👋 Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
Hi! My name is Christian Wilson, I am a 34-year-old personal trainer, naturopath and cook. Originally from Nowra in NSW, Australia. I now live in Hamilton, Victoria Australia.
As well as working three jobs, I am also restudying certs in fitness and have signed up to complete a course in strength and conditioning.
I have trained on and off for around 12 years and worked in a few gyms like Fitness First in Floreat Western Australia, Genesis in Melton Victoria and Bacchus Marsh Leisure Centre also in Victoria.
It wasn’t until around four years ago I started really taking my training seriously and moved more into bodybuilding rather than just general health and fitness workouts.
I began to love how I trained, felt and of course looked and decided to push things further and work towards entering my first natural bodybuilding competition with I Compete Natural (ICN) in their fitness division, where with the coaching, programming, support and guidance of my friend and coach Matthew Coates, Owner of Human Design Coaching, I placed first not only in the First Timers but also the Mens Opens!
This allowed me to qualify for the World Championships where in only my 2nd ever competition I was honoured to be placed 3rd in over 30s and 4th in Novice category, in the world!
For me, bodybuilding is more than a sport, it is an art where the goal is to sculpt the perfect physique, I love the challenge and how it pushes me mentally and physically and changes you from the inside to the outside. I soon hope to open my own studio where I can start sculpting others to achieve their dream body and perfect physique.
⏱ Describe a typical day of training
I prefer upper lower splits or push pull legs splits so I can hit muscles 3x per week and maximise growth potential without overtraining.
Currently, due to gym closures, I am training at home and have begun a six-day upper lower split, my workouts usually involve 30min of warming up and activating muscles before a 60-90min session depending on body parts and goal of current split.
I prefer upper lower splits or push pull legs splits so I can hit muscles 3x per week and maximise growth potential without overtraining.
I have a training log, which I fill out every workout to keep track of progress and take notes of what is and isn’t working for me, as well as monthly measurements to make sure I am progressing and can look at training logs to see what gave me the best results.
My on-and-off season training changes in the sets, reps and exercises. When bulking, I like to focus a lot on strength and “powerlifting” exercises and building that so when it comes time to cut I can still use decent load and maintain more muscle mass while dropping weight and I switch to more isolation and “bodybuilder” type movements.
My gym bag contains a weight belt, chalk, straps and knee sleeves as well as gummy bears for those extra gruelling sessions. I rarely use pre workout and rather take EAAs and maltodextrin during workout.
👊 How do you keep going and push harder?
I push myself by reminding myself this isn’t for everyone and I want to be the best version of me I can be, I use my current emotion as a driving force to push harder, If I’m happy I train harder because I love it, If sad I train harder because I don’t think about anything but that rep, if angry I train using that as my fuel to push harder, no matter what I train and use my emotion to push me.
Most people do not have this level of commitment as it really is hard work and you need to make sacrifices but those that do, do it don’t make excuses, don’t quit and are going to push so I need to make sure I’m giving more, otherwise I only have me to blame if I don’t succeed.
My biggest hurdle was being made homeless and living in a tent for a few months, it was quite depressing but I made myself continue training as I knew without something to work towards and distract myself with I would fall into a hole and struggle more than I was.
The gym gave me peace for a couple of hours each day and really became a lifeline for me, I started to value myself again and the knowledge I had to help others, after this my training went up a huge notch and this was when I decided to compete with ICN, I had a new fire in me!
🏆 How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
I am doing great, thanks! Even during this time of lockdown and gym closures I am grateful to have equipment at home to continue my training.
I have amazing people around me supporting me, encouraging me, training me and pushing me every step of the way, my friend, brother and coach Matthew who not only puts in countless hours of research and programming and guided me to the World stage, but also been a great mentor helping me to understand more about our bodies and how they work and move and has been there in and out of the gym for support or just a chat.
My friend and someone who has been there in my corner from day 1, Dylan Breban, bodybuilding made us brothers and since day 1 I have enjoyed training with him, learning from each other and debating each other at every turn so we are always thinking and learning.
My training partner Bonnie Pettersson who supports me and pushes me throughout our sessions and helps with getting me ready for competitions.
Over the next five years, I would like to achieve my pro card with ICN and to open my own gym or studio and help others to achieve their dream body and even take some to the World Stage!
Other than business, I would also love to be on the way to starting my own family, ultimately to live comfortably, have my gym and train, have a family, that is all I want. No need to complicate things, the simple things make life worth it, in my opinion.
🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
Nutrition and sleep are huge factors in my rest and recovery, I focus a lot on timing of fats to minimise impacts on health and cholesterol.
My recovery is based on several things, my split, my load, my body and mind. I have a one day rest per week unless my body tells me I need more.
Every three to four months, I will have a few days off in a row and rest completely while focusing on more rehab, mobility and stability work.
Our bodies need recovery to grow and to prevent injuries and I take this part seriously as I have had several injuries in the past from simply pushing my limits too often without any proper rest or rehab and ignoring injuries until too late.
Now, I add exercises to help mobility and stability, I will rest and rehabilitate a body part or muscle if I feel I am pushing towards an injury.
Nutrition and sleep are huge factors in my rest and recovery, I focus a lot on timing of fats to minimise impacts on health and cholesterol. I sleep six to seven hours a night and try to get a one-hour nap in during the day.
Knowledge is key in rehabbing body parts and muscles so I spend a lot of free time researching different techniques, theories and studies and watching videos from people like Jordan Shallow and Ben Pakulski.
My coach is a crucial part of any rehab I undertake as we can discuss different methods and what we know to combine and get the best results.
I also see Josh Frichot, my local Myotherapist to get things adjusted, acupuncture or a general “tune up”. As you can see this is not a solo art, it takes a team to build the perfect physique just like it takes a team to build a home, you need planners, designers, foreman, labourers, repairers and many more.
I am very grateful to have the team I have and appreciate them all for their support and their work.
🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
My diet and supplements vary depending on what my goal is at that time.
Currently, I am trying to put on weight, which I do struggle with due to no appetite ever and hyperthyroid, which really impacts my weight and feels like I can lose weight by looking at a brick wall while eating a pizza, so my calories are currently at 3500, which I’m probably going to have to increase again.
This involves eating as clean as possible but because I struggle to eat that amount I do add in protein shakes and “junk” food, my favourite being doner kebabs and pizza.
During my cut, I go to around 2200 calories and a very strict eating schedule that stays the same throughout most of my cut, eating the same thing everyday is boring but it works and can help you track to adjust so much easier. Put simply my bulk is very flexible with what I eat whereas my cut is as strict as possible.
I don’t take many supplements but do like to try things that I research and think may have an impact, the ones I take daily (in on/off cycles) are shilajit, ashwaghanda, tongkat ali, eaas and protein powder.
I occasionally take creatine, glutamine and/or multi vitamins but this will be for a limited period and not often. There are some things I will be trialling to see the impact on my physique and health shortly but you’ll have to follow me to see what they are and how they work!
I have one or a couple of cups of coffee in the morning and then tea and water for rest of day and night, with the occasional hot milo at night. But otherwise I try to limit caffeine intake as much as possible for sleep, health and weight reasons.
I personally don’t like any “fad diet” or even longer lasting diets such as Keto, I believe some have their place short term but adverse effects long term, instead of a diet opt to just eat healthy and a variety of foods whether you are a meat eater, vegetarian or vegan.
I make sure I am getting a full range of macro and micro nutrients, organ meats for b12, fruit and veg for micro nutrients and fibre, nuts and seeds for healthy fats and so on as they are all essential, and nowadays most people just don’t eat enough of the right stuff.
👍 What has inspired and motivated you?
People inspire and motivate me. I see people daily facing struggles and challenges of all shapes and sizes. Those that don’t give up and keep getting back up against the odds are what motivates me to keep going through any challenge.
I could do a huge list of names of those I look up to and respect, those that motivate me to be the best I can be. I’ll try to name only a few, some I know personally and some are just pure inspiration to follow and motivate me to become my best not only in bodybuilding but business and life and who I want to be like as I grow.
Sorry if I didn’t mention you but it’s hard picking only a few when so many have impacted my journey or inspired and motivated me.
In no particular order:
- Matthew Coates
- Dylan Breban
- Bonnie Pettersson
- Joseph Purtill
- Bruach Colliton
- Jordan Shallow
- Jo Lindner
- Phil Heath
- Dorian Yates
- H.H Dalai Lama.
For motivation while working out, I love to listen to music like NF, Juelz Santana, Scarlxrd and beastmode motivation remixes.
✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
Don’t let ego get in the way and stick to loads you can lift with correct form and tempo, take rest days, listen to your body.
My advice is to gain knowledge, research and try things out but track it all so you know what does and doesn’t work for you. There are no gym hacks, everyone is different so what works for me might not work for you due to age, genetics, size, lever length, mobility, stability, injuries, and so on.
I hear a lot that you need to train smarter, not harder, however, I think we all need to train smarter and harder. It’s not easy and takes dedication, but the results are worth it. Don’t let ego get in the way and stick to loads you can lift with correct form and tempo, take rest days, listen to your body.
The few things I would’ve changed if I could go back to when I first started is I would’ve tracked things from the beginning, I’d research more instead of just picking out things I liked. I would never do a “bro split” especially for as long as I did, and I would’ve done the exercises I hated more than I did
“You don’t grow where/when you’re comfortable, it’s when you put yourself in uncomfortable places that you grow” is a statement my coach said to me and I’ll never forget it.
🤝 Are you taking on clients right now?
I do have limited spaces available to take on a couple more clients but due to three jobs, it is very limited times left. I specialise in bodysculpting although getting quite a reputation for fixing injuries, which is great and might have to look at doing some extra courses in this area. I prefer face to face clients but in this time have taken on training via the internet with some clients.
📝 Where can we learn more about you?
I have a Facebook business page for my naturopath business My Herbal Remedy. Main facebook page until I create a page for my Coaching is Christian Wilson.
And my Instagram is @Christianwilsonfitness and will have a business page up and going soon.
2 thoughts on “How I Went from Living in a Tent to the World Stage of Bodybuilding”
I knew this young man before he was getting to know himself.
What an amazing individual he is. Genuine both inside and out. Well done Bulkhackers for seeking him out for this awesome interview.
Christian is so incredibly modest and his achievements are inspirational.
Wishing him every success for the very best outcome for his dreams to come true. He sure deserves it.
Thanks for the kind words Jill, and sorry I didn’t see this earlier. Much love <3