Charles Glass Speaks
By
Shawn Ray
March 1st, 2009
While we are fast approaching the 21st Anniversary of the Arnold Classic a mere week away from now, I had the chance to catch up with one of the most well known Trainers in the World of Bodybuilding, Charles Glass a former Middleweight National Champion and Mr. Universe Winner who dropped a boat load of Wisdom and Knowledge on his view of the Industry and his latest work with Kai Greene:
SR: Charles, you’ve trained and worked with some great Bodybuilders over the years and have built quite a name for yourself and a good measure of success with these guys, who are they?
CG: Well, I’ve had the good fortune of working with some of the world’s best in Bodybuilding for sure and it’s been a blast! Guys over the years like, Mike Christian, Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier, Günter Schlierkamp, Silvio Samuel, Dennis James, Hidetada Yamagishi and most recently, Kai Greene!
SR: Charles, as of late there has been a lot of Buzz regarding your work with Kai Greene, bring us up to speed from your perspective on how things are coming along?
CG: Well Shawn, nothing is happening right now or the last week and a half for that matter. Kai came to California weeks ago to work with me. I offered my services and needed to find out how Kai works in the routine he was already using, so I had to observe to some extent before I could make any changes to his routine. Well, it was a bit challenging because Kai has his way of doing things and there was a bit of a disconnect because I think he might have expected me to simply “Take Over” his training which as you know Shawn from watching me work with great athletes over the years is something I do not do. I take their best and try to make them better!
SR: Rumor has it that your styles might have “Clashed” and he went back to his old trainer and never spoke to you again?
CG:it is true, I haven’t spoken to Kai in over a week, I don’t know who he is training with but it’s not with me so I wish him well! He arrived in California weighing about 292lbs and when we last met he was around 280lbs, so he was making progress but he may have felt more comfortable getting the weight down without me or finalizing his Contest prep with someone he is more comfortable with.
SR: I Interviewed Kai and you’re correct, he is working with his Old Trainer, Oscar who flew out here to LA and they are putting the finishing touches on his physique as we conduct this Q&A. Is that a Slap in the face to you?
CG: No, not at all. Look Shawn I am a very busy and hard working Trainer, I’m at the gym all day, everyday training Clients one after another. Some enjoy the process of our work together, others have their own ideas of what they need and they seek their solutions elsewhere, it’s a Free Country, I wish him well.
SR: It’s got to hurt to some degree if he didn’t even say good Bye or thank you?
CG: I’ve come to a place with this venture that I can’t “Expect” anything from someone who talks in Riddles when asked a question. I can’t fix problems when I can’t get straight answers to very important questions. Kai is a hard worker but he needed more than a Trainer. I train my people and turn them loose, with Kai I knew he was here alone, I offered to have him up at the house to eat, do laundry, Cardio etc but he always had a reason not to take the invitations. I live 1 hr from the gym each direction and trust me when I say I was there in the gym Daily and sometimes, I didn’t see him there? When I did toward the end, he was leaving as I was walking in or vice versa.
SR: In light of the unceremonious depart of Kai from “Camp Glass” how do you think he will fair a week from now?
CG: Kai is one of the most gifted guys out there! I constantly tried to build up his confidence; he was heavy when he first arrived and I felt he was still heavy when I last saw him. He has a lot of work to do but he can get it done! Kai needed more than what I was offering, I can see that now but I did what I am known for doing which is why my Client base is so deep and full! If Kai feels he needed to come out here to find himself, I’m happy to have been a part of that but there are certain rules we abide by in this industry I think he needs t learn most importantly Communication. He rarely answered his phone, replied to Text messages and so on, so it was hard to get into his head. I think Kai is doing what’s best for Kai and I wish him well.
SR: How are things coming with Silvio and Dennis James?
CG:They are both responding well, as you know Silvio has been in shape for weeks! Dennis is Big and Full and will be the best that we’ve seen him in awhile! Out of the 3, Kai had the most work to do in front of him because he was so heavy to begin with. I think they’ll all do great because they are all Champion Bodybuilders!
In sum, Charles Glass felt Kai's shy, introverted demeanor limited Charles Glass's ability to address Kai's needs. Kai went back to his old mentor because he felt more comfortable with his old trainer. Charles's said there are no hard feelings between the two. It is not uncommon among elite athletes to switch trainer's before, during, or after the competition.
