“As you think, so shall you be.” So goes the mantra of Mr. Australia. He chose to become a bodybuilder because he likes the look and the way he feels. This is no big surprise knowing this man’s history. Born near Sydney, Australia, there were times during his childhood that he was homeless, and due to extreme poverty, he suffered from malnutrition. He was shuffled around between fifteen schools. So, by the time he was thirteen he was unable to read or write.

From those humble beginnings, Guy Grundy overcame many obstacles making himself the number 2 amateur bodybuilder in the world. He says, “The added confidence it (bodybuilding) provides me is awesome. And believe me, women are drawn to a nice body.”

Even though Guy is one of the world’s leading bodybuilders, he continues to learn from his mistakes. In 2002 he made a mistake that cost him the world championship title.

Preparing for the competition Guy spent an hour in the morning and another hour in the evening doing cardio. “I get my cardio by training in martial arts.” Then he lifted weights twice a day, six days a week at 1 1/2 hours per session. Do the math. That’s close to four hours every day with no rest days to recuperate!

At 30, Grundy was preparing to win the World Champion 2002 title. “I was training in mixed martial arts. My left shoulder was sore from sparring and hitting the pads. I was just thinking of pushing through and not backing off when I should have. I didn’t use my brain and listen to my body.” Since he had about three months before the World Championships, backing out wasn’t an option.

He followed the martial arts workout by lifting weights at Gold’s Gym in Venice, California. “I was pressing 400 pounds on the Smith machine. Just a couple of inches from completing the rep, my left shoulder gave way.” He knew not to try and hold the weight with his right arm. He’d have ripped his pectorals. So he let the weight drop and let his training partner come to the rescue.

Grundy realizes that the rotator cuff injury was due to major over training. When the doctor saw the MRI results, he couldn’t believe how much damage Grundy had done to his body. But Mr. Australia learned from the experience. He says, “From all my years of rugby, body-building, and fighting, I’ve learned one thing. If you don’t feel like training hard that day, don’t.” “Listen to your body” is an old gym cliché´, but it’s also something Grundy has learned to do… Learned the hard way.

Grundy used to believe that so-called “rest days” were actually a symptom of laziness. Now he realizes that there’s a difference between laziness and being smart. “The good bodybuilders are the smart ones.” And the smart ones give their bodies some recovery time. If guy had listened to his body, he would have taken a few days off from training. Did it make the difference between winning and losing? Guy thinks so. And bare in mind, even with his shoulder pain from over training, he lost the title by ONE POINT.

Today, Grundy is recovering from surgery. “First, there’s four weeks of doing nothing. Then a slow rehabilitation for one month, I should be back in shape in four months.” To Grundy this maintenance workout is ten to twelve hours of cardio and resistance training per week spread over five days. He says, “I’ll be at full strength in six months.”

Grundy’s not the kind of guy to sit around doing nothing. He’s making a guest appearance on the upcoming film, “Starsky and Hutch,” staring Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller. Guy also writes a column, “Muscle Flashes” for MuscleMag. Furthermore, he’s the author of over 16 articles published in major muscle magazines.

Guy Grundy realizes that his injuries were caused by poor planning and failing to use the “think muscle” between his ears. He says, “In life it doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked on your ass. It only matters that you get back up and chase what you’re after.”