My full name is Philip Braun Jr. I hate being called Philip or Phil, so it’s P.J. please. I was born in Danbury CT. and currently live in Danbury. I began weight training to get bigger and stronger for high school football. My real story is pretty long so I’ll give you a quick edited version. When I finished Pop Warner football in 8th grade, I was nervous that I wasn’t big enough to play with the big boys in high school. My parents divorced when I was 8 and I had no real relationship with my father. My mother suggested that I try to get a hold of my father because he was a serious weight lifter and he would probably enjoy teaching me to train. Sure enough my dad started taking me to the gym. I was ecstatic because I finally had a relationship with my dad. One day, my dad decided that I had learned enough and stopped training with me. I was heartbroken that my dad abandoned me again. I decided to take the negative and turn it into a positive. My dad had always said, “There will always be someone bigger and better than you.” I decided I was going to prove him wrong. To this day, I still live by that quote and I truly believe I am going to be the biggest and the best just like Arnold, Ronnie, Dorian, Jay and so on.

Q: Tell us a bit about your website and personal training?

A: I use my website for two purposes. The first is for all my fans. The second is to expand my training business. After 13 years of weight training, numerous certifications as well as going to school for nutrition, I have amassed a great deal of knowledge. I now have clients all over the country that I work with via the Internet.

Q: I see you in Muscular Development pictures and on some talk forums as well. Can I ask why do they nickname you, “The Chosen One”?

A: That started out as kind of a joke. I was training in the gym one day when these older guys said I had an “Old School” Classic physique like Arnold and the other guys of that era. They said they were tired of seeing distended guts and ugly physiques. They joked that I was the chosen young one who was going to bring a classic look back to bodybuilding, unfortunately Evan has beaten me to the punch, lol!

Q: Speaking of MD (Muscular Development), MD has some serious personalities like Derek Anthony, Greg Valentino, John Romano and Dave Palumbo. What is it really like hanging around these guys and what are they like in real life?

A: All those guys are great. When you meet them in person they are actually all very friendly. I consider Dave a great friend and Valentino is one of the funniest guys I have ever met!

Q: You and I go back a bit and you know how I roll, so yeah I am going to throw you under the bus. So don’t beat me up!..lol. Every time we meet at shows or booths, the fans (particularly the women) go crazy! What is it about you that most find more attractive over the other guys and do you think it has its advantages?

A: Awe man, lol, you’re a punk, ha-ha! How do I answer that without sounding like a total douche? Let me start with a quote from Derek Zoolander, “There is more to life than being really good looking!” Lol ok, seriously though, I think that a lot has to do with the way I treat people. I treat people exactly the way I want to be treated. I am confident in conversation and I think women are attracted to confidence. There are a lot of bodybuilders with bad attitudes; arrogance is a huge turn off to anyone! I think the fact that my physique is very athletic and aesthetic doesn’t hurt either. Some of those mass monsters are a little scary looking, lol. As far as advantages, I am going to leave that one alone, lol.

Q: Okay, lets break some hearts. Spill the beans, is there anyone special in your life right now or is that digging in way too personal?

A: I have been in a relationship for 3 years now. My girlfriend’s name is Nicole Vitale, she is a national level figure competitor and meeting her is the best thing that’s ever happened to me!

Q: I know Nicole and I must say, she is very easy on the eyes. She did very well at the USA’s this year. She is more streamlined and striking when posing. Do you do her prep and have you two ever considered who might turn Pro first?

A: Thank you very much; your better half isn’t too shabby either, lol. Yeah, I do her prep. When I first met her, she said she had always wanted to compete but never thought she would do well. I told her if she did exactly what I said she had the genetics to look awesome. So I trained her for the Atlantic States in 07 for her first show and she won! The rest is history. I use to always tell her that she would turn Pro before me, but she has decided to take a competitive break for a year or so to help me get mine. So now I gotta work even harder!!

Q: Lets switch gears and talk about your training & prep. Fill in all the details, who does your prep? Any training partners involved? And just what do you do to own arms like yours?!

A: Dave Palumbo does my prep. We started working together last year and I think Dave really knows what works for me. I enjoy working with him. I train in 3 different gyms. Most of the time, I train with a buddy Ted Gibson. I try to get up to the Montanari Bros Gold’s gym at least once per week. When I get up there, I usually try to set it up where I can train with Evan (Centopani). It’s very motivating being around that freak. As far as what I do for the guns, a lot of it is genetic, lol! I will say that I train all body parts to failure within an 8-15 rep range. I never do the same workout twice in a row! Consistent Confusion is the key to growth!

Q: Another question so be honest, what are the actual size of your arms and do you measure them?

A: I never measure my arms. Back in January, Ed Connors approached me with a tape measure. Over the last 25 years or so he has taped more arms than any one. I was around 260 lbs. at the time. They were 22 in. cold.

Q: I personally think you own the best set of arms in today’s game, but what else do you see as one of your strong body parts and do you think you have any weakness going into the Pros?

A: Wow, the best arms in the game! That’s a lot to live up to bro! I have pretty freaky traps. I don’t even train them any more. My traps grow at an abnormal rate for some reason. I have been told that my Hams and Glutes are not up to par with the rest of my physique, but I switched to a very wide stance squat this year and have made a lot of improvements.

Q: Here is a great question, lately there seems to be more marketable big east coast names battling in the high ranks. There is Evan Centopani, Mark Alvisi, Guy Cisternino and then there is you. I swear the east coast is dominating the talent field son. I have to ask-do you see yourself in Hollywood making movies or doing modeling outside the industry or is this something you never thought of?

A: Right now my main priority is bodybuilding and turning Pro. If Hollywood came knocking, I wouldn’t be scared of the challenge, but my current focus is all Bodybuilding!

Q: So lets forecast a bit, say you do turn Pro this year, what’s next for PJ Braun?

A: I can’t answer that. I can’t think past the North Americans. My Focus is 110% on August 30th. Ask me again in 3-weeks.

Q: Yes, I feel ya; I know how things must change close to the show. It almost has to become a selfish process to win a show. Funny how when your starving and doing cardio, things like sex, making money and just sleeping become replaced with eating food, do you find this process easy during prep or hard?

The beginning phase is fun for me because I actually hate eating the massive amounts of food in the off-season necessary for me to gain weight. I usually feel great until the last 3-weeks or so. That’s when the real suffering comes in. I like suffering though. I turn into a machine and just do what I have to do. I always tell myself that I am dieting and working harder than anyone else and that drives me.

Q: Lets play a game, I want to throw 10 names or questions out there and you must answer quickly the very first thing that comes to your mind, cool? Great, let’s start!

A:

1. Dave Palumbo - Genius

2. Jay Cutler -Monster!

3. Phil Heath - Genetically Blessed

4. NPC Figure- I can’t figure out Figure anymore, lol

5. Toney Freeman- The X-MAN!

6. Favorite Sports supplements- SPECIES but ALR owns some badass products too!

7. Best Movie of all time- 1- Brave heart, but 300 is a close second

8. Favorite food- STEAK, but I’m a sucker for Nicole’s mother’s Chicken Parmesan

9. Wife beaters or T-Backs- LOL.. Wife Beaters

10. Boxers or Briefs- I don’t wear underwear

Q: P.J., Author and I want to thank you for stopping by ALR for a visit. Quickly before you leave, where can our readers see more of you next and is there any shout-outs you want to give anyone?

A: First off, I am honored that you guys picked me out of all the great athletes out there. I hope to make you proud of your choice. My next show is the North American on Aug 30th . Anyone interested in what I am up to can check out my website www.pjbraun.com . I have a blog that’s linked to www.speciesnutrition.com . I try to update it almost every day. I have a cameo in a music video for the band Army of Me that should be out soon. I want to give a huge shout out to all my fans and friends, to all the people on the boards as well as all the great people I meet at the shows. Having your support means the world to me. A huge shout out to my mom and step dad- Karen and Richard Newton who are my two biggest supporters. To Evan, Kenny and Castaldi- you guys are like brothers to me! And of course my awesome girlfriend Nicole! Thanks again to Troy and Author for giving me the opportunity to be heard!