Interview with NPC Physique Competitor Shaka Smith

by Ben · 3 comments Follow me on Twitter

“I would like to be source of help for others struggling with their fitness or different setbacks they may feel are keeping them from their fitness goals. I was fortunate to have positive reinforcement at home and get started in sports early, but a lot of people never have that opportunity or that support. I hope that support and encouragement is something I can offer to help others achieve their goals.”

Hi, Shaka, could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

Professionally, I am a lawyer, actor, fitness model and competitor. I earned my undergraduate degree at Princeton University and my law degree at George Mason University School of Law and moved to Los Angeles to pursue my acting and fitness goals. I have been competing in the fitness industry since April 2011, in the new Men’s Physique division of the National Physique Committee (NPC). I currently hold four overall titles and am working hard to earn my pro card, with my next attempt coming at the end of July at USAs in Las Vegas.

When did you start training? What motivated you?

I’ve always trained – I have been a lifelong athlete, primarily swimming and playing water polo. After college, I played on some club teams and went to the gym consistently. When I moved to LA I began to train with a friend who encouraged me to compete. So as far as training specifically with competing in mind it’s been since March 2011, but I have always trained – its been a lifelong love. I have always just been motivated to be healthy and athletic.

You’ve been very successful as a physique competitor, tell me about your career and how you got started.

As I mentioned before, upon moving to LA, I met James Ellis who has done quite well in the fitness industry and encouraged me to compete. I stepped on stage for the first time at the Orange County Muscle Classic, extremely nervous and having no idea what to expect. I was surprised to win my class and met a great bunch of supportive competitors who have become close friends. From there I continued to compete and won my class when I did, but it wasn’t until the West Coast Classic in June of last year that I won my first overall award. It was thrilling – as a competitor in the short class, I thought it would be difficult or impossible to win an overall. It gave me much needed confidence going forward. I went to my first national show, USAs in July of 2011 and got a top 5 placing. I was able to win another overall at the San Francisco Championships in October . By the end of 2011, I had also entered two more national shows, North Americans and Nationals, and while I still placed, I did not place as well as I would have liked. However, those placings motivated me and really confirmed for me that this is what I wanted to do be doing, win, lose, or draw. I started off 2012 taking the overall at the IronMan Naturally at the LA Fit Expo this past January and again at the Gold Coast Muscle Classic in February of this year. I followed that up with a Top 5 placing at The Arnold Amateur in their inaugural Men’s Physique contest. When all was said and done I had competed in 11 shows in 11 months – it was a crazy time but I love competing, pushing my physique to new limits, and meeting great competitors and friends. I haven’t competed since March and it hasn’t been easy to contain myself, but I am focused on USAs in July and excited to get back up on stage.

You recently place 3rd at the Arnold Amateur, congratulations! What’re your plans for the rest of the year? How do you intend on making improvements?

Thank you!! I am just very focused on USAs at the end of July. Earning my pro card is of paramount importance to me right now, so I am in the gym almost daily trying to improve conditioning and bring in a physique that the judges like. I have been working hard on everything, with full body workouts nearly every session – it is important to be mindful of not letting my strengths falter as I work on my weaknesses. I am excited to bring the most complete physique I’ve ever had to stage in July!

Let’s talk about your approach to diet and training. How do you structure your diet?

In general, I focus on filling my diet with as much healthy food as possible to avoid the bad – when you’re full , cravings diminish. General rules I like to live by are keeping my carbohydrates low and medium on the glycemic index, obviously with a focus on low, leading up to competition, having protein every few hours and having at least one source from fish everyday. Beyond that, the biggest thing is paying attention to my body and how it changes in response to different food – we’re all a little bit different and one meal or food source can affect one person completely differently than another – I cannot underscore enough the value of being in tune to your body and its changes.

Do you aim for specific macronutrient targets every day? What does a typical day of eating look like for you?

I don’t track with specificity, but I make sure I am getting my bodyweight in protein every day.

My typical daily diet looks like this:

Shakeology (Vegan protein shake w/ added fruits and vegetables).

Salmon & brown rice.

Grapefruit.

Salmon & brown rice.

Almonds (handful).

Carb free Whey Isolate (during/post workout).

Steak/chicken & brown rice.

I’ll also have 3oz of salmon before and after my workout.

And what about training? What does your routine look line?

In general this is what my routine looks like, though if time permits, I’ll hit calves as many days as I can, and I add in some weighted abs if I can too.

Monday

1 mile run for time

Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row - 4 sets of 25

Seated Cable Rows - 4 sets of 25

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown - 4 sets of 25

24inch box jump - 4 sets of 25

Back extensions - 4 sets of 25

Dumbbell Bicep Curl - 4 sets of 25

Crunches on Bosu Ball - 5 set of 30

Tuesday

10 x 500m on the ergometer 1:30 rest in between

Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 4 sets of 25

Front Dumbbell Raise - 4 sets of 25

Rope Triceps Pushdown - 4 sets of 25

Weighted Squats - 2 sets of 50

Crunches on Bosu Ball - 5 set of 30

Wednesday

1 mile run for time

Leg Extensions - 4 sets of 25

Lying Leg Curls - 4 sets of 25

Dumbbell Lunges - 4 sets of 25 per leg

Shoulder Raises - 4 sets of 25

Crunches on Bosu Ball - 5 set of 30

Thursday

3 mile bike for time

Incline Dumbbell Press - 4 sets of 25

Dumbbell Bench Press - 4 sets of 25

Decline Dumbbell Press - 4 sets of 25

Weighted Squats - 2 x 50

Crunches on Bosu Ball - 5 set of 30

Friday

10 x 500m on the ergometer 1:30 rest in between

Dumbbell Lunges - 4 sets of 25 per leg

Dumbbell Step Ups - 4 sets of 25 per leg

Glute Kickback - 4 sets of 25 per leg

Standing Calf Raises - 4 sets of 25

Seated Calf Raises - 4 sets of 25

Situps - 4 sets of 15

Crunches on Bosu Ball - 5 sets of 30

Saturday

Circuit – 8 rounds (2 min rest in between rounds)

Rope Jumping 1 min

Burpees 1 min

Mountain Climbers 1 min

Jumping Jacks 1 min

Jump Squat 1 min

3 sets of 10 weighted abs on machine – (heavy)

Sunday

10 mile steady state bike ride

What about cardio? Do you do it? And if so, do you prefer HIIT or traditional steady state?

Cardio is a must for me everyday – I like to do some form of sprinting cardio almost every day with one day steady state a week. I think both are essential for overall health and well being and for staying lean and conditioned, especially off season when the diet has a few more cheats than normal.

When you’re preparing for a contest, how do you adjust your training and diet?

As for diet preparing for a contest, of course there are no cheats allowed and I keep the carbs low glycemic rather than low and medium. Consequently, I’m eating a lot of vegetables and salads leading into competition. I also eliminate much of the salmon in my diet, opting for tilapia and bison which are leaner. Training for me includes a little more steady state cardio going into competition, as the carb depletion takes a bite out of the higher intensity cardio, but other than that not much else changes.

What are your goals for the future, apart from winning your pro card?

Apart from winning my pro card, I would like to be source of help for others struggling with their fitness or different setbacks they may feel are keeping them from their fitness goals. I was fortunate to have positive reinforcement at home and get started in sports early, but a lot of people never have that opportunity or that support. I hope that support and encouragement is something I can offer to help others achieve their goals. Of course I am also pursuing acting and I hope to continue on that path finding roles that I love along the way.

Thanks, Shaka, and good luck with getting your pro card! You can find out more about him at:

http://www.facebook.com/shakastrong1

http://twitter.com/shakastrong