1) Who is Shaun Stafford? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I am from Winchester, Hampshire, but with my parents being in the military I travelled around a lot as a kid. We lived in over 10 countries before the age of 18...
As for what I do, I am a gym owner and global spokesmodel for some fitness brands.
Outside of the gym, I like to walk my dog and spend time with my young son and wife!
2) How many years have you been training?
Playing sport all my life but training in the gym for 16 years. With a proper diet and actually knowing what I was doing, probably for the last 6 years!
3) Whats been the most challenging/hardest part of your journey so far? and how have you overcome them (set backs, rejections, injuries, basically anything difficult that you have had to overcome)
One of the hardest things to deal with is most certainly injuries: I've come back from several surgeries and set-backs, and doing it in the full view of social media can be both uplifting and daunting. Being openly vulnerable and weakened, and the journey back to full fitness is something that really engages people but it also puts a lot on the line as a content creator...
Also, trying to manage all the different aspects of my life (business, travel, family) whilst trying to stay in tip-top shape is tough, but very rewarding!
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
Typically I like to do a mix of weights and cardio: the dominance of one over the other depends on what I am specifically training for... if it's a photo shoot, I'll do more weights based training, whereas if I'm training for a race, I'll spend more time on the bike or treadmill. I always try and train 4-6 times a week.
Diet wise, I like to stay high protein, moderate fat, lower carbohydrate year round, with the main variation being the number of calories I'd be eating. Again, this will be determined by my training phase and what I'm working towards.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition?
That things don't have to be perfect to be effective! I think people (and me in the past) have been consumed by the details and think that for something to work, you need to get all your ducks in a row... you need your 8hours sleep, you need your meals all boxed up and ready, and you need your workouts to be brutal and maxed out all the time. In reality, you just need to get it done... it doesn't need to be perfect to be effective, it just needs to get done!
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
To be honest, I love food so much that I don't really have a go to cheat meal: I like most things and will readily eat them... for me a "cheat" is not having to think about calories or macros and just enjoying whatever it is I'm eating.
7) one supplement that you could not live without?
At the moment, probably Amino Energy... It is a lightly caffeinated BCAA drink from ON and is probably my most used supplement.
8) If you had to start out from scratch with your physique what would you do differently and why?
I would spend a lot more time on my flexibility and mobility to ensure longevity in the gym: the amount of progress and gainz I've lost through being injured, and the impact that has had on my functionality is something I wish I'd dedicated more time to when I started out.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
I'm really fortunate to know a lot of the guys I look up to really well as friends: Steve Cook and Ryan Terry are probably two of my closest friends who I respect and look up to the most. Both go about their work in and out of the gym with total class and focus. I think a lot of people could (not just in fitness) could learn a thing from guys like these...
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Don't do it for any other reason than what comes from within: intrinsic motivation to be better will be more sustainable and conducive to long term, lasting results. Consistency and hard work are the bread and butter of fitness, and all the other stuff is just the jam or peanut butter!
11) What new goals are on the horizon?
I have some pretty epic things planned for 2018 but I don't want to give too much away just yet: I still have a few things to organise, but I can say that this will be my toughest challenge to date! And hopefully I can raise a good amount of money for some great charities in the process... watch this space as I'll be revealing all over the next few weeks!
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter of @shaunstafford, on Facebook at Shaun Stafford Fitness and online at shaunstaffordfitness.com
