Your blueprint for success
When Shaun Stafford was forced to hang up his rugby boots because of a career-ending injury, he turned his focus from training for performance to training for physique. And he hasn’t looked back. In the six years since, his dedication has built a body that’s been rewarded with not one but two World Beauty, Fitness and Fashion (WBFF) titles. Discover his training, diet and recovery secrets so you too can make big changes to how you look with your top off.
Model ambition
World champion fitness model Shaun Stafford reveals how he builds and maintains his award-winning body
How did you get into fitness modelling?
I used to play rugby but that came to an end because of injury, so I had nothing left to train for. This was about six years ago. At the time the fitness show phenomenon was just beginning, so a mate mentioned it to me and I decided to give it a try. I won the first one I entered and from then on I was hooked. I did some research into the industry and came across the WBFF, so I started entering their shows.
How did you find the transition from training for a team sport to an individual one?
The training didn’t really change – the main difference was the diet. As a rugby player I was almost always in a calorie surplus, but training for physique rather than performance alone, you’re doing it in a calorie deficit where you want to hold on to muscle tissue but lose body fat. The most important thing is to learn what works for you. You need to give yourself enough time to lose weight, to build muscle or whatever your goal is. Then you can fine-tune the techniques that you know work for you.
What’s the hardest part of preparing for a competition or shoot?
You need to develop a certain mindset. If you want to give it everything you’ve got – and you need to if you want to make a big change – then you have to follow the principle of train, eat, sleep, repeat. The problem with this mentality is that you don’t exist in a little bubble. There are other people in your life who have to bear the brunt of that – friends, family, colleagues. You have to be single-minded and it’s a very selfish existence. During prep you are not fun to be around!
How did becoming a dad affect your training and diet?
My current prep has been the hardest I’ve ever done. I have a one-year-old boy so I am awake one hour earlier and up at least two hours later each weekday, and then you don’t have much time to yourself at weekends. Having kids makes getting into shape harder, but there are ways to make it easier – stay on top of your diet and cram in your workouts when you can, like training during your lunch break, which is a great option to let you use your time more efficiently. Book training sessions into your diary like meetings. I used to train in late afternoon, but I’ve shifted it to the morning now, and that has massively helped. It means I am working out while I am still energised, whereas by late afternoon I am exhausted and can’t train with the required intensity.
How important is it that you find some life balance?
It’s 100% imperative to find a balance. You need to spend time with your mates or your loved ones during any hard contest prep or during a transformation challenge because it makes you feel human, rather than like a robot who only trains, eats and sleeps! Happiness is key to a successful transformation. Yes, you have to go through a tough process to get a result, but it won’t work if you hate that all you’re doing is working out or you’re just obsessing about the foods you’re not eating – it has to be sustainable over a long period of time. To make a long-term change, you have to find some balance.
What are the common reasons that people fail to build the body they want?
A lot of people lose their way because they don’t have a timeframe. Everyone wants to look a little better, but without setting a deadline, it’s so easy to let it slip. Setting a goal, giving it a realistic timeframe that’s tough but achievable, then breaking that down into mini targets you can tick off each week is one of the best ways to stay in control and to stay motivated.
Tell us about the workout you’ve put together over the following pages.
There are three workouts, one for arms, one for shoulders and one for abs. Each workout is based around tri-sets, which is where you do three moves back to back with minimum rest. When you want to increase training intensity, and especially if you haven’t got much time to train, tri-sets give you the ability to hit a muscle group in a variety of ways in a very efficient way. They also increase the training volume you can do, which is one of the most important factors behind building new muscle tissue.
Shaun Stafford is an Optimum Nutrition ambassador and performance director of City Athletic in London (cityathletic.co.uk). Turn over for his world title-winning upper-body workout
BUILD BIG ARMS
This biceps and triceps tri-set session will help you pack on arm muscle
Workout 1
How to do it
1 Start with the first triset, which works your biceps, beginning with 1A. Complete all the reps then move straight on to 1B, do all the reps, then move straight on to 1C.
2 After the final rep of 1C, rest for 90 seconds, then go back to the start. Repeat this pattern until you have done all three sets of the biceps tri-set.
3 Once you’ve completed the first tri-set and rested for 90 seconds, move on to the second tri-set, which works your triceps. Follow the exact same pattern, only resting after move 2C.
Tri-set 1 Biceps
1A DUMBBELL BICEPS CURL
Sets 3
Reps 12
Tempo 2111
Rest 0sec
Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Curl the weights up, keeping your elbows close your sides, until they are at shoulder height. Pause, then lower them back down slowly.
1B DUMBBELL SPIDER CURL
Sets 3
Reps 12
Tempo 2111
Rest 0sec
Without putting the dumbbells down, bend forwards from your hips with straight arms. Curl the weights up towards your chin, pause, then lower them back down under control.
1C HAMMER CURL
Sets 3
Reps 12
Tempo 2111
Rest 90sec
Stand up and hold the weights with a palms-facing grip. With your elbows close to your sides, curl the weights up, keeping your palms facing one another. Pause at the top, then lower.
Tri-set 2 Triceps
2A TRICEPS EXTENSION
Sets 3
Reps 12 each side
Tempo 2111
Rest 0sec
Stand tall holding a dumbbell in one hand overhead. Slowly lower the weight behind your head, then straighten your arm to return to the start.
2B TRICEPS KICK-BACK
Sets 3
Reps 12 each side
Tempo 2111
Rest 0sec
Lean forwards from your hips, holding a dumbbell in one hand by your outer thigh. Raise the weight behind your body by straightening your arm. Pause, then return to the start.
2C DUMBBELL PRESS-UP
Sets 3
Reps 12
Tempo 2111
Rest 90sec
Start in a press-up position but holding dumbbells, with your hands close together. Lower your chest towards the floor, pause at the bottom, then press back to the start powerfully.
GET ROCK HARD ABS
A tri-set to sculpt a six-pack plus a finisher move adds up to your best ever body
Workout 2
Shaun Stafford’s six-pack secrets
1 “A lot of people think getting a six-pack is all about diet. Actually I know people who eat perfect diets but don’t have abs because they don’t train them. If you want the best set of abs possible then you have to dedicate training time to it.”
2 “You have to engage your abs and maintain tension on them for the duration of each set. The mind-tomuscle connection is huge for your abs, because if they’re not engaged you’re not working them fully and won’t get a peak contraction.”
3 “Focus on your breathing so that you’re fully exhaling on the contraction part of each move. This will ensure you keep your abs fully engaged and also stay mentally attuned to how they are working and feeling during each rep.”
1A RUSSIAN TWIST
Sets 3
Reps 25
Tempo 2111
Rest 0sec
Sit holding a dumbbell in both hands with your abs engaged. Keeping tension on your abs throughout, rotate fully to one side, back to the middle then across to the other side.
1B DUMBBELL V-SIT
Sets 3
Reps 15
Tempo 2111
Rest 0sec
Lie in a sit-up position holding a dumbbell in both hands. Raise your torso off the ground while bringing your knees in towards your chest. Return to the start and repeat.
1C DUMBBELL CRUNCH
Sets 3
Reps 15
Tempo 2111
Rest 90sec
Lie in a sit-up position holding a dumbbell across your chest. Keeping your feet on the floor, raise your torso off the ground and hold at the top. Return to the start and repeat.
2 DUMBBELL ROLLOUT
Sets 3
Reps 6-12
Tempo 2111
Rest 90sec
Kneel with a dumbbell in each hand. Lean forward from your hips and engage your core. Roll your hands away to lower towards the ground. Reverse back to the start.
SCULPT BROAD SHOULDERS
Add serious size across all three parts of your shoulder muscles to build a bigger, wider torso
Workout 3
How to do it
1 Start with the first tri-set, which works the whole shoulder joint, beginning with 1A. Complete the reps then move into 1B, do all the reps, then move straight into 1C.
2 After the final rep of 1C, rest for 90 seconds, then go back to the start. Repeat this pattern until you have done all three sets of the tri-set.
3 Once you’ve completed the first tri-set and rested for 90 seconds, move on to the second tri-set, which works the three muscles of your shoulders individually. Follow the exact same pattern, only resting after move 2C.
Tri-set 1 Shoulders
1A ARNOLD PRESS
Sets 3
Reps 12
Tempo 2111
Rest 0sec
Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your chest with palms facing your body. Press the weights up, rotating your wrists as you go, to end with palms facing away. Return to the start.
1B OVERHEAD PRESS
Sets 3
Reps 12
Tempo 2111
Rest 0sec
This move is a slightly easier version of the Arnold press because you start with palms facing away, and maintain this wrist position for the entire set. Keep each rep controlled.
1C ALTERNATING PRESS
Sets 3
Reps 12
Tempo 2111
Rest 90sec
Finishing the tri-set with alternating press means you work each arm individually to give the muscles slightly more time to recover between reps, so you can work them harder for longer.
Tri-set 2 Shoulders
2A REVERSE FLYE
Sets 3
Reps 12
Tempo 2111
Rest 0sec
Hold a light dumbbell in each hand and bend forwards from the hips. Raise the weights, leading with your elbows, then lower back to the start.
2B LATERAL RAISE
Sets 3
Reps 12
Tempo 2111
Rest 0sec
Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand. Raise them to shoulder height, leading with your elbows. Pause at the top, then lower back to the start under control.
2C FRONT RAISE
Sets 3
Reps 12
Tempo 2111
Rest 90sec
This is like the previous move except instead of raising the weights to the sides, you raise them in front of you. Keep each rep slow, smooth and controlled for greater growth.
