MICHAEL O`HEARN – INTERVIEW

Interview with Michael O`Hearn. In this interview, the American Gladiator reports on his path to becoming one of the most famous bodybuilders in Hollywood.

Question: You have been your high school an excellent multi-discipline athlete been. You did bodybuilding and powerlifting. In other Sports like American football, wrestling and martial arts are you good as well. Did it make your first appearance on "American Gladiators" made easier?

Michael O’Hearn: Well, it was certainly easier than taking on a pure acting role, since with my appearance of 1.90 meters and 113 kilos I embody a character like Thor anyway. When shows like „American Gladiators“ oder „Battledome“ When I first watched Gladiators in high school and college, I thought: These guys are real superheroes. For me they embodied the height of a healthy life and were somehow unearthly. I learned a lot from the actors on the first shows. And what I've learned from them, I can prove in the current shows. Just being able to fight with “Nitro”, “Hawk” and all the others and learning how to use the microphone - they were great performers.

Question: The show was eventually expired, but you stuck with entertainment television. Two years later "Battledome" came out, of which two seasons were produced. And later you adorned the book covers of romance novels, went to the film gone and much more.

Michael O’Hearn: Yeah, we've had two good seasons with Battledome. It was fun too done, but the show just couldn't prevail. It was nice, that I was allowed to participate from the start. I was on the pilot show and then I got signed for the whole show. she was much more brutal than "American Gladiators".

Question: One of yours Advantages over your teammates and challengers has always been your strength. I've already written about your reputation as a power lifter, that you had acquired. Last year you did powerlifting again recorded, right?

Michael O’Hearn: Yes that's true. I moved up to the weight class up to 125 kilograms and pressed 150 pounds on the bench - without a bench press shirt. For squats Without a belt, I lifted 370 pounds and deadlifted 345 pounds.

Question: I have myself always asked to what extent such a bench press shirt would be beneficial can. Obviously, it's more than a little help.

Michael O’Hearn: Oh ja! Ein Shirt kann beim Bankdrücken 90 bis 130 Kilo ausmachen, vielleicht sogar mehr. Du solltest mal einen Artikel darüber schreiben. Wenn man solch ein Shirt übergezogen hat, kann man die Arme nicht mehr frei bewegen. Man muss also 450 Kilo oder mehr heben, so dass die Arme sich gezwungenermaßen beugen, um das Gewicht abwärtsbewegen zu können. Ich möchte nicht respektlos erscheinen, aber wenn du nicht gerade ein so, starker Bodybuilder bist, dass du mit einem Posingslip trainieren kannst, dann kannst du das Gewicht nicht bewältigen.

Question: Where can I get me such a shirt? I've already benched me 150 pounds pressed. By the way: I have to wear a shirt like this because I'm guaranteed do not train in the studio in posing panties. Have you done that before?



Michael O’Hearn: No, but I've only trained in shorts before - without a shirt [laughs]. At I don't wear a sports suit, belt, or knee brace for squats. Also I don't wear a gym suit or belt when I deadlift. I don't use a belt because it will just stunt my back. Why should I use a belt in everything I do when I am Competition anyway? He's not helping me anyway! I am of it convinced, and I've never hurt myself before. Nowadays I am too stronger than ever.

Question: You have yourself never seriously injured in your athletic career?

Michael O’Hearn: No. There is something called blunt trauma. If you do something over and over again, you will build up a lot of strength especially for it. Did you see these shows on Discovery Channel? One episode showed someone who kept smashing things with his fist. As a result, he eventually developed even more strength in his fist. Someone else would break their hand doing it. I never use light weights. Every workout, I use heavy weights five days a week. I exercise one part of the body every day and really freak out. I train that way all year round. My training method is good for me and for what I'm doing. If someone is bodybuilding or interested in general fitness, I tell them, "You don't need to work out as hard as I do, make it a little easier". I admit it: my obsession with the gym leads to overtraining. I know that at some point I should stop. But I am passionate about weight training, so I just can't help myself. I have won the “Natural Universe” four times and broken records in powerlifting. I won the West Coast Strongman competition. Several disciplines were on the program: The farmers walk, pulling a truck, lifting atlas stones and tree trunks, tearing and pushing, bench press, squat, deadlift - all these extreme things.

Question: It is not a Secret that makes you wonder if you can really do all of this without doping drugs manage. Does it disturb you?

Michael O’Hearn: No - i love it! When asked if I've taken anabolic steroids I answer: “Thank you very much. I consider this question a real compliment. " I'm trying to prove that you can do all of these things without doping drugs can. What would I have achieved if I took anabolic steroids?

Question: When you say you'd overtrain yourself - how many sentences do you want to talk about then?

Michael O’Hearn: You know Joe DeAngelis. You've already written articles about him, haven't you true? Well, Joe said something to me once because I really mean a lot. He said, he has never met anyone who is so strong all year round is like me When we both train together, we don't count the sentences. We keep each other going. I have five training partners, each for another part of the body. Neither of them has the time to meet me going to the studio all week. I train to take the other down until he can no longer. I enjoy it, it's like a fight!

Question: Yes, at "American Gladiators" I can see the joy in your eyes. Especially when, as a master lance duel, you often only hit your opponent with one blow - knock down.

Michael O’Hearn: You're a good observer. Yeah, I like defeating someone. No matter in which competition.

Question: Michael 0’Hearn has nine older siblings, all of whom are either bodybuilding, powerlifting, Practice wrestling or martial arts. What inspires this will to win in you? Have you been like that as a child?

Michael O’Hearn: I grew up with nine siblings (I'm the youngest) and they all have Bodybuilding, powerlifting, wrestling and martial arts. A sister of mine won the Emerald Cup, another the “Washington Powerlifting Championships“. Und zwei meiner Brüden haben im Bodybuilding den Mr. Washington gewonnen. Nicht nur meine älteren Brüder haben mir always kicked in the back, but also my older sisters! I would know already as a child how to train.

Question: That sounds almost like watching the first season of "Survivor" with the O'Hearns Home should have turned.

Michael O’Hearn: Clear. If you wanted to eat you had to take one fork and the other to stab it [laughs]. So I was born to be a fighter - at least in the sporting field.


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MICHAEL O´HEARN BIOGRAPHIE > >


Question: But you couldn't read or write as a child.

Michael O’Hearn: Correct. Since I was taller than the other children, I have a class skipped, however, giving me the basics of reading and writing have escaped. I couldn't understand that at a young age. I thought, i would learn slowly or whatever. So I found even more through it Enjoy sport. As a child, you get annoyed when you are “different”. The spurred me on even more, the strongest boy and the best athlete in the world To be school.

Question: Finally you had been diagnosed with a form of dyslexia.

Michael O’Hearn: And in the ninth or tenth grade. And I'm glad that I have this weakness would have. Because it enabled me to sharpen other senses in life to get by. For example, I have my scripts more often than others read to correct my dyslexia. It made me who I was am And I wouldn't do it any differently today.

Question: I think you do got things under control Titanium. Have you got the producers of "American Gladiators" addressed your role or did you approach it? When did they find Rehearsals take place? And did you think you had the role in your pocket?

Michael O’Hearn: It's not been long since this all began. I have to admit that mein Ego etwas angekratzt war, denn ich saw an announcement of the show in "Varieté", but nobody had ed me. So I called my manager and told him I was going wanted to meet the producers at NBC. He said, “Don't worry. Sie werden dich schon anrufen, wenn sie dich brauchen. Dann bringen wir dich directly to the producers, because they already know who you are. "I told him it wouldn't work that way with me. When everyone else is at the Rehearsals, I have to be there too I went to rehearsals and said that I want to be the team captain to lead the boys into battle. It came down to the fact that I had set all records at the rehearsals. Today both gladiators and challengers come to me and say that they'll break my records. I just smile and say "Okay". But now we're in season two and my records are still there unbroken.

Question: Where did they find Rehearsals take place?

Michael O’Hearn: Here in New York, Texas, Chicago and Florida. During rehearsals, I weighed 122 Kilo and ran a short distance sprint over 35 meters in 4.8 seconds. You must however, keep in mind that we were walking on a gravel road. In addition, in 60 Seconds 35 pull-ups done.

Question: You knew anyway you even before the first pull-up that you would be there for the show.

Michael O’Hearn: Not really. Yes, I had a good feeling during the rehearsals [laughs]. Everyone told me that I would surely be there for the show. But nothing is certain in Hollywood. In this business you always have the saying in your head: “Don't give up your day job”. In "Battledome" I was never defeated. With this attitude I also did my rehearsals for “American Gladiators” and said to myself: I will not lose! I'll lead this team and show the guys how to be a good gladiator. One of the producers asked me what if I lost. I said to him, "I'm not losing." Later, when I was signed up for the show, he confessed that he just wanted to tell me, "You lost this sample, have a good day." All he wanted was that show what I just said: Nothing is certain.

Question: The greatest Difference between the first season of "American Gladiators" and the current show is now on NBC. And it was the same one Kracher: Im Januar 2008 sahen mehr als twelve million viewers the premiere. And the next evening it beckoned erste Folge über zehn Millionen Fans vor den Screen. Are there any other differences?

Michael O’Hearn: There are more important characters in this show. And although we have this Just playing personalities: when you see me as a titan, you see actually just Michael O’Hearn. That's just how I am - just having fun with it. Me like that. I was born for this. The role is like for me created.

Question: With one Episode, I saw the challenger come up to your knees. And you had a blast watching him after you hit him on the head - could stand on your feet for two seconds and then go into the Water fell. Didn't you feel guilty at all?

Michael O’Hearn: I just wanted him out of this round quickly, so he was with a could take part in another game [laughs]. No, I haven't been with any of the guys Pity. Because they are all athletes and they are all very brave. I had to however find that the bigger guys aren't as brave as them smaller.

Question: You say you wouldn't portray a specific personality this season. Who or what is titanium?

Michael O’Hearn: The one you see on the show is myself. As the first season of “American Gladiators” was broadcast, there was no internet yet. The Actors at the time will be "nitro" and for the rest of their lives Be "Zap". The difference to today is that you can find it on the internet find out who Michael O’Hearn really is. Lots of people will be on come up to me and say, "Hey, Titan Mike O'Hearn, how are you?" "Hey, Mr. Natural Universe!" That's great to me, but you want to never drowning in a certain personality with your own self.

Question: Was it a A surprise for you when you heard the high audience rating at the start of the show have experienced?

Michael O’Hearn: Let's put it this way: I was pleasantly surprised. We were all nervous and waited for the audience. For LBC it was the biggest pilot show since four years. Such a start was huge for us. Obviously the fans did liked a lot.

Question: How did your Preparation? Surely you had to at least a month beforehand work out?

Michael O’Hearn: We had a week of training. Everything happened so fast that one thought we would train for the games 24/7. But we didn't more time to practice than the challengers. In fact, we actually had less Time, because we still had photo opportunities, press conferences and the like perceive.

Question: The Lance fighting on the show is obviously your game of choice. Is there anything else that you enjoy?

Michael O’Hearn: As I said: I actually like everything about the show. My second favorite Game is powerball. There is nothing like being with another man too fight and defeat him. Can you imagine that? I really live like a gladiator. I go to training first and then I thrash someone!

Question: And you will paid for it. What are the effects of your television appearances and that Traveling around on your training time in the studio?

Michael O’Hearn: I just have to nourish me properly so my body stays the way it is. Während der Dreharbeiten hast du keine Zeit fürs Training. I achte nur Make sure I change my diet from the beginning to the end of the shoot keep exactly.

Question: How long does it take to record a season?

Michael O’Hearn: Two months. It is not shot every day, just every other day. The days off are actually used for relaxation.

Question: One Being a major player in a major television company can open up many doors to open. How do you think about it, and what can we possibly do with it in the future? expect you

Michael O’Hearn: When you're on a show like "American Gladiators" you hope that this will also help you. When I was a teenager with bodybuilding began, I hoped to follow in Arnold's footsteps and get on and on TV Cinema to come. It worked. I'm amazed how mine Changed lives after the first show aired. How yourself turned out, I'm the male favorite gladiator among fans. The is great for me. In the show “Sunday Night Football” there is a commercial about me. I drive past the NBC studio and see a photo of me spanning five floors extends. It doesn't just serve to make "American Gladiators" great but promotes all NBC shows. The photo led to that I got a role on Days of Our Lives. It was between the first and second seasons, and I'll be back later.

Question: It was already sent?

Michael O’Hearn: Yes, in March. I play Luke. I am a bar owner and of course have one questionable past. But now Luke is trying to change his life and to become a good person. It's a recurring role, yes the producers talk about inventing a new character. But this is not the only project. Ben Silverman is a good friend of mine now and he wants to see me all over NBC. He also speaks of other shows like for example from "Chuck". Or from a new show called "King," which airs towards the end of the year.

Question: how to look erzählt, sollst du Conan spielen.“

Michael O’Hearn: Yes, Arnold's Conan film, with a budget of 100 million U.S. dollar. The film studio Millenium Productions invited me to come over to the film and speak the script. This is really crazy. At this point I know but less than my manager. Since there is no script yet, we talked about another film, but a script for it exists: “Hercules”, another 100 million dollar project. If I das Büro verließ, war ich mir nicht sicher, was sie über mich dachten. Dann erhielt ich jedoch einen Anruf von my manager. He told me they would send me the script. I am about to read it.

Question: You could be the new Steve Reeves, my favorite bodybuilder. I can already do one Get an autograph before you become aloof?

Michael O’Hearn: Clear. Can you imagine that I have an appointment at the Marvel film studios to talk about my role as "Captain America"?

Question: A similar one Film like "Iron Man"? Would you possibly have to chat with Robert Downey Jr. measure up? Did you know that he was supposed to bench press ten reps Has completed 105 kilos?

Michael O’Hearn: Really? Wow, that's not bad. Well, he looked good and has it actually made it. Good job!

Question: How can you still keep both feet on the ground when doing so many exciting things in front of your chest?

Michael O’Hearn: My manager and PR advisor keep me in check, you already had other clients who have been very successful so you know what this is about.

Question: So I'm going Assume that you will no longer participate in any bodybuilding or powerlifting competitions will participate.

Michael O’Hearn: You will see me again at Team Universe.

Question: Only you would dare to say such a thing. Despite all your other plans, you are in So basically still a bodybuilder and powerlifter.

Michael O’Hearn: Weight training has brought me to where I am today. I can't do it give up. He is my meditation. But seriously: I think they do Team Universe is really an opportunity for me and my sport. Because I have seen all the changes over the years. The bodybuilders have Really good looking bodies these days, and that even motivates me more. I love the competition, where you have to give everything to the To be the best. I don't compete to win the title win, but to beat the other. Do you understand what I mean? The is a difference. The title win is just the icing on the cake.

Question: The subject So powerlifting is done for you?

Michael O’Hearn: Yes, but I love strongman competitions. You can pick up a truck while doing this. That is really cool.

Question: Despite your with great success you are still heavily involved in the fitness industry. You and Sherlyn Roy started your own company. Tell us more about it.

Michael O’Hearn: Die Firma heißt S.H.I.F.T.I.N.G. – Serious High Intensity Fitness Training Integrating Nutritional Guidelines (in German: Ernsthaftes high-intensity fitness training taking into account dietary guidelines). We work with clients and trainers across the country and represent thereby our nutritional and training views. Since I am totally With a chaotic schedule, Sherlyn is now largely in charge of the Company taken over. But essentially our company is about: From a nutritional point of view, we believe that while should consume a lot of calories throughout the training phase. Make that so do we, of course: we always take in a lot of calories and train them off, instead of getting rid of them by dieting. As for training, stay that way we do the basic exercises. The weights should be challenging, however represent. No matter whether they are pushed, pulled or lifted. That is true for both men and women. Sherlyn and I exercise one a day Body part: legs, chest, back, shoulders and arms. With everyone Four to six exercises are provided, and each exercise should be Go over four sets of three to eight repetitions. Sherlyn is a good example of our program. she had Trained for ten years and, to a certain extent, athletic Body developed. When she trained six months after our program and concentrated on participating in a competition, you Body structure completely changed. She won the fitness category and took the second place in figure class at California 2006. One week later she became the overall winner of the figure you organized, the Junior California. After she has so proven that our program works and is productive, she took part in the Figure Nationais. From a total of more than 50 women in her class, she took seventh place. It was their first ever national competition. Finally she could also achieve an excellent ninth place in the USA championship.

Question: Is it true that you have a contract with "Vyo Tech Supplements", the company of Shawn Ray, closed?

Michael O’Hearn: Yes that's true. Shawn Ray and me. We keep moving forward and will make something really big out of it. When developing new products for example, I will also have my fingers in the game.

Question: How many You need hours a day today to be Michael O’Hearn?

Michael O’Hearn: I still get up at three in the morning my friend.

Question: But not, when you're with P. Diddy and Jay-Z.

Michael O’Hearn: You're right. I got home at half past four in the morning, but got up at seven Am back up to get my flight back to Los Angeles. But what shall it. If you get the chance to hang out with these guys, give up Don't miss this just because you have to go to bed early. That would be like would you say, “The next time I meet you in New York, make an appointment but we'll meet for lunch. "