Which excuse for not going to the gym or working out are you most ashamed of?
I wouldn’t say I’m ashamed of it, but my bed is warm and I can’t be bothered to get out of it. I’ll make a plan the night before to get up early and go to the gym, but the next morning I’ll press the snooze button, get up at eight and miss the gym. But rest is important because your muscles need time to grow after you’ve killed them in a training session. Sometimes your body is crying out for sleep, and you should listen to it. I read it in a book about fitness, so I’m just doing what that says…
What’s your most impressive personal best?
I can bang out about 50 pull-ups. They’re not the easiest exercise in the world to do, and I’m talking proper ones – not cheating – you know, full extension, going as low down as possible.
Have you ever pulled a muscle in less-than-heroic circumstances?
I’ve pulled muscles in my neck from turning my head – that’s nothing to write home about, is it? If you could make that sound as non-rubbish when you write this up, that would be great. I’ve got repetitive strains because of my work. There’s a claim there isn’t there? Although actually, I can’t sue myself…
Can you magic yourself strong?
I bench-pressed 150kg one time, which was a challenge. There was a gladiator guy with me, and he benched as much as he could, and I matched it – he was three times the size of me. I felt it the next day, I’m not going to lie.
How often do you take selfies in the gym?
I’m not a selfie king, or the sort of person who’d do a naked selfie picture, like some celebrities – I want to keep it classy. With the Everyday Illusions campaign, I’ve been using the amazing camera on the Samsung S7, combined with some clever magical techniques to create incredible shots and illusions. I’ve actually got some gym magic stuff that I’m putting out soon on my Instagram.
Have you ever bought a piece of exercise equipment but never used it?
I bought a new chin-up and dipping station for my old office. I had it there for about six weeks and it was still in the box, and eventually I managed to convince somebody to build it for me for a small fee (and a magic trick). Then my tour guy built me a new one that was better, so I used his instead. The other one is still downstairs in the office and I still haven’t used it.
What’s the worst type of gym behaviour?
When guys ogle girls. If a girl’s doing squats, they’re there to try and better themselves, but if there’s a bunch of guys perving over them, it’s not the nicest thing to have. You should be able to go there and know you can not feel self-conscious; loads of people staring at you is bad behaviour.
Do you use any fitness apps?
I tend to read fitness ebooks on my phone rather than use apps – my fitness idol is Frank Medrano. The type of training that I normally do is callisthenics, or bodyweight training, and that’s what he does – he has a book called Superhuman Origins. It’s actually really good.
What would you rather we didn’t see in your fridge?
It’s Percy Pigs, they’re on my rider – if they’re there, I can’t not have one, and you can never just have one. I properly love them, but I know they’re bad for me. I know that they’re probably not really helping my body though…
Dynamo’s tips on how to create your own everyday illusions can be found at samsung.com/everydayillusions
