The following interview of WNBF World Champion Bodybuilder Jon Harris has been provided curtsey of

Justin Johnson of Natural Bodybuilding News:

Congratulations once again Jon on a fantastic win. Can you tell me, when did you know (if you knew) that you were in with a chance and did you feel the overall was in sight too?

Thank you Justin. Well, I have to say at no point during the show did I feel confident about the win. I felt confident with my prep, tan, stage presence and also with my physique on the day. All the little details that I can control were taken care of. I did everything I could, but there were just so many good physiques there to start celebrating prematurely. You cannot control what others look like and you definitely cannot control the judging. Onlookers did start telling me after pre-judging that I had it, but experience tells me not to get carried away with those sort of comments, after all, it’s judged over three rounds and there was still work to do, so I just stayed focused right through to the end.

Jon Harris in posedown for the WNBF World Overall Title

Who did you consider to be your biggest threat and did it turn out that way?

Well, if I’m being honest, I had my sights set on the overall going into the comp, and with two of the big names out of the lightweight class (Rob Hope and Dave Goodin), I looked to the reining heavyweight champ Ben Tennessen as my main competition. As it turns out, the night before the show I got hold of a copy of the latest Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness magazine, and saw an article on US cup winner Clarence McGill. I turned to my wife and said there and then that this guy could give me some trouble! He looked superb, and then my focus immediately switched back to concentrating on winning my own class and not the overall. In the end, it was these two gents, Clarence and Ben, who would be the eventual obstacles on route to my victory.

On the world stage, and assuming you compete next year, who will be the one to watch?

Clarence will be my main competition, I have no doubt about that. He’s gunning for me and told me so the day after. I hope Brandon comes back also, he impressed me with the level to which he has taken his physique considering he’s only been competing a few years. If Jim Cordova makes a comeback he could be in the mix too. Also, Ben Tennessen is always a threat for the overall if he takes the heavies.

What do you believe your success was due to this time, were there any changes in you preparation that you believe helped or was it just two years of hard work!

First off I have to admit I did not train my butt off during the full two-year absence. I had a big break from the gym to concentrate on business ventures, and only resumed hard training in maybe the last six months before the show. Even then, it wasn’t until I finally committed to do the worlds, some twelve weeks out, that I “dropped the hammer” so to speak, and went all-out with my training.

One thing I’ve steadily improved upon each year is how lean I’ve stayed off-season. This year I stayed very lean, no more than about seven pounds over my “fighting” weight of around 170 pounds. After the layoff, my body was in a receptive state where I was able to strip fat and build muscle at the same time. So much so, that I lost no bodyweight at all during my pre-contest period. I stayed at 12 stones pretty much all the way through. Because I was leaner to begin with I was able to consume more calories and therefore hold onto more lean muscle tissue. This made the dieting a breeze. I worked with my body, not against it, and was rewarded with a fuller and healthier looking physique at the end of it.

What are your goals now, have these changed? Do you feel different to how you thought you would feel having won?

My goal now is to defend my world title in 2007. To be honest I didn’t really speculate before the show on how I’d feel or what I would do if I won – I daren’t! Although I guess that maybe I’d have felt one win was enough. However, winning gives you the confidence to believe in yourself, and this suddenly makes the prospect of defending quite attractive. Also having done the worlds off the back of twelve weeks of solid training, I’m excited about what improvements I can make given a whole twelve months of commitment.

Do you feel there is anything left to aim for?

In natural bodybuilding there is nothing left to achieve. In my opinion the WNBF pro world title is the pinnacle of the sport. No one has won the men’s world title three times yet, so that is something further to aim for. Although I’m under no illusions of how difficult that challenge is. No one’s done it precisely because it’s so damned hard! I think it will be sensible to take things one year at a time.

When will you be competing again and will we get to see you on a British stage next year? I am sure I speak for Jan Williams and myself when I say we would love to see you at the Mike Williams Classic!

Well thank you! Right now I am tempted to go back and defend my world title, but I will guarantee that in the absence of that I will definitely come back and compete on UK soil. The Mike Williams Pro-Am is a superb show and one that I would love to compete in. I am also humbled by the fact that so many people want to see me compete again in Britain. Right now though, I am tied to the WNBF contractually and so cannot compete in the UK. It’s not the ideal scenario but those are the rules. I will however, be guest posing at the NPA Yorkshire in 2007, so I am very grateful for that opportunity.

You said you were staying in shape for the DVD, when will this be recorded and when and how will we be able to get hold of a copy?

The DVD will be recorded first thing in the New Year. It was originally going to be filmed prior to the worlds, but basically I ran out of time. I’m a stickler for doing things right and I’ve been spending a lot of time researching and planning out the structure and content. It will be available from my website early in the New Year. Also, Michael Phillips has kindly agreed to let me have a stand at the 2006 NPA Yorkshire, so people will be able to pick up a copy there.

How about the new book, I guess this is a project for the New Year right?

The new book is currently on the backburner as completing the DVD is my main priority. But my wife has bought me a laptop PC this Christmas so I can spend more time writing when I’m away from home. I’ll be taking a new slant, a more scientific approach with it. I have a strong science background, but my first book, Pro Natural, was tailored for beginners and intermediates, so I didn’t get too heavy with the science. This time around I will reach out a little further and flesh out some tentative new theories on the sport that I have been experimenting with, as well as analyzing some existing ones. If you like studying graphs, equations and diagrams then this will definitely be your cup of tea.

Click Here for Part 2 of the Jon Harris Interview

Natural Bodybuilding at its Finest - Lift for Life.com