Rising Star: Fitness Model Daniel Blackwell Talks With Simplyshredded.com

Quick Stats:

Age: 23
Height: 6’1” – 185 cm
Weight: 200 lbs – 91 kg

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

Fitness was always a part of my life from a young age. I played football at a professional level but I had to give up due to a bad hamstring injury. My coaches introduced me to the gym so I could stay as fit as possible. From then on I’ve never stopped training. After about 6 months of working out I started to see some gains. The feeling I got was great and it had a positive impact on me. I then did some research on fitness models and aspired to create a similar shape. The support I got from friends and family was great. They pushed me to do something I enjoyed doing and was pretty good at. This was the start of a career for me. I was featured in many sports and health magazines at the age of 21. This was highly motivating and the promotion I got from this was great. Young new bodybuilders/fitness models were looking at me as an inspiration. This put pressure on me to stay in shape and keep improving as a fitness model.

Although not in a negative way, instead I saw this as another challenge for me, to this day I still enjoy what I do and I’ll never stop.

Where does your motivation come from?

Success. Setting short term goals and achieving them keeps me motivated! When I started working out I wanted to look like the worlds top fitness models. However I learnt this was going to take years so I set a target weight and body fat percentage. When I hit that goal I felt a huge sense of achievement! The next step was to eventually compete. This would require a much harder target of getting to a lower body fat percentage but not look like I’ve over dieted. Again I hit my goal and eventually competed and qualified for the British finals. This is another short term goal I have made for myself to win the British finals in 2014.

Naturally I want to do the best I can in anything I do. If I can motivate and inspire others to work out, be healthy and look good that alone is an achievement.

This keeps me motivated to work hard. As a competitor myself I don’t like to lose so the motivation to win on stage in front of supporters is another form of motivation for me. I can’t let myself down at the end of the day!

Having a look at how far you have come and all the painful sessions and mental requirements you had to overcome. Why would I give up now. I’ve come along way there’s no stopping me!

What workout routine has worked best for you?

Over the years I’ve tried many routines. I find that using decent weight with moderate volume works best. This method overloads the muscle and puts it under maximum stress. I have responded best to this and stuck to it for a few years now.

Full Routine:

Monday: Legs

Squats 12-10-8 reps
Leg Press 3×20 reps
Leg Extensions 3×20 reps
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 12-10-8 reps
Hamstring Curl Machine 3×20 reps

Tuesday: Chest

Bench Press 12-10-8 reps
Chest Press Hammer Strength Machine 3×12 reps
Dumbbell Fly’s 15-12-10 reps
Incline Chest Press Machine 3×20 reps
Cable Machine Fly’s 3 sets to failure

Wednesday : Back

Weighted Wide Grip Pull Ups 12-10-10 reps
Lat Pull Down 12-10-8 reps
T-Bar Rows 12-10-8 reps
Underhand Lat Hammer Strength Machine 20-15-12 reps
Dumbbell Rows 12-10-8 reps

Thursday: Shoulders

Dumbbell Press 12-10-8 reps
Single Arm Lateral Raises (Heavy) 3×20 reps
Side Lateral Raises 3×10
Rear Lateral Raises (Seated) 3×10
Rear Delt Reverse Fly’s 3×20 reps

Friday: Abs/Calves

Seated Leg Raises 7×15 reps
Hammer Strength Calf Machine 3×20 reps
Donkey Calf Raise Machine 12-10-8 reps
Smith Machine Calf Raises 12-10-8 reps

Saturday: Arms

Dumbbell Curls 4×15
Dumbbell Kickbacks 4×15
Barbell Preacher Curls 3×15
Barbell Skull Crushers 3×15
One Arm Cable Curls 4×12
Tricep Push Downs with Rope 4×20

Sunday: Off

Rest day

If you had to pick only three exercises what would they be and why?

Squats – They help build your leg muscles (including your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves) but they also create an anabolic environment, which promotes body-wide muscle building. In fact, when done properly, squats are so intense that they trigger the release of testosterone and human growth hormone in your body, which are vital for muscle growth
Bench Press – If you could pick just one exercise to acquire a full round chest with some functional power to go with it, you would be wise to go with the bench. You just can’t develop the same upper body with any other exercise.
T-Bar Rows – Being a compound exercise makes it very effective for increasing strength and size of your whole back.

What is your diet like?

Daily Diet:

Meal 1: 50 grams of Oats with 2 scoops of Whey Protein & water
Meal 2: 60 grams of Brown Rice, 150 grams of steamed Tilapia Fish & Asparagus
Meal 3: 175 grams of Turkey Breast, Asparagus & 100 grams of Sweet Potato
Meal 4: (Post workout) 60 grams Gen R8 Vitargo & 50 grams Whey Protein
Meal 4: 150 grams of Sweet potato, 170 grams of Chicken Breast & Spinach
Meal 5: 1 whole Egg & 8 Egg Whites
Meal 6: 1/2 an Avocado blended in Water with Asparagus & 50 grams of Whey Protein

One day a week I will eat exactly what I want. Most of the time it is Pizza and Chocolate Cake. Or I go to an all you can eat restaurant. I will have 2-3 cheat meals in this time and that’s it. It’s all about finding a balance and sticking to it.

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

HIIT is great for fat loss however I like to mix my cardio sessions up. I will do anything between 60 and 90 minutes of cardio per week. Some of the sessions will be HIIT and some LISS.