As a 16-year-old growing up in London, award-winning fitness entrepreneur and natural bodybuilder, Simeon Panda was slim and lean. And his 6-foot-1 frame only made it more obvious. Even though he played sports like rugby and ran track, he still wasn't bulking up and building muscle like he wanted to. Every teenage boys dream was to be fit and strong and Panda was not different. But since he wasn't getting the results he wanted, he knew the next step involved making major changes.
So he took up weight training.
"I started lifting at the age of 16, I was a skinny teenager and there was a really big guy at my college in the year above me that was muscular and ripped," explains Panda. "I remember asking him how he got that way and he said he simply bought some weights and trained at home. I purchased weights that same day and fell in love with working out. I remember I would get back from college excited to train."
"I would work out every day without fail, I remember the first time I realized I was on to something," the fitness cover model continues. "I was training in my living room and a friend of my brothers who had not seen me in a while came over and was shocked and said I was huge. That really motivated me to go at it even harder. I bought new weights that were heavier and started to do some research as thus far I had just been improvising. Reading and understanding what each muscle was and how to build it was the key to achieving the symmetry I have now."
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"Working with heavy weight has worked best for me throughout my years of training both mentally and physically. I say mentally because nothing gives me the same buzz as moving a tremendous amount of weight. I normally do a warm up set then go straight into lifting heavy, this has been the most effective way for me to pack on size. Muscle growth occurs when your body attempts to repair the damage you put it through, therefore at some point your body will adapt to even the best routine, to counter this I cycle my training style."
Panda's Sample Diet:
Meal 1: Oats, Banana & Almonds
Meal 2: Rice Cakes & Cottage Cheese
Meal 3: Wholegrain Rice, Chicken Breast & Vegetables
Meal 4: Wholegrain Rice, Chicken Breast & Vegetables
Meal 5: I eat...
Meal 5: Wholegrain Rice, Chicken Breast & Vegetables
Meal 6: 8 Egg Whites & Smoked Salmon
Meal 7: Mackerel & Vegetables
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Panda is now a 215-pound natural bodybuilding pro competitor and was a Myprotein athlete, the biggest supplement brand in Europe and one of the fastest-growing supplement brands in the world. Panda helps bring the message that each athlete's nutrition should be as unique as their training program. He is also the owner of SP Aesthetics® Sportswear and Just Lift.®
Panda has competed in Musclemania® competitions worldwide, winning the European Championship in 2013 and earning himself Musclemania Pro® status.
"I receive so many emails from people who are inspired by me, this motivates me more than anything, when I train now I feel like I am doing it for them too, I feel like I need to show them all what can be achieved through natural bodybuilding if you put in 110% and do it right."
For more on Simeon Panda, follow him on social media below:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SimeonPandaOfficial
Twitter: www.twitter.com/simeonpanda
Website: www.simeonpanda.com
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/sim86
