Pro advice: if you want to build huge hamstrings, do what Dennis James says—and does

Muscle & Fitness, Dec, 2005 by Lara McGlashan

ALTHOUGH DENNIS JAMES BEGAN BODYBUILDING ON A WHIM--he picked up his first weights simply to win a bet with friends about who could grow bigger arms--his nickname, The Menace, suggests a calculating predator on the prowl. [??] He has certainly preyed on other pro bodybuilders. In 1998, Dennis came from out of nowhere to win his pro card, and he has been a top-10 finisher ever since. But such success didn't come without trials, and he made as many blunders and pulled as many flat-out stupid moves as any young guy starting out in the sport. But now, with more than a decade of training experience under his lifting belt, Dennis can afford to look back with a clear eye and self-deprecating humor to comment frankly on the building of his body-building legacy.

M & F: What were you like starting out?

DENNIS: Cocky, vain, like any other young guy! But really, I was a 182-pound kid who knew nothing. There were no pro bodybuilders anywhere in Thailand, so I copied what other guys in the gym were doing on the machines. I didn't even know what muscles I was working until the next day. My arms would be sore and I'd think, That machine must have been for biceps. And God forbid I asked someone a question and admitted I didn't know anything, either! I was too proud. That all worked great for a while, just guessing--but then again, everything works great when you're young and your hormones are out of control. I gained 4 pounds a week just hacking it out.

M & F: Four pounds a week! What kind of food were you eating?

DENNIS: Who knows--typical teenager food. I had no idea about nutrition or protein or anything at all. My body was simply responding to the training I was doing. I'm lucky genetically to have a gifted muscle response like that.

M & F: Did you know anything about bodypart splits or muscle pairing?

DENNIS: I knew nothing. I trained the "beach" muscles: biceps, pecs, shoulders, abs. I did each of those parts twice, sometimes three times a week--basically whenever I felt like training them. I had no schedule. I also completely avoided training legs for the whole first year because it was too hard and it hurt too much to train them!

M & F: How did you know how much weight to lift?

DENNIS: I didn't. I just did what the guy before me was doing, and really, thinking back, I'm surprised I didn't kill myself. In fact, the first time I ever squatted, I watched a guy do a set with three plates on each side. After he was done, I walked over and right off the bat did 10 reps with the same weight. But since I was copying him exactly, I didn't do it correctly anyhow. He squatted down about only halfway, and I did what he did, which is probably why I was able to do so much weight with no problem.

M & F: When did you reach the point in your training where you realized you needed outside advice?

DENNIS: I didn't think that I needed any advice back then, but when I came to the States right before the USAs in '98, I met [noted personal trainer] Charles Glass and he showed me--kindly--that I didn't know much of anything. I met him three weeks out from the show and he taught me about drop sets and supersets, techniques I'd never heard of in my life. I think that really helped me sharpen up for the contest three weeks later.

M & F: That's the contest where you won your pro card, right?

DENNIS: Yes. That was supposed to be Melvin [Anthony's] show. Everyone said so. But I came out of nowhere to win the whole thing. I surprised everyone, even myself. I don't know if those three weeks with Charles won me that show, but from then on I listened to everything he had to say. Still do.

M & F: How did your training change when you turned pro?

DENNIS: Actually, it went downhill. I slacked off. Because no one teaches you how to deal with popularity. People were talking about me, how I was the next big thing and how I was so great, blah blah blah. I started to believe it and my ego blew up. I slacked off with my training because I felt powerful. But then at my first pro show, the Night of Champions [in 1999], I got my butt kicked. That was a harsh reality check, and when I went back to Thailand afterward, I began to treat each training session as if it were my last, and that's how I've been training ever since. I even train on my birthday. And the last four years my birthday has been on leg day, and while most guys would take it off, I train, and that's the way it should be.

M & F: So you attribute much of your success as a pro to your newfound dedication?

DENNIS: To be sure. In Thailand, I was on my own. There were no other professional bodybuilders for hundreds of miles, and I had to motivate myself and find inspiration from within. I bought and watched any video I could get my hands on. Ronnie Coleman, Flex Wheeler--anyone who had a video, I bought it.

I also learned how to ask for advice and found that a lot of the other guys would willingly help me out. Milos [Sarcev] helped me a lot with nutrition and taught me how to diet for shows as well as how to use supplements that I'd never heard of, like creatine, glutamine and even protein powder. I didn't have those things starting out, and he taught me how to use them around my training and for recovery.