Age: 30
Profession: Chartered Accountant
Current Stats: 6ft1 (185cm) | 103 kg (227lbs) | ~20% body fat
Target: ~10% body fat | 95kg (209lbs)
Body Type: Endomorph ( Naturally Soft and round body , Gains muscle and fat very easily)
Why do you train?
I was always the tubby kid, strong but never ripped. I am still self conscious taking my top off at the swimming pool or in front of strangers. I excelled at sports in high school but I was never the best or the fastest. As an adult, I strive to always be the best version of myself so I train because someday I hope to see my 6 pack and conquer my obsession with food.
How do you balance your life commitments with your training?
As an accountant, a loving husband and father, I only ever get 1 to 2 hours everyday to workout, so despite what people at work say, I don’t live in the gym!! My wife is really supportive of my lifestyle.
To make it count, I do my cardio in the form of cycling 3 miles to my office and back (I make it HIIT by safely sprinting between the traffic lights on my route).
Monday – Friday I lift and do boxing during my lunch break. I have an unspoken agreement with my colleagues and manager, that I take 1 hr 30 mins for lunch and make it up by working an extra 30 minutes in the evening.
What are you most passionate about?
I love my family so much, and everything I do is for them. They are my real passion, and thats why I choose to embrace an active lifestyle, protect my heart so that hopefully I can be around to enjoy them for a very long time.
What is your Favourite Quote?
“If at first you don’t succeed….. Try and try and try again” combined with “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”. These two quotes work hand in hand for me, as I try and try again but I learn what is working and what is not!!
Training
What is your training philosophy and why?
I am a bodybuilder at heart. I don’t like how calisthenic and how high intensity cardio makes my heart feel, therefore, i tend to always default to a typical bodybuilding routine. I add strength training by doing 5×5 on squats and bench. I also love boxing cardio, so i throw that in also. I never do anything I don’t enjoy. There are so many ways to be active and I encourage everyone to find what they love, and do it as much as they can.
What workout routine has worked best for you?
My favourite workout routine of all time is the MFT28 by Greg Plit and Bodybuilding.com! This is a great routine for shredding fat, and building muscle. You can get my modified version here. It dramatically improved muscle definition and overall training intensity.
source: bodybuilding.com
How do you prevent injury when you train?
I only lift what is comfortable for my muscles, because I don’t compete, I have the luxury of adding weight in small increments. I remember when I started doing bench press, I only lifted the Olympic bar (20kg |~ 44lbs), and over 12 weeks doing 2 sessions per week increased my weight to 100kg | ~ 222lbs for 5 sets of 5 reps.
I also do yoga and stretching on weekends to help my flexibility. It really makes a big difference especially for my squats. I love the p90x yoga routine.
What is your cardio like?
Cycling 6 miles everyday even on weekends
Boxing twice a week at my local gymbox.
What is your favourite body part to train?
I love training my arms and shoulders. These are essential to building a good and strong physique, as they are involved in pretty much every chest and back workout. So they get their own special day, you can get my exact workout here.
Do you use any equipment that deserves a special mention and why?
I sometimes workout at home with my bowflex 221. It is a great dumbbell system and I have had it for about 7 years now, so definitely worth the investment. You can grab one from Amazon here. It aint’ cheap though!! lol
Nutrition
What is your nutrition philosophy and why?
In all honesty, dieting is what I struggle with most on my fitness journey. I am a self professed “yo-yo” dieter. I have tried so many diets its not even funny. Over the years I have realised that my body responds best to low carb diets. Therefore my shopping list consists of low carb alternatives like butternut squash, cauliflower rice, spinach, and kale. I tend to eat high carbs like bread and rice at breakfast and lunch to help power through my daily workouts, then low carb at night.
What strategy/strategies do you use for your meal prep?
I keep my diet very simple. Eggs & Porridge for breakfast, meal replacement, carbs like rice/pasta/sweet potato and meat for lunch, salad and meat for dinner.
I buy all my ingredients on Saturday, and cook all my meals for the week on Sunday while listening to music.
What are your top three cheat meals/foods:
- Burger and fries – most especially the devastator burger from Reddog saloon.
- Pizza – it has to be Dominos!
- Crunchy Nut cereal with milk & additional unsalted roasted peanuts– What can i say, they are ludicrously tasty!
Do you use any cookbooks, or apps that you would recommend?
Cookbook:
Low carb revolution by Annie Bell
Apps:
Calorie counter by my fat secret, I actually prefer the user interface over fitness pal.
Yummly, to build my low carb recipe list.
Do you use any equipment that deserves a special mention?
I love my smoothie maker! The Kenwood Smoothie 2GO is something I have had for over 5 years! Its the only thing that helps me get through my protein shakes!
What is your supplementation like?
I really hate taking supplements!! They mostly upset my tummy, and make me feel weird. Unfortunately you cannot build muscle and maintain a high intensity training without supplementation. Simply put your body needs all the help it can get, or else it cannibalises your hard earned muscles. I therefore manage to take fish oil (omega three) tablets, multivitamins, and the lean muscle bundle from myprotein here.
What advice would you give someone who is trying to start their fitness journey?
On training – all you need is 1 hour a day which is only about 4% of your day.
Aim to be strong in the gym, so always start with a comfortable weight, then add on a little extra on the next session. Rinse and repeat until increasing any further will lead to injury, then you can change your rep range and start again, or change your program.
On nutrition – nothing wrong with being a yo-yo dieter! Just make sure that you are ondawagon more often than you fall off. For me that is 5:2, 5 days of clean eating (iifym, low carb, etc) and 2 days of flexible dieting.
On supplementation – listen to your body, if you feel discomfort, stop taking the supplement and seek advice from your doctor. A balanced diet goes a long way, and supplementation should be used strategically.
Social Media and Contact
Follow my journey on instagram @ondawagon
Subscribe to my YouTube channel OnDaWagon