http://www.zhongguancunculture.com/tom-venuto-gain-muscle-mass-more-less-fat.htmlTV: What made you decide to start bodybuilding?
KG: I think it was a variety of different reasons. If I were to say if was a result of one specific influence, it would kind of be oversimplifying it. I think it was a combination of a lot of different things and I also think it was an evolutionary process. In the beginning it wasnt bodybuilding competition that motivated me, it was just getting muscles and getting big. And certainly it has evolved for me since then. I think Im still evolving.
TV: And how old were you when you started training?
KG: I was about twelve
TV: What was your first competition?
KG: In the beginning I competed with the ANPPC which is the All Natural Physique and Power Conference, and my first contest was the Mr. Connecticut where I won the teenage overall.
TV: How old were you then?
KG: I was about 14 or 15.
TV: How many times have you competed since then?
KG: The Team Universe was my 25th show and I like to think I am one show away from an IFBB pro card as a natural competitor.
TV: I know youre competing in the NPC now, but youve also won all three pro shows in the WNBF havent you?
KG: Yes. I turned pro with them when I was 19. The first year as a pro I went to the world championships and I came in 9th. I came back five months later in Atlantic City and I won the 1995 Pro Mens US cup. I was 19 years old. I sat out the rest of the year, came back the following year in 1996 and won the Pro US Cup, and then went on to make it a clean sweep by winning the Pro Mr. Universe and the World Championships.
TV: What made you switch from WNBF to the NPC and go after the Team Universe?
KG: I think it was just time to move on. I could say that there were things I didnt like about how the WNBF was run, but you could always find reasons for disappointment with the ways any organization chooses to conduct their business. I think the primary reason I moved on from the WNBF was because it was just high time to do so. Right from the beginning, my aspirations were not to just go that far. I think that everything should be a stepping stone for something bigger and better and if there is something bigger then why not go on after it?
TV: This was your third outing at the Team Universe. In 1997 you took 2nd in the heavyweights behind Robert Washington and in 1998 you took Third behind Skip Lacour and Les Jennings. What did you do differently this year than the last two?
KG: Actually I didn't train as hard (laughs). In fact, I trained the hardest in 1998 and did the worst that year. I was getting up at 5 am and training early then coming back and training a second time and even a third time every day. Two cardios a day, high intensity, crazy workouts. I was more relaxed this year, I just let it flow. I only did 12 minutes of Stairmaster a day this year. I also ate more carbs this year. In the past I've gone zero carbs, this year I kept in some carbs right up until the day of the show
TV: Skip Lacour is considered by many people to be the best drug-free bodybuilder in the world. After placing behind him last year, how did you feel about having to posedown with him again this year?
KG: If you stop and think about going up against a guy like Skip it can be overwhelming, so you just have to concentrate on yourself. I didn't think about it, I just worked on myself.
TV: You were absolutely shredded this year, did you come in lighter than last year?
KG: I was 211 lbs. this year.
TV: What are your usual off season and pre-contest bodyweights and how tall are you?
KG: Im 5 8". I competed with the WNBF at different bodyweights. As a teenager I competed at 212 for my first outing at the World Championships. Five months later I was able to come back at 220 and win the Pro US Cup. The next year I was able to come back considerably heavier. Ultimately the heaviest Ive peaked at is 230-232. Originally in the off season at 17 years old I was weighing close to 260 with a 500 lb. bench and an 800 lb. squat. At 17 I had done 315 behind the neck. I was a very powerful kid naturally.