How did you get started with bodybuilding?
I was a chubby kid with asthma. After my first asthma attack at the age of 12, doctors recommended that I avoid intensive sports. I was a 12 year old kid who dreamed of being like Bruce Lee or Mike Tyson so I thought it was the end of the world! At this point I didn’t know a thing about bodybuilding but I just wanted to get stronger.
Most days would wake up early and do 10 pushups and 10 situps first thing in the morning and then repeat it in the evening.
As time went on I slowly got stronger and my asthma began to disappear. By the age of 15 I could do 70 pushups 70 situps in one go and became pretty good at most sports in my school. This taught me that if I was persistent, patient and consistent I can achieve more than I ever expected which for me are the basic principles to achieve the body you want as a bodybuilder.
So what is the bodybuilding training routine that you use to achieve that killer physique?
What I find works best for me is VARIETY and CHANGE. I don’t let my body get used to a routine, week, after week, after week. If you get used to a routine, your body has no reason to physically change. Some days I’ll go running/sprints, some days weights, and some times I’ll go boxing. Whatever I am doing I make sure it’s intensive and I’m pushing myself to the max every time. When lifting weights I make sure I’m lifting the same or more than I was the previous week. When running its always further or faster, etc… , I never look back, I’m always better than I think.
An upper body weight training example is as follows:
1. Warm up – 10mins Skipping, x20 pushups, x20 sit ups.
2. Cable Crossovers (Inner chest) – 12, 10, 10, 8, 6
3. Incline Bench Press (Upper chest) – 12, 10, 10, 8 (on the last set take it down to a light weight then do as many reps until exhaustion).
4. Shrugs (Traps) – 12, 10, 10, 8 (heavy weights)
5. Pull Ups (Upper back) – 12, 10, 10, 8, 6 (wide grip)
6. Barbell curls/21’s (biceps) (light weights) – 7 full reps followed by 7 half reps from the starting position to half way up followed by 7 half reps from half way up to the top of the movement. All of this counts as one set. I usually do 3 sets.
7. Weighted Dips (triceps) – 12, 10, 10, 8, 6
8. Hanging Leg Raises (Abs) x20
9. Hanging Wipers x10 (Abs)
hanging wipers
10. Warm down – 10mins Skipping, x20 pushups, x20 sit ups.
When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?
I do both HIIT and normal cardio they both work, but I prefer interval sprinting or skipping. Although recently I am learning to love the sense of achievement when long distance running and am planning to run the London Marathon for charity.
What is your Diet like?
I eat five to six meals a day, everyday. My diet consists of porridge, chicken breasts, fish (Halibut, Tilapia, Cod or Tuna), almonds, egg whites, brown rice, sweet potatoes, green tea, and vegetables.
BREAKFAST –7.30AM
*Porridge oats with skimmed milk sprinkled with flaxseeds and a teaspoon of syrup.
*Green tea
BRUNCH – 11AM
*Green tea
*Apple
LUNCH- 1:15PM
*1 whole large sweet potato, (chopped up, grilled and seasoned with a little paprika and ‘spray soy protein’)
*300 grams of chicken breast (grilled and seasoned same as above, I use the ‘George Foreman’ grill by the way)
*Cup of water
*Half a handful of whole Almonds
TEA BREAK – 3:30PM
*Green tea
*half a handful of whole almonds
PREWORKOUT
* A banana
* A bottle of water
POSTWORKOUT/DINNER
*3 Egg Whites
*Brown rice, or 1 whole sweet potato
300 grams of chicken breast
*Portion of boiled vegetables (peas, carrots, sprouts etc)
*Half a squeezed lime and hot water.
What is your supplementation like?
I don’t take protein shakes or creatine I just stick to multivitamins and fish oils. This seems to surprise a few people but I get all my protein and carb intake from my meals, so I just follow what has proven to work for me.
Plans for the future?
I plan to enter my first natural competition in the near future. So the goal is to get bigger, leaner and make all my weaknesses my strengths.
Favourite Quote?
“When you are not training, some other guy is, and when the two of you meet, he will kick your ass!” unknown
and…
“somewhere in China a little girl is warming up with your max” Jim Conroy, Olympic weightlifting coach
