At the 2007 Mr. Olympia Olympia, Mark Dugdale was a forgotten man. Competing in his first Olympia, Dugdale finished in the dreaded 15th place  or, in other words, tied for last – along with eight others. The runner-up to Toney Freeman at the Ironman Pro in the first contest of that year, Dugdale couldnÂt help but be frustrated. ÂI donÂt have anyone to blame but myself, Dugdale says. ÂIf I come into a show and I feel like IÂm at a personal best and get dead last, IÂm not really that disappointed, knowing I did everything I could. But I wasnÂt at my best at the Olympia.Â
With his own admission that he was down in weight, flat, didnÂt carb up correctly and may have looked his worst since he turned pro, Dugdale resolved to take some time for improvement and growth. He had always planned his own training and nutrition, but the light-heavyweight and overall champ at the 2004 USA felt it was time for outside input. ÂI decided I want to work with somebody that hopefully knows more than I do or at least has a different set of eyes and a different way of looking at things, Dugdale says. ÂI ended up getting hooked up with Joe McNeil, and so far everything has been great.Â
Another task taking up the busy manÂs time after the Olympia was putting the finishing touches on his DVD A Week in the Dungeon, now available at www.markdugdale.com. The fast-paced DVD presents a hardcore view of MarkÂs week spent training at famed Temple Gym under the supervision of six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates.
With a year spent analyzing his physique and tinkering with his training under the tutelage of two respected mentors, Dugdale plans to unveil the updated version at the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships on August 9, followed by the Europa Super Show on August 16.
Look for an interview with Mark Dugdale concerning his back training in an upcoming issue of FLEX.
