In life we all have goals and dreams, or just objectives and things we want to accomplish and do. Some of these are big and require a lot of our time and effort, and in order to achieve them we have to be focused and consciously set our minds, and bodies on the right course in order to succeed at these tasks which we have set in front of ourselves.

The same is true when it comes to our physiques and losing fat or gaining muscle. From the very start you have to make a conscious decision and identify what your goal or objective is. I want to lose x kg of fat or I want to gain x kg of muscle for example. You then need to set out and make it part of your everyday life, ensuring that each decision you make is moving you one step closer to your goal.

It is this conscious and consistent effort every single day which will allow you to succeed.

“FOCUS!” ~ Dwayne The Rock Johnson

No doubt, it is easier said than done. But one thing in life which has been proven time and time again, is that the easiest things or the easiest paths never stimulate growth, experience and wisdom. So if you are going through a tough time, remind yourself that at the end of it you will come out stronger and better than before. And that is what it is all about. Bettering yourself. Growth, and exceeding what you thought you were capable of.

“Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.”

To do this though, you need to also train your mind and ensure you have the proper mindset and attitude throughout your journey. Too many people start something very hastily without really giving it much thought and end up giving up or losing interest far too soon. You need to be focused every step of the way. What needs to be emphasised is that this mindset does not happen over night. On the contrary, it can take years, but in order for you to truly maximise it, it needs to become a habit.  It has to be ‘exercised’ every single day. After all, practice makes perfect and this is no different. Just like athletes train their bodies to be better at their sporting discipline, so to your mind needs to be trained. Discipline and self control, for example, have to be practiced in order for you to get better at them.

Your focus has to extend to everything you do. When you go to the gym or when you workout you have to be focused on what you are doing. Make a mental note when you start. Get zoned in by listening to music or whatever it takes for you. Do not just go through the motions.

“Never mistake activity for productivity.”

If you walk into any commercial gym these days and just take a look around, undoubtedly you will see many guys trying to push extremely heavy weights around. Most times their range of movement is so small or they are doing whatever it takes to lift the weight, swinging in every possible way. The word “form” or “good form” which everyone seems to talk about does not exist any more when they grab those heavy weights. When it comes to training a muscle, your movement should be focused and controlled to some degree to really target the muscle. To sculpt a muscle you need to isolate and work that specific muscle. This is where that age old phenomenon comes into play, “the mind muscle connection.”

To truly focus on the exercise and muscle you are working you need to feel and use the muscle, and make a connection with it through your mind.

A great starting point and one of the best ways to really train yourself to connect both your mind and muscle, is to do an exercise in a very slow and controlled manner. For this to really be effective the exercise should not be a fairly large compound one like dead lifts. It should be a bit more isolated such as seated Bicep curls or Tricep push downs.

If we take bicep curls, what you need to do is focus on all three phases of the exercise. Firstly the eccentric phase (curling the weight up); it should take you about 5 to 6 seconds, then the hold and squeeze at the top for about 2 seconds and then lastly the concentric phase (lowering the weight); should also last about 5 to 6 seconds.

Another great way is to practice posing. Everyone who starts to see results or starts gaining some muscle, no matter how humble, loves to flex their muscles and check themselves and their progress, out in the mirror every now and again. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but why not use it to your advantage. In between your sets and exercises (or after, if you are too self conscious) focus on isolating and flexing the muscle you are working on. Try to hold the ‘flex’ or pose for a few seconds. This will help to train your mind into flexing the specific muscle and thus translates into more focus on the muscle when performing an exercise.

Once you have mastered that, then you can start practising flexing a combination of muscles all at once. Trust me it’s harder and a lot more tiring than you think. Watch bodybuilders pose on stage and see how they flex and contract each muscle to get an idea of some of the poses that can help. Probably the most difficult one is the Lat spread, to really force your Lats to spread out. But if you can’t do it right away, don’t be discouraged, it will come with practice.

Another way to exercise your patience, mind control and focus is by doing something like yoga or stretching. It relieves stress and tension and forces you to become more aware of your breathing especially when you have to hold certain poses or stretches for a period of time. It is also a great ‘therapy session’ in a sense and allows you to focus your thoughts and exercise self composure.

What it all boils down to, is allowing your mind to be focused on the activity that you are currently pursuing without being distracted and letting your thoughts wander. Concentrate on the current moment and task at hand and give it everything you have. Forget about what will happen tomorrow or what happened yesterday, but focus on the now.

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“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side… The grass is greener on the side that you water it!”

”Life is short, fragile and does not wait for anyone. There will NEVER be a perfect time to pursue your dreams & goals. ”

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“He who depends on himself will attain the greatest happiness” ~ Chinese Proverb

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Quick Stats

Name:  Johnny Starr
Age:  23
Height:  1,84 m
Competition weight:  78 kg
Current weight:  81 kg
Current city:  Melbourne, Australia
Occupation:  Real Estate Agent

At what age did you start training consistently and how did you get into this lifestyle?

I started lifting at a very young age; when I was 14 and 9 months (the earliest you are allowed to starting working in Aus).  I saved up and bought my first bench press.

“I literally did incline and flat bench every night in my garage before I went to bed for months on end.”

I then joined a local gym with all my mates at 16 and have consistently been training ever since.

What do you love about it and what keeps you motivated?

I love looking back at older photos of myself and then realizing that even though I’m not the biggest or most shredded guy going around, I have still come a very long way from my early ectomorph days.  I was also nearly murdered in a stabbing incident which woke me up and made me realize that life is far too short to not achieve greatness.

What are your thoughts on competing?

I didn’t start training to compete and it has never really been something I have considered.  Though allot of people of recent have suggested it might be a path I should consider….

What are your future plans?

Growing up I lacked allot of guidance regarding nutrition and training, and also received some terrible advice from people whom I thought knew what they were talking about.  I wish I had someone like myself now when I was young who could show me how to do things properly rather than wasting my time in the gym.

“So my plans for the future are to help inspire, motivate and educate new lifters to be better in all aspects of life not only gym.”

Take us through an average day of yours:

I am currently in a “lean bulk mode” …so I will wake up, have my vitamins and BCAA’s and a bowl of oats.  Cook my eggs, drive to work eat 4-5 meals at work.  Then come home have another meal, then go train, come home again, prepare my meals for the next day…troll facebook and go to bed

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your diet.

Below is my current lean bulk diet:

Please note, I have never ever counted calories or macros.  I go by the way my body is looking.  For example, if I need to lean up I cut out most carbs.

• 6:45am – 10g BCAA’s/glutamine/creatine/2 slices watermelon – protein shake                                                                      Krill oil, Vitamin C, Inner Health Plus, Multi V
• 7:30 – Bowl of Oats with Berries (add 1 scoop protein and cinnamon).  8 Egg whites and 2 whole eggs scrambled.
• 10:00 – 100g sweet potatoes, ½ cup red kidney beans, Broccoli, can of tuna in spring water, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1:00pm – Same as above but change Tuna for lean meat (Kangaroo/Chicken Liver/Veal)
• 3:00 – Same as above (change meat)
• 4:30 – protein shake -WPI (I use ISO SENSATION 93)
• 6:00 – 200g chicken/lean meat, 100gram sweet potatoes/broccoli

Pre Workout – BCAA’s (I use XTEND)/creatine/vitargo
Intra workout – BCAA’s (XTEND)
Post workout – Immediately 2 big slices watermelon THEN PWI Protein shake with creatine

• 9:45 – 200g red meat, sweet potatoes/broccoli
• 11:30 – (before sleep) Casein protein shake, Glutamine, GABBA, ZMA

Are you a firm believer in using supplements?  If so what are your top 3 fundamental supplements which you use and which you would recommend?

I am lucky enough to have the support from AAA Supplements Knox, who in Melbourne are one of the biggest and best supplement stores.

I LOVE

• ISO SENSATION 93 CHOCOLATE PWI protein.  (I use every day); low carb, high protein, easy to digest.
• Xtend (especially during cardio, keeps me from going Catabolic)
• Creatine.  I always use this when I am trying to put on size as I feel it helps with strength and fluid retention in the muscles.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your training and on average how long do you workout for?

I tend not to do anything too fancy with my training.

“I usually train one body part a week and start my sessions with compound movements first as they recruit more muscle fibers”

and better cellular breakdown (rather than doing an isolation movement for 15 minutes and using 3-4 muscles).
I love to drop set and superset nearly every session, and every now and again I go very light weight and super high reps to mix it up.  Always trying to stimulate my body to grow and develop.

What’s your favorite form of cardio?

If it wasn’t for those dirty house beats I would hate cardio!  But my favorite form is simply walking at 5 – 6 km per hour on full incline on a treadmill.
I have never really done HIIT.

What would you say are the best exercises you can do to really achieve well developed arms?

As we all know, the triceps make up a large percentage of our arms, but I feel some times we focus too much on our biceps.

• Close grip bench press
• Perfect curls with some drop sets have helped me over the years.

Do you believe in the philosophy of having a positive mindset in all that you do and visualizing everything that you want to achieve?

I am a firm believer in this philosophy.  I like to visualize where I am going with my life and set myself short term and long term goals to work at.

“I advise anyone reading this to remove any negative people from their lives as they will only bring you down.”

This is something I have done recently and since then things have only spiraled upwards.

How do you measure your progress and how often?

I used to be stuck on “HOW MUCH I WEIGHED” and was too concerned with packing on the KG’s.  This was a rookie mistake and I went through a terrible stage of getting fat from trying to eat everything in sight.  Though I reached 90 kg I looked terrible.  I now sit at approximately 80 kg with fairly low body fat….In other words don’t worry about the scales.
I measure myself on how proportioned I look and usually how lean I can get

Favorite Fitness Models:

My biggest inspiration hands down would be Zyzz.  I trained for years then saw him and wanted to take it to the next level. (RIP).  I also love Greg Plitt, Jaco De Bruyn, Ulissesjr, David Morin and my good friend and up and coming fitness model Jad Darwish.

Which do you prefer and why.  Today’s bodybuilders like Jay Cutler and Phil Heath, or the smaller physiques like Frank Zane.

I think most people would agree that the bodybuilders of yesteryear looked much more appealing and realistic.  I have complete respect for today’s champions but would prefer to look like Zane in his peak because I feel it is more aesthetic and more achievable.

Favorite Quote:

“Don’t tell people you’re gonna do it, just get it done, it will speak for itself!” – Myself

Advice for someone wanting to change their lifestyle and achieve their ideal physique?

The best thing I ever did was seek advice from someone that was a professional.  In the space of 6 weeks I learnt more than I had learnt from 5 years of training.  Learn through other peoples mistakes instead of making your own.

Where can people get hold of you?

• Website: www.johnnystarr.com.au
• Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/jstarrofficial
• Email: johnny[at]johnnystarr.com.au

Photography By:

Ross Brownsdon | www.rossbrownsdon.com

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If you improve 1% a day, then in 100 days, guess what? You’re 100% better. ~ Coach Carter

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Quick Stats

Name: Ninos Sarkis
Age: 24
Height: 5’5
Competition weight: 79 Kg
Current weight: 82 Kg
Current city: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Occupation:  Teacher

How long have you been training consistently for and how did you get into this lifestyle?

My childhood was an active one. I enjoyed riding my bike and playing neighbourhood games such as nikki nine door and chase. I started playing hockey at the age of 5, soccer at 8, wrestling at 16 and developed quite a physique for myself during those years. This physique was the foundation for my bodybuilding career.

In high school i played soccer and wrestled. I had a vast group of friends and was pretty popular with everyone. I did the usual high school party routine and really enjoyed my time in Brebeuf.

It was in grade 12 when I joined my first fitness class. I never took it serious until i started to see results and getting a few compliments from friends and family. After grade 12 i had no money to get a gym membership so I started training in a basement with an old friend of mine, Loudon Ehler. This is when i discovered bodybuilding. Every day i would cycle to his house to get a few hours of training with him and feel that pump i would always be craving for.

“Before every workout we would sit and watch videos of all the bodybuilders like Arnold, Jay and Ronnie and it was then where i said i wanted to be just like them.”

At the beginning of 2011, I said to myself that this would be the year that I would compete and make a name for myself in bodybuilding.

What do you love about it and what keeps you motivated?

What gets me motivated and focused to keep training is the feeling I had at my very first show. After all those months training for it and stepping onto that stage for the very first time was just ….speechless.

“I am addicted to the lights on the stage and the crowds cheering.”

Also let’s not forget every athletes favorite source of motivation, YouTube!

What competitions have you competed in and your placing?

2011 Season

• Henderson Thorne classic, lightweight,  2^nd
• Provincials,  welterweight, 3^rd

Tell us a bit about your journey leading up to your first competition.  What was the best part of doing it and the worst?

It was May 2011 where I said I would stop wasting my time and money partying every weekend. The morning after my hockey season was over I decided to start training for a show. Every morning I would wake up at 6am to do cardio with a mid afternoon workout, for 4 months straight. I felt so healthy and amazed of how much I was capable of doing with the dedication and focus I had. My parents were not the most supportive people about this path I was heading towards especially when I dropped out of college to pursue my dream to be on stage. But then again I wouldn’t be doing what I love now if it wasn’t for that hard decision I made. This dream made me fall in love with cooking and led me into a new direction of education in the culinary arts world which compliments my everyday life.

What are your future plans?

My goal is to get on stage at the April shows and compete as a middleweight. I want to dominate that category and it can be a huge advantage with my height being at only 5’5. As for other future plans, I am educating myself to be a culinary teacher and hope to teach high school students the proper way to cook, eat and live on a healthy plan.

Take us through an average day of yours:

Well it’s hard to say what my average day is because it’s always changing. Depending on the time of year I’m either in school or working.
Either way…

• 8am – Wake up( I have 2 meals before gym)
• 10am – Gym
• 11:30 – Home, Ice shower and then a post workout shake
• 12:30 – Post workout meal
• 1:00 – I will take a couple of hours on working with my trainees, replying to emails and researching.

The rest of the day is just a lot of resting, watching cooking shows and allowing my body to recover for the next day! Also either working or in school.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your diet, pre contest and during the off season.

My Off season diet usually weights in at about 4500- 5000 calories.

Off season daily meals:

1. 8 eggs(2 whole), steak, oats, fruits
2. Tuna, greens, Orange juice
3. Pre workout shake
4. Post workout shake
5. Pasta, 2 whole wheat bread slices
6. Chicken, rice, greens
7. Chicken, rice, greens
8. Anything I want! (cheat meal)
9. 4 Eggs, almond butter, shake

My Pre Contest diet usually weights in at about 3500-4000 calories.

Pre contest daily meals:

1. 8 egg whites, steak, oats, fruits
2. Tuna, greens
3. Pre workout shake
4. Post workout shake
5. Chicken, rice, greens
6. Chicken, rice, greens
7. 8 egg whites, almond butter

Both off season and pre contest diets are pretty much similar to one another which I like. My off season I don’t mind how much I am putting on my plate where as my pre contest diet I will have everything weighed up to the exact number I need! And as you can see on my off season I have a cheat meal every day since I am in growing stage where on my pre contest diet I will only have a cheat meal once every week usually the night before a big workout like my legs!

Being a qualified chef, with the ability to create amazingly rich dishes and desserts, how do you avoid giving in to any cravings that you get and whipping up a great treat?

I was never really into cooking/baking and my mother couldn’t keep up with making my meals separate than the rest of my family during my shows. So my mother taught me how to cook and I started to love it and as time went by I started to teach myself amazing dishes to keep my everyday dieting so tasty! Honestly it is hard to keep away from all those deserts I make in the kitchen at work but you get use to it when it’s an everyday thing. A lot of people ask me to create a dish they eat and then enhance the flavor in it to make it much more delicious. So in the near future I will start to give back to people by creating videos on YouTube how to cook healthy delicious meals for breakfast, lunch, pre/post workout, dinner and late night snacks.

What supplements do you use if any?  And do you have a favorite brand?

Vitamins- A,B6-12,C,D,E, Fish Oil, Multi

Other than that I am all about the Herbalife 24. I use all 7 products and it’s by far the best supplements I have taken and it keeps me going strong!

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your training and on average how long do you workout for?

My philosophy is very much so like Arnold’s, that bodybuilding is not a single-event endeavor.

“If you really want to see success, you must focus on all three components which include your training program, your nutritional intake and your mental approach.”

Usually my workouts will last 1 to 2 hours depending on what I am training that day.

My training split looks like this:

• Monday – Chest/arms/abs/calves
• Tuesday – Back/hams/calves
• Wednesday – Rest
• Thursday – Shoulder/arms/abs
• Friday – Legs/calves/chest
• Saturday & Sunday – Rest

This programme allows me to get a lot of rest. It might not work for many people but it has worked great for me.

What’s your favorite form of cardio?

Off Season – Morning shinny from 9am-11am of pick up hockey at a local rink.
Pre season- Stairs for 20 minutes after every workout

What would you say are the three best exercises you can do to build rock solid abs?  And your tips to achieving great abs?

• Hanging knee-ins
• Cable Crunches
• Cable side crunches (oblique’s)

These three exercises really brought my abs out to perfection. In order to get those solid abs everybody wants, you need to first understand that working them out is only 40 percent of the work!

“I tell people this all the time that eating properly will give you that extra 60 percent you need in order to have those rock solid abs. Dieting is everything and plays a huge part in the fitness world.”

Always train abs to failure and make sure you’re in massive cramping pain when finished and always squeeze and hold every rep.

Favorite bodybuilders:

Arnold Schwarzenegger and myself haha

Which do you prefer and why.  Today’s bodybuilders like Jay Cutler and Phil Heath, or the smaller more aesthetic physiques like Frank Zane.

No disrespect to jay and Phil but I’m more of a fan of Franks body. It’s a lot healthier looking than the guys today. People like Zane and Arnold had amazing bodies with such huge chests and tiny waists whereas now the Olympians’ chests are the same size as their waists making them look like a bunch of gorillas.

Favorite Quotes:

You’re only as good as your last rep.

“The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else. I’d hate that.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

One piece of advice for someone wanting to change their lifestyle and achieve their ideal physique?

Stay dedicated, stay hungry, stay focused and become the animal that lays beneath your skin!! Here is a quote that I love that goes good with this question you’re asking me.

“No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training… what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable” — Socrates

It’s never too late to change!

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I fear not the man who has practiced 10000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10000 times. ~ Bruce Lee

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Your mind is the strongest and most valuable muscle you can grow in the gym, make no mistakes about it. – Greg Plitt

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