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Interview

Getting to know the real Jean-Pierre Fux

By Irvin Gelb

MuscleMag International, November 1997.

Jean-Pierre Fux ( or "JP" as many friends call him) exploded onto the international bodybuilding scene during 1996 with his surprising appearance at the Arnold Classic, the San Jose Pro-Invitational and the Olympia. (He received an invitation to this one from Joe Weider himself.) Yet as cartoon-like freaky as his physique is, the man himself is very gentle and intelligent with a clear direction in life. Ask any nonbodybuilding aficionado what type of person he thought JP was by a mere glance at him, and you'll probably get all the usual stereotypical description (mostly negative). Having known JP for several years, we thought that readers would enjoy an insight into what he is all about and how he thinks, so the day before he stepped onto the Mr. Olympia stage for the first time we sat down with him in his hotel room for the following interview.

MMI: "Today is one day before your first Mr. Olympia and we're with you while you're getting ready for your contest. You've had a very exciting year since the Arnold Classic and the San Jose. So many people were surprised when you appeared at those shows, and the consensus was that you could be Mr. Olympia some day. Things have happened fast for you. When exactly did you win the Mr. Universe?"
JP: November 1994.

MMI: How much did you weigh during your competitions this year?
JP: At the Arnold I was about 122 kg (271 pounds) and at the San Jose about 121 kg (269 pounds). Tomorrow at the Mr. 0 I think I'll weigh about 117 kg (260 pounds).

MMI: How does this weight compare to how much you weighed at the Universe?
JP: At that show I was about 110 kg (244 pounds).

MMI: After the World Championships and the Mr. Universe there weren't many photos of you in the magazines other than the ones from the contest. As a result no one paid much attention to you until you competed year. Did you think when you won the Mr. Universe that you could reach the level of physique you now have?
JP: I made a lot of mistakes with my diet for that show. I believe that, if I had had more experience then, I would have weighed around 114 kg (254 pounds). Despite this problem there was no question in my mind t"../gallery/fullsize/fux18.jpg" align=right hspace=5>

MMI: You decided you wanted to look like him?
JP: Right. When I was around 16, 1 started training in the gym, and after my first training session I thought to myself, 'This is good!'

MMI: And you were hooked.
JP: Yes! I forgot soccer and all the other sports that I had been doing.

MMI: Which sports did you participate in before bodybuilding?
JP: I did gymnastics at a very young age until I was about eight and then I played soccer until my first workout with weights at 16. I also played ice hockey.

MMI: What type of physique did you have when you began training?
JP: I was tall and thin at only 68 kg (150 pounds). After one or two months of training I had made great gains and people said I had some potential for bodybuilding. After a year I had gained 30 kg (66 pounds). I had some fat but that's normal especially at a young age.

MMI: You became obs"Normal" people have "normal" jobs. They thought this sport had no future for me. After Shanghai they felt a little better about it, but they are not fans of bodybuilding.

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