You’ve got to be a brave man to enter a fitness physique competition. Not only do you need to live most people’s anxiety dreams by stripping to your smalls and doing poses in front of a huge room full of strangers, but all the hard work you’ve put in at the gym is being scrutinised and judged.
But as well as supreme courage, you need supreme dedication – and that’s what Matt’s demonstrated with the hard work he’s put in with coach Shaun Stafford. He’s so dedicated, in fact, that he entered his first competition just six weeks into his six-month Upgrade programme.
‘So I had just six weeks to prepare myself for my first ever WBFF competition,’ says Matt. ‘I was nervous, naturally, but I really enjoyed the experience and can’t wait to do it again. I didn’t get a podium place, but it was awesome to see what I could achieve in such a short period, and losing nearly 9kg in eight weeks is an achievement in itself.’
Working with Stafford has shown Matt the determination needed to compete at the top level. He’s training five times a week and the sessions are hardcore (see below), but Optimum Nutrition’s Amino Energy or Gold Standard Pre-Workout gives him the extra boost he needs. ‘It motivates me knowing that Optimum Nutrition are supporting me and it helps me grind out those tough sessions,’ says Matt.
Two-time WBFF Pro Fitness Model World Champion and international cover model Stafford is impressed by Matt’s progress. ‘He came in with a solid base of fitness, but his first session with me was a wake-up call,’ says Stafford. ‘Since then he’s stepped up to the plate and ramped up his intensity. Now, when I really push him in a session he doesn’t break. Not right away, anyway…’
So Matt’s entered his first fitness physique competition, shown his commitment by cutting weight in a short time, and impressed his coach with improvements in the gym. All that and he’s still got a couple of months left of his Upgrade. Something tells us the end result is going to be seriously impressive.
Upper class
Get schooled in how to really build your back and arms with Shaun Stafford’s superset workout
Wide-grip lat pull-down
Sets 10 Reps 10 Rest 15sec
Sit upright with a wide overhand grip on the bar. Retract your shoulders and without leaning back, pull the bar down until it reaches your upper chest. Squeeze your lats at the bottom and return slowly to the start.
Overhead cable extension
Sets 10 Reps 10 Rest 60sec
Hold a double-rope handle attached to the low pulley of a cable machine. Turn away with your hands behind your head, one either side. Press the handles up and forward to straighten your arms. Flex your triceps at the top. Return to the start and flex your biceps.
Bent-over row
Sets 3 Reps 10-12 Rest 15sec
Grip a bar with hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core, bend your knees and lean forward from the hips so the bar is at knee level. Pull it up to your sternum, retracting your shoulders. Return to the start.
Cable extension
Sets 3 Reps 10-12 Rest 60sec
Stand in front of a cable machine holding a double-rope handle attached to the high pulley. With knees slightly bent and elbows tucked in to your torso, pull the rope down, parting your hands at the bottom. Return to the start.
Dumbbell high external rotation
Sets 3 Reps 12-15 Rest 30sec
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms out wide, palms facing down. Lower the weights by bending your elbows, keeping your upper arms horizontal. When your elbows are at 90°, hold for a second. Return to the start.
Face pull
Sets 3 Reps 12-15 Rest 60sec
Hold a double-rope handle attached to the high pulley of a cable machine, arms extended and palms down. Pull the handles towards you so the handles go either side of your face. Return to the start.
Macro machine
Correct nutrition is essential when trying to hone your physique to perfection. Coach Shaun Stafford reveals how he plans to get Matt in the best shape of his life
‘Matt’s diet needs to be accurate in terms of calories and macronutrients, but also easy to stick to. I’m happy to see he’s been following it to the letter and that’s been a major factor in how Matt has seen his body fat plummet over the first stage of his Upgrade.
‘As his WBFF show approached, Matt’s calories had to come down, and with limited carbohydrates and fats to burn for energy – he was in calorie deficit – he found it hard working with quite a high training volume. But that’s the reality of getting as cut as you need to be to compete in physique competitions at the highest level.
‘Now, Matt’s back to eating seven times a day, taking on around 2,500 calories including a post-workout Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydrobuilder shake, which has 35g of protein, over 13.5g of essential amino acids and 5g of creatine – all of which are vital for repairing and building Matt’s poor muscles after a tough session with me.’
Best of the rest
Here’s how the other three Optimum Nutrition Upgraders are impressing their coaches
CrossFit: Alistair McGovern
Before starting his Upgrade Alistair’s strict overhead press one-rep max was 65kg. Now he’s busting out five sets of five reps with that weight. This improvement is largely down to spending time working on technique with coach Andy Edwards. It’s not just Alistair’s performance that’s improving – he’s also had to buy new T-shirts because his old ones are too tight around his chest and arms.
Rugby: Niall Moody
Though he struggled a little with an ankle injury, Niall’s got back on his feet with the help of Oxford Circus Physiotherapy. That niggle aside, he’s been putting in serious work in at the gym and his bench press is up to 115kg, while his squat is hitting 160kg. Meanwhile, taking Optimum Nutrition Gold Pre-Workout is helping Niall’s sessions so much he says he doesn’t know how he ever managed without it.
Beach body: Ben Marum
In the second phase of ‘Operation Beach Body’, Ben’s sessions are alternating each week. One week he focuses on strength with no more than ten reps of every move. The next week is all about volume with plenty of upper-body supersets to build that classic V-shaped beach body. He adds Optimum Nutrition Creatine to his post-workout shakes to support energy and make it easier to keep the intensity high.
