Muscle Fitness Muscle_Fitness_February_2016 | Page 66

TRAIN PHYSIQUE WITH OVER TWO MILLION social media followers on Face- book, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, IFBB physique pro Steve Cook lives for motivating the masses—and the self-described “Swoldier” employs several training styles to stay lean. “I start my workouts with a compound or Olympic weightlifting exercise, then I do isolation moves for bodybuilding benefits,” Cook says. “Everything has a perfor- mance and function focus.” Cook also runs half-marathons and says he’s eyeing triathlons. Dietwise, things are simple. “If I train more, I eat more complex carbs. If I train less, I eat less,” Cook says. “I focus on clean and whole foods, but I do indulge occasionally. I guess it would be a type of flexible dieting. Before a shoot, I cut back on carbs and fat.” STEVE’S WORKOUT UPPER-BODY DIRECTIONS: Perform the exercises marked A and B as supersets; do a set of A, then B, until all sets are done. EXERCISE SETS REPS REST 1. Bench Press* 8 8, 5, 3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1 3 min. 5 2 2 min. 5 3 2 min. 3A. Seated DB Military Press 3 5 — 3B. DB Lateral Raise 3 8 — 3C. Lying Side Raise 3 6 90 sec. 4A. Smith Machine Incline Bench 2 8-12 30 sec. 4B. Lat Pulldown 2 8-12 30 sec. 4C. Machine Shoulder Press 2 8-12 30 sec. 4D. T-bar Chest- supported Row 2 8–12 2 min. *Use 45%, 55%, 65%, 75%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100% of 1RM. **90% of 1RM. 64 MUSCLE & FITNESS FEBRUARY 2016 BE AUTHENTIC Don’t try some- thing you don’t believe in. People will see through it, and it won’t be successful. FIND YOUR NICHE What are you passionate about and good at? Follow that for your best chance of success. CONTENT IS KING Creating content that people can go to works. The more quality content you can produce, the better. BRAND = JOB This is going to be your business, so go all in on it. But create an environ- ment you enjoy so you don’t burn out. COOK’S STATS Age: 30 Height: 6'1" Weight: 215 lbs Home: Las Vegas, NV Website: stevecook health.com Sponsor: Optimum Nutrition For Steve Cook’s recipes, check out his e-book, Cook Effect. 2A. Bench Press** 2B. Pullup COOK’S TOP FOUR TIPS TO BUILD A BRAND