👋 Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
My name is Antti Plaami. I am 35 years old. I am from Helsinki, Finland and lived here all my life so far. I work as a personal trainer, marathon & nutrition coach. Including world wide online training as well.
Some of my PR´s include: 200 kg/440 lbs Smith-bench press, 8 x 125 kg/275 lbs 1-arm row, 170 kg/375 lbs total weight in weighted chin-ups, 100 km ultra-marathon in around 13 hours. And 25 x 20 kg/44 lbs Side Lateral Raises.
My training began at a local gym around 17 years ago. And one of the main reasons was to push me strengthen myself within by heavy ass training sessions, for having a bit rougher upbringing slightly similarly to David Goggins, although not as physically.
Another reason was: I had a heart affecting disease when I was 18 years old where my heart was pounding at rest like I was running a marathon. Which took me about a year to recover, mentally as well and then was not sure how strong my heart would be, even since having had heart problems in the family, so decided not to live by fear.
Instead: I started testing it through incrementally harder and harder workouts, until I was basically training anaerobically (with very high heart rate) for marathons all the time while also working as hard in the gym like no other I have seen (if you have seen Dorian Yates – Blood and Guts, you know what I’m talking about: )
Today, I´m grateful to say my heart is healthy and strong as an Ox’s as can imagine within a power-ultra-endurance athlete, I haven”t had an issue with it since youth.
⏱ Describe a typical day of training
My typical training days vary by season, though the past two years my schedule has pretty much looked like this 6-7 days a week:
- Morning run or cycling 20-50 mins
- Work
- High intensity workout 20-30 min
- Work
- Cycling 40mins
- Chill-out
- Work
- Cycling 30mins-high intensity workout 20-30 min
- Chill-out
- Sleep 8h
Some days I’ve added an extra 30 min cycling/running session and/or done added the workouts into one bigger one. Though rarely skip a day, even injured, I workout some thing else.. Of course, there are rest days (few and in between). But for those I usually do one workout in the morning and one aerobic in the evening or vice versa.
👊 How do you keep going and push harder?
Though I’ve always been very much into self-development outside of the gym too, improving my self foremost mentally and using the physical training as a tool. Then getting a pretty body being a nice bonus, some thing as a reminder looking back at the pictures of my personal achievements.
Never been that much in to competing, rather self development and improvement inside as well.
Becoming a better person is essential for personal relationships, even with other people, as your ability to appreciate and respect other people depends on your ability do so towards yourself.
Then believing you earn that body gets easier to achieve and also keep through out your life. So there’s a mental or even a spiritual aspect as well.
How I keep ”getting after it” and pushing hard is both: Internal drive towards a vision and therapy on other days. I have figured out a way to train in many if any kind of mental-state.. That part is also about self development.
🏆 How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
I am doing good. Chasing after some power-competition titles for some added benefit to my career along focusing on creating a solid base for a future family though I haven’t found the right one for me yet.
Other than that just generally enjoying life and getting kicks out of others improvements around me. Future looking bright for me.
Currently, my training involves simply seeing what level my body is capable of reaching on this natural journey while raising my fitness up for longer ultra-runs up to 200 km.
Some what of a fascination to the image of the golden years ”Silver-era” bodybuilding before steroids and upgrading that including endurance and all around strength.
🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
What do you think I do 8 hours every night in my bed? Just joking! 😀
Recovery side is some thing I have learned very well in the recent years as science has proved the muscle-inflammation after a workout to be unnecessary for growth and counter-productive for mental health along energy also.
Since the inflammation triggers, inflammation cytokines, which travel all around to your brain as well.. That is one of important personal trainers skills, also to see from their client not to over work them in order to prevent the unnecessary soreness, which lowers motivation also.
What comes to injury handling, personally have always worked around them and I am a big supporter of active recovery. Knowing my body well, I have managed to some how usually train hard around them while they recover.
Though for my clients, I am a bit more cautious as they may not be equipped with the same level of skill and knowledge with their bodies.
🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
My meat-free life begun by the spiritual aspect in a sense: I was always very close to animals as a young and always taking care of various animals from birds to cows. And by being naturally emphatic, I tend to feel what other beings feel more easily. Therefore, developing early a sense of connectivity with other living beings.
So then by adulthood, seeing cows being butchered for example and thinking of its meaningless in modern world where we have so much to choose from when we go to grocery stores.. So as a respect to the connection with my friends I took care of, decided to stop eating meat all together just as a personal choice, after researching upon its potential harms first of course.
But proceeding carefully and in tune with my bodily signals found out: it has not had an negative impact on me. ..If some thing, stuff flows through me faster and by the faster metabolism, I recover faster, so I am ready to train in higher spirits the next day again.
Though I recommend every one to find what works for their bodies as we are individual and one thing that works for one, potentially does not for another and people might have totally the opposite functionalities in nutrition intake even compared to each other.
That is why for example I don’t hold the view: Every one should be a Vegan.. Some people might only be able to thrive, even survive on meat.
Though all of my built physique and strength you can see is built without meat as well 100% naturally (without any medical assistance).
By supplementation side I have used: Creatine, vitamins and protein powders most of my training life. Adding past few years to the list: Omega-3, boron, ashwaganda, glucosamine, beta-alanine, zinc, magnesium and green-tea-extract and that’s all the supplements. Though moved on only getting my protein from food and no more powders, cause the Science doesn’t support the need for it.
👍 What has inspired and motivated you?
Main goal or a mission for life you could say for the moment I have is: Building an inspirational example for the improvement of others lives, but also on a personal level to achieve my best self in development as a person or a hero that I myself could have used to look up to when I was a child.
Promoting healthy lifestyle, climate saving eating and living habits.
There is also a deeper philosophy in it that I believe in: Where when you live by supporting others and your surrounding, you are able to live in a better world your self.
As if there’s some kind of magic in doing good, good things come to you as well. But also believing in that every thing needs to be earned as opposed to the popular concept millennials especially are thought to have that: We are entitled for things just by existing, before we do the work.
✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
The best motivation comes from the passion and drive that is deep seeded within you.
Many people seek close to me to catch the magic-key for motivation to succeed, seeing how passionate and achieved I am.
But the magic-key I can give you is: The best motivation comes from the passion and drive that is deep seeded within you.
That is why motivation is not to be focused on mainly, since it comes and goes through changes in your environment. Rather find an internal driving passionate reason for the work and it will move forward regardless of motivational level. After that it’s just up to time and pressure to form that iron which is you into a diamond.
In training others, I love to help others develop themselves as well, seeing their progress and the feeling that brings is a nice bonus to myself as well.
🤝 Are you taking on clients right now?
Yes, I am available for any one interested in self improvement. The proof is in the pudding (or there burning off. 🙂 Meaning results from my clients speak for themselves, being among the best a natural, even middle-aged or beyond that people can expect.
I pretty much cover all aspects of the gym world with specialized knowledge over many areas with extensive experience.
📝 Where can we learn more about you?
If you are interested in coaching any where around the world, you can contact me by messaging through Facebook by name: Antti Plaami, or through my website: Timanttiin.com.
My specialties include: Posture fixing, combining endurance sports with weight-training and muscle building, incorporating vegan or any other diet in to it.
Check out on my Instagram page to view my physique & PR gallery: @anttiunlimited.
