Pro Fitness Model Vinny Gough Talks With Simplyshredded.com

Quick Stats:

Age: 30
Height: 6’1” – 185 cm
Contest Weight: 185 lbs – 84 kg
Off-Season Weight: 212 lbs – 96kg

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

I started off as a sprinter, and I played rugby in school. Every day before class, I would get up at 6 a.m. and walk down to the gym to train. After an injury, I was no longer able to play sports and training became my life.

Where does your motivation come from?

I’ve always had somewhat of an addictive personality, and whatever I pursue, I get completely wrapped up in.

What workout routine has worked best for you?

I like training one body part a day. As I get closer to a competition, I’ll do an hour of cardio every other day. Depending on how I am leaning out, I may end up doing 6 days per week of cardio.

Full Routine:

Monday: Quads/Hams

Barbell Squats 5 x 6-8
Barbell Squats 5 x 8-10
Drop Lunges 5 x 16-18
Lying Leg Curls 5 x 6-8
Romanian Deadlifts 5 x 8-10
Weighted Back Extensions 5 x 16-18
Leg Press 2 x 20
Lying Leg Curls 2 x 18

Tuesday: Chest

Incline Machine Press 4 x 12-15
Incline Dumbbell Press 5 x 6-8
Flat Dumbbell Press 5 x 8-10
Dips 5 x 16-18
Cable Crossovers 2 x 20
EZ-Bar French Press 4 x 6-8
Decline Bench Dumbbell Extensions 4 x 8-10
Narrow Dips 4 x 16-18

Wednesday: Full Body Workout

Prowler (5 min)
Log Press (5 min)
Sled (5 min)
Rope Slams (5 min)

Thursday: Back/Biceps

Wide Grip Pulldowns 5 x 12-16
Neutral Grip Wide Pull Ups 5 x 6-8
Seated Close Grip Rows 5 x 8-10
Straight Arm Pulldowns 5 x 16-18
Face Pulls 2 x 12-15
Dumbbell Pullovers 2 x 12-15

Friday: Arms

EZ- Bar French Press 4 x 6-8
Decline Bench Dumbbell Extensions 4 x 8-10
Narrow Dips 4 x 16-18
Reverse Grip EZ-Bar Wide Preacher Curls 4 x 6-8
Seated Dumbbell Curls 4 x 8-10
Hammer Curls 4 x 16-18
Standing Cable Curls 2 x 12-15
Tricep Pushdowns 4 x 12-15

Saturday: Delts/Abs

Overhead Dumbbell Press 4 x 10-12
High Incline Shoulder Press 5 x 8-10
45 Degree Shoulder Press 5 x 10-12 reps
Seated Lateral Raises 5 x 20
Bent-Over Rear Delt Fly’s 4 x 10-12
Machine Rear Delt Fly’s 4 x 12-15
Garhammer Raises 4 x 10-12
Hip Raises 4 x 12-15
Cable Crunches 4 x 5 x 20

Sunday: Cardio/Rest

LISS

What is your secret to your incredible abdominal development?

As we all know, abs are made in the kitchen, so eating clean is always good, but when it comes to training my abs, I work the lower abs first because they are the hardest to ‘turn on.’ I like to do hanging garhammer raises or reverse crunches on the decline bench. Then, I work the upper abs with swiss ball crunches. The secret to good ab development is not to use a jerking motion when crunching. Everything needs to be slow and controlled. I contract hard at the top of each movement and stretch at the bottom.

Then, I pause for 1 second at the top and 1 second at the bottom. As they say, slow and steady wins the race!

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

Barbell Squats: King of all leg exercises.
Overhead Dumbbell Press: I get a better range of motion by using dumbbells for pressing movements.
Wide Grip Pulldown: This exercise really works my back and biceps.

What is your diet like?

My diet is quite clean year round. The only difference is in the off season I do refeeds on the weekends. But I do well on carbs, and I like to keep them fairly high all year round.

Daily Diet:

Meal 1: 7 ounces Steak, 3 ½ ounces Spinach, 3 Poached Eggs, 1 cup Strong Coffee and Sparkling Water
Meal 2: 3 ½ ounces Oats, 1 Scoop Whey and ¼ cup Berries
Meal 3: 5 ½ ounces Chicken Breast, 4 ½ ounces Basmati Rice and 3 ½ ounces Broccoli
Meal 4: Intra Workout BCAA’s
Meal 5: 3 ½ ounces Oats and 1 Scoop Whey
Meal 6: 5 ounces Cod, 4 ½ ounces Basmati Rice and 3 ½ ounces Green Beans
Meal 7: 5 ounces Turkey, 5 ½ ounces Sweet Potato and 3 ½ ounces Asparagus

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

I prefer a combination of both. I use HITT when my diet isn’t so severe, and I use LISS when I am depleted and have a rough time recovering after a workout.