BP Sponsored Athletes

NameJustin Briguglio

GenderMale

Marital StatusSingle

NationalityAustralian

Age19

Height5 ft, 10 inches

Weight75kg

BusinessN/A

ProfessionStudent

QualificationsVCE, Exercise science degree.

Overview (A little about me)

Im Justin Briguglio, 19 years old, live in Melbourne, currently Junior Bench Press National Champion. Iv been training for about 4 years and take my training very seriously.

Interests

Training of course; I often refer to the gym as being my second home. Other interests include spending a lot of time at local beaches during the summer. I also quite enjoy going to the movies with friends.

Favourites (Food, Body parts, People)

My favourite food is chicken.My favourite people are definitely Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbo.Chest, Chest and more Chest

Motivations (What Motivates Me)

My main motivation started as a young kid through the influence of my dad. My dad had always been quite involved with weight training and gave my brother and I, our first weight set and set our first training program. These days my brother and I drive each other and compete regularly.

Training History (Years, Location, Trainer)

I have been weight training for approximately 4 years, and have only recently begun power lifting since about October of 2008. Our coach Gerard Gaud has been teaching us the fundamentals of power lifting and has provided us with a good base in the sport which will hopefully allow us to progress to an elite level given the opportunity.

Training Schedule (Training Style and Tips)

The main training program I have adopted is largely based on a body building structure. I also like to concentrate on isolation, working mainly on only one muscle group each day; this means I am at the gym 6 times a week doing weights alone. We also dedicate a full session to bench press and another full session to deadlift for the purposes of our Powerlifting. My routine involves doing only two sets per exercise with 8-10 reps in each set. By doing fewer sets than normal, I’m able to do more exercises and put more effort into them and hitting the muscle from every possible angle and getting the most out of my workout. On the days I do my power lifting training (bench press and deadlift), my schedule is quite different, as we mostly rely on technique and form rather than strength and therefore training sessions on this day can take up to several hours.

Nutrition (Examples of My Diet)

My diet mainly consists of protein foods, with a good balance of carbohydrates for energy. I do monitor closely what I eat, but having said that I still treat myself to fast foods every so often. It is just as important to reward yourself with foods you enjoy as ensuring that you are still getting nutritious healthy food into your diet. Having some form of protein within 10-30 minutes of training is quite important, as it is in the first couple of hours straight after training that is particularly important in terms of what you eat and can help in your recovery from that training session.

Competition History

Over my first year of competition I have attended four events in the Melbourne Metro area.29 NOV 2008 – Victorian Extraveganva, Colac – 120kg bench press04 APR 2009 – Australian Junior Championship, Melbourne University – 140kg bench press, silver medal.13 JUN 2009 – Global One Challenge, Campbellfield VIC – 150kg bench press, silver medal.19 SEP 2009 - Global One Battler's Open - Campbellfield, VIC – 155kg bench press, 190kg deadlift, silver medal for bench press and gold medal for deadlift.28 NOV 2009 - Global One Victorian Extravaganza - Campbellfield, VIC – 160kg bench press, 1st place.09 MAY 2010 – Junior Australian Bench Press Championships – Mannum, SA – 165kg bench press, Silver Medal25 JUL 2010 – Open Australian Bench Press Championships –Melbourne, VIC – 170kg bench press, Silver Medal

 

Events Calendar 2010

17 October – North Sydney Bench Press Competition.

Goals (Future Plans and Career Expectations)

To qualify for the Junior World Bench Press Championships and the 2011 Oceana Championships. My future plans with power lifting are to take it as far as I possibly can at an amateur level. My next goal would be to qualify and compete in the world bench press championships. If the sport goes to the Olympic Games, then I would set my goal for that as well.

Best Advice (Fitness, Health and Training)

If there is anything I would like to strongly suggest with anyone’s style of training is that it is very important to record your training, either with a training log or any other preferred method. Recording your weights and reps allows you to implement progressive overload in your training, making sure your weights are always going up. This prevents you from going backwards in your training and prevents you from forgetting your weights for each respective exercise. Another strong suggestion would be to change around exercises in your program if you have been doing that exercise for a prolonged period of time (about 5 weeks). Make sure you substitute old exercises for others that work the same part of the muscle, this prevents your muscles from adapting and getting use to the exercises you’re doing. For example, if you have been doing barbell preacher curls for a long time and don’t see any real change in weight or strength, then substitute that exercise with dumbbell preacher curls for a while. In doing this, when you find yourself going back to barbell preacher curls you should be stronger in that exercise. It’s important to keep shocking the muscles and changing around exercises where possible. Turning up to training on your scheduled days already gives you an advantage, as you allow yourself to get into a routine and a habit, making training an important part of your lifestyle.

Supplements Used / Recommendation

Over the course of my training I have experimented with many legal supplements, comprising of mostly Creatine, BCAA’s, L Glutamine and Protein supplements. I found that non-flavoured creatine, aminos and natural whey protein did the most for me as they are in their most pure form and aren’t laced with as much preservatives and sugar as a lot of supplements tend to be mixed with.