1993 – John Major was Prime Minister, Manchester United won the league title for the first time in 26 years and Mr. Blobby was riding high in the charts.
In the bodybuilding world Dorian Yates claimed his second Mr. Olympia title and a guy from Manchester called John Hodgson won a first timers’ class at a local show in Pudsey, West Yorkshire.
John’s victory may have passed you by, or you might not be old enough to remember it. It wasn’t exactly big news at the time but it was to prove to be the start of one of British bodybuilding’s most colourful careers.
John, 42, can still remember everything about the show, from the number on his trunks to the banter backstage. Later that year he won the intermediates under-80 kg British Championships; two years on he became British middleweight champion and in 1999 he turned pro after winning the middleweight title a second time.
A fortnight later he stood alongside Ronnie Coleman, Flex Wheeler and Kevin Levrone at the British Grand Prix and finished a creditable 11th.
Over the next twelve years he competed at just about every big pro event going: New York, Australia, Canada, Spain and Holland. He was never the biggest guy but he was often the most detailed, for which he earned the nickname “Mr Condition”.
He loved Vegas and the Olympia and for many years he dreamed of going there to be part of the show rather than just to watch it.
By the time he turned 40 it still hadn’t happened but the introduction of the 202 pound class breathed new life into his career and he finally earned the opportunity to take part in the biggest show of all in 2009 courtesy of his second place finish in the 202 pound class at the Tampa Pro. He went on to place 10th at the Olympia 202.
People loved the way he gave everything, despite being just 5’ 4” tall, and took it to the bigger guys. He forged a reputation for being one of the most knowledgeable and straight-talking guys in the sport as well as for his unparalleled ability to consistently nail his condition. There was more chance of seeing Ronnie Coleman come second than John Hodgson fat on stage.
Offstage, for many years he was the face of CNP Professional, the sports nutrition company owned by fellow Mancunian Kerry Kayes.
This year John announced his retirement shortly after the pro show where it all began – the British Grand Prix. Although he was aged 42 and one of the oldest guys in the line-up, it was perhaps his best performance ever: he was his typically shredded self but looked bigger and fuller than usual.
His second place behind James “Flex” Lewis earned him a second crack at the Olympia but by now John had had enough. All those years of giving it 100 per cent had sometimes had a detrimental effect on his personal life and he was determined it wouldn’t happen again.
He is now engaged to Sarah, has a nine-year-old daughter named Chloe and has plans to do other things. Fortunately he won’t be lost to the sport: he still co-owns Evolution gym in Rochdale and he is also producing his own line of supplements with the nifty name HIT Nutrition.
HIT is short for “high intensity training”, which John has always followed. “But it also stands for honesty, integrity and truth, which is what I’m known for,” he adds. He is also doing one-to-one personal training so he is putting the knowledge he has acquired over the past 20 years to good use. Here he shares a little bit of that knowledge in typically forthright style as he looks back across his career.
JOHN HODGSON ON…
The greatest bodybuilder of his time
Nothing and nobody had as much impact on me as seeing Dorian in the flesh. Not even Ronnie Coleman. Ronnie may have been bigger but Dorian’s sheer density and condition were unparalleled. It was just jaw-dropping. I went to a seminar to see him and Kerry Kayes in 1992 one week before he won the Olympia in Helsinki. I didn’t know either of them at the time and a few years later they were both good friends of mine.
His favourite era
The golden era was definitely the 1990s – from Lee Haney’s last Olympia win through Dorian’s reign and the first two years of Ronnie Coleman’s era. The quality of physiques, size and conditioning were the best they’ve ever been. You had people like Dorian, Ronnie, Shawn Ray, Nasser El Sonbaty, Flex Wheeler, Rich Gaspari, Chris Cormier and Kevin Levrone. Lee Labrada was my hero. The depth of talent was greater and the quality of physiques was greater. I think they have gone backwards since.
The state of bodybuilding today
The size game has taken over and dragged the sport back. You no longer see that dryness and detail. People say you have to go to death’s door for that but you don’t. I certainly didn’t and I was known for getting in condition. The judges have to take a stand and mark down people who are not in condition. The criteria are already there: it’s about muscle size with shape and condition. If all things are equal then the bigger guy should win but an out-of-shape big guy should not beat a smaller guy who is in condition.
Today’s bodybuilders
Phil Heath is the only guy out there who has the size and shape to compare with the guys in the 1990s. He’s got the “wow” factor. Kai Greene has the freak factor when he’s in shape but he’s been coming in too heavy. Jay Cutler’s big but there’s something not quite there for me.
The best training system
I have always trained high intensity, like Dorian Yates. I don’t believe in this high rep nonsense. You don’t build muscle with more than 20 repetitions. You do it by stimulating fast twitch fibres. We are like sprinters. I never go above 12 to 15 in a proper working set.
The rise of gurus
It’s the age of the guru and most of them are trying to reinvent things. Kerry Kayes always said “don’t reinvent the wheel” and he’s right. Stick to basic exercises, eat quality food and how can it not come together? There are too many people trying to sound clever.
The growth of bodybuilding forums
The biggest problem with the internet is there are a lot of faceless entities spouting off and often they are some kind of fat dickhead who hasn’t got a clue. A lot of people asking for advice are actually seeking consolidation of what they think is right and if you don’t give them it they get annoyed. They don’t train hard enough or eat consistently but they don’t like to hear that.
The most common mistakes
Overcomplicating things is easily the main one. All of this dieting on high protein, high fat and low carbohydrates doesn’t make sense to me. People are scared of doing cardio. They don’t seem to have the same work ethic these days. You don’t train to enjoy it – you train to push your boundaries. You have to take a muscle to a place where it hasn’t been before and keep doing that over a period of time.
The UK scene
There was more depth when I started. Zack Khan has a lot of potential if he comes back from injury. So has Alvin Small. Flex Lewis is quality. After that, Haroldas Dambrauskas has potential but I don’t see many people out there who will have a massive impact on the pro ranks.
Making a comeback
There will definitely not be a comeback. You can be sure of that. I turned my back on the Olympia this year and when someone like me does that you know it’s game over. All this contest preparation now has to stop: I’m looking at the bigger picture and what better time to go than with everybody saying my last show was my best performance?
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