Name: Roland Pollard

Date of Birth: August 23, 1990

Location: Plano, TX

Height: 6'0

Off Season Weight: 185

Competition Weight: 160

Years Training: 4

Years Competing: 2

Favorite Body Part: Tricep

Favorite Exercise: Tricep cable pulldowns

Website: RolandPollardFitness.com

Interview:

Have you always been in shape? I have always been in shape, but until I was 15 years old, I was just a very skinny kid who had never touched a weight.
How did you get started in physique competitions? My bodybuilding career started in March of 2009 when my Fitness Manager at my gym suggested I give it a try. I trained hard under the supervision of my mentor and NPC show promoter, Prince Harrison. After placing second in my first show, the NPC Lone Star Classic, I decided that I wouldn't stop until I received a first place trophy.  I finally accomplished this at my second show, the NPC Texas State Naturals, and also my third show, the NPC Heart of Texas.

Describe your training philosophy: My training philosophy is that I only have this one day promised to me in the gym.  Anything could happen to me between now and my next scheduled workout, so I must take advantage of this opportunity and train like it's the last time I'll ever be able to lift a weight again.

What are your favorite exercises? My favorite exercises are tricep pulldowns, bicep curls, deadlifts, and skull crushers.

What is your diet like in the off season? Offseason is when I mainly focus on my carbs, most of them coming from pasta, bagels, and rice.  I try to get around 400g of carbs a day along with 300 grams of protein, coming mainly from chicken breast and eggs. I eat around 5 meals a day, having at least 40g protein in every meal.

Describe your diet during contest prep: During my strict contest prep diet, I take my carb consumption down to around 200g and keep my protein about the same as offseason (300-350g).  I tend to eat at least 7 fairly small meals a day and aim for 50+ grams of protein per meal.  My only carbs come from fruits, vegetables, and oats.  My protein sources switch from chicken breast and eggs to tilapia and eggs because the fish helps my body lean out more.

What supplements have worked for you? As of now I choose to not use any supplementation besides food, but when I first started working out my favorite pre-workout was MHP Dark Rage.  Best workouts I have ever had.  Currently my pre-workouts usually consist of a cup of oatmeal and two or three bananas.

What advice would you give to aspiring athletes? The best advice I could give anyone is to have a big goal made up of many small goals.  It's kind of like having a large uncut pizza.  if you attack it without slicing it into smaller pieces, the chances of eating the whole pizza may seem slim, but if you take it slice by slice, you can pace yourself and track exactly how much you have left and how you're going to manage to finish it all.

What have you learned about yourself as a physique competitor? From competing, I have learned to respect my body by monitoring what I put in it and how to bring out its full potential.  Most of all, I have finally learned what true confidence is.

What are your plans for the future? My plans for the future are to compete in every natural show I can make it to and bring home many more titles as a Natural Bodybuilder.

Teen Bodybuilder Roland Pollard