I
HAD THE CHANCE TO
talk to Dean and find out
how he is forging his way
to becoming a hall of fame
member- just like the body-
builders he has looked up to
for so many years.
Dean, as a small boy, did you
come from a sporting family?
When I was a small boy I used to
play football for my home town,
Frome Town, until I was 13.
Who was your first inspiring
influence and why?
My dad was my first idol. He was
the biggest person I had ever seen,
apart from bodybuilders in the
magazines, and he was the reason I
started lifting. I used to go to the
gym with him occasionally, but
couldn’t lift much as I was so young.
On my 14th birthday we took a
holiday to Malta, where he told me
that he had bought a gym so I could
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FLEX | MARCH 2018
train after school every day. It felt
as if all my birthdays had come at
once!
When did you pick up your first
copy of FLEX mag?
It was around the time I started
lifting, so I would have been
13 or 14 years old. I can remember
seeing Dorian, Flex Wheeler, Jay and
Ronnie in the mag, and mentioning
to James, my cousin and training
partner, how they must not be
real. We were so in awe of their
phenomenal physiques, that we
assumed they were all airbrushed.
We would then religiously follow the
workouts that were in each issue,
hoping one day we’d be the same
size as them.
How long did it take for you to
achieve your physique?
I have now been training for
10 years in total, really pushing
it as much as possible in every
session.
What do you believe is the best
advice you could give a new-
comer to the sport?
I would say to take things slowly and
listen to your body. It only takes one
small slip up, and this could affect
your training forever. When you get
small injuries, you must work around
them, so don’t ego lift and think it will
be ok.
What is the best advice you’ve
ever received from someone
else?
I’ve trained with two people,
Dave and Eamon (both Mr. Britain
champions from around 1993) for
the past couple of years. They’ve
shown me how get through the
hardest of workouts. These guys
are hardcore when it comes to
bodybuilding. They have helped
me out a lot during most of my
competitions. When I’ve felt drained
from low carbs, they’ve showed
no pity and totally kicked my ass
in the gym.