1987 Teen Nationals class winner Chris Cormier trains 2012–14 overall champ Cody Montgomery.
For most of its history, the Teen Nationals was a fertile proving ground—the place to spot genetic potential and an aptitude for heavy metal and high protein. Eight-time Mr. O Lee Haney won it before the formation of the NPC in 1982, and Shawn Ray, Chris Cormier, Jay Cutler, and Branch Warren were among the class or overall champs from 1985-94. Then came…nothing. The nine years from 1995-2003 have yet to produce a single pro. Since then, however, the Teen Nats has regained its previous status. Eight competitors over the 10-year span of 2004-13 have already qualified for pro. We spoke to 10 former Teen Nationals competitors— five who won the overall and five who didn’t, but all of whom eventually earned IFBB Pro League status—to get their best advice for the next generation.
CODY MONTGOMERY: CULTIVATE A SUPPORT SYSTEM
“Bodybuilding is, of course, a really individualistic sport, but to succeed you need supportive people in your life. To tell you the truth, at first my parents thought bodybuilding was really weird. They didn’t tell me not to do it, but they probably would’ve been happier if I’d done something else. But they’ve always been supportive of me, and when they saw the success I had at 15 or 16, they came around. And there have been some people in bodybuilding who’ve been in my corner, including Chris Cormier. You need a support system to reach your full potential. If people are negative about what you’re doing, those are probably people you don’t need in your life. Surround yourself with positive people and learn from those who’ve come before you.”
At 17, 18, and 19, Cody Montgomery won the Teen Nationals overall three straight years in 2012–14, the first as a light-heavy and the last two as a heavyweight. Eleven days before his 21st birthday, he won the 2015 USA Championships, and he made his pro debut at 21 last year.
CHRIS CORMIER: LEARN FROM YOUR ELDERS
“Learn as much as you can from the guys who went before you. Pick people you want to emulate your physique and career after. That’s what I did. I learned it at the University of Gold’s Gym Venice from Gary Strydom, Robby Robinson, and Mike Christian. Also, once you get a quality physique, don’t sit there and wait for things to come to you. Go after it. Go get publicity, whether on the Internet or in person. Come to Los Angeles. Post progress photos on Instagram. Ask the champs for advice. Get your face and your name out there. Don’t be shy.”
After winning the light-heavy class in the 1987 Teen Nationals, Chris Cormier went on to have an iconic IFBB Pro League career. He won 11 pro titles and finished third in the Mr. Olympia twice (1999, 2002).
Kevin Horton / Per Bernal
Former teen champ Steve Kuclo leg presses heavy metal at 21.
STEVE KUCLO: DO BASIC TRAINING
“Master the basics. When you’re a beginner and for your first few years, what you need is muscle size, and the best exercises for that are the basics—deadlifts, bench presses, squats, military presses, and barbell rows. Learn how to do those correctly and gradually get stronger in them, and you’ll grow. There’s no reason to get too fancy. Focus mostly on free-weight, basic lifts and performing them with correct form. If you do that, it’ll serve you well for many years.”
Though he won the Teen Nationals heavyweight divisions in 2004 and 2005, Steve Kuclo lost the overalls to fellow future pros both years. So far, he’s won three IFBB Pro League contests.
JOSE RAYMOND: DEVELOP GOOD HABITS
“I don’t think there’s a special way to train and diet when you’re a teenager. There are just right ways to do things and wrong ways, so as a beginner and throughout your first few years, however old you are, you want to learn how to do exercises right. You want to figure out which exercises work best for your body and all the little tweaks that target your muscles best. Develop good habits. Don’t skip workouts and don’t skip meals or skimp on your meals. Learn all you can about nutrition, as well as training. If you learn these habits when you’re young, they’ll carry you throughout your life.”
When he was second in the four-person lightweight class of the 1994 Teen Nationals, no one could’ve predicted the legendary career of Jose Raymond. He’s won nine pro shows and been near the top of the 202 or 212 Olympia the past eight years, including a second-place finish in 2015.
Chris Lund
SHAWN RAY: BE CONSISTENT
“Above all else, consistency is where you make your gains. There were plenty of guys who started competing when I did who had a lot of potential, but one by one they fell off. Either they didn’t have a love for the sport or they got caught up with other things. They’d get a girlfriend, and you wouldn’t see them in the gym for four months. I was always the consistent one. Do or die, I always got to the gym. The one secret is that there is no secret. It’s hard work, eating right, genetics, avoiding injuries; it’s all those boring things. Don’t look for some secret supplement or drug or magic routine. Just keep eating right and training right. Be consistent and don’t get discouraged, because it just takes time.”
When light-heavy Shawn Ray won the 1985 Teen Nationals, Bob Cicherillo was the second-place heavyweight. Proving consistency eventually pays off, it was 16 years later when he made his pro debut, and he earned his only pro win in his final pro show, at 40.
NICK MEDICI: KEEP A LEVEL HEAD
“Don’t judge yourself against guys who are pros and 10 years older than you are. As a teenager bodybuilder, there are limits to how big you’re going to be. Use the photos of the pros for inspiration and learn all you can from them about how to train and diet. I look up to a guy like Flex Lewis because he’s been where I am. He was a teen champ, and he kept a level head and never tried to be someone he wasn’t. If you feel as if you’re not growing fast enough, don’t compare yourself with some pro. Look at photos of yourself from a year before or two or three years before. Then you’ll see the progress you’ve made, and you’ll know this is sometimes a slow, long process, but the gains will come if you do the work.”
As a light-heavyweight, Nick Medici won the 2010 Teen Nationals. In 2015, when he won the Nationals light-heavy class, he became the ninth overall NPC Teen Nats champ to earn pro status and the third in a four-month span, after Cody Montgomery and Gerald Williams.
Kevin Horton
Twelve years before competing in the Olympia, Williams curls.
GERALD WILLIAMS: EAT QUALITY FOOD
“I dieted [for the 2005 Teen Nationals] during finals [at Morehouse College]. Studying hard, training, and doing cardio, all that stuff was definitely difficult. I was taking 19 credit hours per semester [15 is average] and playing in the school jazz band on top of that. Nutrition was the biggest challenge of all. Dorm food sucks for bodybuilding. It’s all burgers and pizza and stuff. I bought all my own food, which is a really big expense, but I had to do it. I helped other students eat as clean as they could in the cafeterias, but it’s never ideal. Living on campus is not healthy. You have to really work to keep up a bodybuilding lifestyle.”
The 2005 Teen Nationals light-heavyweight and overall winner, Gerald Williams, won the California Pro in May. This month, he becomes the eighth Teen Nats competitor to ex in the Mr. Olympia.
Courtesy of Jay Cutler / Weider Health & Fitness
JAY CUTLER: TAKE TIME TO GROW
“Don’t be in a hurry. Kids want everything right now, but it takes years in the gym to build quality muscle. The other thing I would say to a teenage competitor is that moving up to open shows is a big step. Suddenly, you’ll be standing next to 30-year-olds who’ve been training and dieting for 15 years. Pick your next move carefully. I didn’t compete again until I was 22, and then, though I was living in Massachusetts, I competed in California [winning the prestigious Tournament of Champions], because I knew that’s where I could get noticed and build a name for myself. It worked. The next year, I won the heavyweight class of the NPC Nationals and a pro card.”
When he was just an unknown 216-pound kid with potential, Jay Cutler won the heavyweight class of the 1993 Teen Nationals. How did he fulfill that potential? He earned 15 pro titles, including four Mr. Olympias (2006–07, 2009–10).
Per Bernal / Courtesy of Weider Health & Fitness
BRANCH WARREN: HAVE PASSION
“Stay consistent. Train smart. Warm up, stretch and use proper form, because nothing will stop your gains faster than an injury. Overall, you need to train for the right reasons. Do it because you love it. If you’re doing it because you think you’re going to get rich and famous, you’ll never get anywhere. You have to have a passion for bodybuilding.”
At 18, Branch Warren won the light-heavyweight and overall 1993 Teen Nationals, in the process defeating 19-year-old heavyweight Jay Cutler. Warren, who has won nine pro shows, was second to Cutler in the 2009 Mr. Olympia.
Chris Lund
Just after his teenage win, Huh poses for Richard Jones.
JASON HUH: EAT MORE TO GROW MORE
“I feel as though a lot of young guys just don’t eat enough. When you’re a teenager, your metabolism is ramped up. You can pack away a lot of calories without gaining a pound. That’s one of the advantages of youth, but it can be a disadvantage to a young bodybuilder who wants to grow. I ate eight meals a day, including [protein] shakes, every day. I consumed around 4,000 calories a day in the off-season when I weighed 250, and I kept my carbs in the 400 [grams] to 450 range. You need all those extra nutrients to grow.”
In 2004, Jason Huh beat Gerald Williams in the light-heavy class and heavyweight Steve Kuclo for the overall Teen Nationals title. Since winning the 2010 USA Championships, Huh has competed in four pro shows.
Bill ComstockBill Comstock
NPC TEEN NATIONAL COMPETITORS WHO WENT PRO
As of November 2017
Frank Santoriello| YEAR: 1984 | HIGHEST PLACING: Overall Winner
Bob Cicherillo | YEAR: 1985 | HIGHEST PLACING: 2nd, Heavyweight
