I never thought I could win Mr. Olympia when I started my career in 2002.

It's not that I don't want big triceps, but the truth is, I've never had much difficulty adding mass to them.

Constant tension should be applied to the last five reps of every working set, meaning, do the first 5-6 reps normal tempo, and the last few reps should be held for at least two seconds at the peak of the contraction. This allows your muscles to have more time under tension, and you work different muscle fibers.

Most people don't do front squats because they're uncomfortable, and there are easier alternatives, but to really add size to the quads, they're a must.

I went from 185 lbs to 285 lbs, became a 7X Mr. Olympia, tying Arnold Schwarzenegger, and competed against the most determined and fittest athletes in the world. This took hard work, tremendous dedication, and knowing what, how, and when to train.

Everybody that wants to work out wants to feel good and look better, but I think one of the biggest problems people have is they don't want to work out with a personal trainer, someone like myself, or even a couple of buddies, because they think, 'Gosh, if I work out too hard, I'm not going to be able to get up the next day!'

This sport has given me so much. It has taught me to be strong emotionally and physically.

I grew up as an only child, so I like being by myself. So I train predominantly - 98 percent of the time - by myself.

Dropsets overload the muscle with shorter rest periods and increasing volume, which you need to grow.

You win the Mr. Olympia, you are the best in the world. There is no better than that. Some people will think back prior to the 1950s, where Mr. Universe was the top guy. They say, 'Are you Mr. Universe?' 'No, I'm Mr. Olympia, which is the best of all.'

My goal every year is to be bigger and better than I was the year before. The competition just keeps getting better, and the pressure just gets hotter. Nothing gets easier.

As Mr. Olympia, I have to go above and beyond. It's more than just showing muscle.

Every so often, I'll look at myself in the mirror and go, 'You're a bad mother,' you know? Like, 'You're a bad dude, man, and you're gonna show the world who you are when the time is right.'

To keep winning, I have to constantly outdo myself.

I want people to realize bodybuilders are athletes. We have a very meticulous philosophy on how we are able to gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously.

If you've noticed that dumbbells work better than barbells for you on the bench press, then why change that?

Prior to stepping on stage, I prefer to continue being myself, whether that is making jokes with others, talking about other non-bodybuilding topics, or just sitting around listening to music.

There are days when I don't count sets at all, but then there are some days when I have to realize that I don't want to overwork because I still have an hour of cardio ahead of me or another training session later that day.

For me, I've always tried to be a stand-up individual.

I've actually read that isolation is the enemy, so why do that to myself?

I believe you need to take enough rest to lift heavy weights, but if it takes you 5-10 minutes to rest and get psyched up for a big lift, I don't know if that's going to be good.

I believe that if you're able to eat as much as a bodybuilder is supposed to, you're probably not going to overtrain.

I received a lot of criticism early in my career, but people didn't realize that I'd only been training for three years when I turned pro.

I've done, on video, 150-pound dumbbells in each hand -I think it was, like, twenty two reps - on an incline.

When I started out in the industry, I turned to magazines like 'Flex' and 'Muscle & Fitness' - the people on their covers were my inspiration.

When I decided to become a bodybuilder, I actually marked down a date. It was Oct. 8, 2002. The rest is pretty much history. It was an amazing feeling to know that I had the potential to become a champion.

It can be 10 people or thousands of people: I want them to see something special. I want them to say, 'I saw the best in the world at something,' and maybe that will inspire them to go do something in their life with the same vigor.

All the normal lifts that bodybuilders do, we didn't do them in basketball.

Front squats have really helped my quad development, especially when I was preparing for the Ironman.

I train as smart as I can. I'm not concerned what others think. I do what works for me.

There were actually a couple of times I fell asleep at the gym on accident after a workout, but it was still late enough, so I went home and caught some sleep.

I definitely stay on top of my Vitamin C.

I began bodybuilding shortly after I watched a couple friends compete at a state show and thought it would be cool to try.

I would probably lose my mind if I wasn't busy. There's only so many video games I can play.

When you see me at the show, I'm smiling because I want you to know I can do this all day.

I despised basketball for a long time.

Since I first signed with AMI's Weider Publications in 2005, everything has turned to gold.

Cup stacking on an ESPN highlight? That's pretty messed up.

Whatever I put into my body, I want it to be the best.

The body is dynamic. You can eat something and get bloated in minutes.

Some ladies like muscle.

We have a great tradition of bodybuilding in the United States.

Models are interested in me, mostly because of my 'bad boy of poker' image.

I guess if there weren't luck involved, I'd win 'em all.

Some people know me as the bad boy of professional poker and call me The Poker Brat. Sometimes I deserve that nickname, but not always.

There's more luck in poker. Getting good at golf requires a certain amount of physical aptitude. Both take a lot of patience. Both require knowing when to gamble - either with a big bluff or a high-risk shot. Both can be infuriating.

The benefit of fast play is that you'll get players to commit their chips with relatively weak hands since it will be hard for them to believe that you have a strong hand every single time. The downside is that your opponents will raise weak when you have nothing at all, forcing you to fold.

There are times when success doesn't make sense on a purely mathematical basis. I've played absolutely perfectly before, put in a masterful performance, and then my perfect play evaporated because one guy lost his mind and got lucky. Of course, I've also won that way.

Trust me when I tell you that Andy Roddick has the game to win a major poker tournament. I've played Hold 'em with him several times and he consistently demonstrates the kind of playing style and competitive drive that gives him a legitimate chance to win.

Look, I never enjoy risking my tournament life with a marginal hand, but if you want to be a poker champion, that's exactly what needs to be done. Just don't do it too often!