Harris muscles up

Samuel Harris pushes his muscles to the point of fatigue during every workout.

He's stronger than the vast majority of men, but he struggles to lift a toothbrush to his mouth on biceps day and cramps while walking up a flight of steps on legs day.

He's OK with that, and upset if the body part he works still has life once he's finished working it. He believes if he doesn't tear down his muscles with every trip to the gym, he's not getting a good workout.

"I know it kind of sounds barbaric, but it works for me," Harris said.

Each day is another opportunity for the 36-year-old Harris to strengthen another muscle, large or small. He recently won the overall title in the North American Sport Federation National Bodybuilding Championship in Virginia Beach.

Harris is miles away from the flabby man who first decided it was time to shed some weight more than five years ago. At 6-foot-2, Harris was 307 pounds and miserable.

He began dieting. A year later, he was turning heads with his suddenly slender 200-pound frame. Harris decided the next step was putting on some of the pounds he lost--only this time with muscle instead of fat.

He has only missed two workouts in four years since, and both absences were due to the birth of his son, Samuel IV. Harris lifts every weekday and takes the weekends off. When he goes on vacation with his family, he finds the gym before the beach.

In June of 2002, Harris decided to begin preparing for natural bodybuilding competitions. He had immediate success in his first event this past July, when he won the tall division, masters age-group division and eventually the overall title at the Atlantic Coast Eastern Shore Championship in Chincoteague.

Professional bodybuilder Monty Mabry, owner of Fredericksburg's Results Personal Fitness, sat down with Harris and scripted his workout routines and diet plan when Harris first decided to compete.

"I thought he had a lot of potential to do very well, it was just a matter of doing what he needed to do to get there," Mabry said. "He's got really good genetics, and he's very diligent and consistent in his workouts, training regime and food and supplement program."

Mabry said Harris had to work the most on his legs to attain the symmetry the judges want. Harris already had a strong upper body, but the legs needed more development for a balanced look.

"Legs are an especially difficult area to develop for tall people," Mabry said of Harris, who is 4 inches above the average bodybuilder's height.

Harris is now 220 pounds with 3.5-percent body fat. His chest is 54 inches around, and his waist rings in at 29 for competition. The diameter of one of his biceps, 19.5 inches, measures as much as most people's arms combined.

The impressive mass comes from lots of time spent lifting and adhering to a strict diet. A month prior to competition, Harris does weight work 2 hours a day and adds 20-minute sessions on the treadmill. During the offseason, he spends 1 hours lifting daily.

He gives each of the parts of his body an entire week to recover from his intense workouts. Mondays are for the biceps and triceps, Tuesdays for deltoids and trapezoids, Wednesdays for the legs, Thursdays for the chest and Fridays are for the back.

During the week, he fits in work as co-owner of Fredericksburg's Rhythm Dance Academy. He owns the facility with his fiancee, Nicole Faulhaber.

Harris' diet is so low in fat and carbohydrates, he has to swallow 15-30 pills daily to supplement it. He eats every three hours five times a day to keep his metabolism high. Every meal includes protein. Two are simply shakes.

As a natural bodybuilder, Harris uses no illegal supplements, such as steroids, testosterone and insulin. Nonetheless, some people assume he does when he walks into a restaurant or store wearing a tank top.

"The disappointing thing is people say, 'You know he's on steroids.' One of my favorite shirts is one that says, 'No I don't take 'roids, but thanks for asking.'" Harris said. "I can honestly say I've earned everything I've got. It's not synthetic and not enhanced. It's not because I stuck some needle in my arm. This is me."

Harris' next competition is the World Christian Bodybuilding Federation's U.S. Natural World Bodybuilding/Fitness Championship in Norfolk on Nov. 22. There, he will compete for his first world title.