Francois Mike

ATHLETES F - K 2 comments

Francois Mike – Interview

Q. In Germany you are known as a successful bodybuilder. You are known in the United States as a consultant and entrepreneur. How has your life changed since you stopped competing?
Francois Mike : My life has changed a lot. I can enjoy my life a lot more now than before. I loved what I did when I competed. I gave everything I had However, when I did that, I had little time for other things. I still train and love to train hard, but now my training is all about keeping myself in shape and keeping my fat percentage low.
Q. Please describe what your responsibilities as a consultant are?
Francois Mike: I have a training and consulting company. I train a lot of people, from kids to professional athletes, women as well as men. Also, my wife and I promote them Mike Francois Classics, a national qualifying amateur bodybuilding and fitness competition in Columbus, Ohio.
Q. How often do you exercise?
Francois Mike : As I said before, I still train intensely but it's for a different purpose than before. I have a specific weight room in my house so I can work out early in the morning around 4:30 a.m. I train with weights four times a week and do some cardio every day. I like to go over the top, and I do a lot of plyometrics during the rest of the workout.

Q. What would you recommend to your clients when they want to start bodybuilding?
Francois Mike: The first thing I say to budding competitors is that they need to be committed and consistent in their training. The training and nutrition advice that I give you are very individual. It always depends on where the person is in their development. General advice for anyone wanting to start bodybuilding is to concentrate on the basic bodybuilding exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench presses). No matter how important you take the whole thing, you should always make sure to consume high quality calories.

Q. How do you find the changes in the bodybuilding scene? What would you change
Francois Mike : I don't really watch the bodybuilding scene. I hear some things here and there from my clients and friends who are more involved. I like to train people who compete, but I don't like to deal with those things that happen outside of the competition. What I hear is that there isn't as much camaraderie as it should be.
There seems to be only one particular trailer and the right environment for it. I always had good relationships with the other competitors and in some ways helped some of the guys I was up against (e.g. Nasser, Flex, Porter and many more)

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Q. Do you think so Ronnie will win the Mr. Olympia title this year?
Francois Mike :I didn't follow it hard enough to be able to give a decent opinion. Ronnie has proven that he is a great bodybuilder and when he is in a good mood he will be difficult to beat.

F. Vince Taylor and Francis Benafatto made their comeback successfully. Do you want to go back on stage too?
Francois Mike : I think what these guys did is great. Anyway, I really don't feel like doing it again. I have two children, Beau and Elijah, and they take up all of my free time. If I went back to the competitions, I wouldn't be able to participate in their life the way I always wanted to.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you.

Francois Mike - Competitions

1997
* 1997 Mr. Olympia - 11th place
* 1997 San Jose Pro Invitational — 3 Platz
* 1997 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic - 3rd place

1996
* 1996 Mr. Olympia - 11th place

1995
* 1995 Mr. Olympia - 7 place
* 1995 San Jose Pro Invitational — 1 Platz
* 1995 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic- 1 place

1994
* 1994 Night of Champions — 1 Platz
* 1994 Chicago Pro Invitational — 1 Platz

1993
* 1993 Nationals — 1 Platz Heavyweight and overall
* 1993 USA Championships — 3 Platz Heavyweight

1991
* 1991 Musclemania (Amateur) Heavyweight & Overalls Champion

1990
* 1990 Mr. Ohio (Amateur) Heavyweight & Overall Champion