PLATTERS NOT PLATES

“I eat between five and eight small meals a day. At the moment, I’m having five, because I have to come in a little leaner for the US comps. You do this to speed up your metabolism. You want to train your body so it gets hungry every three hours. A typical day during the lead-up to a comp looks like this:

“7am: Six to eight egg whites and a cup of oats made with water, along with my cutting-up tablets and vitamins. I’ll add a little bit of sweetchilli sauce to my eggs. I have this within 30 minutes of my cardio, to ensure I don’t strip muscle.

“10am: One cup of rice and 95g of tuna in spring water. I might also have some green veggies.

“1pm: 100g steak with some sweet potato and green veggies. Then, after training, I’ll have a protein shake, my fish oil tablets and BCAA.

“5pm: Tuna, this time with salad.

“8pm: Tuna with green veggies.

“People always say, ‘Oh, you’re not eating.’ But you’re not starving yourself. I’m still getting 1500 calories a day.”

STRIKE A POSE

“Six weeks before a comp, I start posing in front of a mirror for half an hour every day. There’s an art behind it, you have to learn to do it properly – some people get up on stage and have no idea how to bring out their lats or their shoulders. I’ve loads of DVDs and books that I use, and I study the competition to see what looks best up on stage. Practising posing also helps makes you tighter and more toned.”

GOLDEN BROWN

“You need a base tan, so I’ll start in the solarium about eight weeks out from a comp. Three days out, I’ll start applying a product called Pro Tan. You build up around eight coats with a roller. On the day, I put on Dream Tan, which is like a paste. It makes you look coppery and gives your muscles better definition. Pro Tan stinks and it doesn’t come off for at least a week afterwards, which is a bit of a joke if I’ve got to go on a trip with work. Passengers stare at me because I’m bright orange.”

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