Besides lifting weights to develop a winning...

Besides lifting weights to develop a winning body, “body builders also have to develop their brain,” said John Carrido, 25, of Orange, the current lightweight Mr. California who will compete for the Mr. America crown Oct. 19 in Miami.

He said top body builders have to be educated in such areas as business, marketing and nutrition to succeed, pointing out, “If you don’t know how to market yourself, you’re going to fail.” He holds a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Long Beach with an emphasis on corporate fitness.

Carrido says he works out four hours daily, and that he spends an hour of that time posing and flexing his muscles in a choreographed routine in front of a mirror.

“Body builders have to learn how to market themselves,” said Carrido, a former Mr. Orange County, who works as a consultant for corporate fitness programs.

“The image of a body builder is changing,” he said. “We’re not just a bunch of muscles. We’re disciplined and educated.”