Jackson's childhood and adolescence
The future Olympia champion was born on November 25, 1969 in Jacksonville, Florida. From early childhood, the boy was interested in sports, but could not decide on the direction of his studies. Those around him predicted a great future for Dexter in sprinting, because he could run a 40-meter distance in just 4.2 seconds, and this is practically a national record. His life took a turn when he fell in love.
Features of training
When Dexon is asked about training, he recalls that in his youth he trained for many hours. However, with age, he wised up and began to work with each group (with the exception of the legs), no more than once a week for an hour in a split:
- Monday – quadriceps;
- Tuesday – torso and ankles;
- Wednesday - back;
- Thursday - back of the thighs, deltoids;
- Friday - calves, triceps and biceps.
After the power block comes 30-45 minutes of cardio. If necessary, aerobic exercise is carried out in the morning and evening.
Early adulthood
Dexter Jackson dreamed of studying at a university and continuing to play sports, but his lover became pregnant early. The guy had to go to work to be able to provide for his family. Difficult times awaited the future Olympian, because without education, he could not find a decent job, but only survived with rare earnings. Over time, Dexter managed to get a job as a cook in a small restaurant. All this time he continued to train. It was then that the guy began to get involved in bodybuilding.
Nutrition
Dexter pays special attention to nutrition, as it is 50% of the success of any athlete. It necessarily takes into account the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in combination with water balance. Jackson has 7 meals a day, 3 of which are sports nutrition in the form of protein or gainer.
- In the morning, in addition to cereal, the athlete likes to add a protein shake.
- At lunch, the main course is poultry with slow carbohydrates. Namely, it is porridge, potatoes combined with fiber in the form of greens. This is followed by a snack of fruit or a protein shake. The next meal is often a fish steak with rice and vegetables.
- For dinner, Dexter prefers to eat egg whites. He needs up to 10 pieces to cover his daily calorie requirement. He advises taking whites from regular eggs, since he doesn’t really believe that the stated amount can fit in a separate package of egg whites.
The athlete loves and knows how to cook deliciously, as he worked as a cook in his youth. This skill helps him create a varied menu for himself every day. In order to have time to eat all of his meals and daily calorie intake, the athlete has to eat every 2.5 hours. After training, the athlete considers it obligatory to drink a protein shake with vanilla flavor. This taste is Dexter’s favorite in sports nutrition.
In conclusion, we can say that admiration for Dexter Jackson is not in vain. He has a huge army of fans and followers, which is growing daily. The athlete is a living legend of bodybuilding, as well as a wonderful father and family man. He knows how to combine big-time sports with household chores and relationships with the woman he loves.
The beginning of Jackson Dexter's career
Lack of funds did not give the weightlifter the opportunity to provide himself with normal nutrition and pharmacological supplements. But determination helped me quickly gain quality weight in a short time. On the advice of friends, after just three weeks of preparation, the guy won his first small tournament. In 1994, the athlete moved to middle weight and won the championship of the southern states, and in 1995 he became the heavyweight champion among non-professional athletes.
In 1998, at the North American tournament, he again became the best. From now on, Dexter turns to professionals. For 5 whole years the athlete walked towards his debut championship title, but never fell below fifth position. This seemed not enough for the ambitious athlete. In 2002 he won the English Grand Prix title. After this, numerous victories rained down on him as if from a cornucopia. From 2003 to 2008, out of 18 competitions, he won 12.
Superhero sports history in detail
In the period from 1992-2016. Jackson has performed in more than 30 tournaments at various levels. Only from 2003-2008. The bodybuilder took part in 18 competitions and showed the best results in 12 of them. Judging by the results in the standings, he always rose above the 10th position and, with rare exceptions, did not make it into the top 5. At the beginning of 2017, in the number of awards . Main victories:
- 2002 – Grand Prix in England.
- 2003 - Show of Strength Pro Championship.
- 2004 - Ironman Pro Invitational.
- 2005–2008 – Arnold Classic.
- 2008 – Mr. Olympia, Grand Prix in New Zealand and Russia.
- 2012 - Masters Olympia.
- 2013-2015 - Arnold Classic.
- 2015 - Arnold Classic in Australia;
- 2016 Mr. Olympia in Europe and Arnold Classic in Africa.
At the 2020 Olympia, the athlete took 4th position, losing to W. Bonac, M. Elssbyai, F. Heath.
Year | Competitions | Place |
1995 | US Championship | 1 in Light Heavyweight category |
1996 | Nationals | 6 in Light Heavyweight category |
1999 | Arnold Classic | 7 |
1999 | Night of Champions | 3 |
1999 | Mr. Olympia | 9 |
1999 | World Championship Pro | 4 |
1999 | Grand Prix England | 4 |
2000 | Ironman Pro | 3 |
2000 | Arnold Classic | 5 |
2000 | Grand Prix Hungary | 2 |
2000 | Toronto/Montreal Pro | 2 |
2000 | Night of Champions | 7 |
2000 | Mr. Olympia | 9 |
2001 | Grand Prix Hungary | 3 |
2001 | Arnold Classic | 5 |
2001 | Grand Prix Australia | 3 |
2001 | Toronto/Montreal Pro | 2 |
2001 | Night of Champions | 2 |
2001 | Mr. Olympia | 8 |
2001 | Grand Prix England | 4 |
2002 | Arnold Classic | 3 |
2002 | San Francisco Pro | 3 |
2002 | Grand Prix Austria | 2 |
2002 | Grand Prix Australia | 2 |
2002 | Mr. Olympia | 4 |
2002 | Grand Prix England | 1 |
2002 | Grand Prix Holland | 3 |
2002 | Power Show Pro | 6 |
2003 | Maximum Pro | 3 |
2003 | Arnold Classic | 4 |
2003 | San Francisco Pro | 3 |
2003 | Grand Prix Italy | 3 |
2003 | Mr. Olympia | 3 |
2003 | Power Show Pro | 1 |
2004 | Ironman Pro | 1 |
2004 | Arnold Classic | 3 |
2004 | San Francisco Pro | 1 |
2004 | Grand Prix Australia | 1 |
2004 | Mr. Olympia | 4 |
2005 | Arnold Classic | 1 |
2005 | San Francisco Pro | 2 |
2006 | Arnold Classic | 1 |
2006 | Mr. Olympia | 4 |
2007 | Arnold Classic | 2 |
2007 | Grand Prix Australia | 1 |
2007 | Mr. Olympia | 3 |
2008 | Arnold Classic | 1 |
2008 | Grand Prix Australia | 1 |
2008 | Grand Prix New Zealand | 1 |
2008 | Mr. Olympia | 1 |
2008 | Grand Prix Romania | 1 |
2009 | Mr. Olympia | 3 |
2010 | Arnold Classic | 4 |
2010 | Grand Prix Australia | 2 |
2010 | Mr. Olympia | 4 |
2011 | Flex Pro | 2 |
2011 | Arnold Classic | 5 |
2011 | Fibo Power Pro | 1 |
2011 | Mr. Olympia | 6 |
2011 | Arnold Classic Europe | 2 |
2011 | Florida Pro Masters | 1 in the category Masters 40+ |
2012 | Arnold Classic | 5 |
2012 | Master Olympia | 4 |
2012 | Master Olympia | 1 |
2013 | Arnold Classic | 1 |
2013 | Grand Prix Australia | 1 |
2013 | Mr. Olympia | 5 |
2013 | Prague Pro | 2 |
2013 | Tijuana Pro | 1 |
2014 | Mr. Olympia | 5 |
2014 | Arnold Classic Europe | 3 |
2014 | Dubai Pro | 1 |
2014 | Prague Pro | 2 |
2014 | San Marino Pro | 3 |
2015 | Arnold Classic | 1 |
2015 | Arnold Classic Australia | 1 |
2015 | Mr. Olympia | 2 |
2015 | Arnold Classic Europe | 1 |
2015 | Prague Pro | 1 |
2016 | New York Pro | 1 |
2016 | Arnold Classic Africa | 1 |
2016 | Mr. Olympia | 3 |
2016 | Arnold Classic Europe | 1 |
2016 | Kuwait Pro | 2 |
2016 | Prague Pro | 3 |
2016 | Mr. Olympia Europe | 1 |
2017 | Mr. Olympia | 4 |
2017 | Prague Pro | 3 |
2018 | Arnold Classic | — |
Rumor has it that during his long career, Dexter won everything he could.
Peak of a champion's career
Any bodybuilder calls the Mr. Olympia competition the most significant for himself. For Dexter Jackson, the peak of his career was Mr. Olympia 2008.
Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Tony Freeman and others competed with him in this championship. Jackson managed to overcome seasoned champions and take an honorable first place. The athlete achieved no less significant results in the Arnold Classic, where the bodybuilder won 4 times in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2013. Photos of Dexter Jackson appeared in all bodybuilding magazines.
Athlete Anthropometry
- Although Dexter Jackson is only 168 cm tall
- this did not prevent me from pumping up 55 cm biceps
- have a torso of 136 cm;
- waist 69.8 cm;
- weight before tournaments does not exceed 102 kg + 8 kg during the off-season.
He had to compete with outstanding athletes, 10-20 kg larger than himself, and defeat them. According to the IFBB, the athlete nicknamed “Blade” and “Ninja Turtle” won 28 awards.
In addition, he became the owner of the main title “Mr. Olympia” and a five-time winner of the “Arnold Classic”.
Dexter Jackson now
Now in 2020, the weightlifter is considered one of the best professionals. The hard times are over, his closets are full of branded items from Armani, and his four children never hear the word “no” from their father. But in personal life, not everything depends on money. Jackson's wife Carol recently took her things and the couple separated. It is not yet known whether this decision is final.
First successes
A simple lack of funds did not allow the athlete to provide himself with proper and balanced nutrition, and even more so pharmacology. Despite this, Dexter Jackson quickly gained weight and achieved excellent results in the shortest possible time. Having listened to the advice of friends, the athlete decided to compete in a small bodybuilding tournament, because he himself had long dreamed of this.
The easy victory only fueled the young bodybuilder’s ambitions. Already in 1994, Dexter moved to middleweight and won the championship title in competitions in the southern states. The following year, he becomes the absolute heavyweight champion among non-professionals, and the victory in 1998 at the North American tournament inspires him, and Dexter decides to switch to professionals.
D. Jackson's training program
Like any self-respecting athlete, Dexter carefully monitors his physical fitness. For a long time now, Dexter Jackson’s training has been available to everyone who wants to pump up their muscles. The athlete’s split is scheduled by day, and in each of them a separate muscle group is loaded:
- 1st: quadriceps;
- 2nd: calf and pectoral muscles;
- 3rd: back day;
- 4th: deltoids, thighs and biceps;
- 5th: triceps and biceps of the arms, calf muscles;
- 6th, 7th: rest.
The bodybuilder finishes each strength training session with 30 minutes of cardio. Only during the period of mass gain, Jackson recommends not doing aerobic exercise.
What's the situation with doping?
Despite the popularization of natural bodybuilding, the bodybuilder also used doping. In early interviews, he stated that he did not use chemistry, but later he accidentally dropped an eloquent phrase:
“In order to compete with competitors who all take AAS, I am forced to use illegal drugs.”
The athlete starred in a series of videos called “The Battle for Olympia” and recorded the “Titans” DVD, where he outlined the principles of his training. You can learn about how an athlete lives today from social networks. Dexter Jackson regularly posts photos on Instagram from different angles, allowing you to appreciate his shape.
Biceps training
Beautiful, voluminous hands are the pride of any heavyweight, and Dexter Jackson is also proud of them. On his Instagram, the star user posts photos and video descriptions of basic exercises for biceps.
- Biceps curls on a Scott bench. 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions. Take a weight with which you will not allow yourself to cheat, but will perform each lift concentrated, since with excessive weight a jerking movement will occur from the bottom point, which will lead to a sprain of the biceps ligaments, and this is very painful.
- “Hammer” 4 sets of 12 reps. In this option, you can choose larger weights of dumbbells, but you must fully comply with the execution technique.
- Seated dumbbell raises: 4 sets x 12 reps. The movements must be done exclusively correctly technically, but the weight does not matter, because the main thing is to feel the working muscle, and also to turn the hand outward (supination) for the peak of contraction.
- Concentrated dumbbell lift: 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions. Choose the angle of inclination of the body to maximize the load on the biceps, but you also don’t need to bend over too much. It can be performed both in a standing and sitting position.
“A pumped-up handsome guy with a brilliant smile” - that’s what they say about Dexter Jackson. The 2020 Arnold Classic victory was the 27th of his career, surpassing the great Ronnie Coleman.
The heavyweight plans to start taking part in competitions again in 2020, and the veteran has no intention of retiring.
What's in the program
The calling card of an athlete is his biceps. To speed up the hypertrophy of the biceps, moderate weight dumbbells are enough. The main thing when lifting is not to forget to turn your wrist outward at the end of the amplitude (8-12 times). In the block :
- concentrated lifts, work on the Scott bench, seated raises, Hammer.
- Exercises for deltas: presses, abductions on a bench at an angle, raises in a block.
- Leg program: squats, presses, curls, hack squats, lunges.
- Back training: T-bar row and deadlift (every other time), cable row to the belt (bent over barbell), dumbbell row, pull-ups on the horizontal bar with a wide grip with weights.
High-quality muscles need rest for up to 5 days. Athletes taking medications can reduce the break to 3 days.
Path to Olympus
The professional podium was not so favorable to the athlete. It’s scary to imagine how many years Dexter Jackson had to go to his first championship title. His performances did not bring him the desired victory for five whole years. And at the same time, if you look at Dexter’s standings, you can see that he never fell below fifth position, but this was not enough for worldwide recognition.
Only in 2002, Jackson won the championship title at the English Grand Prix, beating such titans as Dennis James and Chris Carmier. After this, victories rained down like from a cornucopia. In the period from 2003 to 2008, he performed 18 times at various competitions and became the absolute winner in 12 of them.
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