SimplyShredded.com

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

I was a hyperactive kid and used to run and play football a lot. But when I hit my teens I got lazy and fat, and the teen angst didn’t catch up for a couple of years so I was OK with that for a while. Then I was like, enough of this, this totally sucks. I’m going to get ripped. So I did. I started dieting and lifting light dumbbells at high reps, doing obscene numbers of push ups, crunches, leg raises and other calisthenics. I was completely ignorant but more important than anything is enthusiasm and willpower, so I still saw impressive noob gains and got my sixpack. After wasting my time in this fashion for a couple of years, I joined a real gym and it changed my life. In my bodyweight routines I would do 350 push ups in sets of 50, and when I first tried a bench press it was like a slap in the face: you are not strong enough.

Everything I tried burned and hurt, I felt sore and exhausted the next day, and knew my body was changing in a way that was completely different to just losing fat and looking OK with my shirt off. I was hooked.

Where does your motivation come from?

A couple of places. Most important is that need to improve yourself. You’ve got to look in the mirror and know that you’ll do whatever it takes to look better. Never be satisfied. I’m also pretty involved in some online fitness communities, and seeing these real, undoctored photos of amateur bodybuilders looking better than anyone I’ve ever seen in movies or magazines is so inspiring to me. I want to compete with these guys and when someone new to bodybuilding sees a picture of mine and tells me it’s their goal I feel like I’ve become one of them.

What workout routine has worked best for you?

My routine has evolved organically over years of trial and error. I do an unconventional, high volume A/B split, day-on-day-off during the working week. So one week I’ll do routine A twice, the next week routine B. On “rest days” I do a bodyweight routine and swim for 30-45 minutes.

A is chest, biceps, triceps and abs, B is legs, back and shoulders.

A

• 3 x 12 barbell bench press
• 3 x 12 incline dumbbell press
• 3 x 10 EZ bar curls
• 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 1 x 12 bodyweight dips
• 3 x 12 EZ bar skullcrushers
• 3 x 12 dragon flags
• 3 x 12 weighted incline crunches
• 1 x 35 oblique crunches per side

B

• 3 x 12 seated dumbbell military press
• 3 x 12 shoulder press machine
• 3 x 12 lat pulldowns
• 4 x 6-8 deadlifts
• 3 x 12 bent over dumbbell rows
• 4 x 8-10 squats
• 3 x 12 leg extensions
• 3 x 12 leg press
• 3 x 12 standing calf raises

Bodyweight routine

• 2 x 15 wide grip chin ups
• 2 x 15 pull ups
• 1 x 60 push ups
• 1 x 50 decline push ups
• 2 x 35 hanging leg lifts
• 1 x 5 minute plank

This has been effective for a while now but the volume is starting to fatigue me in routine B and I am planning to reorganise it into a more generic 5 day split.

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

Such a predictable, dull answer, but truthfully: bench press, squats and deadlifts. It’s conventional wisdom for a reason; these 3 compound exercises will target every muscle in your body and develop proportional musculature, which has always been my focus. Never neglect or emphasise one muscle group at the expense of others. I started deadlifting and squatting very recently and they have changed my entire approach to lifting weights.

I’ve never been afraid to look stupid in the gym; if you’re not pulling a lifting face in your sets you’re doing it wrong, and I’ve always pushed myself to the pain threshold in every exercise I do, but after a set of squats or deadlifts I’m dripping with sweat and my body feels like it’s on fire. I haven’t felt like that in the gym since I first started lifting.

What is your diet like?

Clean. Diet has far and away the most influence on the way you look and perform. You can lift every day of the week but you’re never going to achieve the body you want without proper diet. When I cut I use high protein, moderate fat, very low carb; I quickly learned that after your body adjusts to the shock of cutting carbs you no longer feel tired or hungry without them. Quite the opposite; carbs make me feel bloated and sluggish on a cut, and I’d rather use the calories to get more fat and protein, both of which keep you feeling full for longer. In a typical day I’ll have a semi-skim milk and whey protein shake for breakfast, 2 chicken breasts/2 cans of tuna with broccoli, spinach and cottage cheese for lunch and then a similar meal for dinner, or 4-6 scrambled whole eggs (eat the damn yolks; they contain most of the protein and you’re not going to die from the cholesterol) with another chicken breast or smoked salmon.

Post workout I’ll have another protein shake made with 2 scoops of whey and a banana. If I need a snack I’ll mix cottage cheese, nonfat Greek yogurt, natural peanut butter, almonds and whey.

They say that the pre and post-workout meals are the most vital meals for the day, what do yours consist of?

I like to work out an hour after I eat a full meal. On my cuts I won’t eat carbs before a workout because your body metabolises them for energy instead of fat during exercise, so I’ll eat a lot of lean meat and vegetation. Post workout, I always have carbs: protein shake and a banana, or sometimes a bowl of oats mixed with 2 scoops of whey to maximise protein absorption.

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

Originally I did long distance runs in the city; about 10 miles every other day at a pace of 8mph, but I was plagued by an endless succession of injuries and pains in my joints and ligaments. I also found I lost a lot of lean mass as well as bodyfat, which is no good. Now I supplement the dieting with swimming on rest days, but it’s more a hobby than a vital part of my cutting process. Cardio is a great way to improve your overall fitness but it’s unnecessary for bodybuilding.

What is your supplementation like?

I go through a lot of whey isolate. I also take fish oil, vitamin D and zinc, though I’m skeptical how much influence these have on anything. Can’t hurt, though.

Favorite Bodybuilders?

I don’t follow the sport closely; my inspiration comes from the internet, and all my favourite bodybuilders are unknown amateurs. I’m talking about names some of your readers may be familiar with like Zyzz, Air Force bro, Timberwolf, Rsardinia, Thyme, etc. Guys with proportional, aesthetic physiques that haven’t crossed the line from awe-inspiring to grotesque.

Favorite Quote?

“Tiny, we love you” – /fit/

Bodyspace: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/your_boy_Al/

Share

SimplyShredded.com answers your questions! Check out our new forums for free bodybuilding advice from the community. Fast, friendly and free! What are you waiting for?