Kenneth "The Machine" Hall Talks With Simplyshredded.com

Kenneth “The Machine” Hall Talks With Simplyshredded.com

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

When I was 12, my sister bought my first weight bench for Christmas. Like everybody else just starting out, I knew to do nothing but bench press and curl. I love the reactions I was getting from people as I started gaining muscle. From then on I was hooked. I would spend hours and hours researching training and nutritional theories as well as solid information that I could apply to my own body. In highschool, the passion turned to competitive powerlifting. I learned from that experience that lifting heavy ALL the time wasn’t doing my body good. When college finally began, I started to consider a sport that I had been following in magazines since I had ever picked up a barbell. I just never thought I’d actually compete in bodybuilding. I never thought I had the body for it. However, I’ve always been the type to try anything once. So I made the commitment and really nailed down my diet for the first time ever. I was amazed at the changes I seen in myself. By the time I was done with my first comp… I knew this was my passion.

What gets you motivated?

I can sum this up into two answers. Youtube videos of Lee Priest and my amazing girlfriend Makanani. She’s just as appreciative of food as I am, so we always look forward to our cheat days together. She also has a way of letting my know my potential is always greater, so I always push myself harder in the weight room and at the dinner table.

What is your training philosophy?

Never be a follower. Everything you eat or do in the gym has to be specified to your body. If you follow a random cookie cutter routine(That’s not built for you in the first place), chances are you won’t get the results that you expect to get.

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

For the first exercise, I’d have to say squats. It’s always been a movement in which I respond to very well. My legs have the ability to increase in strength pretty fast so it’s always easy to like an exercise when you see the weights constantly progressing. Plus, heavy squats just make you a powerhouse. My second exercise would be bench press. Not that I acquire beastly strength in this movement, but it’s the universal strength assessment. Everybody loves beating their own personal best at the bench. Finally, I’d have to say triceps rope pressdown. I’ve heard not to over emphasize pressdowns when trying to add mass to the tris, but I’ve always had a fairly good response with this exercise.

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

The majority of the time, I use traditional cardio. I know a lot of you are thinking, “boring!” And trust me… if I didn’t have an ipod, I’d probably stick my head in the motor to put myself out of my own misery. But I know what works for me. My body has a hard time holding on to muscle when my diet is lower in calories, so interval training is rare for me.

What is your philosophy on nutrition?

I always preach consistency. Not only with meal timing and such, but also with the foods you’re eating. It’s good to experiment and find what foods and calorie intake your body likes the best, but once you find it… stick with it!

What are your favorite meals and foods?

Chicken and eggs are my main food source of protein. As far as carbs, sweet potatoes are the bees knees and I LOVE almond butter for good fats. One of my favorite dishes is something I created myself(As far as I know). So get your pens ready! Cook one chicken breast then scramble two whole eggs and two egg whites. Cut the chicken into small pieces then mix with the eggs and one serving of plain oats(uncooked). Put some salsa of your choice over it all and mix it up. Simple… but amazing. =)

Favorite cheat food?

No doubt.. pizza! But a good burger comes in a close second.

What supplements do you use that give you great results? How do you use them?

I really try to stick with pure form supplements. Creatine monohydrate and beta-alanine are the two most popular in my book. I got away from all the sugar filled pre-workouts that depend on stimulants to give you a good workout. No offense… I will say I love Super Pump 250, but I tend to be a bit paranoid about what goes in my body. As far as protein… it’s usually between Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard or Dymatize Elite.

Which era of bodybuilding had superior physiques? Yesterdays Bodybuilders Or Todays?

Without a doubt, today’s bodybuilders are bigger than ever. I do favor the more aesthetic physiques that were more common when bodybuilding was still somewhat new. Which is probably the reason I’ve decided to compete in all-natural organizations myself. However, with the progression of science and the knowledge of the human body, the current bodybuilding scene is producing physiques unlike anything ever seen before.