Interview With Dave Piccirillo
Bodybuilder of the Month - October 2010
Interviewed by: Tammy Renee'
Dave Piccirillo is our Bodybuilder of the Month. With David winning this title, it goes to prove that not all bodybuilders are the ones you see with the freaky muscles. There are guys in this industry that has had their life changed due to bodybuilding. Dave worked hard to go from "the skinny kid" to being able to actually call himself a bodybuilder. We are proud to announce Dave Priccirillo.
Dave began his bodybuilding journey like so many other people; studying and finding the “perfect supplements”, making thousands of mistakes in the gym; and of course, spending hundreds of hours reading blogs, websites, and magazines; educating himself in all of the media-driven, half-baked, and un-sound information on exercise, bodybuilding, and nutrition that is “out there”, and thinking that he actually knew a thing or two. So, he started to become obsessed with fitness, finally realized he absolutely hated his major in school, and he decided to leave his friends, his team, his school (all which he loved) to pursue his passion. It was not an easy decision by any means, and he did lose a lot of sleep over it. But, what’s done is done and he has no regrets. What a great story Dave has to share with us and our readers!
"Growing up I was extremely skinny, weighing no more than 130 lbs. in my senior year of high school, but as soon as I changed majors and switched schools, that was when I knew that if I was going to alter my life this dramatically that I was going to commit myself to a discipline, and be the absolute best I could be at something. And bodybuilding was it."
WP: Let’s begin with you telling us a little about yourself, and how you have gotten to where you are today.
Well, my name is Dave Piccirillo and I am from Wantagh, Long Island. I am about to enter my final year at Hofstra University where I study Exercise Science with a minor in music. I am an extremely outgoing person who loves people, and who really appreciates open mindedness. I’m also an extremely spiritual person who feels a real connection with the universe and the beauty that it offers. My passion (besides bodybuilding) is music. I’ve played the saxophone for about 13 years, and without music in my life, I would not be able to survive. My dad, a heavy enthusiast of classic rock planted the seed when I was just a baby, and from that it has grown in my life tremendously.
Besides music, my life has always revolved around physical intensity, and I gain a sort of freedom and release that I can’t fully explain from pushing my body to its limits and sweating my face off. When I was younger I mostly played soccer and baseball but eventually gave up the latter to focus on soccer, which I eventually played in college. In high school, I was also captain of our volleyball team where I had some of the best team experiences of my life.
Playing soccer in college was always my dream and goal growing up and it led me to Allegheny College where I spent my first two years of undergraduate study. I was enrolled in a 3-2 duel degree engineering program which pretty much meant that I needed to graduate with a degree in mathematics in only three years. I would then continue at Columbia University for another two years and would finally have earned a bachelor’s of engineering along with my bachelors of mathematics. So in a nutshell, I had absolutely no life, did math homework 4 hours a night and took 23 credits a semester while maintaining a 3.5 GPA. When I wasn’t in the library I was on the soccer field blowing through two-a-days fighting for a starting position. By this time, I was 6’0, 140 lbs., and I needed to start bulking up if I was going to have any chance to earn my way onto the field. So, I began to lift weights and after a while I fell in love.
WP: What was it that made you know without a doubt that you wanted to go into bodybuilding?
It was always a dream of mine to be a “bigger” guy. Growing up I was extremely skinny, weighing no more than 130 lbs. in my senior year of high school, but as soon as I changed majors and switched schools, that was when I knew that if I was going to alter my life this dramatically that I was going to commit myself to a discipline, and be the absolute best I could be at something. And bodybuilding was it.
WP: How long have you been lifting?
I lifted “on and off” in high school, but I only consider myself to have been lifting seriously for about three years now.
WP: What competitions have you appeared in and what place did you win?
2009
NABBA Mid-Atlantic B.B. Championships - 4th place Junior class/ 4th place Novice Tall
INBF Long Island Experience - 3rd place Juniors
2010
NGA Mr. Natural Philadelphia - 5th place Juniors
INBF Hercules - 2nd place Novice Middleweight
WP: Do you have any advice to people that wish to build more mass and/or more cut?
This is one of the most important yet misunderstood topics in body building. My advice on building mass without going into a 5 page analysis on strength and hypertrophy periodization is simply this: building muscle mass is a process, and is obtained by consistent and persistent work in the gym over months at a time. It’s not about eating until sick, cramming down 600 grams of protein a day, or that “special supplement” that everyone is talking about. Get to the gym at least 4 days a week, get some good training advice, switch up your workouts every 6 weeks or so, and don’t stop!
Similar to building mass, getting more cut can also be analyzed and studied for best results; however, like building mass, my advice for getting more cut is simply this: one must drop body fat percentage in order to get more cut. Diet and cardio are the key components here and like building mass, consistence and persistence is the key. Get on that treadmill 3 days a week and repeat. And don’t stop! Stop eating brownies, and stay stopped!
WP: What do you eat in a normal day?
This example is from my pre-contest diet log. An example of my off season diet remains exactly the same but with about 100 - 150g more carbs a day bringing the calories from 1900 to 2300. Food choices change between days, but calories stay constant.
Meal 1
Protein Shake (42 g p)
1 tbsp. peanut butter (8g f)
Whole wheat English muffin (20 g c)
1 tbsp. smart balance spread (8 g f)
6.5 oz. red grapefruit (15g c)
Meal 2
6 oz. chicken (42g p)
1.5 cups mixed vegetables
2 tbsp. peanut butter (16g f)
1 apple (30g c)
Meal 3
6 oz. chicken (42g p)
1.5 cups mixed vegetables
2 tbsp. peanut butter (16g f)
Workout
Meal 4
Protein Shake (42g p)
1 cup brown rice (40g c)
Meal 5
Tuna (42 g p)
Mayo (15g f)
Calories: about (1900)
210 grams protein
840 calories
100 grams carbs (60 grams functional) + (40 g simple (fruit)
675 calories
75 grams fat
400 calories
WP: Do you allow yourself a cheat day?
There are never cheat days; however, cheat meals are pretty common for me during the off-season. Being an Ectomorph, I have a nasty metabolism which allows me to eat about 4 cheat meals a week and still maintain a body fat percentage of around 6%. I truly believe that if one eats on-diet all the time except for a few cheat meals a week, one would be hard-pressed to get too heavy. Also, it is worth noting that my cheat meals are relatively healthy. For example, a cheat meal may include having a home cooked meal of whole wheat spaghetti and meatball; not 3 slices of pizza. And a cheat snack would include some whipped cream on strawberries; not a piece of pie.
WP: What supplements do you take?
Like most bodybuilders, I have “participated” in many different supplements; however, after a couple of years of trial and error, a lot of research, and a lot of dollar bills spent, I have come to the conclusion that I do not need too many supplements to stay on top of my game. The supplements that I use consistently now are:
Whey Protein Isolate, BCAA (Scivation Xtend) (pre and during workouts), Pre-Workout Supplement which I switch every month (currently: Assault from Muscle Pharm), Omega 3’s, multi-vitamin, and a Vitamin C supplement.
WP: Could you tell me a story of how you have gotten where you are today?
During the summer of 2008, I worked for a company named lululemon athletica. Working for this company has made a huge impact on my life and I am forever grateful. Lululemon began in 1999 in Vancouver Canada originally only selling women’s yoga clothes. Since then it has expanded into 300 stores worldwide and is known for their amazing athletic apparel for both men and women, and for their tremendously innovative functional fabrics.
Whilst working for Lululemon, I received for the first time in my life; goal coaching and goal setting courses. Learning about the power of goals and how to use them, I found myself writing down year-end goals that I would like to accomplish. This was the summer after leaving my old school/ major and I knew that I wanted to body build but hadn’t made a full commitment to myself yet. I wrote down a goal that I would compete in a bodybuilding competition the following summer and from then on I had declared to myself and my peers what I planned to do. That whole year I trained and stayed focused due to the goal that I set down and in the summer of 2009, I competed in my first show, the NABBA Mid-Atlantic B.B. Championships in York P.A. Lululemon set the stage and gave me the confidence I needed to get where I am today.
WP: Do you have anyone you can thank for helping you get where you are?
Unfortunately, I haven’t had too many mentors or big supporters in the past; however, last year, I met a brilliant student at Hofstra also studying exercise science named Nick D’Agostino. He has been a great friend and supporter -helping me develop new workout plans and pushing me over plateaus. I would also like to thank Matt Acton, a friend who inspired me to start modeling and who has set the standard high so that I have something to strive toward in my modeling career.
WP: Tell me about your modeling.
Well, similar to my decision to start body building, I was apprehensive to begin modeling. I constantly had the thought in my mind that I wanted to eventually model and start to expand my horizons while using my body to its full potential; however, the confidence was not yet there. After a summer of competitions and another year of gains under my belt I reached out to a photographer named Jimmy Murtaugh of Alpha Design who I had met on facebook. He took about 4 raw pictures of me in a gym and after that I had decided that it was time to do some work. After that, my boy Matt Acton started to introduce me to a few photographers and it sort of took off from there.
WP: Where do you want to be in 5 years?
A great question, however, it is a tough one for me. I know that I want to be a professional natural bodybuilder, and five years is a serious goal but it is definitely my aim. Other than that, I want to be working in fitness; making a living at what I love to do. I am unsure exactly what I see myself doing and my mind is constantly working for the answer but, I hope to have an answer to this question after my final year of school.
WP: You look great! How do you keep the physique you have? What is the hardest thing for you to face when it comes to keeping your physique?
Bodybuilding is a lifestyle, not a hobby. Keeping my physique is very easy and I’ll tell you why. I’ll reiterate, this is not a hobby to me, it is a lifestyle. Every meal is planned, every day is another workout, and every month is a new training goal. When you live “bodybuilding and nutrition”, and then find times to enjoy yourself, you will be “bodybuilding and nutrition”. When you live for enjoying yourself all the time, and find times to body build and eat right, you will be disappointed and frustrated.
The hardest thing I face when it comes to keeping my physique is drinking too much alcohol. I don’t drink uncontrollably by any means, but alcohol is unlike eating fatty foods. Empty calories hurt you in so many ways I could write a book about it. So, to be completely honest, I love beer and go to college. That is my biggest challenge.
WP: Tell me about your future projects. Have any in sight?
There are a few photographers down in Miami that I am dying to shoot with. Other than that, from Sep thru May, I am lifting big and I am making gains until next season. Maybe I will fit a couple of shoots in between.
WP: I understand you worked with John at bbpics.com. What was it like working with him?
John knows his stuff. He is extremely talented and the thing I appreciate the most about John is his drive towards perfection. We shot all day long looking for that small group of great shots, and we definitely achieved what we set out to do. John also gives great direction behind the camera and has helped me tremendously with my posing. I learned a lot of new posing techniques that have really helped me with my modeling and my shows.
WP: Are you married, dating, or do you have kids?
Ha-ha, well I am currently single and resumes are always being accepted.
WP: Who had the most impact on you growing up?
Without a doubt, my parents had the most impact on me. My dad infused within me a subconscious work ethic that I give total credit to helping me push past barriers and kick my ass to get where I want to be. My mom taught me how to love, and to accept all people. These two attributes constitute 80% of my makeup and I am forever grateful for them.
WP: What is your work-out regimen?
Most of the time, I like to periodize between strength training and hypertrophy training. I switch back and forth about every 4-6 weeks with a week off in between to prevent overtraining. Every 10 - 12 weeks I do 1RM tests for dead lifts, BB bench, BB military press, and Squat to stay on top of my progress. I focus mostly on these 4 lifts and aim to improve them after every 10-12 week cycle. I then create a program to focus on these main lifts while not excluding biceps, triceps, abs and cardio.
Currently I am training in Hypertrophy using this format:
Day 1 - Chest and Shoulders & Cardio
-Flat BB bench
-Incline DB bench
-BB Military Press
-Lateral raises
-Machine flyes
-Shrugs
Day 2 – Legs
-Squats
-Romanian dead lifts
-Knee Extension
-Prone Knee Flexion
-Lunges
-Standing Calf raises
Day 3 - Abs & Cardio
-Ab cycle (3 times with 5 minutes in between cycle)
-Crunches till failure
-Twists till failure
-Plank - 2 minute
-Leg raises - to failure
-Sit-ups - to failure
Day 4 - Rest
Day 5 - Back and Bis
-Deadlifts
-Bent over BB wide grip row
-Lat pull-down
-Lawn Mowers
-Preacher curls
-Hammer curls
Day 6 - Tris and Abs and Cardio
-Skull Crushers
-Rope Pull-downs
-Ab Cycle
Day 7 – Rest
This 4 week program is broken down week by week like such:
-Week 1 - 65% 1RM/ 3 sets of 12 reps per exercise
-Week 2 - 70 % 1RM/ 4 sets of 10 reps per exercise
-Week 3 - 75% 1 RM/ 4 sets of 8 reps per exercise
-Week 4 - 80% 1 RM/ 5 sets of 6 reps per exercise
90 seconds rest in-between all sets, After 4 weeks, the cycle starts over to week 1 however; I bump up all of the 1 RM’s by 5% and change the exercises.
WP: Great workout! What is your greatest achievement in bodybuilding?
So far, my greatest achievement was my most recent show - the INBF Hercules on 6/26/10 where I placed 2nd out of 8 competitors in Novice middleweight. It was during the trophy ceremony where I felt like I’ve finally become a real competitor. This show was the 4th show of my career and it was this most recent contest prep where I believe I have finally figured out how to come in looking the best I can on show day. The previous 3 shows were somewhat disappointing in that after all my hard dieting; my peak week had to be continually tweaked. It took me 4 different shows to figure out what my body needs, but I finally got there!
WP: What is the proudest moment of your life?
The proudest moment of my life is yet to happen, and I’m sure it will have something to do with my family. However, I truly can say that the day I win my pro card will be one of my most proud moments of my life. It is the thing I consistently work tirelessly to attain.
WP: What are your interests outside of bodybuilding?
I am a supreme lover of music. I mostly listen to classic rock, alternative rock, punk rock, and well, really any kind of rock. I also really appreciate great musicians and love to listen to really good instrumental music. During the summer, I love to body board and surf and hope to begin to travel places just to take advantageous of the swell (Costa Rica!). I love to read books. I don’t really like reading novels; I’m more interested in informational books such as: textbooks, applied technique books, spiritual books, and self help books focusing on success, goal setting, and/ or creativity.
WP: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I really hate this question, but I guess; physically I would change my chest (my ectomorphic chest constantly bugs me), and mentally I would change my habit of falling in love too soon. I mean, I’m French and Italian, I can’t really help it though.
WP: Is there anything else you would like to add? Now is the time!
This is something I want to convey: Anxiety caused by the always unsure future is very real. Sometimes you can dwell for hours at a time and still not fully grasp the fact: that not knowing can be ok. Even when you’re not sure exactly what you want to do with your life, when you only have a vague idea; just know that it’s better to do something. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. So pick something that’s calling to you and run with it, and you will gain knowledge; both in that something, and yourself. If it turns out you change your mind, your hard work and effort will not be in vain, but will translate into a lesson that will carry you to your full potential
WP: You have been a pleasure to interview! Thank you for your time and good luck in your future bodybuilding endeavors!
Thank you for this opportunity, I truly hope we can work together again soon.
