Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
My name is Massimo Arad, I’m originally from Brazil with Lebanese and Italian backgrounds and I currently live in London (my favourite city).
I have studied Hospitality Management before and worked in several luxury trendy hotels and restaurants across London before moving to become a fitness and personal trainer.
I have also done some go-go dancing since the end of last year. During lockdown, I also did lots of volunteer work in a local charity here, which was really insightful and helpful.
I have plenty of PT and fitness model friends and love hanging out and about with them being myself a very sociable and outgoing person.
I first started going to the gym like 20 years ago when I still used to live in Brazil because at the time I always felt skinny so I wanted to bulk up to look good and be more confident about myself.
Since then I have been in and out of the gym regularly due to personal circumstances and lack of motivation because I always felt, no matter how hard I was training, that I looked smaller than the guys I fantasized about.
But from some years now, I have been constantly pushing myself harder at the gym and getting closer to the results I always wanted is what keeps me motivated so much that now I decided to turn this into a career and help others achieve their fitness goals, too, by becoming a PT.
Describe a typical day of training
I’m the type of person that likes to be focused on what I am doing, so prefer to train alone and in case I need some spotting just turn to someone next or near me that can help.
I usually go to the gym near my home in Southeast London five or six times a week, dividing my sessions between the different muscle groups, each session being about 1h30 depending on my other daily activities and time availability.
I split leg in two days as it’s a muscle I want to concentrate on and gain size: So one day I do front part (hip flexors, quadriceps, etc…) , other day I do back (gluteus, hamstrings, calves, etc…). Arms (biceps and triceps) I usually do in the same session so I can also concentrate well on this part.
Moreover, as I really like a six-pack and doing abs, I tend to them every other day as I don’t currently do any other cardio apart from cycling.
I’m the type of person that likes to be focused on what I am doing, so prefer to train alone and in case I need some spotting just turn to someone next or near me that can help. During my sessions I tend to leave my phone in the locker room (so as not to get distracted by it and also because there is good surround music in my gym) and prefer not chatting with my friends for long in between sets.
I always stretch longer before starting my routine no matter what and a quick cool down (5”) right after.
In terms of pre-workout. I am very peculiar, what works best for me is a cup of good espresso and that’s it and creatine every three months more or less.
I write my training log everyday on my phone like a memo note for myself, so I can check back by the end of the month and see muscles trained, how often, my weight, etc..to keep track of improvement and motivation.
How do you keep going and push harder?
I would say the biggest challenge for me regarding gym attendance is during cold winter months (as I am from a tropical country), which can be quite cloudy, windy and depressing here in UK.
But as my gym is literally a five-minute walk from my home and also open 24 hrs, it makes it easier to go. I also tend to do a longer warm-up before each session to avoid strains. injuries, etc. in cold days.
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
Now with the lockdown and all that has happened, my motivation levels have been really low as I had to adapt to working out outdoors in the park nearby my home with random gym equipment or ones I was not used to like resistance bands, etc…and in my opinion, they are less effective in muscle building than gym machines, dumbbells, and barbells.
So I am looking forward to gyms reopening soon here in London so I can get back on track with my training routine.
The only part that has evolved for me during the past three months is cycling, which I started using as a means of public transportation after a long time.
My plan for the near future is to take part in a beginner level bodybuilding contest maybe early next year.
How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
I tend to do a longer warm-up before each session to avoid strains. Injuries etc., on cold days. I am a good sleeper but need a decent six to seven hours of sleep each night but travelling really affects my sleeping and training patterns so if I know I will be in a place with no access to gym, I try to stay maximum five to six days or if there’s a chance I go to outdoor gyms (beach, park).
For me the best recovery for muscle pain, stiffness or stress is a good deep tissue massage or shiatsu, which I try doing once a week (I know a very good therapist here in London).
How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
I try to balance protein, carbs and avoid saturated fats.
There’s a very good supplement I always take that is also good for lungs and livers, it called N-Acetyl Cysteine.
As I mentioned I love a good coffer pre-workout and in terms of post-workout I usually do some BCAAs and whey if I know I’m not gonna be eating in less than 30’ (otherwise I prefer to stick to a good decent meal with proteins and carbs like chicken with veggies)
I also do a creatine supplementation every six months with the loading phase and everything and it really gives a boost in your lifting power.
In regarding to diet, I try to balance protein, carbs and avoid saturated fats.
What has inspired and motivated you?
I like people that motivate psychologically as well as physically.
If there are two sentences that describe what I believe regarding fitness and bodybuilding, they are: ‘no pain, no gain and ‘the bigger the better’ (but of course with quality!).
I love listening to Offer Nissin or music with a nice beat that stimulate physical activity to keep motivation high.
I follow lots of male fitness models on Instagram because their attitude and bodies really impress, arouse and motivate me but just think some of them let their ego overcome them and act like super stars.
Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
It really annoys me when I see someone in the gym working out without any clue what they are doing or even wearing inappropriate clothing like jeans, trousers, or shirt.
What really gets on my nerves as well is when people ‘seize’ the machine thinking they are the only ones in the gym or leaving dumbbells, weight plates and barbells scattered all around the floor.
Also, it’s important to have the conscience that what works for one might not work for you, each person has different genetics, limitations, etc…or the size of one guy’s arm is not realistic to you because it’s all about proportion and genetics.
I believe it’s always important to take into consideration a principle in fitness that dictate everything: SMART which stands for Specific (to each person), Measurable (so you can check improvement), Achievable (has to be able to be achieved otherwise it becomes demotivation), Realistic (otherwise it will be just a dream) and Time bound (so you can measure improvement within a time-frame).
Are you taking on clients right now?
I will be taking clients again very soon from the end of this month and my specialization is muscle building.
In order to get good results in fitness, it has to be long term, I would say at least a year but all depends on numerous factors, I think my UPS comparing to other PTs in the area is that each programme is tailored to each’s person specifically in order for them to achieve their aims.
The most common question I get is: “How can I get pecs like you?” and I say hire me and you will see (laughs!!!).
Where can we learn more about you?
Instagram: @Fit_massimoarad
