Kelly Rodriguez Talks With Simplyshredded.com

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

When I was 14 my dad took me into the gym and taught me everything I know today. I took a short hiatus while I was in the navy, but as soon as I was discharged I started back at it. I have been lifting weights since I was 14 but have only been bodybuilding for 2 years.

Where does your motivation come from?

My motivation comes from within myself and never being satisfied. I also look to other bodybuilders and see what they put their body through and the sacrifices that they make, watching their lifestyle makes me motivated.

What is your training philosophy?

Train till failure with every rep for every exercise. If you finish a set with ease and didn’t completely fail your last rep you are doing something wrong.

If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

Incline DB Press: I love the way you can control your mind to the muscle and completely squeeze the reps out feeling each one deep in the muscle.
Deep Squats: There is nothing more I hate seeing at the gym is someone with plates loaded on the squat bar only going down half way. When you complete a full deep squat the feeling is awful…. and wonderful at the same time.
Barbell Curls: I have implemented these in the place of a ez curl bar curls in the last year and have seen huge improvements on the thickness of my bi’s and forearms.

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

For me a normal 45 min cardio session on either bike or stair master works best. I keep my heart rate around 130-150. That has been the best fat burning range that I have found.