JUNE 2017 MUSCLE & FITNESS 13WHAT QUINTESSENTIAL
Aussie experience would you
recommend to tourists? Optimum
Nutrition asked their fans this very
question recently, as Team ON made
preparations for internationally-
basedathletestoheadtoAustralia
foraspecialtour“DownON-der”.
TeamONathletes–England’s
ShaunStaffordandSteveCookfrom
the US – got to experience some of
themostdinky-di,trueblueAussie
adventures imaginable, from eating
aVegemitesandwichtoswimming
withagiantcrocintheTopEnd.
M&Fcaught up with the guys
on the last day of their tour, at
Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach,
whereStaffordandCookwere
taken through a full-on training
drillwithmembersoftheBondi
Surf Life Saving Club and Sydney
local ON athlete, Nick Cheadle.
As well as beach flags and
sand sprints, the guys took part
ina600metreoceanswim,which
Stafford says “nearly killed us”.
“Wehadtoswimouttoabuoy,
then100metresacrossandback
intoshore,”hesays.“Itwasarace–
wehadaheadstartonallthe
guyswhodoiteveryweek,sowe
justwentforit.Ibeatthegirlsout
ofthewater,althoughtheywere
breathingdownmyneck!”
Cook also found the ocean
swim to be incredibly challenging.
“Ain’t no way I’m ever attempting
ocean swimming ever again!” he
laughs.“It’sdefinitelyadifferent
kindoffitnesstowhatI’musedto with my training. A 600 metre
beachswimwitharipand
massive waves is no joke.”
Stafford also believes the ocean
swim was one of the hardest things
he’s ever done, which certainly
shinesalightonhowfitandhard-
working our surf life savers are.
“It was really challenging – I was
outofmycomfortzone,”hesays.
“Wedon’treallygointothewater
in England because it’s too cold,
so it was completely alien to me.
Buttheflaggameandbeachsprints
Iloved.Icouldhavedonethatallday- explosive, high intensity exercise,
in a competitive environment.”
THREE FIT BLOKES
Whilethebeachswimmight
havebeenanewchallengefor
Stafford, Cook and Cheadle, none
are shirkers in the fitness stakes.
Cheadleisapersonaltrainerwhois
currently training for a powerlifting
competition. Cook is an IFBB
professional physique competitor,
placing fifth at the 2014 Mr Olympia
physique showdown competition.
He’s also a personal trainer who
is about to launch his Big and Lean
onlinefitnessprogram.Staffordis
also a professional physique athlete
who started his sporting career
playing rugby at a national level
and who has since gone on to
winWBFFUK,EuropeanandPro
World Fitness Model titles. All three
athletes are seriously ripped.
“My main training focus is
strength and hypertrophy work,”Stafford says. “An average week in
this current training phase would
be back and triceps Monday,
handstand/gymnastics and core
work on Tuesday, legs Wednesday,
moregymnasticsandsprintwork
on Thursday, chest and biceps
Friday and then yoga and flexibility
on the weekend.”
Stafford only recently
incorporated gymnastics-
style training into his routine.
“I’vebeenabodybuilderforfive,
sixyears,andatthestartofthe
year I felt so unfit,” he says. “I looked
good with my shirt off, but if you
askedmetomovemybodyinaway
thatwasfunctionalIcouldn’tdoit.
I realised I was lacking flexibility
andcardiofitness.Ihadturned
into a gym monkey rather than an
athlete, so I made the conscious
decision to change my split and
getbacktomoreofafitnessand
athletic style of training.”ASNAPPYTOUR
WhentheguysarrivedinAustralia,
theyhadlittleideaofwhatto
expect from their tour, knowing only
that ON fans had chosen “Aussie”
experiences for them. While it all
started out fairly harmlessly –
afeastoffairybread,Vegemite
sandwiches and Farmers Union
icedcoffee–thingssoonbecame
far more exciting.
“Itrampedupprettyquickly,”
Stafford says. “We woke up every
daynotknowingwhatwewere
RENEE OLIVER. goingtobedoing–wewouldjust
True blue
The Optimum Nutrition team take a special trip
to the Land Down ON-der.ADVENTURE EDGE