Name: Duane Van Staden
Age: 28
Height: 185 cm 
Current weight: 114 kg 
Current city: Johannesburg South Africa 
Occupation: Gym owner & Coach 

What made you get started with training and living a more healthy and fit lifestyle?

I was looking for a sport that I could participate in as an individual. This way, I could recognise my hard work as my own. I wanted a healthy and fit lifestyle because this is what self-care entails. This also allows me to enjoy life and feel more fulfilled because I feel great and most importantly, confident. I feel a sense of pride through my accomplishments because I’m my biggest critic.

Who has been your biggest influence/support in your life and how have they affected you?

Celebrity influencers include Ronnie Coleman because he is the strongest bodybuilder I know. He looks amazing, lifts super-heavy and has an undeniable work ethic. 

Dorian Yates and Eddie Hall inspire me.  They are all about pushing their hardest to achieve goals which are impossible for most people.

Is your training more focused on bodybuilding or powerlifting?

My training has always been split across powerlifting and bodybuilding. I focus about 40% on powerlifting and the rest is bodybuilding. 

How was it throughout the lockdown keeping to your training?

Luckily for me, I have my own powerlifting/strongman gym which meant I didn’t feel the impact of lockdown. I remained consistent and worked towards my goals.

What are your future plans?

I want to continue working on gaining strength and gaining quality muscle. The key priority is remaining healthy.

Take us through an average day of yours:

• Wake up at 5:30am, meal 1
• 6am to 10am: Training my clients, one-on-one in my gym
• 9am: meal 2
• 10am: meal 3
• 10am to 12pm: Training online clients
• 12pm to 3pm: I complete my own training 
• 3pm: meal 4
• 3:30pm to 5pm: Training online clients 
• 5pm to 9pm: Training clients one-on-one at my gym
• 6pm: meal 5
• 9pm: meal 6
• 10pm: Bed

How long have you been vegan for and what made you change?

I have been vegan for about 2 and a half years but was Vegetarian for 5 years. Social media opened my eyes to animal cruelty and suffering. I am vegan for the animals.

Do you think as a Vegan it is more difficult to get adequate protein in your diet? Do you think we actually need as much protein as we are made to believe? 

We need less protein than we are made to believe. But as a vegan, we need to ensure that we have a variety of food sources that provide adequate nutrition. A balanced diet is key, for any kind of diet. 

Is it difficult to gain muscle or strength as a vegan?

Not at all. I was actually at my biggest and strongest as a vegan, than when I was eating meat. I consume more calories which are easier to digest.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your diet

I would typically have 5 to 6 different vegetables and 2 to 3 protein sources in one meal. It’s important to have a balanced range of carbs, fibre, fats and protein in each meal.

Protein sources include black beans, kidney beans, lentils, chick peas, tofu,  broccoli,  green beans, some faux meat options, soya milk and vegan protein shakes.

What is your go to high protein vegan snack?

About 3 times a day I have 250ml soya milk, 25g of vegan protein, one teaspoon of chia seeds and 1 tablespoon of flax seed powder in a shake.

Do you think, to generally lose fat one needs to be super strict and repetitive, as strict as a diet for a bodybuilding competition?

I agree that you need to be strict with your eating and diet.

Your training can be great, but you will not lose fat without changing your diet. Results are only seen with a calorie deficit and consistently clean eating.

Have you seen any common mistakes that guys may make when starting out in the gym?

Guys tend to look for quick results and don’t realise that training goals take time to be achieved.  They don’t maintain consistency. When they don’t see results quickly, they tend to give-up on their goals.

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

Training split is a 8 day split. This means my training repeats every 8 days. I have two rest days in each cycle. 

• Session 1: Front deltoids and triceps
• Session 2: Biceps, side deltoids , traps
• Session 3: Legs – squats and quads, calves 

Off

• Session 4: Chest
• Session 5: Upper back, rear deltoids 
• Session 6: Deadlifts, hamstrings, glutes, Calves 

OFF

• Each training session includes cardio, core and abs
• Leg sessions are 4 to 5 hours long
• All other sessions are 2 ½ to 3 hours long
• Rest period between sets is typically 2 minutes

Do you advise using supplements, and do you use any yourself?

Yes. Pre-workout and vegan protein shake.

Do you think vegan protein powders are just as good if not better than non vegan protein powders?

Yes I do. They don’t cause bloating, and are softer on the stomach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Duane (SuperBeast Coach) (@superbeastgym)

What are your 3 favourite exercises?

• Deadlifts and squats. These provide whole body strength.
• Bench Press. It is a great accessory to improve pressing movements. Also a very enjoyable and challenging exercise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Duane (SuperBeast Coach) (@superbeastgym)

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Duane (SuperBeast Coach) (@superbeastgym)

Can you give a few tips to training and what sort of exercises do you favour the most when doing them?

Progressive overload and push yourself at every session. Leave the gym knowing you did your best on every set and you cannot continue.

Do you do a lot of cardio with your training? How do you schedule cardio and when?

Schedule cardio in the beginning of each workout, as a warmup.  And then, at the end of each session as a cool down.

Favorite male fitness/bodybuilding/powerlifting icon(s): 

• Ronnie Coleman
• Louis Simmons 

Favorite Quote:

“Don’t tell people your dreams show them.”

What is the most common question you get asked?

People always ask: How long did it take for me to look like this.

Where can people get hold of you?

• Facebook: Superbeastgym private gym and personal training
• Instagram: superbeastgym
• Tiktok: superbeastcoach
• Email: Superbeasttrainer[at]gmail.com

You May Also Like:

The post One On One With Vegan Powerlifting Athlete & Trainer, Duane Van Staden  appeared first on FitNish.com.

Quick Stats

Name: Roxy Firmani
Age: 26
Height: 1.7 m
Current weight: 59 Kg
Current city: Sandton, South Africa
Occupation: Personal Trainer and Nutritional Advisor

Sine we spoke last you seem to have changed your focus a little bit, tell us about what sparked your interest in powerlifting?

I competed in the Fitness industry from 2012. After placing 1st in my fourth show (Miss Body Beautiful 2013) I felt like I had reached my goal in this specific industry.

I needed another challenge; something based more on performance than the aesthetics.

At the time my cousin was busy competing at the Power-Lifting World Championships so I thought I’d ask her what it was all about. She explained the concept and told me to ‘just try it out’. I’ve been hooked ever since!

How does your training now differ to before when you were training for a fitness competition?

Firstly I do a lot less cardio

• I train twice a week with my Power Lifting Coach.
• On Tuesdays we work on our Bench Press (and we include a little bit of Triceps and Shoulder Strength Training).
• On Thursdays we Squat and Deadlift.

This training is quite relaxed in the sense that we rest very long between sets and our rep range is between 1 – 8 reps per set, but it still intensive as we work at about 70 – 100% of our 1 Rep Max.

Read Roxy’s first interview with us here.

What does a typical training week look like for you?

The rest of the week (Mon, Wed and Friday) I train like I used to before, but taking into account the fact that I need to schedule my days so that I am well recovered for my Power-Lifting training days.

So I train:

• Back and Glutes on Monday
• Arms and Abs and Wednesday
• Chest, Triceps and Shoulders on Friday.
• I also try to get an additional Leg day in over the weekend.

I make sure I do at least 10 – 20 minutes of cardio on these days and my rep range is between 8 – 15 reps per set.

What do you love about it? Do you prefer this style of training or do you incorporate a lot of different styles into one?

I love that the training for this sport is based purely on setting goals and demolishing them. I also love how you can see your progress in the improvements in your lifts.

I love my powerlifting training BUT I also love all different types of training. So I guess I get my fix by switching it up between Power Training and Strength and Fitness Training during each week.

What are your top tips when training for strength/power?

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

Your body can only recover at its own pace – so don’t push past your limits – you WILL injure yourself and put yourself out of the game. Then of course, ensure that you always have proper form and if you are beginner I would highly recommend getting a coach.

There are specific methods and techniques to Power training so having a knowledgeable person to teach and guide you will produce better and safer results.

What are you future plans?

At the moment my plans are to keep training and better my lifts. I am still a baby in this sport and it takes years of training to get to your peak.

This year I am competing in the South African Championships (which was my goal when I began Power Lifting) but next year I hope to qualify for World Championships and represent South Africa!

Will you go back to competing in competitions like body beautiful or the WBFF?

To be honest the thought does cross my mind every now and then but it just doesn’t work well with my current sports training routine.

Power lifters eat a lot! So dieting for a show would almost be impossible. BUT that being said I might decide to step on stage one last time, you never know

Advice for someone wanting to get into powerlifting? How do they find out about competitions and the like?

Like I said before, start with a coach.

You need someone to teach you the rules, the basics, the correct form and technique and the correct training methods.

In terms of competitions, the International Powerlifting Federation website has the big competitions listed internationally, otherwise you can follow the SA Powerlifting Federation on Facebook.

What are the criteria in powerlifting meets?

It is pretty complicated to explain but really simple once you understand the basics.

• Firstly we are divided into gender categories (Male and Female)
• Then by age (Sub-Junior: 14 – 18 | Junior: 19 – 23 | Open: 24 – 39 | Master I: 40 – 49 | Master II: 50 – 59 | Master III: 60 – 69 | Master IV: 70+)
• Then by weight (under 47kg | 47 – 52kg | 52 – 57kg | 57 – 63kg | 63 – 72kg | 72 – 84kg | 84kg plus)

You only compete against the people in your specific division.

On a competition day we do only 9 lifts:

• 3 squats
• 3 bench-press
• 3 deadlifts

Our first attempt at each lift is usually set at a weight that we are comfortable we can complete on a normal training day. Once your first lift has been achieved, your coach will decide on the next (increased) weight for your next attempt.

You need to complete each attempt to be able to up your weight on the next attempt.

Once you have completed all three lifts per exercise, your heaviest lift is recorded. After you have completed all your lifts, they tally up your highest lift for all three movements. The person with the highest total in your division wins.

Take us through an average day of yours:

• I am up between 4 or 5am, depending on when I have my first client.
• I shower, have green tea with lemon, make a fresh juice in a sippie cup and shoot through to work.
• Once I’m done with my morning clients I have breakfast and then its gym time for me.
• In the afternoons I au pair and then it’s back to the gym for my evening clients.
• When I get home I prep everything for the following day (food, clothes, etc) and then its bed time.

Give us a description of your philosophy on your diet. Has it changed much from before?

Yes it has!

With Fitness it was all about counting calories, weighing your food, and eating as lean as humanly possible. Now I’m all about balance and moderation.

I eat a lot more carbs (the good type) and I never worry about portions or timing. I eat when I am hungry, I don’t weigh my food and I’m not too strict on small additions like adding mayo to my tuna, or cooking with oil, etc.

I also find that I eat a bigger variation of foods especially my fruit and vegetables.

Do you still monitor what your body looks like and your body fat percentage?

I will always monitor what my body looks like; after all I am a female. But I don’t do body fat percentage and set goals on that.

If I fit into my clothes and I am happy with what I see in the mirror then I know I’m good And then obviously I also just monitor my weight so that I am within my Power Lifting weight division restrictions.

Do you include much cardio in your routine now?

Yes but minimal. I do at least 10 – 20 minutes when I train by myself. And I’ll always have one day when I decide I need to do a bit more.

But I’m not going to go to the gym just to do 60 minutes of cardio!

What do you think are some of the common mistakes people make when squatting and deadlifting? And how can one correct them?

The most common mistake with squatting is not going deep enough (ass to the grass!).

With Deadlifting it’s not keeping a straight back.

The best way to correct this is to be mindful of your form, do the movements in front of a mirror so you can see your form for yourself and maybe ask for a second opinion from a Personal Trainer or Coach in your gym.

Favorite female fitness icon(s):

To be honest I have a few but I haven’t really looked into the Power Lifting scene.

I think Michelle Lewin, Paige Hathaway, Bella Falconi, Jessica Arevalo and Ana Delia all have amazing physiques and I love how they share their lifestyle tips on social media with their fans and followers.

Favorite Quotes:

“I don’t work hard because I hate my body, I work hard because I love it.”

“Limitations exist only if you let them.”

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.”

Best piece of advice you ever received?

Relax. Breathe. Focus on what you are about to do.

Don’t let anything distract you. You have worked so hard for this moment. Don’t let the small things ruin your months of dedication. Be in this moment fully and give it your all!

What is the most common question you get asked?

The most common question I get asked is “Aren’t you scared you are going to look like a man?”

Hahaha! I’ve been powerlifting for a year now and I still look exactly the same as I did before I started! It all comes back to the misinformation people have been fed about diet and exercise.

Where can people get hold of you?

• Facebook: roxyfirmanifitnessmodel
• Blog: roxyfirmanifitness.wordpress.com
• Email: roxyfirmani[at]gmail.com
• Twitter: @roxyfirmanifit
• Instagram: roxyfirmanifit

The post One On One With Miss BodyBeautiful Turned Powerlifter, Roxy Firmani [2015] appeared first on FitNish.com.