The reason Craig Golias gave up on competitive bodybuilding and started growing to his own rules.
Craig Golias hasn’t competed in a bodybuilding show since 2013. But when he quit competitive bodybuilding he didn’t quit the bodybuilding lifestyle as a whole. He’s now bigger than ever and aiming to grow even more massive going into 2021. In a sport that glorifies mass monsters on the pro stage, why did Golias decide to stop competing? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Craig Golias explains why he quit competitive bodybuilding.
Craig Golias competed in NPC bodybuilding from 2007-2013. After quitting competitive bodybuilding, he has since gone own to grow even bigger and build his own income source without the need of prize money or first place clout. But why did he stop competing if he continues to dedicate his physique to becoming a mass monster?
The answer seems to lie in the specifics of what competitive bodybuilding looks for in judging the “perfect” physique. Craig Golias explains that when he first started competing, he loved it. It gave him even more motivation to improve and build muscle. He placed well too – landing some first and second place victories right off the bat.
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Throwback image of Craig Golias on the competitive bodybuilding stage (above).
But as he was continuing to battle for his pro card, cracks started to show. Specifically, what he was looking for in his own physique differed from what judges awarded first place. Golias reflects on his time competing at the USA Championships in 2009. He didn’t place well and was told by judges he needed to build more size. So that’s exactly what he did.
When he returned to the USA Championships a year later, he still didn’t place well. This time the judges told him he needed to bring in his conditioning. But something happened in between 2009 and 2010. Craig Golias was falling more in love with his massive physique. When he was told he needed to pull in his conditioning – he didn’t want to risk losing size along with it.
This was the moment that he realized that his own personal goals weren’t in step with what judges wanted on the competitive level. He was less interested in perfecting his physique to judges’ standards. Instead, he continued to focus on growing his size. As his size became more inhumanly mammoth, so too did his social media following.
Fast forward to today, and he uses his reputation and size to build a successful personal training business. He admits that he wasn’t making good money outside of competitive bodybuilding until 2018, when he realized that personal training was the perfect avenue for him to bring in income.
In our interview segment, Craig Golias also shares tips on how to find the right trainer. After years of being a personal trainer himself, he knows some of the do’s and don’ts about seeking training help online. From personal experience, he can notice a sham online trainer almost immediately. At a time when the internet allows anyone to try and claim they have the “secret” to training in bodybuilding – Golias’ advice might be just what aspiring bodybuilders need to avoid being taken for a ride.
You can watch Craig Golias explain all of this in detail by watching our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
