Q&A: Finding Your Passion, My Biggest Inspiration, Summer Plans

Getting there. Zahara, how you doing? Oh, don't mind me, just sitting here at my desk with my perfectly laid out trophies. Alright, Q&A time. It's late and I just like pretty much already recorded this. And then I noticed that it wasn't recording. We have 489 comments. Let's see. Okay, I'm just gonna do these off the cuff. I think that's better, it's more natural. And you know, I obviously, I haven't even read through these, so let's get to it. And some really funny questions as well, some really good questions too. When is your Alphalete video out? It's out on Thursday. Javon just texted me there and he's like, bro, your video is gonna be epic. I haven't even seen it, so I'm more excited than you. I can't wait. You gonna compete again, Rob? Apparently, like, you know, when I like finished my competition, you know, they gave me the trophy and they're like, okay, and now you got Nationals in October. They're like, you've now qualified for Nationals. I'm just like, oh, okay, righto. So, you know, I don't know, maybe I'll compete, but if I do, it'll be in October and that'll be— I think it'll be a higher Federation by the sounds of things if I have to qualify for it. So, are you coming to Croatia like ever? I was there around this time last year. I absolutely love it. It's one of my favorite countries in the world, especially Hvar. What are your plans for the summer now that BodyPower is over? I'm just at the moment this week, you know, I was very busy this week and I was actually sorting that out. At the moment, Texas and LA in late July, August is pretty much confirmed. And then maybe I'll try to go somewhere with the bird around like June, like somewhere close, so maybe like Spain or something like that. I don't know. How do I do what you do? Just be a sick lad in general. No, you can like— my whole life is like documented on the internet. You can go back to my first ever videos. I've not deleted them. You can go to my Facebook page. That's the kind of first social media I started posting on. You can look at my first ever post. It's all there. Just put out good content. Make a name for yourself and just go from there. But yeah, you can, you can kind of see the whole journey and a lot of people have kind of, you know, look back on it and they're like, hey, you know, that's pretty cool. It's like a movie, pretty shit movie. But when are you going to bulk? You've been lean since forever. You know, being, staying lean isn't that hard. I have a few tips on how to stay lean. Maybe I'll do a video on that. But you know, I'll definitely go like full bulk mode in like in the winter because like obviously I'm going out to Texas and LA, then I'm going to the Mr. Olympia Expo, that's in Las Vegas in September. There's going to be pool parties, I want to look good. I want to look like I actually partake in fitness. So, you know, after the summer I'll relax with my diet and I'll put on some size. Thoughts on testosterone boosters? They're probably my least recommended supplement there is. They don't boost your testosterone enough to even make a measurable difference. Save your money. If you ever have a question on supplements, just examine.com. Do you like getting off your nut? I used to be wild. Like, I used to party hard in my younger years, especially when I was like between the ages of 16 and 18. I'd say I went the hardest then. But like, you know, saying that, I think I've kind of gotten it all out of my system, and now I enjoy the sober life. Now I go out from time to time, but you know, not nearly as hard as I did when I was younger. So yeah, I pretty much got it all out of my system, which I think is good. Now I don't have the time to be getting off my head. How many years have you been training for? If I was to pick, in the main years, I'd say like 5. But there's been times where I've like completely fell off, like I've gone traveling around Asia where like I didn't lift for the whole time and, you know, disintegrated pretty much. So 5 years, but I wouldn't say consistent. The last 2 years though have been quite consistent, and I've really kind of noticed the difference it's made, especially the last 1 year. The last 1 year has been my best year of training and eating, definitely. Have you ever reverse dieted? What is your opinion on reverse dieting? I used to believe in reverse dieting, then I started looking more into the research, especially, you know, listening to the likes of Eric Camps, Team 3DMJ, Jeff Nippard. And basically, I think, you know, I implemented what they say to do. And basically, after my competition, I just went straight to maintenance, and I bumped up my calories 400 to 500. And you know, you're still in a deficit, or you're still around maintenance, and I didn't gain any fat. So you don't need to go meticulously slow. Like, people are like adding 5 carbs a week. You can't even track that. That's like a few grains of rice. So I recommend just go straight to maintenance and then decide what you want to do. Ever feel like giving up YouTube? There's been times when, like, things haven't been going like I wanted to, but nah, I've always, you know, had it in my head that I really want to follow this to the end. There's been times where I've been less motivated and, you know, more motivated. Like, you know, even this week I kind of took the foot off the gas a little bit with YouTube. I didn't upload that as often as I did, like, coming up to my show. That's fine, but, you know, it's good to, like, you know, take a little downtime from it. Like, I'll definitely get the daily uploads going once again, but giving up? No, I just, I couldn't bring myself to do that. Like, I love this. Hey Rob, what are your thoughts on intermittent fasting? I like it. I'm a fan. I've done videos on this. Maybe I'll do another one. I've done videos on this channel called Full Day of Intermittent Fasting. And yeah, I like it. Some days I still intermittent fast. Like, I wake up and I'm just not hungry. And I just push back my first meal. I usually just have a black coffee, maybe a can of Monster or something, and then I have a nice big lunch. So yeah, no, I really like intermittent fasting. It's great if you're like, you've got a really busy schedule and you're like in a rush in the morning, then intermittent fasting is great. There's no magic to it. I'm sorry. Anyone who tells you that is probably trying to sell you intermittent fasting in some way, but it's just literally, it's just an easier way to pitch your macros or control your appetite or be able to eat bigger meals. I'm sorry, there's no magic to it. But the points I just made there are quite good. So intermittent fasting definitely does have its benefits and I'm a fan of it. And I do it myself from time to time. When you come to Amsterdam, meet up with Joey Dee. I'll actually just go into a bit of a storytime here because the next question is like, hey, give us a funny story or something. I remember when I was like 16, I told my parents I was going camping for the weekend. And I actually went to Amsterdam. And like, yeah, you know, Amsterdam is a wild place when you're 16. I actually could have been 15. But anyways, yeah, so I went for like 5 days, you know, went wild and stuff. And when I got back, my parents were like, hey Rob, you know, how was camping? Did you enjoy it? And I was like, camping? What the fuck are you talking about? So yeah, I'll go back to Amsterdam. You know, it's a beautiful city. How was your time in Thailand and what was the best thing about the country? Phi Phi Islands. Definitely my favorite place. I just loved it. If all goes wrong, I'm just gonna just retreat to Phi Phi Islands and just leave the world behind. Favorite low-cal high-volume meals? Definitely those massive salad bowls you can get from like Tesco, Lidl, Aldi. Them, like some chicken breast, salsa, and maybe even some beans or something that adds more fiber to it. That's definitely it. Or Greek yogurt as well. Nonfat Greek yogurt is is awesome too. How close/far away to your natural peak do you think you are? Getting first place trophies in an untested competition as a natural, I, you know, I think that's a pretty decent achievement. I don't think I'm going to get much bigger, unfortunately. Maybe a couple of pounds. What do you think about cardio while bulking? I think it's definitely a good thing. You know, it's good in theory, but doing it, actually doing it, is another thing. But yeah, I definitely think it's a good thing. You know, it'll keep that surplus in moderate. I think a lot of people eat way too many calories when they're bulking. And you know, and you'll also get all the cardiovascular and health benefits from it. And it could even improve your recovery too. So yeah, cardio whilst bulking is good, but you know, motivating yourself to do it while bulking, that's another thing. Who's your biggest inspiration? Um, there's literally not like one person I idolize. You know, I don't like that, but there is tons of individuals, you know, that I will look up to or draw inspiration from. But, you know, there's not like one person, you know. If I see someone doing some good shit, I'll look at that and be like, nice, you know, well done, you know, fair play, I'm gonna draw a bit of inspiration from that. But yeah, there's no one person. How long did it take to get to this physique? About 5 years. People think like they lift for like 6 months and they're okay, that's it, I'm aesthetic as fuck. Don't work like that. How did it feel when you got asked to be an Athlete Athlete? It like, it was the weirdest thing ever. Like me and Sarah were just sitting there having lunch, I got a random phone call and I was just like, you know, Sarah was just looking at me and I was just like, I literally flabbergasted, nearly frisbee'd my phone out the window. And it was an amazing feeling. I knew that, you know, my life had changed around then. And that it's just opened up a lot of doors for me. Biggest deficit you've been in cutting and would you ever try keto diet? The biggest deficit I've been in was just the other weeks leading up to my competition. And that was 2,000 calories a day with cardio every single day. And hey, shit, it paid off. So can't complain there. And that's not even that bad. I know people who've had to, like, you know, these guys are like really big guys and they've had to go to like 1,400, 1,500 calories per day, you know. So I really can't complain. Keto diet, when I was younger, when I was kind of new to lifting and everything and didn't really know much, I just cut out carbs completely and I looked like shit. Yes, I lost a lot of fat because I was on so low calories, but I just looked really skinny. Skinny and not full or anything. So no, I wouldn't do it again. Keto diet has its place, maybe for people who struggle with appetite and stuff like that, can work well there. But I think for most people it's kind of unsustainable. Any tips on what to do/not to do when setting up a YouTube channel? That's like a video in itself. But you know what not to do? Don't just be another fitness YouTuber. Just, you know, try be different, try show off your unique personality. What's the best macro percentage split for a bulk? Don't go off percentages, go off calculations. Tips to find your passion? That's easy, man. Just literally just say, what did I do in the last week that made me really happy? You know, what did I love doing? What put a smile on my face? Just think of that. Or even the last month, or just the last thing. Just say, what's the last thing I did that made me smile or laugh my head off, or just feel really good about myself. And there you go. What form of social media really got your name out there? I started off on Facebook, but now Facebook's kind of gone to shit, just the way the algorithm and stuff works. But definitely YouTube. And, you know, makes sense. YouTube is the hardest to do. You can't just post, you can't just write a status, you can't just post a pretty picture. You gotta be real. You gotta be in there first. And you gotta like edit and then like You saw me setting up lights. YouTube is the hardest work, definitely, but it pays off. When you first began to enter the fitness industry, was there anyone, friends, etc., that took the piss out of you or didn't understand why you were doing it? And if so, how did you deal with it? My friends are very supportive. Yeah, they gave me a bit of a slagging, but we all slag each other. Nothing in a bad way at all. And, you know, no mean jokes or anything like that. And they're all very supportive. So, you know, I have a great group of friends, known them for years. And no, really, no, everyone was totally cool with it. And if someone is being a dick to you, just literally tell them to fuck off and mind their own business. Who cares what they think? Burn fat around the abdominals, should I target that area, or will an overall caloric deficit, cardio, and normal workout do the job? Will it help burn fat if I train abs? The latter, my friend. I've actually done a post on this. Hey, I'll link it down below. You cannot spot reduce body fat. Think how crazy it would look if you could. You'd have these people walking around like 6 shredded 6-pack abs, like fat man boobs, and like fat arms and stuff like that. No, you can't, you can't target fat loss. Can you please tell us what's the meaning behind your Keep It Real motto? Cheers. It's something I just started saying, and like, I'm glad that I could stick with it from the start. But it basically means that I'll never like put bullshit on this channel. I'll never like promote something I don't believe in or give out like some bro science crappy advice. And I'm pretty— I think it's safe to say that I've stuck with that motto. And yeah, you know, I've been offered like lots of money from companies to push a certain product or do this and do that, but always said no because is just never worth more than my integrity. So yeah, that's why I say keep it real. And the day I stop keeping it real, feel free to call me the fuck out. When will you be releasing a female clothing line? That's the next thing. Who's the best person within the fitness industry that you've come across so far? I'm glad you asked this, Ryan. There's a point I want to make is all the like biggest names in the fitness industry I've met are like the coolest ones. And it just goes to show you don't get anywhere if you're just a dickhead to everyone. So it's always like the nicest guy. I guess the nice guys finish first. But people like Christian Guzman, who I'm lucky enough to call a friend at this stage. Jazmin Garcia, Lex Griffin. I caught up with him at BodyPower. Such a bloke. And, you know, people like Steve Cook, so nice. Hodge Twins, hilarious. Exact same as they are on video. You know, I could really go on. But yeah, all like the top names. Are actually turning out to be the friendliest. Whatever happened to George, your cat? He died. Yeah, let's not talk about it. Now George, um, wow, you must really be subscribed to this channel for a long time, thank you. George died of old age, so look, it's fair enough, he had a full life. Hey Rob, I would really love to start talking to Snapchat and eventually make a YouTube. However, I hate the sound of my voice and feel like a I'm a fool talking to the camera. Any tips or advice? Thanks so much. Everyone hates the sound of their voice when they hear it on camera for the first time. And literally just practice makes perfect. Record a couple of videos and just, you know, don't put them public. But practice is all about practice. Like I said earlier on the Q&A, you can like watch my old videos and compare them to now. How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated? You have to motivate yourself Or stay motivated when you're doing something you love. Be that, you know, I love working out. You'd have to motivate me not to hit the gym. So, you know, find out what you love to do and you won't even need motivation. What is your opinion on eating carbs and fats by themselves, like without protein? Oh my God, not without protein. It's absolutely fine. Just focus on your total daily intake of protein, carbs, and fats. You won't die or get obese or anything. Seriously, yeah, no, it's, it's absolutely fine. What book would you recommend to a person who wants to be more educated in health and fitness? It would definitely be, if I was to make one recommendation, it would be the Training and Nutrition Pyramids, Muscle and Strength Pyramids by Eric Helms. Just literally Google search Eric Helms pyramids and you'll get them. And I'm not like paid to say this or anything, I genuinely think they cover everything and they're very quick and easy to read through. So if a few people read them, my job here is done. There's, there's good info put out there. I wish I just read them or had access to something like that 5 years ago. What does your workout playlist consist of? Hit me up on Spotify. How does it feel to have completely blown up in the industry within the last year, becoming a part of Alphalete and a poster boy for Myprotein at the UK's biggest expo? Is absolutely surreal for me. And yes, surreal is like the main word, but I've never let myself get cocky because once you get cocky and all, you're, oh, I'm so great and all this, so when you take the foot off the gas, that's when you stop striving for more. So always stay grounded and be happy with what you've achieved, but always be striving to level up, progress. You'll never, never let yourself go stagnant. Alright guys, battery's like flashing at me here, so it's about to go. I hope you enjoyed this Q&A. If you have any more questions, comment down below, I'll try to answer back to you. A few more videos coming within the next week. Thank you so much for watching. Keep it real. I'm outta here. Peace.