♥ Who are you? ♥

My name is Franky, I lift a lot of weights, eat a lot and spend a lot of time spewing my brain all over the internet.

♥ Why do you go to the gym? ♥

Pushing my body to its limits, breaking it down and getting back up for more gives me a fierce rush of power. It makes me feel fit, strong and damn right bad ass.

♥ When and why did you start going to the gym? ♥

I got serious about going to the gym for the sake of reaching a goal about 3 years ago. I broke off from a long-term relationship and decided that I wanted to do something totally selfish and for no other reason than to please myself. I wasn’t happy with how I lived, looked, felt and ate so I started to make some serious changes.

♥ How did you know what to do when you got there? ♥

Looking back, I really didn’t. I started off doing all forms of basic cardio, group classes (me and yoga don’t mix), running and then eventually hired a personal trainer who gave me a one-size-fits-all training plan which was useless. None of this worked for me because I had no idea what I was doing. Then about 6 months in I discovered bodybuilding, at first I was apprehensive and had the stereotypical snap judgement of myself bulging with veiny muscles like a Mr Olympia contestant. NO WAY! But with some help, research and tantrums I realised that this route worked for my body and that the stereotype really was a load of rubbish. Off I trotted down the protein road. 

♥ How have you managed to keep it up for so long? ♥

After a year of hard work, aching muscles, kicking, screaming and A LOT of changes to my diet I realised that this happened:

Not only did I feel more comfortable with myself; I felt so much healthier, stronger and confident. Training in the gym did a lot for my mentality as well as my physique, it’s a place for me to let go, get a bit aggressive and make something real happen. This transformation motivated me to JUST KEEP GOING!

♥ Who inspires you? ♥  

Female athletes in the industry like Heidi Somers, Jen Heward, Nikki Blacketter, etc. A lot of them have YouTube and I find their videos really motivating, it helps me see that I’m not the only one doing this and that’s quite comforting sometimes. 

This idiot eating a bacon sandwich…

My brother started lifting a few years before me, he was stick thin (no offence bro) and completely transformed himself, if he can do it then why can’t I? Sibling rivalry! He’s usually there when I need get my head straight.

And this guy playing a harmonica…

He is sane where I am crazy and I am sane where he is nuts. Having a partner that believes in you as much as you believe in them is a true luxury that is hard to find.

♥ Lets talk diet, why is it important to you? ♥ 

First things first, you can’t exercise out a bad diet. That pizza you ate, along with the ice cream, several cows and a small village every day last week will not be burned off by 40 minutes on a treadmill nor an exercise class nor several hours of lifting weights. One bad day won’t make you gain weight but one healthy day won’t make you lose any either. Eating enough of the right foods and treats in moderation enables your body to function correctly and do what it needs to do to keep you alive and ticking. DO NOT IGNORE YOUR DIET!

♥ Have you had any help with that? ♥ 

So.Much.Help.

I can’t explain how much research I have done, how many people I have asked and how many ridiculous conclusions I have come to on my own. No one ever gets it right first time, it takes a lot of trial and error to find out what foods your body thrives on and what hinders it.

♥ How do you know the best way to construct a meal plan for your goals? ♥ 

Research and a lot of note books. I usually focus on the percentages of my macro nutrients, so the amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats I take in on a daily basis which equate into the amount of calories I need for that day. Putting it simply; If I want to gain some weight the levels will increase, if I want to lose it they will decrease. Everyone’s needs are different, its taken me a long time to figure out how my body works and trust me I’m still learning! Being your own guinea pig and asking some experts for advice is the only way to get it right.

♥ What is meal prep? ♥ 

Meal prep is where I set out about 2 hours of my day, 2-3 times per week for prepping food. I cook, portion and organise the food I’m going to be eating for the next few days, I only do a few days at a time so that the food stays fresh. Doing meal prep has saved my life SO MANY TIMES! We all know what feeling when you’re starving hungry and grab the nearest thing to scoff because we can’t be bothered to cook, “it takes too long!!”. Well, once you’ve made your meals for the week all it takes is a few minutes in the microwave and there you have a ready to eat, searing hot, perfectly balanced and healthy meal. Problem solved.

♥ You must cheat on that meal plan sometimes, what is you vice? ♥ 

This shit…

Don’t get me wrong, I love a big fat burger, Doritos, ice cream, cookie dough and munching junk food until I choke like the rest of us…but this, this is my alternative escape when I start to lose control. That’s EXACTLY why I do what I do; to keep control of what goes in and out of my body, it’s fuel, it’s fire and it’s development. Given the choice between self-destruction and self-development I’d prefer development. 

♥ Do you use any supplements? What do you take? ♥ 

Supplementation is the use of vitamins, minerals and chemicals (for want of a better word) which naturally occur in the body manufactured into a pure form by way of powders, tablets or liquid which enable you to target certain parts of your body to aid in its function.

• Protein powder: I need a lot of protein to repair my muscles and chicken is expensive!
• Branch chain amino acids (BCAA) & Glutamine powder: to aid in the recovery of my muscles, ease soreness and help Mr. Protein do it’s job (in a nutshell).
• Pre-workout: a massive hit of caffeine before I go the gym because I’m a lazy bitch and need a kick up the booty. Only use as per instructions and don’t overdose, see my Facebook page for videos on how that turns out….
• Vitamin D, cod liver oil, multivitamins, and calcium in tablet form: I hate the sun, I don’t eat enough fish and I don’t eat dairy often enough for it to contribute to my diet.

♥What is your opinion on steroids? ♥ 

There are many different types of steroids and people use them for all sorts of reasons, I say each to their own. Personally I can’t bring myself to touch them. From my understanding, steroids are hormone enhancers which give your body a massive advantage if used correctly, there are usually side effects which range from manageable to life threatening if abused and for this reason I won’t touch them with a 50ft barge pole.

♥ With the modern-day beauty standards that are plastered all over social media, how do you prevent comparing yourself to others? ♥ 

I don’t. There will always be someone who seems more together than you, happier than you, prettier than you or better off than you. The trick is to see what you’ve done and what you can do to make yourself happy with what you DO have rather than focusing on what you don’t have. It’s easier said than done, I break down sometimes because I haven’t reached a certain goal but you’ve just to be strong and start again.

In addition to that, fuck normal beauty standards. If I want to have a big booty, a tiny waist, be able to bang out 50 press ups and be happy in my head then what has that got to do with anyone else?

♥ To some people this community could be totally alien. They could see you as quite vein, obsessed and selfish upon a judgement of your habits and rituals. What would you say to these people? ♥ 

People don’t like things that they don’t understand. Some people don’t get it, some people will never get it but that’s ok. I have my own goals and aim to inspire as many people as possible along the way which I’m sure others have the exactly the same intentions for their goals and dreams too. So go away.

♥ What’s the best piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to change the way that they look? ♥ 

If you’re looking to simply change the way you look, rethink your intentions. Being fit, healthy and happy is total lifestyle change, a change of attitude and a change of habits. It takes blood, sweat and tears. Don’t do it because you hate yourself, do it because you want to discover self-improvement, do it because you want to push yourself to limits you didn’t know where possible, do it because it’s scary, do it because you’re inspired. 

QUICK FIRE QUIZ

***Fav body part to train: Legs***

***Fav leg exercise: Good old-fashioned squat***

***Fav cardio: Ergh…really? Running really fast***

***Fav colour: Black***

***Fav music: Rock and roll – all decades***

***Fav band: Iggy Pop and the Stooges, The Doors, Joan Jet and the Blackhearts, ahhhh I can’t choose!***

***Fav book: Bram Stokers Dracula***

***Fav film: Titanic/Moulin Rouge***

***Fav place: My bed, accompanied by a hot water bottle and a big tub of cookie dough ice cream***

***Fav cheat meal: Beef burger with maple bacon, extra cheese and BBQ sauce with sweet potato fries and then a chocolatey, peanut putter filled dessert.***

♥