I grew up playing many sports and loved everything that had to do with physically pushing my body to its limit. I first signed up to a local gym and started weight training when I was 18 years old. I immediately got hooked on the results and the passion grew from then on.
I made many mistakes including lifting too heavy, not eating the right food etc. We all have to start somewhere and learn from every experience we can get. I remember when I started I was doing too heavy on the deadlifts. My form was wrong, as I did not have my shoulders back so my back rounded a little. This mistake costs me to be injured for 3 weeks. Being injured is the worst thing as you cannot put in the effort you would like so the results are not maximised. Let's just say I learned from that experience :)
The best advice I could give is to divide your long-term goals into some small attainable goals that will motivate you to finish everyday strong and prevent you from taking too much time off. Always prepare your success and create the right environment, which will allow you to do so.
I do listen to music as it helps me get into "the zone". Therefore I listen to different kinds of music depending on the mood. Hip Hop is often my go to playlist.
Well I call it the tunnel vision. I don't think, I BECOME. It's way different as you focus on getting into the moment and focus only on contraction.
As far as it takes. It really depends on the environment I am. If I am at work (personal training at Gym Max), I make meals 2x a week to have them with me and prepare my weekly training schedule with or without clients.
If I am shooting away like last December in Australia, then I need to get everything organised to not have to make bad choices. Meals, clothing, supplements everything needs to be on point for the whole time I will be there.
I would say that I am very proud of my Musclemania pro card status that I earned two years ago in Vegas. I prepared myself a lot for that and it gave me wings to continue even harder to compete with the best in the world.
I must admit that I am most proud to be at a point where I inspire people in adopting a healthier lifestyle. Getting positive feedback on how I inspire some people that I don't even know means a lot to me and makes me want to battle even harder to become the best that I can be.
I tend to stay in a good condition from summer to end of fall season for shoots and competitions. Then I pack on muscle to improve my physique while upping considerably my calorie intake during the winter season. Yes in Canada winter season which had plenty of snow too :)
I think everyone should get to know their body, how it works. I got to know mine and unfortunately I need to do tons of cardio to trim down and stay lean. I aim for 1h cardio 5 times a week. On the other hand, the genetics that I have allows me to pack on a lot of muscle and get bigger faster. As for cardio machines, I prefer to use the stair master or stepper as it burns a lot of calories and works the glutes well (not that I need more glutes :) )
I will be honest and switch a lot of exercise in my training as I like to shock my body and confuse my muscles. This method has worked great and I can still do that while focusing on the lacking muscle groups.
Click: Workout Routine
My favorite approach will be to add some good fats and omega 3's to stimulate the metabolism in burning more fat. I find that increasing your good fats and decreasing your carbs will get you a weaker pump but will get you dryer.
I would have to go with the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who is currently making things happen in every aspect of his life.
I am using the Blue Star Nutraceuticals Products. They are awesome quality wise and have been helping me out during the beginning.
Instagram:@samdix819
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SamuelDixonFitness
Samuel Dixon Stats:
Year of birth: 1988
Weight: 250 lbs off season - 235 competition
Height: 6 feet