2019-10-01 Australian Men\'s Fitness

I record my weight and RPMs (the loads)

of the sessions for every camp, every fight.

Because I’ve done it for such a long time,

I can get a good gauge of where my weight

is by just how I feel in the morning, how

my weight reflects on the scales, how I’m

performing in the sessions. Those things

combined give me a pretty accurate guess

of what I should be eating and what I should

be doing. Plus I keep a log, so I can look back

and see what my weight was X amount of

weeks out from last fight so I can compare.

MF: Is there any fuel you use to help with training

or recovery, particularly when you fight?

RW: Having the right supplements at the

right time alongside healthy eating is really

important. Sometimes people get misguided

into thinking they need a heavy meal before

training to feel good, and it can make a tiny

difference, but it’s more important to eat

clean the day before and get enough sleep

the day before – that will have more impact

on how you feel than what you consume on

the day of. I have to make sure when I know

I have a hard session coming up that I’m eating

the right food and get my eight hours’ sleep,

because that will affect how I feel tomorrow.

MF: What is your go-to cheat meal?

RW: I don’t have a specific cheat meal. If I’m

feeling in the mood for chocolate, it will be

that, or it might be lollies and chips.

MF: When you win UFC 243, how will you

celebrate, diet-wise?

RW: I’m keen to try this hectic dumpling

place in Melbourne. To be honest, whether

I win or lose, I’ll be there smashing dumplings.

MF: How do you mentally prepare for a fight?

RW: My performance coach manipulates my

OCTOBER 2019 MEN’S FITNESS 57

“WEKEEPASTEADY

TRAININGREGIMEN

THROUGHTHEWHOLE

YEARANDWEKEEPIT

RUNNINGEVERYDAY,

EVERYMONTHOF

THEYEAR.”

MF: Do you follow a specific diet?

RW: No, I don’t follow a specific diet. My wife

cooks for me, which is great. I try to eat well

and I follow the “everything in moderation”

rule. I eat greens every day, I avoid fast foods

and sugar. As the fights get closer and I need

to lose a couple of kilos, I start to clean up

my diet and so I avoid things like breads and

eat foods closer to the source like potatoes

and rice. I also try to clean up the meat,

so I’ll shift to white meat, fish and up my

grain intake. I follow the 80/20 rule, and

I’m not going to say I won’t eat a chocolate

bar now and then.

MF: Do you track your calories?

RW: I don’t. My wife starts to track my

calories when the fight gets closer and that

helps her prepare what I’m eating, but for me

personally, nope, I’m not a calorie counter.

Thenumbersgame

RobWhittaker

Born: December 20, 1990

Lives: Sydney

Height: 183cm

Weight: 84kg

Reach: 187cm