Josh Halladay is not the typical bodybuilder. Unlike many other young competitors bodybuilding is not his main career. He likes to call it his “second full time job”.
Not only is Halladay holding down a full time position at a medical supply company and the CEO title of his own company, TheWor(C)k, he still manages to find the time to casually win NPC titles. But with all this on his plate can he still stay hungry enough to achieve his goal of reaching Pro Status this year?
“People always ask how I am able to adhere to this demanding lifestyle when I have a full time office job, am running a company and am also fulfilling obligations as a Universal Nutrition Athlete.” Reflecting his busy lifestyle his answer is always the same, “I don’t have time, I make time.”
Halladay, who most recently took 1st at the Philadelphia Championships almost a year ago says he is bringing a whole new package to the stage this year as he prepares to take his prep to the next level in his upcoming competition.
“Finding that balance and then challenging myself to make certain sacrifices is just what I knew was going to be essential for me this time around when it came to my prep but so far I think I have stepped up to the challenge because that’s what you do when you truly want something for yourself,” he said.
Currently prepping for Jr. Nationals, Halladay hopes to take the results of that competition and follow up with his prep to Nationals where he will battle for his IFBB Pro Card.
“My biggest focal point is definitely my legs,” he said. “My hamstring has a track record of tearing a few times and so it is always a concern. In this industry, an injury is no joke,” he said. “If you mess yourself up because you choose to disregard the concept of rest & recovery the joke is actually on you. It will take you out of the sport for life & I’m not ever going to go out like that.”
In addition, Halladay plans on coming in more conditioned and bringing up his back from when the judges saw it last.
In the passed the speculations were that “Josh Halladay is all upper body”. After his last show & with this current prep there is no way Halladay will leave any room for those comments to ever be accurate again.
“The key is finding what works for you as an individual,” he says of his prep.
“The main difference in this year is I’ve started working out for ‘feel’ rather than coming in with a set lifting schedule.” This helps him to focus more on his mind muscle connection rather instead of just hitting heavy weights with fixed workout schedules.
His prep coach, Mitch Williams, says that this kind of lifting has really helped with Halladay’s muscle maturity over the past year. But his coach isn’t the only one pushing him beyond his limits and helping him improve.
“This is the first time I’ve had a training partner everyday of my prep. It has played a huge factor in my changes and has been really helpful as I kick it into full gear with this prep,” he said of his training partner Nick. “Those extra 3 reps that he pushes me to do or the fact that he isn’t my cheerleader but instead is there to make sure I am putting in the extra work has made a huge difference over this 15 week period.”
Being born and raised in Pennsylvania (and mostly staying within the Tri-State area), Halladay is excited about the opportunity to head out to a completely different state and make it known what he is coming for.
“They may not know who I am when I get there but by the time I leave they will not be able to forget. I don’t care about my competition, I am focused on me and I want that to reflect on my physique when I hit the stage,” he said.
Most bodybuilders seek out the competition and know who they are ‘going for’ when they head out to compete at a big show. But when asked about who he sees as his main competition, Halladay gave a little bit of a different answer, “My main competition is myself. I know there’s going to be a lot of other athletes that are going to bring their A-game but I just trying to beat my own personal best.”
Like his last competition he will be competing in the Heavyweight class, however he wants to come in and step on stage this year at a “ more conditioned 220 pounds”.
The very humble Halladay expressed his gratitude for his sponsorship and supportive team, “being sponsored by Universal Nutrition has been a dream come true for me. The changes in my body couldn’t have happened without my supplements and the support of my team. They’ve become a second family to me and I plan to bring this one home for the team.”
For many competitors June 15th will be a stone towards a Pro Card and a very big day but will it be a “Halladay”?
Make sure to find out & follow up on FlexMagazine.com for NPC Jr. Nationals 2012 Contest Coverage and results.
