Interview with Ross Edgley

Featured Spotlight - July 2010




Interviewed by: Carrie Ann


24 year old Ross Edgley used to play water polo for Great Britain. But, since going to University to Study Sports Science, he fell in love with the gym. In addition, doing a few modeling campaigns and TV shows, he has now found himself more involved in the world of fitness.

So now, he works in TV; directing and presenting. He trains celebrities and pro-sportsmen and run his own online fitness channel called, Yourgym.tv

"...I obtain my physique, definitely the nutrition side of things. You can do everything right in the gym and take all the right supplements, but if your diet isn't spot on, you won't get the gains you want."

WP: You played water polo? That is interesting. What was it that made you decide to go from water polo to bodybuilding?

There were really 2 events that stick in my mind. I first started weight training when at the age of 15. I got on the Men’s Senior England Team (water polo) and all I can remember is getting beaten up in the pool by big men with beards! My coach gave me a strength training program, so I could get a little bigger and hold my own in the pool.

Then secondly, it wasn’t until 3 years ago that I really started to pay attention to my training, diet and supplements, because with various TV shows in the pipeline, I knew I had to look good. So, with the help of my sponsors, myprotein.co.uk, I was able to beef up quite a bit (basically, went from 14 stone to 16 stone, while never going above 10% body fat).

WP: Very impressive! What are your best lifts?

160kg Bench
230kg deadlift
240kg squat

WP: Since you remained at 10% body fat while transforming your body, do you have any advice to people that wish to build more mass and more cut?

Make every movement a compound one! I live by big, compound movements since I personally believe they will build more mass and help you keep cut. But, the same can be said for cardio as well, as a rule of thumb, the more muscle fibers you recruit the more calories you are burning during that exercise. So, I try to avoid the seated cycle machines, and instead go down the track for some sprint training or go swimming.

WP: Great advice. Let’s talk about your diet for a bit. What do you eat in a normal day? Do you stick to a diet plan?

Rather than following a strict diet plan, I tend to follow strict diet principles. For example, eat protein every 2 hours, only really have carbohydrates before and after a workout, I don’t really eat fruit (because of the natural sugars that can make the body prone to storing fat) but, I have a lot of vegetables, etc.

And change your diet as your daily plan changes; for example, if you’re not exercising that day, you simply don’t need as many carbs. I find by following simple principles like this, and constantly varying your diet based on your daily requirements, you will get the body you want.

WP: By looking at your pictures, they tells me that you must know what you are talking about. Your physique speaks for itself! Are you strict on yourself all of the time or do you allow yourself a cheat day?

I might allow myself a cheat meal, but I don’t think a cheat day is all that necessary. I think that if you are genuinely craving a massive calorie surplus, then give your body what it wants, since there’s probably a good reason for your craving. But, listen to your body to ensure it’s a genuine craving and not just you giving in to temptation.

WP: You mentioned earlier about being sponsored by Myprotein.com. What supplements do you take because supplementation must be important to you?

I always use Myprotein.com products since the quality of the supplement is guaranteed and I wouldn’t want to put poor quality products into my body after I train so hard to improve it. More specifically, these are what I take:

ZMA - Containing Zinc and magnesium to promote healthy testosterone levels.

Whey protein - You always need a quality whey protein for post workout shakes.

Casein - I tend to have a casein shake before bed to keep the body slowly fed throughout the night.

Creatine ester - I tend to choose the creatine ester (rather than monohydrate) because, I find there’s less water retention, but my body does respond well to any creatine.

WP: Could you tell me a story of how you have gotten where you are today?

I think I’ve ended up where I am today solely through following whatever I have a passion for. Whether that was playing my chosen sport for my country, writing fitness articles, or more recently getting involved in the making of TV.

WP: Do you have anyone you can thank for helping you get where you are?

Of course, I have to thank my mom and dad. When I was younger, the food bill must have been crazy! I also have to thank my sponsors, Myprotien.com. They’ve just allowed me to take my training to that next level.

WP: Where do you want to be in 5 years?

I always quite liked this quote from Bob Dylan, and it is what I want to achieve by the time I am 30. “A man is successful if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.”

WP: Great quote. I don’t guess I’ve heard of that before. How do you keep the physique you have? What is the hardest thing for you to face when it comes to keeping your physique?

I obtain my physique, definitely the nutrition side of things. You can do everything right in the gym and take all the right supplements, but if your diet isn’t spot on, you won’t get the gains you want. Plus, my girlfriend is an amazing cook, so it’s always hard trying to resist deserts and puddings.

WP: Tell me about your future projects. Have any in sight?

Really excited actually, just launching my own online fitness channel called, Yourgym.tv. Basically, there are a lot of great videos on the internet, but you have to really search to find the best ones. Yourgym.tv finds the best ones from the best brands, and then, expertly reviews them.

WP: I will have to check out your TV show. It sounds interesting. What gets you up in the morning?

I’m actually a morning person, and really enjoy getting up early since I usually go for a run around this park near my house. And at 6am it’s really nice, with hardly anyone around, peaceful.

WP: I think you are the first person that answered that question without the word, “alarm clock” in there somewhere. Ha-ha! With your busy and demanding schedule, how do you create balance in your life?

My family, friends and girlfriend help to keep me pretty grounded and balanced. I think the people you surround yourself with are keys to your success. I think I read a quote somewhere which said, ‘Associatively is such a powerful tool.’ Basically meaning who you associate yourself with can have a massive impact on your life and I firmly believe that.

WP: What one piece of advice you can share with me on how to gain the most muscle the fastest?

Plan every part of your diet, supplements and work out with military precision, leave no room for error, then go at it full throttle.

WP: Tell me more about your girlfriend. She sounds great for you.

I’ve been with my girlfriend now for 8 months after plucking up the courage to give her my number on the train.

WP: Who had the most impact on you growing up?

My 2 brothers, I’m the middle one and I couldn’t have asked for a better older brother or younger brother, they are both wicked.

WP: What is your work-out regimen?

At the moment, I’m sticking to what I call a ‘biomechanical approach’ to training. This is where you concentrate more on the movement of the exercises, rather than the muscle groups. So:

Day 1: Pushing day (chest, shoulders and triceps) this will include bench press, shoulders press, dips, close grip bench press; essentially anything where you are pushing a weight.

Day 2: Legs

Day 3: Pulling day (back, biceps and traps) this includes chin ups, upright rows, bicep curls, single curls, shrugs, again essentially anything where you are pulling a weight.

I’ve been getting some really good gains from this since I find the body works in terms of movement rather than identifying with individual muscle groups.

WP: Anything you would like to see change in the bodybuilding world?

I would like maybe a little more humor. I was presenting a TV show not too long ago at the Mr. Universe, and back stage we had the contestants telling jokes, having ‘dance offs’ 2 guys even had a rap battle, was really funny and I don’t think many people see that side to bodybuilding.

WP: What is the funniest story that has happened to you while working out?

I think it’s a classic and we have all done it, got stuck under a 150kg bench press. Then, as I looked over for help, the Great Britain women’s hockey team were all standing there. So fuelled by male pride, I paused for a few seconds, took a deep breathe, and benched like I never benched before! Somehow got the weight up and saved myself the embarrassment. I, then, walked away as if I meant to do that (a paused rep or something) then, almost died of exhaustion, Ha-ha!

WP: Ha-ha! I would have like to have seen that! What is the proudest moment of your life?

I think representing your country at your chosen sport is pretty memorable. Hearing the National Anthem and standing there in your Great Britain kit, will never forget that.

WP: Now, that was a touching answer! Thank you for that. What are your interests outside of bodybuilding?

I will always love sport, and even now, I will play anything I can compete at.

WP: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I genuinely wouldn’t (that sounds really big headed, Ha-ha).

WP: I don’t think so. I admire that you are happy with the level of your life. There’s no truer happiness then being happy. Is there anything else you would like to add? Now is the time!

Just thank you to World Physique Magazine. I have long been a fan of the website and magazine. It’s a real honor to do an interview for you guys.

WP: You are truly amazing! You have been a pleasure to interview! Thank you for your time and good luck in your future bodybuilding endeavors! You have a great road ahead of you!