Interview 16 - Justin Howells

Hello! What's your athletic background and what initially motivated you to transform your body?

Hi, I'm Justin Howells and I'm 23 years old. I currently weigh right around 210 lbs at 6'0" tall. I started lifting over 6 years ago but the first 2 years started just like everyone else, I lifted just to look good for girls and fell off multiple times. It wasn't until about 4 years ago when I just flipped a switch and became 120% committed. It all started when my girlfriend, who I thought was the one, dumped me. I became really depressed and really couldn't see the positive in anything. The gym became my sanctuary and it was in there that I realized I could literally become anyone I wanted to be, I didn't have to live in some depressing past that I could do nothing about, I realized I could build my future from the ground up. I used a terrible moment in my life to light the fire inside and I haven't looked back since.

What's your approach to diet and nutrition?

If I'm in prep for a competition everything is very strict. I cook all of my meals for the week and it's pretty much the same thing every day. I go from IIFYM (if it fits your macros), into carb cycling once I plateau in fat loss, and then intermittent fasting to push past the final plateau and not feel so hungry all the time while getting down to a body fat I wouldn't like to maintain (under 7%). In lifestyle mode, I'll always use the IIFYM method because, in my opinion, it's the most maintainable eating habit simply because you can be flexible with your food as long as you hit your macros/calories. This leaves room to go out and have a meal with friends or my girlfriend while still hitting my goals. I also only cook for about half the week or sometimes even daily when I'm in lifestyle mode, I just like to switch it up a lot more when I'm out of prep. Before a workout in prep I just have my largest carb meal (which is oatmeal mixed with whey protein) about 1 hr and 30 min out from working out, then drink a half scoop of Karbolyn 30 min before (liquid carbs). Post workout I would just have a whey protein isolate with water and a full scoop of Karbolyn. In lifestyle mode, I like to have a whole grain bagel with some turkey bacon and eggs/egg whites 1 hr and 30 min before working out. After the workout, I chug a protein shake and then eat 1 or 2 servings of craisins, sour patch kids, or some other quick absorbing carb to get the insulin spike benefit post workout. A day of meals for prep: oatmeal & whey protein, whey isolate & Karbolyn, chicken & white rice, lean beef & mixed veggies (broccoli, green beans, zucchini, asparagus), chicken & potatoes, tilapia & mixed veggies. A day of meals in lifestyle mode: whole grain bagels & eggs & turkey bacon & a banana or apple, banana nut protein oatmeal & protein granola, whey protein isolate with milk and an apple or banana as well as a serving of candy post workout, chicken & potatoes with butter, tacos with lean beef and white rice and cheese and a salad (half & half spinach and spring mix), top sirloin steak with asparagus. In lifestyle mode, this always changes to keep things interesting! However, I do usually stick with certain meals I like until I'm sick of them since it's a lot easier to prep or stay on track when you already know something is good and how to prep it. I also always aim for around 5-6 meals a day to evenly disperse protein, carbs, and fats throughout the day. However, I aim to take in more carbs around my workouts and higher fats later in the day.

Do you supplement your nutrition with any sport supplements?

Absolutely! There is no substitute for working out hard and having your nutrition on point, but once you have those things, supplementation can really be that extra cherry on top. I use a whey protein isolate to minimize excessive carbs during a cut and to help get the quick absorbing protein in right after a workout. Karbolyn (liquid carbs) was a lifesaver during prep when energy was low, it helped me maintain my energy levels and pumps in the gym. It's also great for bulking because I hate mass gainers, they're just really unpleasant to drink and you don't get enough protein from them (I always take 2 scoops of protein to get around 50 grams) so with this I can just get my protein in then drink my Karbolyn for a fast acting carb post workout. BCAA's are amazing, they help promote recovery, prevent muscle wasting when getting down to lower body fats and doing tons of cardio, and they also help ward off my hunger during a cut. Finally, and probably one of the best supplements I believe someone can take is creatine. It's one of the most well-researched supplements on the market and I've always noticed an increase in strength or the number of reps I can push out of a given weight within 2-3 weeks if loaded properly. I load up for 7 days with about 15-20g of creatine monohydrate, then go to 5g pre or post workout for maintenance. I always like to cycle off supplements every 12-16 weeks so I can kind of detox and maintain the beneficial effects I get from them.

What does your typical week of working out look like?

My workouts are always the center of my day, which is the way I like it. I'm a personal trainer as well so I can schedule all of my clients around the time I want to workout. I always like to allow a solid 2 to 2 and a half hours for a workout. This is including warming up, foam rolling, and stretching post workout. This is my ideal scenario but sometimes I have to foam roll in the morning and stretch at night, however, I'm rarely in the gym for less than an hour and a half (unless I'm de-loading or not feeling well). I always want to leave the gym knowing I've done everything possible to reach my goal. I usually follow a 3 day split so I can hit everything 2x per week, but I'm constantly changing up my workout to produce a new stimulus for muscle growth. Here's what 1 week might look like:

Monday: Back/Triceps
1. BB Deadlifts: (3 x 8-12 warm up) 4 x 6-8 reps (last set to failure)
2. WG Lat Pulldowns: 4 x 6-8 reps (last set to failure)
3. Chest Supported Machine Rows (overhand grip)- can also use incline bench w/ DB’s: 4 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
4. Straight Arm Lat Pulldowns (rope) 3 x 12 reps 1 triple drop set the last set
5. Close Grip Bench Press (3 x 12 reps warm up) 4 x 6-8 reps
6. OH DB Extensions (or OH cables w/ rope) 3 x 8-10 reps
7. Rope cable extensions 3 x 12 reps 1 triple drop set the last set

Tuesday: Chest/Biceps
1. Incline DB Press: (3 x 12 reps warm up) 4 x 6-8 reps (last set to failure)
2. Flat BB Bench Press: 4 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
3. Decline Machine Press: 4 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
4. Cable Flys (Center Chest): 3 x 12 reps 1 triple drop set the last set
5. Straight Bar Curls (3 x 12 warm up) 4 x 6-8
6. DB Hammer Curls 3 x 8-10
7. Straight bar cable curls 3 x 12 1 triple drop set the last set

Wednesday: Legs /Shoulders
1. BB Squats (3 x 12 reps warm up) 4 x 6-8 reps (last set to failure)
2. BB Straight Leg Deadlift 4 x 6-8 reps (last set to failure)
3. Bulgarian Split Squat 3 x 8-10 reps each leg (last set to failure)
4. Superset:
a. Leg curls 3 x 12 reps 1 triple drop set the last set
b. Leg extensions 3 x 12 reps 1 triple drop set the last set
—
1. BB OH Press (3 x 12 warm up) 3 x 6-8 reps (last set to failure)
2. Upright rows (DB or EZ bar) 3 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
3. Face pulls (rope) 3 x 8-10 reps
4. Superset:
a. DB Side raises 3 x 12 reps 1 triple drop last set
b. DB Shrugs 3 x 12 1 triple drop last set

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Back/Triceps
1. BB Deadlifts: (3 x 8-12 warm up) 4 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
2. WG Lat Pulldowns: 4 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
3. Chest Supported Machine Rows (overhand grip) - can also use incline bench w/ DB’s: 4 x 12, 10, 10, 8 reps (up the weight every set)
4. Straight Arm Lat Pulldowns (rope) 3 x 21’s (7 partial reps at the bottom, 7 full, 7 partials at the top)
5. Close Grip Bench Press (3 x 12 reps warm up) 4 x 8-10 reps
6. OH DB Extensions (or OH cables w/ rope) 3 x 10-12 reps
7. Rope cable extensions 3 x 21’s

Saturday: Chest/Biceps
1. Incline DB Press: (3 x 12 reps warm up) 4 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
2. Flat BB Bench Press: 4 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
3. Flat Machine Press: 4 x 12, 10, 10, 8 reps
4. Cable Flys (Center Chest): 3 x 21’s
5. Straight Bar Curls (3 x 12 warm up) 4 x 8-10
6. DB Hammer Curls 3 x 10-12
7. Straight bar cable curls 3 x 21’s

Sunday: Legs/Shoulders
1. BB Squats (3 x 12 reps warm up) 4 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
2. BB Straight Leg Deadlift 4 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
3. Bulgarian Split Squat 3 x 10-12 reps each leg
4. Superset:
a. Leg curls 3 x 21’s
b. Leg extensions 3 x 21’s
—
1. BB OH Press (3 x 12 warm up) 3 x 8-10 reps (last set to failure)
2. Superset: a. DB Reverse Fly’s 3 x 10-12 b. DB Side Raises 3 x 10-12
3. Superset:
a. Upright Rows 3 x 21’s (7 wide grip, 7 medium, 7 narrow grip)
b. Shrugs (DB or BB) 3 x 15 w/ 1 double drop last set

What mistakes have you made along the way?

I used to not care about warming up and injured my shoulder because of it, it still bothers me to this day. I also slacked on nutrition until I fully understood how much it speeds up your results. I also used to leave out certain muscle groups that I felt didn't need to be worked because they looked developed, not understanding the muscle imbalances they can cause leading to lower back pain or other problems that I've had to address.

What are some of the best tips you can offer for others trying to follow in your footsteps?

First off, you definitely need to educate yourself. If you don't fully understand how to do an exercise correctly or set up your macros or anything like that, you can look it up online. There are so many good resources online nowadays that at least give you a good starting point, such as bodybuilding.com which is where I started looking up and reading this stuff until I learned more from my degree and personal training certification. Having a clear vision of what you want to achieve is key, you really can't expect to transform your body into anything spectacular until you can actually see it in your mind and believe it's possible, this will also supply you with incredible motivation and excitement. There are so many great training tips I could give for transforming your body but honestly, you just need to stay disciplined and push yourself. Get all of your meals in, hit your macros, and go hard in the gym. Always use clean form of course, but don't leave the gym until your muscles have nothing left.