Matt Meinrod: You’re already a NABBA Pro Bodybuilder. Why are you taking the next step and looking to gain IFBB Pro status? Talk about your long term and short-term goals as a competitor. And what’s the game plan for the rest of 2018 and early ’19?

Jordan Peters: Originally NABBA suited me very well as it was height classed and at my height I could do very well comparatively. Being 5’ 6’’ and a super heavyweight competitor is extremely difficult, but this year I feel I am doing well enough to push for IFBB Pro status. I recently competed at the Big Man event in Spain and was really pleased with my look, but it wasn’t enough to win. My goal is to improve again, and I will either be onstage at the very end of 2018 or if I need a little longer then 2019.

Matt Meinrod: You train hard and heavy most of the year, does that change as you get deeper into your prep? Do you anticipate a point in your career where this current style will no longer work for you? 

Jordan Peters: I enjoy the heavy training and it does stay the whole prep. I am incredibly mindful to stay connected to the lift. I won’t keep the load high just for the sake of loading if I can’t fully challenge the muscle. Being strong is important but driving that lift with muscular contraction is key, not just relying on inertia to move the weight.

Matt Meinrod: What supplements are you currently using as part of your prep? List all – not just Redcon1. And then, if you can explain why you are taking them and for what purpose?

Jordan Peters: Currently I use RPG with each carb meal, this I feel has helped me tremendously to keep my carbs a little higher as they are being better utilized. I use Grunt during the night when I wake, as I want an EAA product that digests well and ensures I maximize muscle protein synthesis as frequently as possible. I use Tango post workout, it’s a very complete creatine formula, which is essential for recovery. In the later stages of prep, I use Mental Trigger pre-workout, this is a favorite of mine as I stay stim free and caffeine free year-round aside from this 3-week period. Mental Trigger allows me to focus on what needs to be done in the sessions.

I use a wide variety of health supplements. I like to use adaptogens post workout, namely ashwagandha, and then additional magnesium post workout and pre-bed. This has helped keep stress under control really very well.

For liver health, I use TUDCA, from Amazon. And Glutathione from supplement needs.

For lipid control I use krill and bergamonte brand citrus bergamot. As well as ubiquinol a highly available form of cq10, again all just from amazon.

I typically eat mostly whole food during my prep, and rarely have whey, but for convenience if I do, I use Isotope or MRE Lite. Both of these sit well with me digestion wise.

Matt Meinrod: Walk me through your current diet. Meals per day, food choices, macros, etc…what struggles have you experienced this prep? Any? Why did you decide to not do the UK Pro Qualifier?

Jordan Peters: It’s 6 meals per day, I use lean cuts of steak as my main protein source and jasmine rice as my main carbohydrate source. These sit the best for me digestion wise. My carbs went down to 260g per day at lowest, with protein and fats staying relatively fixed all prep at 350g and 50g respectively. They are back up to 500g a day now, which will make me stay fairly lean while I let my body recover from the prep and fill back out/ potentially improve some weaker areas.

Honestly, no struggles in prep, just the general workload of the business we run causes some stress to stay on top of. But, I am not complaining as I am very thankful to be busy and doing ok. I am very critical that I will only show something when it’s a step forward and I wasn’t quite good enough to do that for the U.K. show. It will be the same again moving forward from here. You won’t see progress pictures again from me for a while, it’s back to work time to make the changes needed.

Matt Meinrod: How much time do you spend working on your mandatory posing and your routine to music? Is this a priority for you?

Jordan Peters: Not enough at all, it’s never been a priority of mine and it’s not something I really enjoy. I like to train and push my body as hard as I can, build as much muscle and get as strong as I possibly can. I enjoy dieting and getting lean, it serves as nice breaks between the constant pursuit for more muscle. I am trying to find some passion and enthusiasm for posing, at the very least, doing enough to be able to win the next comp, as this let me down at the last comp.

Matt Meinrod: Many pro bodybuilders spend several hours per week and drop a ton of cash on physical therapy, massage, and chiropractic care. Is this something you also practice and advise to your clients?

Jordan Peters: I get tissue work once sometimes twice a week at the moment. I go through phases of getting none, but if there is someone good available that is flexible schedule wise, I try to get work in.

Matt Meinrod: You take a fair amount of grief on the internet for your labored breathing. Can you address this for your fans and your haters? Or is this just part of being a top-level bodybuilder?

Jordan Peters: I was 300+ pounds at 5’6”, it’s impossible not to be breathing hard when carrying that weight. It’s far from healthy, which I acknowledge, but my goal is to push and see what levels of muscle mass I can attain. I rarely even see the comments in honesty, I don’t read YouTube comments, I spend all of my time on our members site, which has over 4000 members, that’s where our content goes and where we invest our time and efforts into helping people.

Matt Meinrod: Who does a guru and well-respected coach like yourself go to for training, supplement, and bodybuilding advice? Is there anyone in particular who you turn to? And for what reasons since you’re a coach yourself?

Jordan Peters: Dr. Scott Stevenson will always be the most pivotal coach/friend who has a huge influence on me. I have worked with him officially for shows in 2013 and 2016, they were very successful years for me. And then outside of those periods, he has invested a lot of time to help me improve mentally and physically.

This last year I worked with a coach again, who is based in Vienna, Austria, his name is Stefan Kienzl. He is a very smart guy with great insights and passion. We worked very well together.

Matt Meinrod: Where is your mental state in the final weeks of a prep? Are you pretty stable or do you get anxious or nervous? Any tips or advice you could give a competitor going through something similar?

Jordan Peters: I am an over thinker - this is why I do better with a coach that I trust to do the thinking for me. If you have a good coach, switch off and just do as you are told.

Matt Meinrod: Your partner, Corrine Ingman, is also a bodybuilder. How much does having her in your corner during prep help out? In what ways is she there to support you?

Jordan Peters: She is very important in so many ways, she keeps me sane and focused. She is a superb coach, has a great eye with an incredible knowledge of physiology and nutrition (she has 3 masters degree) and plays a huge role in the business we run. In 2016, she broke the all-time, all fed U.K. power lifting record making her the strongest female in U.K. powerlifting history. And, the same year also won her NABBA Pro Card. So, her ability to compete at a high level, is pretty incredible. When it comes to crunch time, she always knows what to say, how to act, how to help me. I can’t thank her enough for what she does.

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