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Carnivore Colt Milton – New IPL Bodybuilding Pro

In this exclusive interview with Colt Milton, the newest IPL Bodybuilding Pro, we delve into his journey to earning the coveted Pro Card at IPL APEX VIII. Colt reflects on the significance of this achievement, a dream realized after years of dedication and sacrifice. From his Pro Debut, where he placed 2nd right after earning his Pro Card, to his unique approach to Bodybuilding fueled by the carnivore diet, Colt shares his experiences, challenges, and the support that helped him along the way. With a deep commitment to both his family and his athletes, Colt’s story is a testament to hard work, faith, and perseverance, inspiring others to pursue their own dreams in the world of Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN YOSEF

“…TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THAT MILESTONE IS A DREAM COME TRUE, THAT I'M STILL ABSORBING.”

ATHLETIC MAGAZINE: Congratulations on earning your Pro Card at IPL APEX VIII, Colt! Can you take us through that moment and what it felt like to achieve such a big milestone?
COLT MILTON: Thank you! I’ve been on stage 15 times now. Many times I’ve heard other competitors’ names announced for pro natural bodybuilding cards. So, to finally be able to achieve that milestone is a dream come true, that I’m still absorbing.
     Really, the biggest feeling I had was gratitude for Daniel, Angela and a few other new friends congratulating me. For my coaches Richard and Alfred, my wife, kids, and family shooting deer and helping me process it. I’ve had a lot of really close friends and family involved with all this online coaching and bodybuilding, so to finally earn the chance to share the stage with pros like John and Steven was once again truly a dream come true. And an answered prayer that this trip would be worth the investment and the effort, so all glory to God there. 
AM: You made an impressive Pro Debut by placing 2nd in that lineup. What was it like for you standing on that Pro stage just minutes after earning your Pro Card?

“THE PICTURES OF JOHN AND STEVEN MOTIVATED ME AS SOON AS I MADE THE DECISION TO PULL THE TRIGGER AND GO ALL IN FOR THIS SHOW. ALL THE WAY UNTIL I MET THEM FACE TO FACE. THEY'RE BOTH REMARKABLE ATHLETES.”

CM: The pictures of John and Steven motivated me as soon as I made the decision to pull the trigger and go all in for this show. All the way until I met them face to face. They’re both remarkable athletes. After watching Steven pose and flex his abs…I had to follow that…I was like, “shit, I got legs and maybe a couple good back poses that might give him a run for his money.” So, I was more than honored to take 2nd place to him. At least I feel like I made him earn the 1st place award!
     Steven was kind enough to spend an hour afterward encouraging me with what I can do to improve between now and the next IPL Pro competition…probably the one in May. As well as advice for what it could look like getting my son into bodybuilding since this cool sport is becoming a legacy in his family. I would like that to be the case with the Milton family as well.
AM: You’re known for following the carnivore diet. What drew you to this particular nutrition approach, and how has it influenced your physique and performance?
CM: It’s a long story, all thoroughly documented on the podcast Carnivore Coaches Corner that my bodybuilding coach Richard Smith and I publish on Wednesdays and haven’t missed a week in 85 episodes. We’re blessed to be ranked #1 in bodybuilding podcasts still, last I checked on Spotify.

“AFTER ANGELA INTRODUCED ME TO THE IPL I DECIDED TO PUT EVERYTHING I'VE LEARNED LATELY INTO THIS PREP…”

     To sum it up, bodybuilding became the perfect sport for an introverted artist like myself because it creates healthy rituals around exercise and nutrition that I believe are invaluable. However, bodybuilding is an extreme sport, especially before and after competitions and not paying attention to symptoms of OVERTRAINING and STARVATION really caught up with me fast. I hired a coach who encouraged me to follow essentially a PALEO/WHOLE-FOODS diet which was a drastic improvement from the “self-coaching” I was doing prior to this.
     My natural testosterone levels and health improved and most importantly so did my “relationship with food.” Binging and purging is common for both female AND MALE athletes and I quickly fell into an eating disorder. My first coach, Alfred Raoof, was the accountability and role model I needed to overcome this problem. This “cleaner” diet made me realize how much better I felt on the days where Alfred had me eating primarily meat and less carbohydrates.
     From there I coached myself through four shows using a KETOGENIC APPROACH that was “mostly animal based.” I realized there were a number of things I could improve. So, after taking two years off competing personally, I guest posed and co-hosted two natural bodybuilding shows in Seattle called THE OPEN NATURAL, staying true to a LOW-CARB, essentially plant-free diet for years.
     After Angela introduced me to the IPL, I decided to put everything I’ve learned lately into this prep and do everything like Richard Smith said to do. Following a STRICT CARNIVORE DIET up until peak week and then at that point we throw being carnivore “out the window” and do whatever it takes to win, even if it means eating carbs!

“…WE ALL PRIORITIZE RED MEAT FROM RUMINANT ANIMALS (ANIMALS THAT HAVE FOUR STOMACHS LIKE COWS, DEER, AND SHEEP).”

AM: Can you walk us through a typical day of eating for you while preparing for a competition? And how would that day differ from your “Off-season”?
CM: For sure! For everyone I train, being a carnivore is a way of life. And for the competitors I put on stage this year (Angela & Danielle – both Pros…also Nathaniel, Leo, Sarah, and Mark from Ireland), we eat this way year-round. Whether it’s for an auto-immune condition or because it’s what we believe to be a “proper human diet.” I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist, but I live/eat/sleep/breathe Bodybuidling. So everything I learn from leading nutritionists that I fact-check and even from reading the Bible, I really believe it’s how humans are meant to eat day to day.
     All of the athletes I just mentioned have their own social media profiles and are enthusiastic about what the carnivore diet has done for them and their clients/friends/family. My diet is the same as theirs and we all prioritize RED MEAT from RUMINANT ANIMALS (animals that have four stomachs like cows, deer, and sheep). From there, depending on your health goals, you add in what works for you.
     For some people, especially athletes, it’s a good idea to add in a small amount of strategic low-lectin, low-oxalate carb sources such as white rice or seasonal fruits or perhaps ketogenic performance supplements like KETO BRICKS (that’s more my style). Angela and I both used PROTEIN SPARING MODIFYING FASTING, which is an advanced body-fat cutting technique that works great for many seasoned carnivores like ourselves.

“IT'S A FINE LINE ON PEAK WEEK TO STAY FULL WITHOUT ‘SPILLING OVER’. ONE WRONG MOVE CAN F*CK UP YOUR ENTIRE PEAK WEEK AND YOUR PLACINGS…”

     This, in combination with a couple fasts got us pretty peeled to the bone at two weeks out. So, we followed my coach Richard’s “TRIPLE REFEED” protocol where we did a refeed on LONG CHAIN FATTY ACIDS for two days, then filled out on AS MUCH WHITE RICE AS WE COULD EAT for three days. The icing on the cake is adding in EXOGENOUS KETONES the last two days so your glycogen levels stay full. Because ketones – whether taken exogenously or produced endogenously – take oxidating priority over glucose.
     So, that’s how we stay full of glycogen without spilling over and get just a little harder and drier before it’s time to hit the stage. It’s a fine line on peak week to stay full without “spilling over.” One wrong move can fuck up your entire peak week and your placings if the glucose from the white rice spills over into your subcutaneous layer. I’ve gone from the best shape of my life to the worst shape of my life in a matter of minutes and ruined past shows as a result. So, Coach Alfred was sure to remind me not to do that again this time before I hit the plane for Phoenix!
AM: Bodybuilding requires strict discipline and a lot of sacrifices. Not only that, but you are married, with children and have a successful coaching business. How do you maintain balance in your life between training, coaching, prepping for competition, and family commitments?
CM: “There’s no such thing as balance” was my biggest takeaway from reading the book The One Thing. My wife and I are both entrepreneurial-minded. Coach Richard is always physically worn out when I see him because every second he has he’s public speaking, in a consultation, going live, training, eating a ribeye and playing with his daughter. Our wives often ask “are you okay” and then remember that if we’re not physically worn out from what we love then we’re truly not fulfilled.

“…I SLEEP FOR 5 HOURS PER NIGHT AND WAKE UP NATURALLY WITHOUT ALARM CLOCKS. WHEN I'M AWAKE, I'M WORKING. I CAN SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD.”

     Being an entrepreneur has the challenges you mentioned, so we capitalize on what I can get away with not working a traditional job or having a “boss”. Mainly the flexibility. So, as long as anyone wants me to do anything I’m down. I can prioritize important family and music events in the future as long as I have enough notice because I can make pretty much any time work. Also, a properly executed carnivore/ketogenic diet usually results in a rapid decrease in requirement for sleep. So most of my clients and I sleep for 5 hours per night and wake up naturally without alarm clocks. When I’m awake, I’m working. I can sleep when I’m dead. My wife watches my blind spots and tells me when I’m getting close so I don’t leave her and the kids any time soon!
AM: Your physique speaks volumes about your dedication, but how do you approach mental preparation for a competition like IPL APEX VIII? Do you have any specific rituals or techniques for staying focused?
CM: Thanks! And absolutely. Probably the weirdest thing is I don’t count reps ever in my training. Instead, I say memorized Bible verses that remind me that my body’s a temple and where my strength really comes from. For example, instead of counting to 20, I say “Blessed is a man who endures trials because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life.” (James 1:12) That’s totally taken out of context but it helps me memorize encouraging passages and keep the focus where it needs to be.
     When the enemy speaks doubt into my marriage, my faith or even my contest prep (“Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good”) Romans 12:21 – That one is 12 reps. Not all my clients share the same faith as me, so in that case we’ll do visual meditation exercises or whatever else is needed to imagine victory and then go get it.

"ALWAYS BE BETTER THAN YOUR FORMER SELF. BECAUSE, IF YOU'RE ALWAYS IMPROVING, IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE YOU GET THERE."

AM: Competing at the professional level requires constant growth and improvement. What areas of your physique or training do you plan to focus on moving forward to continue climbing the ranks in the IPL?
CM: Marc Monaco, the head judge, said I need a bigger chest so I got on the phone with John Lancaster because his chest is gigantic and he’s helping me with my chest workouts at the moment! There’s many aspects of posing I tend to improve as well.
AM: Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals in bodybuilding, and what advice would you give to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps and potentially earn their Pro Card in the future?
CM: My long term goal is to coach 22 carnivore bodybuilders to earn their Pro Cards. I don’t know why, but that’s a goal I set a year ago and since then we’ve acquired 3 Pro Cards for carnivore bodybuilding with several that have come close. So, while it’s a big goal, this is just the beginning and I suppose the next logical step is to take 1st at an IPL Pro show. Also I’m communicating with several other show promotors in an effort to bring a natural bodybuilding show to MONTANA because the options for drug-free competitors is pretty slim pickings here.
     As far as advice to earn your Pro Card, thanks for asking. The most important thing is to ALWAYS BE BETTER THAN YOUR FORMER SELF. Because, if you’re ALWAYS IMPROVING, it’s only a matter of time before you get there. And the worst thing that could happen is that you earn your pro card but know you’ve done better before. I came in to beat the physique I brought to the stage in 2022 and kicked Colt Milton’s ass this time with more glute striations so that was the real victory. Thanks to the IPL for an exciting, professional experience for all the competitors and an opportunity not just to go pro but to actually do something lucrative with professional bodybuilding! ATHLETIC

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