You may not know the name, but he’s been bodyguard to the likes of Michael Jackson, Kendall Jenner and Rita Ora as well as serving as security advisor to parliament and royalty. Here’s how he shapes up to keep everyone safe.
Mind
I am into men’s fashion and have always taken pride in what I wear. That always seems to keep me motivated to stay in shape all year round. That said, my diet can be pretty brutal in the summer months and in the winter I’m not so strict with what I eat and gain a bit of healthy size. If I get to a period in the year when I’m finding it hard to diet and train I set myself something to work towards. For example; a photoshoot, film audition or maybe even a holiday. That normally seems to give me a kick to get me started again. Even when I’m not so strict with my diet in the winter months I will generally eat clean Monday to Saturday then eat what I want on Sundays. A cheat day instead of a cheat meal is normally enough to keep me happy in the cooler months.
Body
I would normally exercise 6-7 days a week. Training starts for me around 7am with 30 minutes cardio before breakfast. This may be a gentle jog around my local park or 30 minutes walking at an incline on a treadmill in the gym. After breakfast I would then go to the gym for weight training. Weight training consists of one body part a day (Monday to Friday) so, chest, arms, back, legs and shoulders. At weekends I hit every body part at least once. In the evening I will go back to the gym around 7pm and do about an hour worth of cardio using the treadmill on an incline again. All of the above is work-permitting, but most of the time that is my routine and I drop the evening cardio at weekends unless I am training for a film or photo shoot.
Diet
I spent almost eight months changing my diet to get the best reduction in bodyfat while creating lean muscle. For me I eat 6-8 times a day and carb cycle. Carb cycling for me is 200g of oats with two scoops of whey in the morning Monday to Friday, that’s my only carb intake for the five days. At weekends I overload on carbs, eating rice, bananas and extra oats with my whey. If you’re someone who struggles to stick to a diet, maybe you don’t have time to meal prep or the canteen at work isn’t particularly accommodating towards a gym diet. The general rule of thumb for me would be to stay away from sugar – sugar is the devil and you will be surprised what has sugar in it, almost everything that tastes really good. And also keep the carbs low, get rid of bread, pasta and potatoes for four weeks and you will notice a big difference.
Soul
To be a professional bodyguard you need to not only look like one but also react as one so fitness is high on the list. You have to take care of someone’s life while taking care of your own. In many situations this can be difficult if you do not have a high level of physical fitness. For me, fitness started when I was serving in the British Army and has been a big part of my life ever since. Keeping fit not only helps me as a bodyguard, but also with my successful private security company (Askari Secure Ltd) which can see me spend a lot of time in the office. Keeping fit helps me keep a good, healthy and fresh state of mind. If I am being cast for a film, often it will involve a lot of running around on set so equally it’s important I can do that effortlessly. Nutrition is a must for me, I’m not naturally a slim person and have always struggled to keep my weight down. With a good diet and training plan I can keep my body in the shape it is. Without one or the other it’s much harder. For me they must both come together. I think the biggest inspiration for me to keep fit is I don’t get so tired quickly, clothes fit properly and just generally I feel great most of the time.
