Interview with LA Muscle sponsored athlete and UK fitness model Adam Bates

Adam Bates is a personal trainer, LA Muscle sponsored athlete and UK fitness model who is looking to compete in the WBFF category at the European Championships. Adam takes Dymatize and LA Muscle supplements
Adam Bates fitness model

Hi Adam. Firstly, could you just provide a bit of an introduction into your fitness background? When did you start going to the gym and when did you start to take a keen interest in health and fitness?

For me there is one moment that sticks out in my mind where I decided I needed to make some changes and start living a healthier lifestyle. It was on a summer holiday with some friends, about 6 years ago. We had just finished university and at the time I really had lived the uni life so to speak, drinking almost every-night, smoking and consuming a diet that consisted largely of McDonalds and pizzas! I swam a length of the hotel pool and felt like I was going to cough my lungs up! Now as I had been heavily into sport at school, participating in many sports to a reasonably high standard, this was a shock to the system.

When I got back to the UK I got my weight bench out and started exercising, just to keep myself in shape at first, and over the years gradually replaced the pizzas with protein shakes! It wasn't though until a few years ago where this really took over my life, initially for the same reason most men my age start to workout seriously, to impress girls! And yeah it did work! Abs are what Lynx tries to be haha! But soon it became all about the lifestyle, I was hooked. Not just on the training side but also the diet and science behind everything. I was never one to pick up a magazine, read an article explaining the effects a certain training technique or food may have upon the body and take that to be fact. I needed more, I need to know how and why! This is why I took the PT course and read everything I could get my hands on. I now enjoy nothing more than helping other people make the same sort of changes in their own lives, for me this is just the beginning. I feel I have a great deal to offer and am now working on promoting my brand to help me reach as many people as possible.

How would you describe the typical week of Adam Bates, how do you like to train?

I like to train at very high intensities and with high volume. I have developed a method of training that works for me and that is to work the target muscle group very hard; the body needs to be taken to places where it has not been before in order to force it to grow and adapt! If you give it the same stimulus each workout it will have no need to change. It's like anything in life, if you walk in the same direction every day from the same starting point you end up at the same place. You have to be willing to push boundaries and tread new frontiers. This relates to life, who wants to live like Groundhog Day! To achieve success in anything you have to push yourself past where you thought it possible to go because if you don't you can bet that someone else out there is. Greatness doesn't come to people who practice being average!

My workouts can be very long, sometimes over an hour and a half and I have often had weights sessions close to two hours in length. I have learnt to listen to my body and my off days are rarely planned, they are taken when I feel I need a rest. I rarely repeat a workout, this keeps them interesting and supplies a different stimulus each time I train. I will imply many intensity-boosting techniques such as supersets and drop sets as well as other principles to ensure that at the end of the workout all the target muscle fibers are fully exhausted. If this takes an hour or two hours it is not important but I will always ensure the same muscle group is not trained again until it is fully recovered. I don't have specific days for specific muscle parts as I cycle though the body parts following a day 1, day 1 principle rather than chest is Monday, arms Tuesday etc. This gives me the freedom to change plans during the week if I need a day off, or to train another body part if the planned body part is still sore from a previous workout. I train abs at the end of the sessions, typically 3-5 times per week and I will often upload completed workouts to my Facebook page.

What is your diet like through a typical week? What do you like to eat and drink and how often?

My diet will vary slightly depending on my goals at the time. There are many tricks that I will use to get myself in the condition I want to be in at any particular time. I have learnt to manipulate my body through diet, I know exactly what it needs and when to bring my conditioning levels to a certain point at a certain time. I can manipulate my bodyfat levels and the way I look very quickly through my diet. I ensure I do not consume excessive carbohydrates and my protein intake is very high, typically around 2g per 1lb bodyweight per day. I don't drink anything other than water, coffee, green tea and my shakes. I do eat a lot but my metabolism and body type demands it; and I love to eat!

The following may be a sample of a typical maintenance diet:

Food is usually eaten cold as I am always on the move and I use a range of herbs and spices to add a variety of flavours.

Adam Bates fitness model supplements

You're now a qualified Personal Trainer. How is that going? What do you specialise in?

It's going great! I just wish I had more time though to be able to help all the people who contact me. I specialise in aesthetics and my brand is rapidly growing. I am intentionally setting up the one to one business in London as currently I live in a small town called Stamford (near Peterborough) but will eventually move down to London; due to my commitment and passion for the industry I need to be in the city. I am running the business from an exclusive Personal Training studio in Westminster owned by Adam White. Adam is an accomplished Olympic lifting coach so it works really well that the services I offer differ from his. He is just as passionate about what he does as I am which is what attracted me to use his studio. As I am gradually moving my business down there whilst still working in my full-time job I am unfortunately having to turn some clients away who would like to be trained daily. My current workplace in Peterborough have been great though by agreeing to gradually cut down my hours as the business grows but at the moment my time in London is limited to certain days. I hate not being able to help everyone who comes to me.

In addition to this, I am setting up online training programs, which will enable me to help more people no matter where they or I are based. I am finalising the details of these at the moment and they be released with my site www.AB-fit.com when it launches. I expect this to be over the Easter holiday so make sure you check it out.

What are your favourite body parts to train? What are your favourite exercises?

Shoulders are my favourite body part to train. I think it's just the motivation you get from seeing yourself in the mirror once the blood is pumping into them and the skin is stretched.

If I had to select 3 favourite exercises these would be:

How much cardiovascular work do you do alongside weights? What cardiovascular work do you like to do?

The amount of cardio I do will vary depending on my goals at the time and my conditioning. There are times where I have performed cardio 7 days a week and if I really need to, some quick HIIIT (10 minutes max) at the end of my weights sessions and some further low intensity cardio in the evening. I don't like to do cardio straight after weights as my weights sessions are intense enough! But like I say, if my body needs it for a shoot, I will do it. If I am trying to add size then my cardio will be reduced down to 0-3 times per week.

I like to use the stationary bike as this allows me to respond to messages during cardio. With my time being so limited this is often the only way I can get both done. To mix things up though I will use the treadmill, stairmaster or elliptical when I can. I feel the method chosen is not important as long as your heart rate is where you need it to be. I always use a heart rate monitor and encourage all my clients to do the same.

Are you training for any competitions at the moment?

Well I am currently in the process of registering with the WBFF and am looking to compete in the European Championships this November in Iceland. I will be sure to update everyone via my social networking sites when this is confirmed.

Who are your bodybuilding / fitness role models and why?

Well I love the old school action heroes, these are the guys who made the look desirable and sparked my interest in training with weights in the first place. The likes of Schwarzenegger and Stallone (I love the Rocky films!) But as I got serious about my training I learnt a lot from following many of the top WBFF professionals; but I'd say David Kimmerle, Rob Riches and Greg Plitt have inspired me the most and have the most appealing physiques.

What sports supplements do you take and how often do you take them?

Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protein

I am a big fan of supplements however it is important that they are only used when needed, hence the term supplement and not replacement. I also believe that people need to do their research before taking a particular product to see if it is required and will benefit them as an individual and their own needs. I take a range of products to supplement what I already get through my diet as I feel the frequency and intensity at which I train means my body needs more than it can receive through my diet alone. I also feel that as my main goal is to help and inspire others, it is important to have tried and understand a wide range of the supplements available. The supplements I use and the frequency change depending on my goals but generally include: whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, casein protein (taken at night), BCAA's, glutamine, creatine monohydrate, pre-workout NO booster, flaxseed oil, multi-vitamin and ZMA.

Which brands do you prefer to take and why?

My favourite supplement brand has to be Dymatize. The chocolate Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protein is the best I have ever used and I have tried many. It gets to the muscles extremely quickly post workout without bloating and tastes great. I now use them for most of the supplements I take and have yet to be disappointed. For the quality of the product the value is extremely competitive.

Are there any supplements you're thinking about trying but haven't yet?

No, if I think of trying something I generally do.

The Government want to put VAT on sports supplements meaning a 20% rise could potentially happen. What are your thoughts on this?

I am not a politician and don't even watch the news but I think it is crazy! Maybe the politicians like to spend hours eating junk and watch TV after work instead of hitting the gym. I mean, should they not be encouraging the country to be healthy? Do they also not understand the importance of such products to young up and coming athletes either? They can spend millions on bringing the Olympics here and no doubt hope this will encourage young people to take up sport but put prices up on products these same people need to help them progress to the top in their chosen events. Supplements are expensive enough anyway, often twice the price as in the US. I spend a great deal of money on them myself and have already noticed the price of things like peanut butter going up.

Lastly, do you have any advice for someone who is starting to think about getting in shape for the summer? How can they work towards getting the physique you have achieved?

Yes, sign-up for one of my online courses. No, seriously though, don't do it just for summer. Being healthy is a lifestyle and is about a feeling as well as the look. Looking good breeds confidence and confidence breeds success in all aspects of life. I would suggest doing your research; I have spent hours reading and still do with every free moment I get, especially on nutrition. Learn what works for your body and how to listen to your body. We are all different so our bodies require different stimulus to achieve the results we want. This is the best advice I can give.

Thank you for taking the time to speak to us Adam and good luck in the European Championships in November.

You can keep in touch with Adam via Twitter (AdzFitness), Facebook (AdamBatesFitness) and his website (coming soon!)