Popular Personal Trainer Steve Poynter Interviewed By FullyFlexed.com

By admin on Feb 02, 2010 in Interviews, Recommended Reading

What’s your background? What got you started into bodybuilding?
I began working out at the age of 21, after going through my teenage years weighing no more than 135 lbs, I thought it was time for a change in life, as I was sick of being this twig walking around..
One day I was invited by a co-worker to go push some iron with him, I was hesitant at 1st due to my size and myself knowing I had no strength at all.. I ended up going with this co-worker and once I started to lift, I knew this was something I could become hooked on, and that was the case..

I began training daily, not knowing a thing about lifting, day in and out, I just watched what other guys did and I began to do the same, needless to say, the first 2 years, overtraining was insane for me..

Around the 3rd year, I still had no clue of nutrition or proper workouts, so I began to read Flex and Musclemag magazines, from these mags, I found Nutritional info as well as workouts, so I put the 2 together and this is when the progress really took off..

Before long I had went from 135 or so lbs to 155…As the years past and I kept learning new things about nutrition and training, I continued to grow. Which leads me to where I am today.
My heaviest weight has been 208 lbs after winter time bulking, my best physique was 163 lbs with a body fat percentage of 4%.

What are some your accomplishments in the sport of bodybuilding?
My best accomplishment to date is me being able to take what I have learned and pass it on to others who are going down the same road I once did. Not only that, but also being able to help those who are extremely obese drop body fat that has bothered them for years and years..

Whats the #1 thing you like best about being into bodybuilding?
All the great rewards that come from putting in the hard work, things such as becoming affiliated and the potential of becoming a sponsored athlete with Cellucor Supplement Company.

Next , you get to be an artist to your own body, in sculpting it in any way you wish. Many people admire how you can transform your body from month to month.

What’s your routine like?

There is no one training routine one person can use to get the desired physique they are after..

You need to do bulks, where you eat big and lift big and heavy for lower reps, this will bring you the size. To get ripped, you have to train with a lighter weight for higher reps, causing your body to burn off stored fats. I have always found my body responds best to high volume training, no matter if it’s higher reps for cutting or lower reps for bulking.. I always keep my total working sets around 16-18 total sets..

All my routines are balls to the wall, I never step in a gym and come out feeling like I didn’t put in 110%. If you don’t have the mind set to go in and give it all you have, then you should just stay at home!

If you could only do 3 exercises what would they be?
If I could only do 3 moves, they would be as follows:

Squat: The squat is a must in releasing that natural testosterone and bringing overall strength and growth.
Deadlifts: Same as the squat plus you get that overall back work and get the traps in there as well.
Incline Barbell Press: I find I get my best pec development from Incline work.

Can you tell us a bit about your bulking diet and cutting diet? What are some of the things you like to change up to gain weight and lose weight?
If I am bulking, I will shoot for around 5500 calories per day- 550-700 carbs and about 280-340 protein:
When bulking, I will eat almost anything and everything, minus sweets, if you are going to bulk, go all out, don’t hold back. I do eat every 2.5-3 hours and also do a lot of force eating. I will eat from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed.

My workouts when bulking range from 14-16 sets per set and my weight is heavy enough so I can only push out 6-8 reps, but many times I will drop to 4 reps with some forced reps included..

When cutting, I eat every 2.5-3 hours. I keep my protein high here, 280-320 grams per day and about 125-165 carbs per day and somwhere in the range of 125 fats per day give or take some.

My workouts are still at 14-16 sets per bodypart, my rest time will go down to about 50 seconds between sets, sometimes lower and I will try to push out anywhere from 10-20 reps per set.

Whats your supplementation like? Anything you prefer to use?
I use Cellucor Supplementation, I was introduced to them about 2 years ago and eventually became affiliated. My favorite supplements from Cellucor are R3, NO, P6 and D4 thermal.
The Untouchable Products.

Can you please describe what your daily routine is like?

I wake up daily around 8:30 am.
I have my 1st meal at no later than 9:00am(And then every 2.5-3 hours after that)
I then begin working online from my Online training site: Fitnesspoynters.com
I’ll work in sending out meal plans and workout routines from 9:15am until 1-2:00pm.
I then hit the gym from 2:30-4:30
From 5:00 pm until 7 pm, I will do more online work
After 7:00 pm I try to have family time until 9:30 and once my daughter goes to bed, I am back online trying to answer emails and market the best I can.
My days usually end around 12:00 pm , sometimes later..

What keeps you so motivated to stick with bodybuilding?
My motivation comes from all over..I read magazines, I watch bodybuilding dvd’s, I train people and see the drive that these individuals have , and I have to have my drive just as high as them and even higher.. There is no feeling better than knowing you have pushed yourself to the limit with training. The best motivation comes from those who admire what you are doing and what you have accomplished.

Any advice or tips for beginners?
Stay focused, don’t expect to hit the gym for a week and see results…Train smart, eat smart and be patient.
You will have people who try to bring you down once you start to succeed, keep a positive mind set and don’t fall into their negative styles..