Pics | Work hard, train hard with USN ambassador Lee Constantinou
By Ben Kelly
Attitude meets 26 year old USN ambassador Lee Constantinou from London to talk about training well, eating well, and the supplements that help along the way…
How did you first start getting into fitness?
I was out of shape when I was young, and when I was about 13 I started going to karate. I dedicated myself to that and got to black belt. Then I wanted to develop my physique further so I got into the gym and started lifting weights. I just let it build into my lifestyle from there. It’s second nature now. I got more serious at university, when you’ve got time to go work out. I just kept it going and then started getting more involved with the fitness industry, and competing in fitness competitions as well.
What is your weekly workout schedule?
I split my training up into 3 sections of push muscles, pull muscles and then my lower body. This way, my entire body is getting worked out every three days and I train for about six sessions a week. Mondays are push session so I’ll do my chest, shoulders and triceps, and then usually a bit of HIIT to offset calories and keep me lean. On Tuesdays I do a pull day of back, biceps and all other pulling muscles as well as the my core. On Wednesdays I do my lower body. I change the rep ranges as well. At the beginning of the week I do lower reps with more strength, and then later in the week I will do more with higher rep ranges just to trick my body and keep it interesting.
What does your daily diet look like?
I now train in the mornings at around 6.30am because the gym is too busy in the evenings and I like to keep the evenings free for my social life. It’s the sacrifice that I put in. I have breakfast when I get back but before I train I have a pre-workout meal with some amino acids to make sure that I don’t break down any muscle. After I come back I have breakfast. I have a recovery shake with whey protein and then some carbs, such as a banana. Half an hour later I will have an actual breakfast. I often have an omelette with loads of vegetables, spinach, peppers etc. and then a bowl of oats just to make sure that I’ve got some carbs and protein. I then have a big glass of water with multivitamins and fish oils. For lunch, I have something like a sweet potato with fish, chicken or red meat with lots of vegetables and fruit. I normally also have some simple berries to balance it out a bit. I then eat soon afterwards around 4pm or 5pm, the time you could call dinner but really a pre-dinner dinner! I have something similar like sweet potato or brown rice with a different source of protein like tuna or salmon. I also have lots of green vegetables and fibre to keep me full and satisfied, and again, some fruit, berries or something afterwards. Or maybe a healthy protein dessert depending on how I’m feeling. Then I’ll eat a dinner of a very similar meal around 9pm before bed. This is my treat. I’ll have a bowl of porridge with natural almond butter on top and some chopped dates and then I’m out like a light. In total it’s really five meals so it sounds like a lot, but when I eat the meals I don’t feel like I’m eating that much because I exercise and I need that extra nutrition.
Learn more about Lee and USN at uk.usn-sport.com
You can read our full interview with Lee, and see more pictures of him in action, in the current Red Issue of Attitude, in shops now. Download the digital version from attitudedigital.co.uk or order the print version from newsstand.co.uk/Attitude.
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