SimplyShredded.com

How do you feel about your internet fame?

It all happened very quickly. I had a popular following over at BodyBuilding.com for a couple of years previously due to my physique. Once I started posting motivational videos on YouTube, my popularity grew and grew. I am still pretty shocked by it. I started making videos in a format that would motivate and inspire others to overcome and really push themselves. I wanted to add motivational music, a story, energy.. something to make you feel like you want to hit the gym or just get focused in general. I had not seen that online before my videos. People seem to be changing the ways now, however.. It is really nice.

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

I was 16-17 years of age and extremely thin – a cross country and track runner. I was motivated by athletes and BodyBuilding.com to gain muscle and change my physique. I got serious with my training around 19 years of age – in terms of my diet and heavier training.

What fuels your motivation?

I feel like I am more self motivated these days. I have always had that fire inside myself to prove others wrong and to really silence critics – that and I like to help motivate others to succeed and by having a physique that inspires them, I can do that. Back when I started, my motivation came from BodyBuilding.com in general – all the young athletes and bodybuilders really motivated me because I wanted to inspire and motivate like they were doing for me. and

Did you have a bodybuilding coach help you get started?

I learned through trial and error. I started out being very thin and had no idea or concept of diet, so I ended up gaining a lot of fat. It took me a couple of years to get the dieting down. Bodybuilding.com was a big help to me – I guess that was my coach as a teenager.

So what is the bodybuilding training routine that you use to have that killer physique?

I like to work heavy, low reps/sets (4-8 rep) for 2-4 weeks and then higher volume, higher rep weeks for 2 weeks or so. It really keeps my body guessing and I don’t feel like I burn out because I alternate high volume with lower volume.

You used to train in your house, right? Tell me about the equipment you had?

I built that gym from a dumbbell set to a full blown mini gym. I had two barbell sets, lots of plates – around 540lbs worth. adjustable dumbbells with weight plates that went up to around 140lbs a dumbbell, a dip station, a power rack to do bench, squats and deadlifts in, ezbar curl bar, and a cardio machine. Not a lot compared to a regular gym.. But obviously effective enough.

How do you compare working out at home vs working out a gym?

You have a very different mindset for each. Working out at home really allows you to keep focused on nothing but the weights and the lifting – no other people using the equipment, no small talk.. Just lifting the iron. However, having trained at a number of gyms since, I really enjoy the ability to utilize a number of different machines and cables. It is also a lot easier having access to all the dumbbells infront of me rather than having to make the weight up each set.

How do you stay shredded all year round? How do you keep your diet in check to stay shredded all year round?

A combination of eating lots of clean, whole foods, supplementing with whey protein powder, and by working out with weights 4 times a week, cardio 2-3 times a week. If I am not training that day, I will stay low carb. If I am doing weight training that day, I will consume my fill of carbohydrates and cut them back after 8pm.

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

I like to utilize slow intensity cardio, especially when dieting. I have documented why I do not use HIIT cardio on low calories. Slow intensity uses more fat, glucose stores up over the longer period, whereas HIIT uses muscle gylcogen as energy. If you are lower on calories, HIIT can really eat away at the muscle – not what you want if your goal is perserving/keeping lean muscle mass.

What is your supplementation like? What would be your one must have supplement?

My one must supplement? That would have to be food. If you have to pick between a $50 supplement or $50 worth of groceries, always go with the groceries. Supplements cannot match quality, clean food. After food? A quality protein powder. Supplementation right now is quite basic. I do not have the luxury of being able to try all these new products on the market.. I stick to the researched, tried and trusted products. Most of the new wave supplements really lack the quality research behind them. They focus more on who they can market the supplement rather than how well the supplement actually works. With that said, my supplementation regime is typically: Multi Vitamin, whey protein, and a creatine supplement. When I can, I love to use a nitric oxide product like no-xplode. I will be using gaspari myofusion protein and green magnitude creatine from next week. This is the first time I will use these products. In the past, I have always stuck to dymatize elite whey protein and sizeon, cellmass.

What do you do when you’re not in the gym?

I love film. I love acting, I love the lighting, i love editing, music, cinematography, everything. I love listening and playing music. There is music for every emotion. It is the most powerful tool man has at provoking emotion and thought. It inspires me and makes me creative. I love to dance. Me and Nicole learned some foxtrot and we are now learning swing dancing. It is so liberating being able to get up and dance.. Just to lead someone to the music – it’s amazing. I want to be the next Fred Astaire!

Does bodybuilding affect your social life?

It used to affect it a lot more. I guess at my peak, I got pretty serious with everything and I cut certain things out of my life that I guess I did not need to cut out. I have since learned that so long as you organize your life effectively, bodybuilding does not have to affect your social life – it should, so long as it is not taken to an extreme by the use of drugs, improve your social life and well being.

In your circle of friends, are you the only bodybuilder, or do you all work out?

My training seems to have been like a sponge over the years to my friends – they all in some way began working out after being around me. I have a varied mix of friends – some train heavily, some don’t. The majority of my friends are athletic and fit but not hardcore bodybuilders.

Who are your idols and who do you aspire to be the most like?

My favorites in bodybuilding were Steve Reeves, Serge Nubret, Zane & Arnold.  I don’t really have an idol. I really love the classic, charismatic era of film. I love the Cary Grant’s, James Dean, Brando, Astaire, G.Kelly, Bogart… You get the idea. Oh, and Johnny Depp. Definitely.

What’s the objective of your website (JamesDawsonMartin.com)?

My website is there for two objectives:

1. To give people access to my articles, training, galleries, videos, and now my transformation journal. Members get access to even more exclusive content – especially high definition videos and pictures.
2. promotes my personal training and massage business out here in Los Angeles.

I will be doing a transformation journal over the coming months – documenting my progress via training, nutrition, physique changes, etc. I have started documenting it this week and the first weeks results will be up this weekend!

Checkout James’ Transformation Journal:

Any advice to men who look at your physique and think it is unobtainable?

I always felt it was ridiculous when people labeled my physique as unobtainable. At my leanest muscular weight I weighed less than 200lbs – which is hardly a weight for the competitive stage. I think my broad shoulders, very small waist, big arms, and leanness set me apart and made other people question whether or not I am natural. It is not something I really think about these days. Most of the people who say my physique is unobtainable don’t even know what whey protein is or what a closegrip bench press is. I really doubt Obama told himself that becoming president was unobtainable due to the color of his skin… Doing the unbelievable, unthinkable is what makes people extraordinary.. And I haven’t done that – I just dedicated myself to building my physique and motivating others.. I just want other people to know they can have a physique that matches their genetic perfection without the need of steroids.

Official Website: www.JamesDawsonMartin.com

BodySpace: www.BodySpace.com/JamerJay

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