emotionally stable and my energy was stable also. I have now perfected this diet strategy. I will be using it to prepare for next year’s British in full modified effect. Watch out everyone, there’s a storm coming! [Laughs].
Giles: How do you eat now in the off-season?
Barny: Firstly, I use my right hand, I pick up a fork or spoon, attach some food to the end and use my mouth to chew it up then I swallow it… yumm! Only yanking your todger mate! I presently eat approximately 5,000 calories a day. Here is exactly my calorific daily intake. The order and when I eat the food isn’t really that important as long as I eat every two or three hours; the goal is to eat this lot six days per week and all weighed before its cooked.

500g (raw) Basmati rice
500g Turkey/chicken breast
800g Liquid egg whites
200g Green vegetables
120g Whey protein
100g Banana
80g Recovery drink (secret formula)
40g Workout drink (secret again!)
50g Walnuts
50g Peanut butter
60g Extra virgin olive oil
Protein: 377.5g
Carbs: 536g
Fats: 143.5g
Total Calories:4997

Giles: Supplementation Barny… What do you use pre-contest and also off-season? Which supplements are most important to you?
Barny: I love supplements! Off-season: whey protein, glutamine, possibly creatine from time-to-time, aminos, vitamin C, chromium, fish oils, glucosamine, zinc, ZMA, B-complex, multivitamins and minerals or Animal packs (great product), and ECA products. On-season: whey isolate, glutamine, BCAA’s, L-carnitine, yohimbe, Udo’s oil, coconut butter, Animal packs, vitamin C, chromium, zinc, ZMA, fish oils, glucosamine, and ECA products. What I would love to use regularly but can’t afford: NOX products, Nitrix, and lots of other pre-workout “pump” products.
Giles: Are you sponsored right now?
Barny: No not right now, and I am not in any particular rush. I would love to be able to choose a company that I feel is exciting, innovative and would be proud to have me as part of their business. Not feel as though they are doing me a favour or advertise and sell on the back of my years of self-supported efforts and hard work and get little in return.
Giles: Any websites or DVD’s on the horizon?
Barny: Yes in fact, both! I am presently designing and putting together my PT website “Fusion PT”. It will be a fully interactive site with Q&A, member’s forum, supplement shop, PT online, etc, with links to other sites. Could link it with your UK-Muscle.com mate.
Oh, congratulations, by the way, on finally getting your baby back Giles. It must have been horrendous for you, like I heard. With all that conflict and lies they told about you, etc. It’s so great to see you back on top mate, well done for not giving up and fighting them all the way!
Another project in the pipeline is an exciting documentary; Josie and I are planning it as we speak. It will be about couples in the UK who both train and compete. This will be a year in the lives of prepping for next year’s British.
Giles: Where did you get the nickname “Big Barn Door” from? Quite descriptive wouldn’t you say, eh mate?
Barny: [Laughs]. A colleague at work kept calling me “The Big Barn Door”. I thought it was a great pseudonym. I like the bluntness of it! [Laughs].
Giles: I’ve seen you quite vocal on some website forums stating your disapproval of these internet “gurus”. I’m with you on this one… they drive me mad, Barny. Tell us about that please, what are your thoughts?
Barny: Self appointed, self righteous, egotistical “gurus” on the internet piss me off big time. You know who you are! Their view is the only real view, apparently, and they constantly praise themselves and are just so desperate for attention. It’s very sad, almost embarrassing; I get embarrassed just by reading their drivel! Is this what bodybuilding is all about? I don’t think so. It’s about hard work, pain, consistency, discipline, good nutrition and rest.
Opinionated self styled “gurus” are a menace. They turn something fun and exciting into a science project. Getting really anal about everything when in reality it’s not really all that complicated at all. Just eat, train and rest. I know it’s not quite as simple as that, but what I am trying to say is who gives a shit what they think at the end of the day? Why do they think they are that important that everyone must read and agree with their opinions or even want to read their bullcrap?
Now, moving onto the internet arse lickers, arrrghh! Why! Why do all the British bodybuilding internet geeks eat out of each others arseholes? I swear they are all gay! I have nothing against people being gay, not that you would give a shit if I did, as my opinion isn’t relevant, unlike the self appointed internet guru’s! [Laughs]. But its sooo nice and cosey and everyone loves each other and we all kiss each others’ asses. Not me I’m afraid. It’s all bullshit and really winds me up, Giles. I like outspoken people who couldn’t give a flying fug who they upset. At least they have balls and are interesting and have something to say. Ass lickers and guru’s? Phaaaa!!!!
Giles: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learnt in recent years that has benefited you in your competitive bodybuilding?
Barny: Keep everything constant. Keep your diet exactly the same, day-in day-out. Once you have a steady calorific balance, you are in control.
Giles: Brilliant, what a great interview. Thank you Barny, from all the readers at BodyFitness, and good luck for the future and we look forward to seeing you fulfil your awesome potential!
Barny: Giles, thank you so much for this opportunity to express my views. I’m genuinely sorry if I have upset or offended anyone out there, but hey, who gives a crap what I think anyhow? It’s just my own opinion! [Laughs] Nice one, mate.

To contact Barny, email him at barny1974@hotmail.com and check out FusionPT.co.uk, coming very soon!

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