Mike Quinn Bodybuilder

[MuscleMecca Crew]

Bodybuilding is more than a sport; it's an activity that brings out the best in men and helps them exceed their limits. Many bodybuilders have made a name for themselves in the history of bodybuilding. In this article, we'll focus on Mike Quinn, who succeeded in making a name for himself in the world of bodybuilding.

Mike Quinn was known as the "bad boy" of bodybuilding back in the day and was well-known in the 80s and 90s.

When he was young, he was famous for his swole and well-sculpted physique. However, there was something that made him more famous, which was his blunt honesty. He was always bold enough to speak up about controversial topics such as steroid usage.

For Mike Quinn, childhood was quite challenging because he grew up in a rough environment and was small in stature. He got into fights and was beaten up by bigger and older kids in his neighborhood.

Mike Quinn Early Life.​

Mike started lifting weights as early as when he was 13 years old. He had a small home gym in the cellar, and that was where Mike began his weight-lifting journey. Right from when he was a kid, he was gifted with natural strength. When his father invited him to lift weights for the first time, Mike successfully benched 220 pounds. He was a husky kid while growing up. He lifted weights until he was 15 and realized he was interested in American football. Later, Mike discovered his height might hinder him from advancing to the next level. So he decided to continue bodybuilding, which also doubles as therapy for his ADHD and anger issues.

Mike would go to football practice and still hit the gym for another 2 hours before calling it a day. He never found it tiring because he loved it. His love for weightlifting later developed into powerlifting. However, it wasn't long before he finally stopped powerlifting and decided to focus on bodybuilding. Six weeks after being quite a powerlifter, he entered his first bodybuilding show and won first place.

Mike Quinn Biography​

Mike Quinn was born in Brockton, Massachusetts. He grew up in an environment prone to violence and was usually involved in many fights with other kids. However, he wasn't lucky in size because most of his peers were bigger than him. Consequently, he often got bullied, and he could hardly defend himself. He got beaten up a lot until he was around the age of fourteen. However, as he grew older, he got bigger and gained more height and strength. This improved his confidence, and he could fight off bullies and defend himself.

Who were the Idol and Influencers?​

Mike became interested in bodybuilding because he saw his father lift weights when he was young. Growing up, Mike watched his father train in their small home gym. However, Mike's father made the home gym a restricted area for Mike; he felt that Mike was too small to lift weights.

It wasn't until Mike was 13 that his father permitted him to start lifting weights. Ever since then, it's been all or nothing for Mike. He put in so much work and time in the gym, and he got bigger within a short while.

Mike Quinn Training and Nutrition.​

• Power-Bodybuilding Style

Mike has had to experiment with different kinds of training since he began his career, but the one that he loved the most was power bodybuilding. With this training style, Mike trained heavily for four days and lightly for the next four. He takes breaks in between sets on heavy training days to stimulate testosterone release. On lighter training days, Mike does more reps and hardly takes breaks to boost his hormone levels. Light training days also aid in his recovery from heavy training.

• Short Duration, High Intensity

Mike couples power-bodybuilding with short-duration, high-intensity workouts. He'd do exercises like barbell squats, bench presses, and overhead presses. Mike says these movements are the foundation of his physique. Although he enjoys heavy lifting, he's always careful not to let the weights affect his body. His principle is not to let his ego overwhelm him to the point where he lifts weights to hurt himself.

• Mike's Back & Biceps Workout

When working on his back and biceps, Mike focuses more on intensity than duration. Mike is known for his lower lat development. Mike starts his session with a. He did a couple of light sets of lat pull-downs to warm up his muscles. Mike then goes further to do working sets like this:

• Seated Cable Pulley, four sets of 10-12 reps
• Dumbbell Row, three sets of 8-12 reps
• Dumbbell Pullovers, three sets of 8-12 reps
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls, four sets of 8-12 reps
• Preacher Curls, three sets of 8-10 reps
• Concentration Curls, three sets of 8-12 reps

• Cardio

Mike thinks that doing cardio is helpful for fat loss. He made sure he did aerobics as part of his preparations. He loved to do cardio on a stationary bike or climb stairs. He does aerobics for 45 minutes to maximize fat loss whenever he has a rest day.

• Rest Days

There was a time when Mike would do heavy training in preparation for his contests. He would train so hard without rest, and he soon discovered that too much exercise without rest leads to muscle loss. So he changed his strategy and decided to train for two days in a row and take a break on the third day. He soon discovered that by taking a break every third day, his body experienced more progress.

• Nutrition

Mike believes that bodybuilders of this age focus too much on protein. Most bodybuilders prefer to take in more protein than carbohydrates; carbs are the best energy source. So, before a competition, Mike eats more carbs to make his muscles look like they have more mass. He also derives his fat from foods like chicken, cheese, and avocados.

• Contest Prep Diet

When preparing to enter a contest, Mike has a caloric deficit to help his body lose fat. He would make sure to eat 2000 calories per day at least ten weeks before the competition. He'd take calories for three days and then include 800 calories from protein and carbs on the fourth day. He'd repeat the whole process on the fifth day.

What was his problem?​

Mike was bullied when he was younger; however, that was not the only challenge he faced. He had a mental disorder called ADHD. This made it difficult for Mike to concentrate and stay relaxed in school. He was a weird kid with a mental disorder. This made his childhood difficult because he couldn't blend in well with other kids.

Mike Quinn Early Contest.​

Mike won his debut show, Mr Teen Mr Massachusetts; he went further to win the Teenage Mr America. These wins boosted his confidence, and he already knew that even as a teenager, he was as good as other bodybuilders in the game.
NABBA Universe London
Mike won the third position at the Mr America competition in 1994. He won the NABBA Universe London; this made him join the list of legendary bodybuilders to have won this show, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Mike Quinn Bodybuilding Contest History. ​

Below is a list of Mike Quinn's contest history:

1981​

• AAU Mr America, HeavyWeight, 10th place
• AAU Teen Mr America, Heavyweight & Overall, 1st place

1982​

• NPC Junior Nationals, HeavyWeight, 2nd place
• NPC Nationals, HeavyWeight, 7th place

1983​

• NPC USA Championships, HeavyWeight, 4th place

1984​

• AAU Mr America, Medium, 3rd place
• NABBA Mr Universe, Medium, 1st place
• NABBA World Championships, Medium, 2nd place

1986​

• NPC Nationals HeavyWeight, 4th place

1987​

• NPC USA Championships, Heavyweight & Overall, 1st place
• IFBB Detroit Pro Invitational, 4th place

1988​

• England Grand Prix, IFBB, 5th place
• France Grand Prix, IFBB, 5th place
• Grand Prix Germany, IFBB, 4th place
• Italian Grand Prix, IFBB, 7th place
• Grand Prix Greece, IFBB, 4th place
• Grand Prix Spain, IFBB, 4th place
• IFBB Grand Prix US Pro, 5th place
• Mr Olympia, 5th place
• IFBB World Pro Championships, 4th place

1989​

• IFBB Grand Prix England, 7th place
• Finnish Grand Prix, 8th place
• IFBB Grand Prix Holland, 7th place
• Mr Olympia, 7th place

1990​

• IFBB Grand Prix Holland, 12th place
• Mr Olympia, 11th place

1991​

• WBF Grand Prix, 12th place

1993​

• IFBB Night of Champions didn't place

1994​

• IFBB Night of Champions, 5th place
• Mr Olympia didn't place
• IFBB San Jose Pro Invitational, 11th place

1999​

• IFBB Night of Champions didn't place
• IFBB World Pro Championships, 17th place

When & how did Mike Quinn become a Pro? ​

By 1987, Mike was already advancing in his career. He became a pro after winning the USA Nationals in 1987. He began to compete in professional shows across the globe one year after turning pro. In 1988, he contested in 9 contests, among which included:

• England Grand Prix, IFBB, 5th place
• Grand Prix Germany, IFBB, 4th place

Mike made his Mr Olympia debut in 1988 and finished among the top 5 in the world.

Retirement of Mike Quinn.​

Mike participated in three shows in 1994; they include Nighy of Night of Champions, Mr Olympia, and the IFBB San Jose Pro Invitational. After that, he stopped competing for a while and came back in 1999 to compete again. He placed 17th at the IFBB World Pro Championships, marking the end of his journey in bodybuilding.

What can we learn from Mike Quinn?​

Mike Quinn had one trait that drew people closer to him or far from him: his unapologetic honesty. He was always bold in speaking up and was mean to those who provoked him. He hated bullies because he knew what it felt like to be bullied as a kid.

Mike used the gym as therapy; burying all of his anger and feelings and hiding them in his muscles. Bodybuilding was not only a sport to him; it was therapeutic.

Among all the things to learn from Mike Quinn, the most important thing should always be to stand for whatever you think is right. It may earn you enemies, or it may make you new friends. Regardless of the outcome, always stand by your beliefs.

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