Bodybuilding Weekly: Big Man Ed Nunn Makes the Big Time

Big Man Ed Nunn Makes the Big Time
================================================================================
Hardbodies News on 05 June, 2009 09:37:00
 
June 5, 2009
While Ed Nunn might intimidate people with his Incredible Hulk-type,
bodybuilder muscles, his easy smile is a giveaway to the kind, gentle spirit
within.
“I think a lot of people see me and they’re like, ‘Wow, he’s a
monster,’ and they get the wrong idea,” Nunn said. “But I’m a laid-back
person who can get along with anybody.”
After 18 years of educating himself on training, clocking in at the gym, and
fine-tuning his diet, Nunn finally left the amateur ranks.
With a win in November 2008 at the NPC (National Physique Committee) National
bodybuilding competition in Atlanta, Ga., Ed Nunn turned pro.
Not only did he win his class, Super Heavy Weight (over 225 pounds), he also
came in first place as the overall competition winner, weighing in at a ripped
242 pounds.
“I was so excited when they announced me as the winner that I dropped down on
one knee and I started praying right there,” said Nunn. “You could hear the
cameras clicking, taking a million pictures.”
One of Nunn’s biggest blessings has been to realize his dream — as a
professional, he’s on the cusp of making money doing what he loves.
“I don’t want to do this forever,” said Nunn. “But I’d like to make
as much money as I can and use it as a steppingstone toward other things.”
Nationals is the top competition for turning pro and opens the door for
professional competitions with increased financial rewards and recognition. Wins
can lead to opportunities as a spokesman for products, appearances, and prestige
as a personal trainer.
International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) Hall of Fame member Shawn Ray
said, “The thing that Ed Nunn has going for him is his foundation, his base,
and his years of experience in training. He’s plugging himself right in to
becoming one of the top pros, probably in his rookie season.”
Ray won the Nationals, turning pro 22 years before Nunn and went on to place
top five at the Super Bowl of bodybuilding, Mr. Olympia, for 12 consecutive
years.
“The way Ed performs and conducts his routines very much complements his work
in the gym and the overall finished product that he has competitively on the
stage,” Ray explained. “Ed is one of the guys that’s going to have a big
future.”
During the 2008 season, Nunn also won first place as Mr. Indiana NPC Super
Heavy Weight and was overall winner. He placed first in the USA Championships
Super Heavy Weight.
Nunn recalls that it was after his win at the USA Championships when Ray
referred to him as “Ed Second to Nunn” during an interview. The title stuck.
Professional trainer Hany Rambod recognized Nunn’s potential and approached
him about working together. Nunn said, “I could only go so far by myself with
what I knew. He took things to the next level, changing some food and exercises,
making me look sharper going into Nationals.”
Nunn sends pictures of himself every few weeks to Rambod in California. He
said, “It’s always good to have a second eye to tell me what I need to work
on.”
This August, Nunn will have his pro debut in Dallas at the 2009 NPC Europa
Super Show and will continue to Mr. Olympia this October in Las Vegas.
Nunn said, “You’re at the top of your game if you win Mr. Olympia.”
Nunn’s first experience with weight training began when he was 9 years old,
“My dad had me lift glass Coke bottles straight out to the side and curl them.
I watched him lift trash cans, curling them by the handles.”
He joked, “I could do that, too … after the trash men came by.”
His mother bought him a plastic-covered cement weight set and said, “Give it
your all.”
Nunn credits his parents, Eddie and Matoka Nunn, for always encouraging him and
helping him prepare the huge amounts of food he’s had to consume. At various
stages of training, he eats 15 egg whites for breakfast and four chicken breasts
during another meal.
“Before I turned pro, I wasn’t getting paid and it was very expensive to
eat that kind of food,” Nunn said. “One of my sponsors, now, is MAP (Muscle
Asylum Project), a bodybuilding supplement company, and they take care of me,
seeing that I have what I need.”
Nunn also credits friends Fred Spinx for supplying eggs and Kevin Marsh for
supplying meat.
He said, “Bodybuilding isn’t a one-man sport. You’ve got to have a
team.”
Working head to toe
Due to genetics, Nunn suggests that bodybuilders need to be open to trying
different exercises and foods to see what works for them.
“At the gym, I have a day where I do everything with a push motion, like
chest and triceps,” he said. “Another day will be a pull day for hamstrings
and biceps.”
Nunn said, “I try to work every muscle from head to toe, including the little
muscles that people don’t pay much attention to. It makes such a
difference.”
It’s part of the shredded look he goes after, calling it “the whoa
factor.”
Five days before a competition, he spends 20 minutes a day in a tanning bed to
drive the water out from under his skin.
But Nunn admits to mistakes in the beginning.
“I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said. “I was trying different
stuff to get the water out of my body before a competition. I read that
Preparation H would do that.”
He laughed and added, “The only thing that happened was that I smelled like
rotten fish.”
After a competition, Nunn heads straight for the banana pancakes, then goes
right back on his diet. While training, he admits that if someone handed him
banana pancakes, first he would sweat, then he would have to leave the room to
keep from tearing them up.
Eating clean for Nunn means staying away from sugars, fats, pops, and that also
means fast foods.
“The hardest sacrifice is having to give up family functions where food is
served,” he said. “It’s too tempting.”
Nunn’s faith helps him remain positive and pushes him to the next level. He
says, “Losing my job at Guide was one of the best things for me. Had it not
closed, I probably wouldn’t have pursued bodybuilding 100 percent like I’d
wanted to because I would have been working 12 hours a day.”
“People shouldn’t let everything stop because Guide closed,” Nunn said,
“You have to move on and find out what it is that you were meant to do. And
don’t ever give up on your goals.”
Ed Nunn as guest poser at GNC Classic
You can see Ed Nunn as a guest poser this Saturday, June 6, at the GNC Classic
Bodybuilding and Figure Championships held at Reardon Auditorium, 1015 E. Fifth
St. Promoter bodybuilder, and owner of General Nutrition at Anderson Mounds
Mall, Dave Cravens said, “There will be over 100 contestants with three
judgings at 11 a.m. Finals will be at 6:30 p.m., with Ed posing toward the
beginning.”
Cravens adds, “I think Ed is a wonderful individual. He’s easy to get along
with and to approach, and he’d make a great role model for kids.”
Source:  The Herald Bulletin  (Anderson, Indiana)