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Introduction To Kirk Miller: Ambassador Spotlight

Myprotein
Writer and expert9 years ago
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Introduction To Kirk Miller: Ambassador Spotlight

 

This week we're releasing an ambassador spotlight with the one and only Kirk Miller. For the next 5 days, we'll be releasing Kirks new workout regime as he embarks on his journey from fitness model to strong man! Find an introduction to Kirks background, inspirations and his training and diet regime here!

 

 

Q1. How and when did you start training?

 

I began to lift weights at the age of 16 when I was an apprentice footballer with Coventry City FC. I instantly fell in love with the gym, with the thrill of playing football never quite living up to a good gym session. I finally stopped playing football altogether around the age of 25/26 to focus solely on the gym. It's the best decision I have ever made.

 

Q2. What did you do before you got into fitness modelling?

 

Prior to fitness modelling and personal training I was a plumber/gas engineer, believe it or not. I pursued a career in plumbing shortly after I got released from Coventry as a footballer. After 5 years, I decided that it wasn’t for me as it didn’t make me happy. That’s why I am so grateful to be doing something I love now. You get nowhere in life being safe, so follow your passion and learn how to make money from it.

 

Q3. Have you ever done any competitions?

 

The only serious competition I have ever done was ultimately the one that changed my life. As mentioned earlier for years I was stuck in rut not really knowing where my life was heading. So, in October 2010 I entered the Men’s Health Cover Model competition and found myself on the winning podium. Ever since, my life has been following a path I could never have even dreamt of. I have been lucky enough to grace many front covers, publications, the world’s biggest fitness exhibitions and gain sponsorship deals with some of the world’s biggest brands including of course Myprotein.

 

The Men’s Health win acted was the catalyst for my career change. Within 10 months I had quit my job and become a personal trainer, and now also an online transformation specialist.

 

I have been tempted to do other competitions on stage over the past couple of years, but If I am being brutally honest, it doesn’t excite me. I would be doing it because everyone else is doing it.

I love training hard and being in shape, but I also like a social life too.

 

Q4. Where is your favourite place to train?

 

Future Fitness in Coventry. I have trained there for the past 5 years and it’s where I have seen the progress with my physique. The place is littered with world champion body builders, physique champions, bikini champions and cover models. Being around the best is infectious and motivating- it raises your own standards. Plus it has every bit of equipment you could need to get in shape.

 

Q5. What is your favourite sport?

 

Football. Although I don’t have the passion for it as much as I used to, if there is a big game Man United game on, I will watch it if I am doing nothing else.

I also love a watching a big boxing fight whenever they are on. The adrenaline rush is immense.

 

Q6. What is your favourite TV show?

 

I rarely ever watch TV, but I used to be addicted to Breaking Bad. The show was well written and the actors certainly did it justice. Easily the best series I have ever seen.

 

Q7. What do you do in your free time?

 

I really struggle to switch off during the week as I work a lot. When I do, I love eating out at a nice restaurant with my girlfriend and friends. I am also partial to good night out partying, from time to time. Also nothing beats switching off a nice holiday after months of hard work and training.

 

Q8. Do you listen to music whilst training? If so what’s currently on your playlist?

 

I listen to music if I am training alone, but when training with a partner I never wear head phones, that would be rude. Either way, it has to be house music or something very upbeat. I cannot stand training to R&B or hip hop, as the lads at the gym can vouch for!

 

Q9. What do you think about when you have to dig deep and push out that last rep?

 

I think about the times when I have walked out of the gym feeling as though I couldn’t have given anymore. I would rather risk an injury than hold back! Part of the gym drug is the adrenaline of hitting reps you didn't think were possible.

 

Q10. How far ahead do you plan your nutrition and training, if at all?

 

The night before. I usually eat 'clean' for around 80-90% of the week, and for the remainder I eat what I like, within reason. Where possible, all food when eating healthily is whole food, raw veg, and organic. Most supplements are generally based around workouts. But I love food so when I switch off from diet mode I eat what I like- within reason.

 

However, if I am dieting specifically for an important shoot or anything I want to be particularly ripped for, I'll usually plan my food for around 7 days. I will give myself a starting diet on as many calories as my body can handle whilst trying to get leaner. I'll then adjust both my diet and training on a weekly basis to make sure I stay on track with my end goal. Within the week or two leading up to a shoot I will alter my diet daily or whenever required to make sure I am in the best possible condition I can be. Whether your goal is to be ripped for a show, shoot or holiday, your diet must change as your body changes.

 

I might do a handful of structured training protocols over a year, but for most of it I generally won't know what I am going to do in the gym until I get in there. I have preferred styles of training such as controlled negative (tempo) styles, but no workout is ever the same really to avoid boredom. I believe that the longer you have trained for, it’s imperative that you vary your training regularly in order to avoid a plateau. Listen to your body, if you feel you’re not making the progress your effort warrants, it's usually a sign to switch things up.

 

I have formed some of my favourite workouts, known as 'HERO sessions', which are free and live on the Myprotein website. The intensity is brutal, but will add power, build muscle and torch body fat. It's not for the weak minded, but if you want to see instant changes, give it a go.

 

Q11. What are you most proud of (inside or outside the gym)?

 

Achieving a great transformation with a client. As a transformation specialist there is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone come to you demotivated, unhappy with their mind/body, and then helping them build a stronger mindset and achieve a body they never thought was possible. It makes all the hard work worth it.

 

Q12. Do you bulk and cut or stay lean year round?

 

When I first broke into the industry I used to be super shredded all year round, but as I said earlier you can potentially lose muscle staying like this all the time, especially as a natural athlete. Plus it's not healthy for your mind or body to be 5 per cent body fat year round.

These days I usually do as relatively clean bulk from around September to January/February, then focus on getting and staying ripped for the remainder of the year. When bulking I will eat as much clean sources of food as my body can handle, as well as eating what I want a few times a week or whenever social outings arise.

As much as I love being shredded I will never diet 7 days a week all year round. It wouldn't make me happy and in my opinion is not maintainable if you want a relationship, friends and a social life. Take the bullet in order to get ripped, once done, find a balance to look great and enjoy life.

 

Q13. What type of cardio do you do?

 

Not a lot over the course of a year. I may do a couple of 20 minutes here and there for my heart and fitness. But even when dieting, I will try and lift my way into shape by increasing volume and intensity. With my body type you keep more muscle doing this. When I do it, it's nearly always a steady state, and it depends on how lean or not I am. Usually it's a power walk outside or on the treadmill, or the stair climber.

 

Q14. Current training goals?

 

The next 3 months are all geared to becoming as strong and as powerful as I can, whilst adding as much muscle tissue as I can too. I am doing my first novice strongman competition at fellow MP ambassador Terry Holland’s new gym in December. It’s completely out of my comfort zone, but it’s something I’m taking very seriously. I get advice from both Terry and Benni Magnusson regularly to make sure I do as well as I can.

 

 

Q15. What is your current training routine like?

 

Current training plan is:

 

Monday - Chest & Biceps

Tuesday – Back & Triceps

Wednesday – Core/abs or Rest

Thursday – Shoulders & Calves

Friday – Quads & Hamstrings

Saturday – Strongman or Calves & abs/core

Sunday – Rest

 

This plan changes every 3-4 weeks as I get closer to a competition, plus some of the days training can vary due to recovery and impact of pretty bad DOMS. Each training phase will all compliment the end of goal of adding as much muscle as I can, whilst also being as strong as I can for the function of each strongman event. There will be 5 events – deadlift, squat, yolk walk, log lift & atlas stones.

 

Q16. Favourite muscle group to train?

 

Quads. There is no other muscle group that pushes the mind and body as far. To reach your bodies overall potential you have to hit your legs hard. It should set the standard for all other body parts.

 

Q17. What is your typical diet when getting ripped?

 

This is a typical example diet plan of around 6 weeks out from a big shoot. There will be small changes no doubt as I get closer but this plan get’s me into great condition:

 

Kirk Miller's Diet PlanMeal 1 -  breakfast  take 10g nutri greens before breakfast

(Cooked as a pancake)

120g dry oats

1 x large banana

20 x blueberries

5 x brazil nuts

10 large sized egg whites

5-10g of flaxseed powder

1 x teaspoon of coconut oil

1 x cup of green tea

10 – 15 mins after breakfast

2 x  omega 3,6,9 gel/tablet 1000mg per tab

2x  CLA tablet

1 x calcium magnesium 500g

1x   glucosimine

2 x  Alpha male Multi Vitamin

1 x 1000mg vit C tablet

Meal 2 – mid morning

170g chicken breast

300g white potato or sweet potato

100g spinach

2 x omega 3,6,9 tab

2 x CLA tablets

Meal 3 – lunch

150g tuna steak  or 150g salmon

125g cooked weight brown rice

110g broccoli or asparagus

Half an avocado

Meal 4 - mid afternoon

170g chicken breast

300g sweet potato

100g spinach

2 x omega 3,6,9 tablet

2 x CLA tablet

Meal 5 – -evening

170g steak

125g cooked brown rice

110g broccoli or asparagus

Meal 6 – before bed

4 x large whole eggs

3 x ZMA tablets

Fluid: 4.5 litres of water per day.

 

 

Q18. Who are your favourite athletes, bodybuilders or fitness models?

 

My good friend and natural double world body building champion Richard Gozdecki, he is an animal! I always thought I trained pretty hard until had I spent a full week training with Richard Gozdecki about 3 years ago. He opened my eyes to what real intensity and effort was in a gym session. By the end of the week I was battered physically and mentally. He also helps me out with diet and training in the lead up to a big shoot.

Gregg Plitt was also a massive source of inspiration when I was starting out. You can't help but admire the positive influence he has had on thousands of people around the world.

 

Q19. What Supplements do you take pre and post workout?

 

Pre and post workout supplement stack from my sponsors Myprotein (very similar all year round):

 

Pre - Workout - BCAAS 10g- L glutamine 10g- Creatine mono hydrate 5g

 

 Post - Workout

- BCAAS 10g- L glutamine 10g- Creatine mono hydrate 5g- 1 x vitamin C 1000mg tablet - 40g protein powder (whey isolate) - 70g dextrose

 

Q20. What top 3 tips would you give to anyone wanting to get in shape?

 

1. Give 110% effort EVERY session - A good diet will get you a good body, training hard too will get you a great body 2. Don't be scared to eat - Eat as much good food as your body can handle to get leaner from as wide variety of food sources as you can. You will always have room to make changes then in your quest to get ripped. 3. Set goals - Know what want, know where you’re going, and do everything in your control to get there.

 

Q21. What are your fitness Goals?

 

1.To continue to learn more and grow my business, both in the gym and online, as well as do more fitness based workshops.

2.Keep improving as a sponsored athlete for MP and any other brands I am associated with.

3.Keep growing my ‘HERO sessions workouts in different directions.

4.Gain more Front Covers and publications. I have been so lucky to have so many already but aiming to get a cover or two each year gives you a great goal with your training.

5.Speak, educate and motivate more at exhibitions such as Body Power UK. I love shows like this as it gives you the perfect platform to meet your fans/followers and give something back.

6.Have my own gym. Having trained at so many great gyms around the world I would love to create something which resembled every quality I would ever want in a gym. To create an environment that is buzzing with positive energy, hard work and improving lives would be amazing.

7.Continue to a make a difference in as many people’s lives as possible in whatever I do. This is more of a general goal that I implement daily, but it’s particularly important to me because it is how I started my own fitness journey.

 

Q22. What pieces of advice would you give to anyone looking to become a fitness model?

 

1.Get in your best shape and get some professional pictures done. You can have the best body in the world, but if no one can see it, what is all the hard work worth? Be very careful who you shoot with though, if the wrong type of image gets published it can ruin your reputation before you even get started. I have only ever shot with the best in the industry. Pay for it if necessary.

2.Speak and act positively in everything you do. Being a good fitness model isn’t all about the body. You should use any exposure or interest you get because of your body to help motivate and inspire others.

3.Be grateful and easy to work with. There are thousands of people in great shape and always someone out there with a better body. So if you are lucky enough to get sponsorship, magazine feature or speak at exhibitions etc always be thankful. You are more likely to get more in return in the future.

4.Be you. As much as we all have role models and inspirations it’s important to know what your own strengths are too. With social media don’t just post something because you think it’s what people want to see, if you’re having to think too hard about what you should write, don’t post. You will build up more trust with followers by being honest and not a robot. Plus if you do get sponsored people will take your words more seriously in the long-term.

5.Work hard EVERY day and NEVER give up. We have all had knock backs, but it’s how you bounce back. I have found the harder you work, the more doors that open. Be consistent and ‘Make It Happen’.

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