“The World’s Most Ripped Fitness Model and International Cover/Spokes Model”- Obi Obadike!! That is the way many describe one of the biggest superstars in the world of physique development and fitness modeling. This blog post is a transcription of a recent interview Metabolic Effect (ME) did with Obi.
Intro to interview:
Metabolic Effect is all about learning and living the fat loss lifestyle. Many people wrongly assume weight loss and fat loss are the same. They also believe if they eat “healthy” and go for a few long runs every week they will look and feel the way they desire. Healthy exercise is not the same as fat loss exercise and a healthy diet differs from a fat loss nutrition plan.
Unfortunately, these distinctions can sometimes be hard to understand. It sometimes helps to have a fat loss coach. Someone who lives, eats, and breathes the fat loss lifestyle to clue you in on what the fat loss lifestyle “looks like”. So, we went out and asked one of the most well known, respected and leanest physique athletes on the planet, Obi Obadike, to enlighten us on what it takes to make real physique change and keep it. By the way, in case your wondering how his last name is pronounced, its Oh-bah-dee-kay.
Before we get into the interview, let me tell you about Obi. He is a professional fitness model. But, that moniker really does not do him justice. Picture the guy gracing the cover of any major fitness magazine with ripped abs and a chiseled physique, but instead of the big bulbous muscles of a bodybuilder he has the perfect symmetry you would expect from an elite athlete. Obi is part of a unique group of professionals who are some of the leanest people on the planet. And he, is the leanest of the lean. And because his job demands it, he stays that way year round. Among his peers of elite physique models and athletes, he is widely regarded as the most “ripped” in the industry. For those not familiar with the term “ripped”, it is used to describe a physique so lean that every muscle can be seen in detail as if on an anatomy chart.
If this is your first time exposed to Obi, you are in for a treat. Rather than go through Obi’s extensive accomplishments, we have linked to his website where you can read more about this athlete. For now, lets get into the interview.
Interview:
ME: Obi, lets get right into it. Many in the physique and fat loss field, myself included, view yours as the model physique. Can you help us understand what it is you do differently then everyone else? How do you keep such a lean physique? Please don’t tell me its all genetics ?
Obi: Genetics always plays into the development of anybody’s physique as it just a fact of life. I did go through a period a couple of years ago where I was focused on size and bulk but I realized after going through that period that I enjoyed much more just staying lean and not trying to be that guy who is always trying to measure how big his arms are. I train like an athlete and not like a bodybuilder. I see myself as an athlete first and a fitness model second. I follow a simple method of eating good 5 days a week and cheating twice a week.
I’ve been an athlete since I was 5 years old and I’ve been weight-training for over 18 years so it wasn’t like I looked like this overnight. I try to tell people building muscle won’t happen overnight. Lord knows it didn’t for me. I remember being that skinny kid in high school that people used to make fun of.
Here is a brief overview of my exercise regime. My training consists of sprints once a week, I do about 20 minutes of cardio three times per week. I weight-train 4 days one week and 5 days the following week. I alternate each week from 4 days to 5 days.
ME: It is interesting because many people would think you need to do a lot more cardio. But you illustrate a key point we try to make with the ME lifestyle. Weight training should be the focus. Now, I know you are a physique coach as well and help others with their physique development. What I have noticed is that these individuals take on the same quality as your physique. They just look leaner and harder than everyone else? What have you figured out about developing this type of physique that everyone else has yet to catch on to?
Obi: In my opinion, getting lean and ripped for most of the general society is 80 percent diet and 20 percent training. For me, I know my body very well and so the way I eat and train works for me but it may not work for everybody else. The main thing is you have to figure out what diet and training method works for your body type and your current metabolism. If I sat on my butt and just ate like crap and didn’t work out trust me I would gain weight and wouldn’t look too good. If I train consistently and eat healthy the majority of the week then I can walk around at 4 percent body fat all year round. It is very easy for me to go from 4 down to 2 percent. I only get that lean typically just for photo-shoots.
I want to tell people that it is very dangerous to get your body fat percent that low and I wouldn’t advise the average non-competitor to do that. I think for me I am used to it and it isn’t that hard on my body because I am not coming from 12 percent down to 4 percent. My drop is very minimal compared to others when I get that razor lean. This may be the first time I’ve talked about this but being under 4 percent doesn’t feel good mentally or physically. My energy level is low and my attention span is minimal and I am frankly not as functional as I could be if my body-fat percentage was higher. Any guy that wants abs I would say to get your body-fat percentage at a healthy 6 to 10 percent body-fat. For my clients I just try to construct an appropriate diet and training plan geared toward their fitness goals and metabolism and body type. And, that is the point of this, people should learn how their own body responds. I spend time with my clients helping them understand that. Once they do, they are able to achieve the results.
ME: Tell us about a typical day in the life of Obi? How many meals do you eat daily? What types of workouts are you doing? Do you pay attention to things like sleep, stress, etc?
Obi: I wish I could say I get 8 hours of a sleep a day but I don’t because I am so busy with so many things going on in my life. I eat about 4 small meals a day typically and my training consists of sprints once a week and 3 miles a day running on the road or track about 3 times a week at an 8 minute mile pace.
I weight-train 4 days one week and 5 days the following week. I alternate each week from 4 days to 5 days. I also use a new innovative fitness device called the ISO BO. Full disclosure, I am the new global spokes model for this product. But, despite that I really feel it is an extremely useful product. It is a 2 and ½ pound device that will kick your butt more than 400 different ways anerobically. And, that is the point and something I know ME stresses. Anaerobic exercise is key to a lean physique. I use this product about two to three times a week. It will tone your upper body and lower body and you can use the product anywhere because of its portability. The website to the ISO BO is www.isogear.net
ME: I have to ask it? Your abdominal development is widely regarded as the best in the industry. You have changed the 6-pack into and 8-pack. Do you work your abs? Is this from your days as a sprinter? Is it all diet? Give us an idea of what it takes to develop that kind of midsection?
Obi: First of all I am flattered that any person would regard my abs as the best or one of the best. I see so many fitness models with incredible abs every day that it is hard to even acknowledge something like that. I do attribute my ab development to my sprinting days from a young kid to high school and then to college. Think about it, every time you lift your leg up in the air you work your abs. So imagine how many times you are contracting your abs while sprinting. After many years of doing this you will eventually develop some pretty decent abs. Many fitness competitors these days seem to implement sprinting in their training because of its positive effects. I work my abs every other day and I keep it simple. I do regular sit-ups, leg raises, crunches and sometimes broom twists. My abs exercises are honestly nothing out of the ordinary.
ME: What are your top 5 fat burning foods? The ones you eat daily?
Obi: Typically the best fat burning foods are ones that are rich in Protein or those containing fiber. The examples are oatmeal, apples, chicken, vegetables, and tuna. Protein, fruits and vegetables are all great foods that will help in the fat burning process. What I eat daily is chicken, turkey, oatmeal, vegetables and I do eat fruit. By the way I eat fruit within moderation and am careful not to overdo it because too much can slow my results.
ME: What are your workouts like? Are they old school bodybuilding routines, athletic conditioning, metabolic workouts, interval training? Is it really necessary to spend hours in the gym?
Obi: I superset all my weight-training exercises which allows me to accomplish more anaerobically then just focusing on one body-part. This speeds the workout up and allows me to get more work done. For example I will train chest/biceps and I will do one exercise of chest and one exercise of biceps. I do these back to back with little or no rest. Or another example, I will do one set of shoulders and then one set of back. I try to have very little rest for me while I train this way. Typically I will rest a little if I am fatigue or just need to catch my breath because training like this can be very intense.
ME: How about cardio? Is this something you do daily?
Obi: I do cardio four days a week. Three days running and one day sprinting. I perform my running outside on a track or on the road. As I mentioned, I keep these short. It is basically 3 miles at an 8 MPH pace. The sprints are once a week. This workout consists of ten 100 meter sprints. I will run a sprint and then slowly walk back to the starting line.
ME: I think most people might look at a guy like you and just think, “this guy is a machine, he simply does not have the same urges for junk food as the rest of us.” Or “He must not have a life and just sits around and eats broccoli and chicken all day.” Is developing this kind of physique really that hard for people? How do you manage? Are you really not interested in food the same way others are?
Obi: I do eat junk food occasionally. This is typically after a photo-shoot when I get down so lean. For me to come out of that phase I have to eat junk food to raise my body-fat levels back up again. The main thing I say is it is ok to eat junk food, but just use it as a treat to yourself. One or two times a week with eating healthy throughout the rest of the week. I cheat just like the next person I just try to be smart about it so it doesn’t affect my physique too much.
ME: What are the supplements you take daily?
Obi: A Basic Whey Protein supplement, NutriVite Multi-Vitamin Shot and an appetite suppressant pill called SBL Lean which helps to curb cravings when I am dieting. That can be purchased on my website (www.obiobadike.com) and there is an SBL Symbol on the right hand side with my upper body and abs. You can click on that and can purchase the product. When dieting it is very easy to have the munchies and want to cheat; The SBL Lean helps me stay more in control and not feel so hungry.
ME: Finally, give us a glimpse into how you would help the average Jane or Joe develop the physique of their dreams? What are the things they must do? Eat 100g of protein, avoid all carbs, go low fat, exercise everyday for 3 hours? What are the things you would say are absolutely essential?
Obi: The main thing is having a balanced macronutrient diet. A diet high in protein, low in carbs, and also low in fats. I don’t believe in zero carb diets as it is not effective at all in attaining your fitness goals. My advice for any new client is to follow a high protein, low carb/fat diet and then train about 4 times a week. Weight-training about 3 days a week and then perform cardio about 4 times a week. Weight-training should be about 45 minutes and cardio about 45 minutes for the average person.
ME: Obi, thanks so much for spending the time with us. It is always a pleasure to talk with you and learn from you.
Obi: It is my pleasure. Thanks for having me. I would like to thank Jade for the opportunity of this interview and I wanted to say thanks to all my fans and close friends that have supported me unconditionally in my career.
To learn more about Obi check out his website www.obiobadike.com
Here is a sample training regime from Obi’s own workouts:
Obi: I train chest/biceps on Monday, shoulders/back on Tuesday, Wednesday I do leg/triceps, Thursday is chest/biceps, and Friday, shoulders/back. I do abs and calves every other day. I super-set all of my weight-training exercises. I perform only about 3 days a week cardio running which consists of about 3 miles a day at an 8 minute mile pace which would be about 24 minutes of cardio. I run sprints once a week doing 10 100 meter sprints at 60 percent speed. My diet consists of mostly chicken, vegetables, brown rice, and oatmeal.
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