What it takes - and how much it costs - to be a REASONABLY good body builder
(approx read five minutes)
Discover what it takes to become a successful bodybuilder, from the financial costs and training dedication to the mental health benefits of weightlifting. Learn how Will Martire's (38) bodybuilding journey transformed his life both physically and mentally.
Let’s start with the numbers. How big are you?
Right now I’m about 110kgs. My body fat percentage is somewhere between six-eight per cent.
How big were you when you started bodybuilding? I started lifting properly when I was 18. I was about 60 kgs and my body fat percentage was around 20%.
So you’ve been bodybuilding for about 20 years. What motivated you to start? I didn’t like the way I looked. Despite being only 60kgs I was chubby. I wanted to be more attractive to women. I was also pretty obsessed with action hero characters growing up, people like Arnie or Sylvester Stallone.
As soon as I began lifting I started researching bodybuilding. I bought Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding and became obsessed with the sport.
When you say obsessed, how obsessed?
My obsession at the time became almost intrusive. I’d think about it all day. When I was at university I couldn’t concentrate on lectures. I couldn’t focus on coursework, I’d drift off in conversations. I’d spend at least two hours every night researching everything from food, to diet, sleep, drugs, training. For the first five years I reckon I did about 600 hours of research a year. That’s almost a month per year.
You’ve talked about not liking your body and wanting to impress girls but your behaviour is quite extreme, is there anything deeper that’s caused you to keep pushing yourself?
Growing up I observed my dad for a long time not happy with himself or what he’d done. He made a lot of promises and was not able to keep them, that affected me as a child. They were small, silly things but they affected me a lot and have always stuck with me. It made me think about what I didn’t want to be. I didn’t want to be someone who didn’t make the most of their own potential. Someone who didn’t get off their seat and go and do something. Then I had my mum who is the complete opposite. Grafted her arse off. She’s a chef. She’s done okay, but just worked bloody hard. She set the example I wanted to follow.
How much money have you spent on bodybuilding since you started? How much do bodybuilders spend on food?
£200,000 easy in the last 15 years I reckon. That’s food, supplements, gym membership and competitions. But that’s small fry really. Professionals might spend £50k a year on food alone.
How often do you train?
Currently I train four to five days a week. That’s my sweet spot to see progression. But there’s been times that I’ve trained seven days a week. On average, though, I’d say I’ve trained about six hours a week for the last 21 years. So that’s about 6,500 hours or 270 days of training.
How do you fit your training into your life?
I get up at 4:15am and work out when my wife and kids are asleep.
Biggest cheat meal?
I remember it well. It was the day after a competition a few years back: 20 sausages, 1kg of sweet potato mash. Gravy and six mince pies. It was about 6500 calories. I don’t do things like that anymore, that would wreck my digestion for a few days. A cheat meal these days is a nice roast.
Talk us through a rough day in terms of calorie intake whether that be food or supplements?
Since 2011 I’ve logged everything I’ve ever eaten into a spreadsheet so I know exactly how many calories I’m consuming. I eat about 4kg of chicken a week, that’s around 16 pieces. Or about 800 a year. And about 16,000 since I began training properly 20 years ago. I eat a shitload of rice and vegetables. It’s not rocket science, though. Good lean proteins, carbs, vegetables. On average I probably eat about 5000 calories a day just to maintain where I am.
What are your PBs in the gym?
For bench press I’ve done 190kg for 6 reps. For deadlifting 330kg. I have squatted 287 kg.
Time commitment to bodybuilding: In that 20 year period have you ever taken any prolonged periods of time off your programme or relaxed your diet?
My approach was extreme in the early years. If it wasn’t on my spreadsheet, it wasn’t going into my mouth. Then every now and then I’d break and have a ridiculous cheat meal. But as I’ve got older and more experienced I’m a little more relaxed.
Do you ever think about giving it all up?
I don’t find it hard now. I love it. I used to struggle with it. But once it’s a habit it’s easy. I’d find it harder not doing it now. I also find the process fascinating. If I do this or eat this, this will happen to my body. It’s like a constant scientific experiment.
Benefits of lifting weights for mental health: How important has your training and diet been to maintaining your mental health?
It’s been paramount. It is my time to myself, some people read, walk the dogs, knit, I lift. It’s my meditation time, the moment in which I can get lost in my own thoughts, solve problems, or just let out a sh*t load of aggression if I feel the need to.
Do you do any proactive things outside of the gym to manage your mental wellbeing?
I journal a lot. Not everyday. Just when I feel like I need to get something out of my mind and onto paper. It’s easy to get caught up in your thoughts. Writing it down gives me perspective when I’m ruminating. I’d recommend anyone to give it a try. Don’t overthink how you do it, simply write whatever comes into your head.