The big picture the quincy taylor file

FULL NAME: Quincy DeWayne Taylor.

AGE: 32.

BIRTHDATE: July 12, 1969.

BIRTHPLACE: Las Vegas, Nevada.

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Los Angeles, California.

HEIGHT: 6'4".

CONTEST WEIGHT: 280 pounds.

OFFSEASON WEIGHT: 310 pounds. I got up to 340 pounds last year, but I'm not doing that again. That's just too heavy.

MARITAL STATUS: Married to Catrina.

CHILDREN: Jacquin, 12; Alexis, 8; Jahmahl, 8; and Malika, 1.

FIRST BODYBUILDING CONTEST: I did a regional show at Cal State Los Angeles in 1991 just to see what competing onstage was all about. I won that contest and then failed to even place in the top bodybuilding arena because it is such an intense challenge, and I love a good challenge.

RECENT CONTEST HISTORY: Starting down the road to my pro card, I hit a few giant 10 at the 1991 NPC Orange County--my first real bodybuilding contest. I was so depressed that I considered giving it up for good. But I couldn't stay away from the potholes at the 1999 NPC USA Championships in Santa Monica, where I barely cracked the top 10 [he placed eighth in the super-heavyweight class]. My posing was horrible, and I wasn't hard enough. Back then, I had a tendency to self-destruct with my diet during the last week before a contest. I'd be perfect two weeks out and then everything would go south on me just before show time. I then did the '99 North American Championships and moved up to third and looked a lot better because I was able to keep my condition together during that fateful final week. I also did the '99 NPC USA Championships and sank like a dead weight down to eighth place in the super-heavyweight class because I flattened out thanks to hit-or-miss dieting and a whole lot of stress. I finally gave th e NPC Nationals a try in 2000 in New York City, where I made a lot of improvements in my precontest prep and got fourth place. The best thing to happen to me was meeting Hany Rambod, a personal trainer based at Gold's Gym in San Jose, California. He was hanging out in the host hotel lobby with Ronnie Coleman, and those two guys got me through the show looking OK. I hooked up with Hany for 2001, and that's what led to my victory at the 2001 NPC USA Championships. He targeted my weak points --back, shoulders and upper chest--and those improvements made all the difference in the world.

MAJOR WINSICAREER HIGHLIGHT: Winning the 2001 NPC USA Championships is without a doubt the best thing that's ever happened in my bodybuilding career. The turning point in my journey to the pro ranks, though, was taking the overall at Jon Lindsay's NPC Tournament of Champions in 1997. I was ripped at 255 pounds, and I finally did well enough to feel like my hard work toward pursuing a career in bodybuilding was not a complete waste of time. If I hadn't won that show, I was going to quit.

CAREER DISAPPOINTMENT: The '99 NPC USA Championships, where I placed eighth. That show was a humbling experience -- it broke me down to the ground. I wondered where the heck I was going with my professional life, but being patient and persistent has paid dividends. I was able to put adversity into perspective because I grew up in the projects, and if it had not been for bodybuilding, I probably would have ended up in prison.

BODYBUILDER WHOSE PHYSIQUE YOU MOST ADMIRE: Shawn Ray is my personal favorite. Shawn can be a real jerk, but his pairing of structure and symmetry is a thing of beauty. When you compare him to the other top guys, he doesn't look as impressive, but viewed alone, Shawn's physique is a work of art.

BODYBUILDERS WHOSE PERSONALITIES YOU MOST ADMIRE: Ronnie Coleman is very down to earth, and he always tells me the truth -- even if that truth is going to hurt my feelings. He's a good person and fun to be around. Rico McClinton, a very friendly and genuine person, is the L.A. bodybuilder I most admire and respect.

ROLE MODELS: Lee Haney and Mike Christian. I always looked up to Lee Haney as a family man with a sincere personal commitment to charity and caring about people who are less fortunate. My dad left before I was born, so being true and dedicated to children is the most important thing in the world in my set of values. Haney and Christian both used bodybuilding as a vehicle for earning a good living outside of the sport, and that's what I want to do with my career.

TRAITS YOU ADMIRE MOST IN OTHERS:

Loyalty and honesty. I don't need people blowing smoke at me, telling me how great I look--even though they may not really mean what they are saying. Sometimes you need to hear that you have a problem, that you need to work harder. I want to hear the truth. NPC promoter Jon Lindsay's brutal honesty has helped me turn the corner in my career.

TRAITS YOU ADMIRE MOST IN YOURSELF:

I'm a good father and very loyal to my friends and family. I was raised in a hardcore Christian home, and that impulse to always do the right thing is a part of who and what I am.

BEST BODYPART: Legs.

WORST DODYPART: None.

FAVORITE EXERCISES: Squats and leg extensions. I love doing any quad exercise because it is my best bodypart--I get immediate gratification from the growth that kicks in after frying my quads. Would-be experts in the gym used to tell me that I'd never make it as a bodybuilder because I'm too tall and therefore my legs won't get big. I proved those people wrong!

LEAST-FAVORITE EXERCISE: Bent rows are painful when you are as tall as I am--it's a tough angle for my body to adjust to biomechanically. But if you want to be a pro bodybuilder, you have to put up with the pain; bent rows are essential to building mass and thickness.

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Dragon Ball Z on Cartoon Network. I watch it with my kids, and I'm totally hooked.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Belly It stars [rap artist] DMX as a young thug who matures as he gets older and learns the ways of the world.

FAVORITE ACTOR: Denzel Washington.

FAVORITE ACTRESS: Vanessa L. Williams, for reasons that are quite obvious.

FAVORITE WRITER: Steven Barnes, a very cool science fiction writer with the ability to create real characters who I can relate to for their intensity.

FAVORITE MUSIC: Rap and R&B. Jill Scott, a gifted vocalist, and DMX are my favorites.

FAVORITE FOOD: Ice cream.

FAVORITE BINGE-OUT TREATS: Rocky road ice cream and wine.

IDEA OF A PERFECT VACATION: Taking my kids to Walt Disney World.

WHAT YOU WOULD WANT TO BE IF YOU WEREN'T A PRO BODYBUILDER: Owner of my own business. I don't care what type of business it is, as long as it is mine.

LONG-TERM PROFESSIONAL AMBITION: To win the Mr. Olympia contest and to make a positive contribution to the success of the sport.

LONG-TERM PERSONAL AMBITION: To send all my kids to a good college to get a first-rate education.

WHAT YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT BODYBUILDING: The way it makes me feel and the way the fans treat me.

WHAT YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT BODYBUILDING: Some of the bodybuilders who give the sport a bad name.

RELATED ARTICLE: bonus round

The following are short sentence fragments thrown at Quincy Taylor, who responded with the first thought that popped into his mind.

Ronnie Coleman is ... huge, freaky and scary.

Lou Ferrigno is ... a thoughtful person who has always been very nice to me.

Chris Cormier is ... a nice guy who is wild.

Gold's Gym in Venice is ... a great gym, but watch out for the freak show.

Shawn Ray is ... a work of art with a big mouth.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
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