Interview With Former Mr. CT Rich Adinolfi
Interviewed by Brian Cannone of FitnessAtlantic.com

Rich Adinolfi is a superb poser and one of Connecticut's best physiques. Rich has also judged many bodybuilding contests over the years and is a great representative of our sport.

BC: What is your athletic background?

RA: I come from an athletic family. One of our traditions growing up was to play baseball at our family gatherings and we had enough people in my family to create two teams. Everyone played. We had fun and it stimulated a little competitiveness. I was always involved in team sports to some degree. In high school, I played football and decided to try out for track. As a freshman, I had a 10 second 100-yard dash. I really enjoyed the individual accomplishment I got while contributing to the effort.

As a sophomore, I was introduced to bodybuilding through my neighbors. We would pump iron 3-4 nights a week, sharing stories, we had read about in various magazines and trying new workouts. It was great fun. Something interesting happened, I gained 20lbs of muscle and really felt connected to the sport. That fall I was denied a position on the football team because the coaches thought I was "muscle bound" and wouldn't be agile.

BC: How did that affect you?

RA: Well, I realized that there were a lot of prejudices associated with the sport; you know "All Brawn and No Brain". I decided to prove that I could break some of the myths associated with bodybuilding. I continued to run track and eventually broke the 10-second barrier in the hundred. I wondered what the football coaches thought about that! I was really starting to like the way my body was developing and I dedicated more time to the sport.

BC: When did you enter your first competition?

RA: I had stopped training for a few years and started again in 1981. In 1983, while I was in the Air Force, I entered my first competition. I had no concept of dieting and placed 5th at 160lbs.

BC: What happened after that?

RA: I got smart! I learned everything I could about nutrition, training, and supplementation. The following year, I competed 14lbs heavier and won the overall. Although the real victory wasn't the trophy, it was that the guy who won first place the year before in my show placed 6th to me. I knew I was on the right track.

BC: What shows have you competed in?

RA: A lot since then. I moved up to a competition weight of 190-195lbs. I won my weight division at the AAU 1985 Greater New Haven, 1985 AAU Northeastern America, 1986 AAU Mr. Connecticut, 1986 Physique, and the 1988 NPC Connecticut State Championships. I also did Mixed Pairs with female bodybuilder Sally Ghering and we won the 19986 Big East and the 1986 Connecticut State Championships. One of the greatest victories though, was a show that I didn't even win. I went to the 1988 Junior Nationals and competed against some great bodybuilders Porter Cortell, Charles Durr, and a few others. I placed 14th out of a field of 36 in my weight class and I would venture a guess that I was one of, if not the only, natural competitors at that level.

BC: That is fantastic, what have you done since then?

RA: After I guess posed for the AAU Milford County contest in 1989, I didn't train or compete until 1994. I got the bug again when I started training my current workout partner, Jeff Krivinskas, for a contest he was preparing. I just wanted to get back in shape, but after a few months of training, people started to notice me and prompted me to consider competing again.

I started competing in April of that year and by October I had placed second out of 100 international competitors in a show in New York to get my Pro card as a natural bodybuilder.

BC: What advice would you give to other aspiring athletes?

RA: You have to have your priorities straight. Ask yourself, what is the long-term benefit to what you are doing? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Are you making money? Do you have friends outside of the gym?

I am thankful that bodybuilding has shown me the benefits to working hard and smart, and that discipline and persistence pay off. I would be lying to you if I didn't tell you how good it feels to see your picture in a magazine or look at all the trophies I have accumulated over the years, but it hasn't put food on the table or paid any bills and that is reality

I have a successful insurance business with Allstate. I have 3 beautiful children and I need to delicately find time to fit my personal needs in with that. When I competed I made two commitments to myself:

(1.) Don't do drugs. - Every year a small handful of people go to the top of this sport and everyone looks up to them as if they are somehow immortal, but nobody seems to look around them to see the countless people hurting themselves with drugs in a vain quest to be "the best". The risks greatly outweigh the benefits and the chances are it just won't pay off. Drugs don't just hurt this sport it hurts people we know.

(2.) Spend as little time in the gym as possible. - Huh? Yeah, when I train in the gym I trai9n fast and furious and we get the job done in one hour or less!

BC: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

RA: I want to continue training and I would like to grow in many ways. I have children to consider and I would be honored if my only title were that of "The World's Best Built Dad!"

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