NSN Athlete Ryan Ginsberg | Great Tasting Healthy Meals For Sports, Fitness and Bodybuilding.

Ryan Ginsberg

Meet one of the UK’s finest fitness Models: Ryan Ginsberg.

He has appeared in the pages of Muscle & Fitness, Musclemag International, Mens Fitness and Mens Health.

We are proud to introduce you to Ryan Ginsberg as one of the Natural Sports Nutrition Athletes and share with you how he trains, eats and lives.

To read the interview simply click on each question and the answer will appear or disappear.

Read the Interview

Ryan, can you tell the readers where your place of birth was and where do you reside now?
- I was born in South Africa but moved to the UK when I was 8 years old. I currently reside in London.
Who or what was your motivating factor(s) for getting involved in exercise?
- I have always been into sport and played at quite a high level in rugby, golf and also represented my county in cricket. I really got involved into the fitness and gym scene following numerous knee injuries and operations. Since then I have continued keeping fit and healthy by exercising a lot.
Let's talk about your training methods. How do you split your workouts up and do you enjoy doing different things like plyometrics, power training, etc?
- My training philosophy has always been to train with intensity and for no longer than one hour. I typically split my workouts as follows and have some heavy days and lighter (but more reps) days depending on how my body feels. I firmly believe in listening to your body – if you are tired and haven’t recovered then you need to rest and recover.
  - Monday – Back and Biceps
  - Tuesday – Rest
  - Wednesday – Chest and triceps
  - Thursday – Shoulders and abs
  - Friday – Cardio and abs
  - Saturday – Quads, hams and calves
  - Sunday – off
  I typically will also do cardio at least three times per week, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
Have you ever competed in bodybuilding? Do you follow bodybuilding and have an interest in it?
- No I have never competed. I don’t follow bodybuilding as such but do read the magazines such as Mens Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Musclemag and Flex.
What does your nutrition look like? I'm sure you have to keep yourself in reasonable good condition when a photo shoot or appearance is near.
- I always like to keep under 8% bodyfat year round. I will typically only fluctuate around 5kg maximum of my photo shoot weight. I always eat “clean” foods and never crave bad foods such as pizza, chocolate etc. My typical diet is as follows:
  - 6.30am: Cardio day only – BCAA Elite, fat burner
  - 7.30am: Breakfast – 100g Oats, 2 serving Whey in water, Flax Seed, Multivitamin, Omega 3,6,9
  - 10am: Mid morning – 10 egg whites, 1 serving whey and piece fruit
  - 12am: Lunch – 100g oats/rice, large Chicken breast, large salad
  - 2pm: Meal replacement (20g carbs, 60g protein)
  - 5pm: Pre-workout – 1 serving pre-workout drink
  - 7pm: PWO – two scoops whey and 20g dextrose
  - Dinner: Salmon/steak/chicken and vegetables
  - Pre bed: 1 serving casein protein
In comparison to your experience over in America, do you think that the popularity of fitness, exercise and the like is not the same as it is here in the UK?
- The popularity of the fitness in the USA is far greater than here in the UK. The whole fitness industry from supplements, healthy meals and gyms is many years ahead of the UK. That said the UK is catching up and the popularity of fitness now becoming much more mainstream. The supplement industry certainly is finally getting close to what the US has to offer.
Where do you see the fitness industry in the next 5 years? What can we all do to keep awareness of health and fitness at a high priority?
- The fitness industry is only part time for me, but I see myself continuing to support and be supported by my sponsors and helping Performance Meals reach where I feel the products deserve to be.
Do you find photo shoots gruelling? What do you do in the days leading to one to get yourself prepared?
- Yes the preparation for shoots is tough. I typically will start dieting or them around two to three weeks before. This is such a short period as I always keep myself within 2 or so weeks of peak condition. The final weeks is the toughest and typically involves me carb depleting for 4 days and then carbing up two days before the shoot.
Do you feel as someone as an authority in the fitness industry it is your responsibility to teach young children the importance of living a healthy, fit lifestyle? How can you embed that message into our youth’s subconscious?
- I firmly believe in educating others about nutrition and the importance of a healthy, balanced diet. Its starts from your youth and knowing what is healthy and nutritious is a fundamental learning point for all of today’s youth. I always try helping others (both young and old) about the importance of healthy, nutritious foods and how they form the staple of a healthy, fit lifestyle. This is why I support Performance Meals, a product that the UK market has been needing for years...a healthy, pre-prepared meal that is nutritionally balanced and just incorporates all-natural ingredients.
We’re going to throw some words at you, just tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Favourite "no no" foods?
- I don’t ever crave “no no” foods but if I had to choose it would be white chocolate cheesecake!
The sport of Mixed Martial Arts?
- Tough sport with some great athletes.
Favourite exercise?
- Lat pulldowns
Barbell squats?
- Tough...got to be focused and 100% up for leg sessions!
Pumping Iron?
- Arnold
Speed training?
- Sprints
Low carbohydrate diets?
- What I hate!