The world's most famous male model David Gandy talks with Bethefittestabout his workout, diet, body and much more.
By Tyrone Brennand - Bethefittest.co.uk
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David Gandy has one of the most in demand faces and body's in the fashion world, being a world top model doesn't come easy. Being in the best shape possible for specific events or campaigns requires hard work, dedication and focus. David Gandy has it all, he explains his secrets on staying in shape and achieving a great physique. Such a humble and genuine guy we would like to thank David and wish him all the best!
How many times do you train a week and how long are your sessions?
In an ideal week with no travelling, then 4/5 times a week. lasting 45mins to an hour.
You've been in many famous ads and campaigns often showing great abdominal work, what are your secrets to having David Gandy abs?
I'd actually probably say that my abs are my weakest element. I really do not enjoy working on my abs. Really good abs though are a lot to do with diet. You can work your abs as much as you like, but if they are covered by fat then you will never really see them.
The male modelling industry hasn't always had muscular models like yourself, have you always been quite muscular and in good shape?
I have always been a very sporty person and as a child and teenager I was on every sports team going. So I've always trained, been careful with my diet and taught myself a lot about nutrition. When I came into modelling I wasn't as big or as muscular as I am now, but I've always been tall with a large frame.
Being a busy man like yourself, what does David Gandy like to do in his spare time to relax when not modelling or working out?
Working out is relaxing for me. Wherever I am in the world I will always find a gym to go and workout in, its almost therapeutic and after training I feel a great buzz. Relaxing though for me is driving, whether it be a road trip or racing.
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Do you have a specific kind of diet you stick to most of the times throughout the year or do you like to enjoy the foods you eat?
I absolutely love my food, but yes I am careful in what I eat. I am fortunate though that I have a high metabolism and I keep this high, so that even when I'm not training I'm still burning fat and calories.
I eat a lot of protein and stay away from processed foods. I don't stay away from carbs, just always make sure i eat wholewheat breads and pastas. I still indulge in biscuits and cakes but only in moderation, and there are certain biscuits that are lower in sugar and sat fat than others. But i do however always cook meals from scratch and eat a lot of fresh and organic foods.
I always say if you want to be strict with your diet then just don't buy bad foods in the first place and have them in the house.
What is your supplementation like, do you take vitamins, protein shakes etc?
I don't always have the time to consume the amount of protein I need to help muscles recover. So I do use protein shakes. I use vegan plant based protein shakes and when in heavy training, will have 3 a day.
What are your favourite and least favourite body parts to train?
I've always liked training my chest, and I've learnt to enjoy training my back and core which are both now very strong.
As i said I hate training my abs, but I've narrowed down exercises that I know are most effective and get good results in very short time. I also have included exercises that incorporate many muscle groups like squats etc.
Everyone loves to have days when we eat whatever we want, what is your favourite cheat meal and how often do you cheat?
I have to say I don't really cheat at all or have a day off. To me it's like simple maths. Whatever the calories or fat you consume you then work that off at the gym or with other exercise.
I absolutely love asian foods and have always hated fast food. I could eat sushi and thai food every night, which is always fresh and healthy.
I always see people in the gym trying to push the heaviest weight with poor form to build muscle, how important would you emphasize on having good technique rather than the weight your pushing?
I think we always try to push heavier and heavier weights, I still do, but unless you want a very bulky physique, heavy weights and bad form are not going to get results. Circuits, supersets with medium weights with correct form will always give better results and a great physique, you also burn more calories and fat and its better for joints and the muscles.
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When programming your sessions do you normally work specific muscle groups for each day your in the gym?
I will usually do 15 mins of abs during a session. The session will then be narrowed down to chest one day, back and shoulders and then arms with another day of circuits.
What advice can David Gandy give to someone who aspires to have a body like yours?
Like i said Diet is 50 percent of the battle. Then its just about hard work, the more effort you put in with the correct exercises the best the results. If you want to see how i train and what i do then you can download the David Gandy Fitness and Training application.
Could you give an example of a David Gandy training week split?
MONDAY - CHEST AND TRICEPS
TUESDAY - ARMS FOCUSING ON BICEPS
WEDNESDAY - BACK AND SHOULDERS
THURSDAY - REST DAY
FRIDAY CIRCUITS - WHOLE BODY
SATURDAY SUPERSETS - WHOLE BODY
SUNDAY - REST DAY
What would be a typical David Gandy Abs workout?
V SIT UPS WITH BALL (3 SETS / 20 REPS)
HANGING LEG RAISES (3 SETS / 10 REPS)
STANDING ROLL OUTS (3 SETS / 8 REPS)
ROPE PULLDOWNS ( 4 SETS / 10 REPS)
LEG RAISES FROM SLIGHTLY ANGLED BENCH ( 4 SETS / 8 REPS)