Australia - Bodybuilding .com

Ryan Laos made history in June 2008 by becoming the first Australian bodybuilder to win the FAME/WNSO World Championships.

He began weight training at age 15, entering his first contest in 1999 where he won not only his class, but the overall and best poser award as well.

Ryan’s motto is to "Train smart, stay natural. Train smart meaning listen to your body and not your ego to avoid injuries and concentrate on each rep to aim for the mind muscle connection and get the squeeze & burn. Of course stay natural means if you choose the natural path stick to it and be true to yourself and the other competitors”

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• Contest Record
• Our Interview with Ryan: July 2008
• Photos
• Magazine Cover
• Video
• News Reports

Ryan's contest history includes:

• 2008 FAME World Championships, Canada – Overall Winner [pro card awarded]

• 2006 – WNSO Australian, U90kg and Overall - 1st

• 2004 – ANB Australian, Under90kg - 1st

• 2002 – ANB Australian Championships – 2^nd

• 2000 – ANB Sydney Championships – 1^st

• 2000 – ANB Australasian – 3^rd

• 1999 – ANB Australasian – 2^nd

• 1999 – WNSO Sydney – won weight class, overall and best poser.

Ryan traveled to Toronto, Canada in June 2008 as part of a ANB contingent were he competed in an international field of entrants from the USA, England, Czech Republic as well as a fellow Australian. Winning the class, Ryan becomes the first Australian male bodybuilder* to become a FAME pro.Ryan was kind enough to take time to answer some questions we had in July 2008:

Congrats on winning the WNSO World Championships in Canada! As you were awarded pro status what does this mean for your future competition plans?

• I never thought I would go this far so I'm very happy to have my sights set on competing in the pro division where you receive prize money which will obviously help compensate for travel and all the expenses of supplements and food over the years but in all It’s the absolute pinnacle of natural bodybuilding. My plan is for the worlds in 2010 & I can't wait!!

What was your diet like leading up to the contest?

• My diet is always the same just a little less carbs and more protein pre-contest. It consists mainly of eggs & oats for breakfast, fibrous vegetables and lean meats every meal at 3hr intervals for the rest of the day with a shake post workout and around 2am.

What is your general weekly training routine?

• Off season its 4 day per week:
• Mon: chest, biceps, calves
• Tue: quads
• Wed: rest or 40min boxing
• Thurs: back, triceps
• Fri: shoulders, hams, calves
• Abs pre contest is 6 days where Wed is abs & calves and Sat is another leg day but with different type of training out of the gym, plus 30-40 minutes cardio in the mornings if needed.

What are some of your stats?

• Height 180cm
• Weight off: 98kg [215lbs] – on: 88kg [193lbs]
• Arm size hmm good question maybe 19inch if lucky?
• Waist 34inch

Can you tell us what supplements [types, not brands per se] you use to help you in your training?

• Creatine
• Glucosamine
• Glutamine
• Hmb
• Magnesium
• Multivitamin
• Omega 3,6,9 oils
• Protein powder
• Tribulis
• Zinc

Bodybuilding as we know is not cheap, especially with the added burden of costly international travel many Aussie competitors have. How do you work with this [sponsors etc] and any advice for others looking to help with costs?

• I have Vital Nutrition as a supplement sponsor. It’s a new company from Newcastle NSW run by husband & wife team Sean & Karen Crossan. High quality products and Aussie owned so you can't go wrong. The money I save on supplements I can put towards travel expenses. I used my frequent flyer points to fly so that saved money also. Shop around online for hotels and different airlines as prices can vary dramatically. Choose a hotel with a kitchenette at least so you can cook your food or it can get very costly. Its time consuming comparing prices but worth it and takes your mind of eating lol.

The great debate over natural or non-natural. You're a natural bodybuilder, what made by steer clear of enhancements?

• It was to confusing with people giving different opinions of what you should take and warning of fake gear. That coupled with cost and the fact I was very happy with the results I was getting plus the respect I got from friends was more than enough for me to stay natural.

Any feelings in those that compete in natty shows when they obviously are not natty?

• These people are cheats and liars and who know they can't make it in the real world and that would probably apply to many other areas of their life. Take gear? Go in a gear show! It’s simple and would help clean this sport up! I have nothing against people who use it as they have to put it just as much hard work as us natural blokes. I admire a lot of those guys and aspire to their physiques but if they do a natural show its like they are ashamed to admit they take it. I can't understand how they can be satisfied with themselves? Be proud of yourself and stand up for what you do and people will respect you otherwise your just cheating yourself and every other competitor who is busting their butt doing what they believe in.

The famed 'politics' that some say in Australian bodybuilding, with all the various federations etc. Have you had any negative and/or positive experiences there, or is that something you stay away from or feel does not exist?

• It definitely does not exist in the ANB. I competed against the head judge Phill Lehner in 2002. It was very close and he could have placed higher than me if there was favoritism or politics involved. Another example is one of the judges wives placed a very close 2nd instead of 1st at a national title. I also judge some shows and I have no idea when a competitor steps on stage if he has competed in another federation or is someone's mate or what. I rarely look at faces as I am always concentrating on the physique.

Who is your favorite all time Australian bodybuilder?

·         Lee Priest.

Any advice for upcoming bodybuilders?

• Go compound movements for big gains, eat quality food & limit the junk to one day a week, take supplements starting with your basics (vitamins & minerals first & foremost, then good fats & oils) after that protein powder then creatine, glutamine & tribulis. If you still have money then try some of the new supplements that come onto the market & see what works for you, but without the basics your body won't fully utilize all the other supplements & therefore you won't get the results you could have. Above that though, Train smart, stay natural!

We would like to thank Ryan for taking time to speak with us.

[* Female bodybuilder Michelle Goodall also achieved pro status at this same show]

Click here to go Ryan's photo gallery. Here is a small sample:

Ryan at the 2008 FAME show in Canada where he won the overall.

Photo credit: FAME

Click here to go Ryan's photo gallery.

Ryan was featured on the civer fo the first ever issue of 'Australian Natural Bodz' magazine in 2008. Click to enlarge image to full size:

Ryan posing at the 2008 FAME Show in Canada

Ryan Laos alongside fellow bodybuilder Murray Graham at the 2008 FAME/WNSO World Championships in Toronto, Canada.

From the Sydney Morning Herald, July 2008:

'Ryan Laos has created history by becoming the first Australian body-builder to win the Mr World title. Laos took out the gold medal in the under 90kilograms division and was rated the overall natural champion at last month's tournament in Canada. Fellow Australian Murray Graham, Laos's training partner, finished third.

"Somebody told me that no other Australian has done it, so it's great to be a part of history," Laos told The Sun-Herald. "It's made me even more motivated to improve and do even better next time."

The 33-year-old Sydney man said he never envisioned he would become a world champion when he started pumping iron at high school.

"I remember all the college movies when I was younger, the guys with the trim bodies were getting all the girls. That's why I started," he said. "Some of the blokes at school used to give me a bit of stick about training instead of smoking and drinking like them.

"But then a really good-looking girl at school noticed me, one I'd liked for years. "I popped up on the blocks at a swimming carnival and, years later, she said to me that's when she noticed me.

"She was the prettiest girl in the school and that quietened the boys down a bit."

A plasterer by trade, Laos squeezes in workouts at V&R Fitness at Meadowbank between his work commitments. And he insists his physique is the result of hard work and a strict diet, not steroids.

"If somebody accuses me of it, I tell them I don't," he said.

"Whether they believe me is up to them but I thank [them] for the compliment because they're telling me I've done something that can't be done without using drugs.

"I have done it without drugs so to me it's a compliment.

"People naturally assume that if you're a bodybuilder with some size that you've taken steroids.

"I know it's a cliché but I've proven to myself and to others that if you put in the hard work, anything is possible.'

Article can be found here, Story by Adrian Proszenko, © Fairfax Digital

"Meet Our Mr Muscle" - From the November 2006 issue of the Northern District Times Newspaper

‘A 17-year journey for a Baulkham Hills bodybuilder who first drew inspiration from Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger movies as a teenager has led him to the title of Mr Australia.

Ryan Laos won the prestigious bodybuilding title at the Australian titles held at Sydney's Marconi Club on Sunday last week against a field of about 150 competitors that included former national and world champions.

Shortly after his triumph and soon after resuming his regular training at Meadowbank's Studio You gym , the 32-year-old reflected on his start in bodybuilding.

``I started weight training when I was about 15 because I was a skinny kid and loved Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger movies,'' he said.

 ``The idea of muscle, fitness and a healthy, disciplined lifestyle appealed to me even from that young age.''

Laos won his first major competition at the Sydney championships in 1999 and had won places in the Mr Australia title several times before his breakthrough this year.

He thanked everyone who had helped him over the past 17 years and said he was still trying to come to terms with the Mr Australia title.

``To win my weight division (under 90kg) against nine other guys and then to win the best of the best in the overall was a goal that I have finally achieved,'' he said.

Laos said he had tears in his eyes at the presentation ceremony.

``But once (2005 Mr Australia) Murray Graham passed over the title and trophy, I was very happy,'' he said. ``It has only started to sink in . . . the congratulatory phone calls, text and emails have definitely helped. I like to live my life by routine, to be disciplined and have self control and that's what bodybuilding can teach you.''

Laos has set the World Championships in Canada next June as his new goal.’

Article can be found here, © Northern District Times