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Here’s an interview with another personal trainer who talks about his background in fitness. Head over to our blog to check out the great advice!

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August 22, 2020 by Andrei Rusu in Interview

1)Please tell us a little bit about you and your background in fitness.

How old are you?

How did you start?

I am 23 years old and my fitness journey began when I was 17 years old. I was one of few in my school who actively avoided fitness because I felt uncomfortable and saw that I was never good at sport. How it all started was 1 day, my brother came into my room, threw a pair of shorts at me and said “come on, we’re going to the gym” and that was my first experience in a commercial gym and I fell in love with lifting immediately.

I personal train for 2 main reasons, 1 to help people live long, healthy and active lives and 2, to help spread awareness of the positive impact fitness has on our mental health.

2)What is your daily routine?

My daily routine normally consists of some form of bodybuilding session in the morning, nothing too extravagant, but enough to get a slight pump to keep my muscles active ready for my CrossFit session later in the evening where it’ll range from Olympic weightlifting to quick HIIT.

3)How does your meal plan look like?

I don’t follow a strict meal plan, however, I watch what I consume and how much of it I consume. I think as long as you cover all the major food groups in moderation and don’t eat anything excessively, that is the definition of a balanced diet. I don’t approve of any of the fad diets. The one main thing I tend to hit every day is my protein target, so that is 1g per lb of body weight.

4)What do you think that people should do to achieve a healthy lifestyle?

A healthy lifestyle – do things that you want to do – training and non-training. Lift heavy weights and get that heart beating fast. Try different things, don’t let your training become stale.

5)What are your 5 tips for people to manage their daily meals and exercise?

my 5 tips would be the following

– know your sources. This can have a massive impact on the way you view food and training. Follow people who aren’t trying to sell you a product but advice. Advice is the one tool we need to succeed in our training.

– do your research on food. Don’t view food as the enemy, food is fuel.

– Carbs = Energy, Fat = hormones, Protein = muscle. Think of these three macronutrients this way, and your guilt with certain foods will drift.

– exercise in moderation. If you’re new to exercise, do not have an all or nothing approach. Listen to your body and do things slowly, you’ll thank yourself later.

– find a time that suits you and stick to it. Chopping and changing your exercise sessions will likely kick you out of the habit. Stay consistent.

6)What is the first thing a person should do if he/she wants to lose weight?

Establish what your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is. So this means, what your maintenance calories are without exercise (this can be done on an online calculator, just take it with a pinch of salt). Then, reduce your calorie intake with food and drink (a healthy deficit is a 200-400cals deficit) staying in this deficit whilst training will then make you lose weight whilst toning and building muscle.

7)Are you for or against counting calories?

I’m not against counting calories. I think it’s all about finding what is best for you and what works for you. For me personally, I find writing all my food a bit tedious and frustrating, so I set myself a baseline and then briefly work it out in my head.

8)Can you tell us 3 exercises that you recommend for a daily routine?

3 exercises for a daily routine:

– back extension ( helps build the lower back and helps stop the formation of lordosis (lower back inversion)

– bodyweight squat (your legs are such an active part of our body, when we can, we must strengthen it)

– push-up (targets multiple muscles at the same time and also allows you to practice explosive movement which is important with heavy lifting)

9)What is your plan in the fitness industry?

My plan in the fitness industry is to be a spokesperson for mental health. I want to create seminars where people can attend and do workouts with me and boost each other’s confidence. I would also like to share my story with the world about mental health and how I overcame it and am currently dealing with it.

10)Do you have any motivational quotes?

“Whoever is happy, will make the world happy” – Anne frank

“Be open, be kind, be happy” – me

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