Young men traditionally have a reputation for being (or at least appearing to be) over-confident. The reasons are partly physiological and partly social. Whatever the motivation, the male boy, teen and young adult is often highly driven to frequent the gym, change the appearance of his body and become more muscular. Bodybuilder Nick Wright has done that and he has a message that he wants every guy to hear: The only way to be strong is through Christ. If you thought Nick might be concerned about how “talking Jesus” could affect his popularity you’d be wrong. He doesn’t pay much attention to what others say about him. Instead, he wants to inspire his peers to pursue God. Wright’s physique is evidence of his commitment to physical training. His message is evidence of his passion for God. He believes that young men want to be strong in body and spirit. He wants to help them do just that.
Faith & Fitness Magazine: You list the number one reason you do bodybuilding is to “glorify God”. How do you give glory to God through your bodybuilding and why is that so important to you?
Nick Wright: Giving glory to God, for me means to lead by his example, crediting him in all I do and spreading the word of Christ in everything I do. Bodybuilding at first glance appears to be a matter of physical vanity. For me the opinions of others are actually the last thing on which I focus. Bodybuilding is a struggle every day, to persevere mentally. It requires the utmost mental and spiritual dedication. To achieve and mold our God given bodies into a healthy and ideal image requires an unbroken dedication. For me this can only be achieved by living in Christ completely – since we, on our own, are weak and eventually grow tired.
FF: You started getting serious about bodybuilding at age 14. That led to you becoming one of the most high-profile teen bodybuilders in the nation to date. What is it like getting such recognition at an early age? Describe how you’ve been tempted to be prideful in your accomplishments and share what it takes to stay grounded and pursue the humility of Christ.
NW: It is a surreal feeling at times, to think about how many eyes are on me. It’s definitely amazing. Pride is always knocking on the door, of course. The biggest thing for me to remember is that every path I take in life is simply following God’s plan. He put me where I am in life. God has blessed me with everything I have. I personally, had nothing to do with it. What he gives, he can easily take away and I try to stay conscious of this every day. Remembering that everything I have is a gift, given to me so I can give it back to others helps me to remain humble. I didn’t achieve it on my own. I definitely don’t want to lose it!
FF: Building your body has been as much about building your confidence as it has been about gaining size. Explain the changes you’ve seen in your confidence over the past few years. Describe how well you feel you wear that confidence.
NW: Confidence is the heart of success when it comes to achieving our goals. Everything we do begins as a thought. We can either think our way into success or into failure and despair. I had minor confidence issues when I was in my younger teens. I was apprehensive to jump into sports and was somewhat withdrawn socially. Confidence definitely comes from the positive results of our goals. Bodybuilding provides a way to set goals and improve self-image. I’ve worked hard to create a healthy self-image. Confidence helps me prioritize everything in life and not stress about insignificant issues. It has also allowed me to invest love into myself as a person. This means I don’t pay too much attention to how others feel about me, which is key in confidence and being happy with myself.
FF: Describe your faith – your personal relationship with God. How do you feel being able to have confidence in God is different than only being able to have confidence in your own self and your own accomplishments?
NW: My relationship with God is closer than that with my own father, my best friends and even myself. I’ve learned through trials and positive outcomes that to put your full confidence in God is far more important than having confidence in yourself. We do not control a thing. Nor do we know what is truly best for ourselves. So what good is being self-confident going to serve when something unexpected occurs in our lives? There have been so many times where I have felt stress, pressure and even fear in not knowing what to do next. I have difficult career decision to make. Knowing I am on the right path, because God has put me there definitely helps me to push forward.
FF: I know you get many requests for autographs and such. Tell a bit about your fans (what is their age, percentage of male/female, their level of physical ability, etc). In what ways do you want to be a positive role-model for them?
NW: I don’t like to refer to them as fans. They are my Team. I absolutely love them! Team NWB began as a simple fan page. It is now an interactive, positive and supportive family of several thousand members. The majority of my fan base I would say range from early high school right through young mid-college age. But I also get many messages from ages ranging from 30s and 40s and even into senior citizens who are still living strong. I largest percentage of loyal followers is predominantly male. They are the young guys excited to start and advance in weight lifting. But I also get a surprising amount of women on there usually college age and up.
My biggest goal is to lead by example. In this case I find I am one of the few bodybuilders demonstrating the natural and drug-free approach to bodybuilding. I make sure to never put down anybody or pass judgment on their personal choices, I just want to remain a positive example that you CAN in fact reach success in the sport of bodybuilding using what God gave you naturally.
FF: Beyond the requests for “how do you do it” and “how can I be like you” share one or two stories where a youth shared with you something deeper – perhaps an addiction, negative self-esteem, a hard family life, bullying or something else where you were able to encourage him or her beyond the usual diet and training tips.
NW: Oh man, I have received so many amazing stories like that. I have received a couple of messages from kids 14 or younger, telling me they were a week away from buying their first cycle of steroids or hormonal supplements for weight lifting until they found me and my video series. I had one or two specific messages from people saying I helped them officially put down the bottle, clean up their lives and get on a good eating and training regimen. Many kids have told me how they used to be bullied until my videos helped them change their self-image and self-confidence for the better. These sorts of things really hit me, because I honestly feel I’m just sharing what I do. To see that my life affects others is almost emotional for me.
FF: What do you think are some of the biggest challenges facing teens today?
NW: There are so many. Peer pressure and partying are big ones. They stop teens from staying consistent in bodybuilding. Unfortunately home life is another big issue. Whether it is family drama, or simply the lack of means needed to sustain a healthy lifestyle. As I said, putting confidence in God is key to overcoming challenges. But-God is getting harder and harder to learn about for these younger generations with so much negative content out there now.
FF: How do you feel young men use bodybuilding to satisfy their life needs? What would it take for teenage guys to pursue God to the extent they pursue physical success and satisfaction?
NW: Bodybuilding is typically considered to be completely about building up your self-image physically. How your self-image is physically will affect you mentally. Bodybuilding is addictive as a lifestyle. So I would say it often becomes such a focus to the point where it breaks a lot of young men. What I feel is needed to really help bring youth to know God is simply relatable public figures, leading by example.
Lets face it an adolescent is not going to listen to a “stuffy” older gentleman trying to preach scripture they have never heard before. Yet Jersey Shore comes out and suddenly everybody wants to workout, tan and spike their hair. Why? Because they see these public figures that they can relate to, getting crazy amounts of public attention and fan fare, so they want to do what they do.
If a public figure were to lead life with Christ in it, while still maintaining an entertaining public persona, a lot of kids might be much more open to the idea of learning about. This is what I hope I can help to bring to the table. A strong mind makes a strong body. The only way to a strong mind is through Christ.
FF: What would you tell parents that have a teenage son? How can they best encourage their son and other young men? How can a youth leader, adult mentor and church pastor better meet the needs of your generation?
NW: The best advice I can give, which was given to me, is to allow your son to learn for himself. Be there to guide him and talk to him always. Keep a strong communication and bond, but don’t try to dictate or control every move in his life. This will allow him to make mistakes early and learn while being confident that he has a support system. A parent always has to draw the line and put their foot down for sure. But also remember that kid’s peers are often times going to be his strongest influence. Punishment just teaches kids how to not get caught the next time. Talking to them will actually help them to learn and benefit from their mistakes. You want your son to know he can go to you as his parent over his friends!
FF: How tempting is it to use steroids or do other things that could have a long-term negative impact on your health? What things help you to resist temptation? How about the whole BAD-boy attitude of the bodybuilding culture? How do you try to keep from getting drawn into the cussing, trash-talk or other behaviors?
NW: The temptation of steroids is always there and it can be a strong one at times. But honestly it all comes down to the fact that I don’t want to. The media may make us think we want to, but realistically you have to ask yourself, do you, FOR YOU, want to have to go see a doctor to inject milligrams of synthetic testosterone into you and monitor your body for constant side effects? Or is that just so you can stand out in the crowd for OTHER PEOPLE’S opinions and views?
As for the cussing, and trash talk, I always felt like that was un-classy and not needed. If you have to swear every other word, its usually because you are nervous, or simply too uneducated to use real vocabulary. I will admit I definitely have moments, but all in all why be more hostile to others? That just separates us in this sport more than we already are thanks to our competitiveness and egos. You get what you give, so if you express simple love to everyone, you get it back in return. And what’s better than getting love?
FF: Your exceptional physique has led to you doing fitness modeling. So, along with these temptations you also have to face the reality that “sex sells”. How challenging has that been so far? What is guiding you in your choices? How do you feel young men are navigating through their highly sexualized culture? What ways would you like to see the church; parents and your peers help young men address these sexual challenges?
NW: The modeling industry as well as mainstream media has become so heavy with sex appeal, I barely even notice when it lands in my lap anymore. Honestly the way I gauge where to draw the line is simply by asking myself “would I show this in church?” If you would be hesitant to, chances are it’s probably not the right content. Plus I am always in the pursuit of achieving that mainstream level of fame to help shed light on the route to natural bodybuilding. I have to ask myself if the content I am working with now is content I want to be floating around. Keep it marketable and keep it classy. If it isn’t, leave it alone.
FF: What are your favorite exercises? Which two or three exercises do you feel have given you the most growth and transformed your body the most dramatically?
NW: The barbell shoulder press is definitely my favorite. It was always among my weakest lifts, but I became obsessed with the powerful feeling of blasting some serious weight above my head. As for the most effective moves, the dead lift is definitely number one, being a full body power move. That will really determine how strong somebody is physically. I also particularly love the bent over barbell row. It has helped build my back and I have always been super strong with that movement.
FF: What foods have you found have helped you best attain and maintain your healthy and lean body? What makes them so good?
NW: Chicken is my number one source of protein. It is very clean, efficient, and hardy with just the right amount of natural fats to allow for slow digestion so it will last you throughout the day. Brown rice and russet potatoes have been my number one source of carbohydrates. Brown rice is very clean and allows me to stay vascular while still being a solid carb source, allowing me to put on some major size.
FF: If there were one or two key things you wanted every young man and woman to know about God and why He is important in your life, what would you tell them?
NW: Everything in your life happens for a reason, it is God’s plan for you. There is NEVER a reason to stress or worry because it won’t change anything. Where you are right now, good or bad, is exactly where God has put you for His reason. He has nothing but love for us. So be confident that He is at work in your life.
Remember that everything you have is given to you by God for you to give back to others in some way or another. We don’t have anything to do with what we have achieved so never let pride get to your head. He gives and he can take. So always be thankful, constantly look for ways to give to others and help them the same way He has helped you.
There are so many moments in my career where I feel lost and scared not knowing where I am going. I remember that I am exactly where God wants me to be for His reason. Your current situation is all a setup for the next best step.
FF: What’s next for Nick Wright?
NW: I will not be competing until early 2012 most likely. Next spring I will return to stage to take on the Open Men’s division and obtain that pro-card. Until then, I am constantly working to expand, network and be a good public figure. Every time I feel like there is another path I could take, I always find myself right back here in natural bodybuilding. This is the area where I achieve success. This seems to be where God wants me. Where He sends me next is where I will go. I can tell you that I am working with a couple of new agents. They are working on bringing Nick Wright to national TV.
