Birthplace Maracaibo, Venezuela. My parents worked for an international corporation, so they jumped from one country to another. I was raised in Puerto Rico, and 90% of my family lives there.

Family Wife, Jessica; son, Gustavo Jr., 16; daughter Barbie Ann, six; daughter, Nicole Marie, nine months.
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Current residence Las Vegas, Nevada--it's a great place to live. There are people here who respect what bodybuilders do for a living. I've been here for four years. A lot of competitors are moving here because they find Vegas to be a good environment. It's a perfect city for bodybuilding.

Nickname Lonnie Teper started calling me "The Freakin' Rican." Some people say the name lacks respect, but I don't see it that way. Personally, I don't have problems with it.

Offseason weight No more than 270. I have kids, and I have to play with them. My son plays basketball. My daughter wants to ride on me all the time. If I get heavier than that, there can be problems doing that stuff.

Early sports experience I boxed for three or four years. My coach sent me to the gym to work out three times a week for more strength in my shoulders and arms. I noticed my body changing right away. For the first time in my life, I was pumped. People in the gym gave me a lot of support and said I could be a bodybuilder. I started going to the gym every day, twice a day. Boxing was a big passion, but it is a contact sport. My mother was happy when I quit boxing--until she found out I was into bodybuilding with the same passion. She would see me training, every morning, every afternoon.

First bodybuilding contest The junior class at the 1990 Central American & Caribbean Championships, which I won. I weighed 170.

Earning a pro card I am a U.S. citizen, but Puerto Rico is a commonwealth and, at that time, it was the rule that you had to live in a state to compete in national-level NPC shows. So I competed in the IFBB Central American & Caribbean Championships for many years, with athletes from about 25 islands. Each year, I tried to put on more size and be more perfect. Moving through the middleweight, Light-heavyweight and heavyweight classes, I became a top contender at the Central American & Caribbean Championships. I got my pro card by winning the heavyweight class at 218 pounds and the overall at that show in 1997 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Early pro contests I didn't get much publicity in the United States by winning the Caribbean Championships. I did my first pro show, the Grand Prix Germany, in Duisburg in 1998, and I was invited to the Night Of Champions. I went to New York by myself in 1999 for the show. When I got there, nobody knew me and I didn't know about the publicity game. Training hard and looking good are not enough. Many times I competed, I didn't even get into the top 20. But I always had a passion.

Career highlights At the 2002 Night Of Champions, I got 10th, and then I went to Canada to compete at the Toronto Pro, where I had some good callouts next to Art Atwood and Markus Ruhl. I placed third and qualified for the Olympia for the first time. For two days before the show, I couldn't sleep. I had been dreaming of that day for 12 years. But I was off--I was small and in bad condition. There were 25 competitors, and I placed 24th.
I made a lot of mistakes in my career. I tried a lot of diets and a lot of different workouts. In 2003, I met Milos Sarcev, and I asked him to help me out. He gave me some good advice, and I took pictures every week. At the 2004 Ironman, I got third place and I was invited to the Arnold Classic, where I placed seventh my first time. I went to the Olympia, and I got third.
Major wins I won the 2005 Ironman and 2006 San Francisco shows. I have my trophy for winning the Challenge Round at the 2005 Olympia. That was important to me. The judges were Dorian Yates, Samir Bannout, Larry Scott, Sergio Oliva and Frank Zane. These champions voted for me. It doesn't count for everybody, but it counts for me.

Biggest disappointment What bothers me are champions who don't look at the fans when they're talking to them and don't give them the respect they deserve. I was a fan before I became a professional, and I know what it means. Fans pay for magazines, tickets to go to the show, pictures, DVDs, everything. It's very disappointing to me when I see somebody who is a professional who does not respect the fans.

Bodybuilders whose physiques you most admire I liked Lee Haney's physique, and he gave me a lot of motivation. Lee Labrada is a great person with a great physique. He was consistent, and even though he was a small guy, he always worked extra hard to compete against the bigger guys onstage.

Bodybuilders whose personalities you most admire Jay Cutler, my friend, is very good as a champion and he's a very good ambassador for the sport. And Silvio Samuel and Phil Heath both have a very good mentality, they're very serious, they respect the fans, and they're very approachable. They're good for the sport.
Major wins I won the 2005 Ironman and 2006 San Francisco shows. I have my trophy for winning the Challenge Round at the 2005 Olympia. That was important to me. The judges were Dorian Yates, Samir Bannout, Larry Scott, Sergio Oliva and Frank Zane. These champions voted for me. It doesn't count for everybody, but it counts for me.

Biggest disappointment What bothers me are champions who don't look at the fans when they're talking to them and don't give them the respect they deserve. I was a fan before I became a professional, and I know what it means. Fans pay for magazines, tickets to go to the show, pictures, DVDs, everything. It's very disappointing to me when I see somebody who is a professional who does not respect the fans.

Bodybuilders whose physiques you most admire I liked Lee Haney's physique, and he gave me a lot of motivation. Lee Labrada is a great person with a great physique. He was consistent, and even though he was a small guy, he always worked extra hard to compete against the bigger guys onstage.

Bodybuilders whose personalities you most admire Jay Cutler, my friend, is very good as a champion and he's a very good ambassador for the sport. And Silvio Samuel and Phil Heath both have a very good mentality, they're very serious, they respect the fans, and they're very approachable. They're good for the sport.
Physique strengths I have good arms; my back is really hard. My waistline is small, and I have a lot of good condition and thickness in my upper and lower body. When I bring my A game, everything comes together. When I'm on, I'm on, and it's really hard to beat me.

Physique weaknesses We all have weaknesses. The body is unpredictable. You can do the same diet every year, but it doesn't mean the same result. Sometimes, the timing is no good, or the carb-up is not enough, or maybe you're holding some water in a specific bodypart. That's your worst enemy.

Favorite exercise I like doing deadlifts and bent-over rows. My whole body responds really well to those exercises.
Least-favorite exercise I don't like steppers. They're not my favorite, but I do them all the time, because I see good results from using them.

Traits you admire most in others I like when people are focused. You don't have to do my sport, but I respect it when people have focus and determination. I admire people who have goals and passion, and I want to be around them.

Traits you admire most in yourself Discipline, consistency, perseverance and passion. I never cheat on my diet. If I cheat on my diet, I'm cheating on my family, too. My family believes in me. I'm never going to let down anyone who believes in me.

Something not many people know about you My personality. People who don't know me talk a lot of things about me, sometimes in a bad way. I'm a normal human. I have a family. I always wish the best for everybody. If I am going to compete and somebody asks me who is going to win, I will say myself, because I'm a competitor and I'm a fighter. I believe in myself very much. Some people misunderstand me.

Favorite city Milan, Italy--for its fashion, food and new tall buildings. People come there from all over the world. It's fun and, for me, it's really relaxing. My wife and I try to go there every year.
Favorite book The Lord of the Rings. Reading those books made me feel transported to another dimension, and the movies are good, too.

Favorite TV show Everybody Loves Raymond. I laugh a lot, and it makes me relax.

Favorite type of music I like salsa and jazz, but I love opera. I wanted to pose to opera, because it made me feel so full of energy, but the interpretation is not going to be the same. I like rap music sometimes, too.

Favorite musician Marc Anthony sings a lot of different kinds of songs. And I like Jennifer Lopez, too.

Favorite nonbodybuilding athlete Miguel Cotto, a Puerto Rican boxer. He has a lot of determination. He had surgery on an arm [after it was broken in four places] and the doctor said he couldn't keep boxing. Now, he's one of the best in the world.

Favorite food Italian--any kind of pasta, I love it. When I start my diet, I think about pasta after I finish my show. I can even eat pasta for breakfast. When I go to Italy, I can gain 25 pounds in just a couple of days.

Favorite binge-out treat I'd rather have a piece of steak with pasta instead of dessert. Dessert is good, but I don't crave sugar.

Favorite cheese One-hundred percent American cheese. I love it.

Favorite automobile My BMW 6501, black and black. It's comfortable, fast and beautiful. I'm very happy with it.

Perfect vacation Someplace close to a beach, with my family; and some time to go to a gym and then walk on the beach and relax. I have to do that at least twice a year after contests, because I have a lot of stress with my whole prep. It's the perfect stress release.

WHAT YOU WOULD WANT TO BE IF YOU WEREN'T A PRO BODYBUILDER I like to see people progressing. I would be a trainer of athletes, helping people to get results. I enjoy when I see friends and clients of mine who are achieving their goals.

WHAT YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT BODYBUILDING The discipline. Bodybuilding is not just going to a contest and competing. Bodybuilding is about every day of your life. I love being a bodybuilder, and I respect the lifestyle. When you do that, you respect yourself and you like what you're doing.

WHAT YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT BODYBUILDING Many people don't know about the sport, and they don't know about the sacrifice. Because you look bigger, they're always saying that you're using stuff. If you have something to say to me, tell me to my face. I'm going to stand and talk to you. I'll explain what it's like to be a real bodybuilder.

LONG-TERM AMBITION I want to do my best. I feel like I'm at my prime and my body is responding really well. If I'm on, I'm dangerous for everybody. I'm going to compete for three or four more years. I want to be around this sport in some way. I want to be a bodybuilder all my life.