Becoming herculean, WBFF Pro Fitness Model, Lee Constantinou wasn’t always built like he lives atop Mt Olympus. Lee reveals how fitness allowed him to not only find his shape but also himself. Here is the Lee Constantinou body transformation.
Lee’s vital stats
Before
Height 6ft
Weight 75kg
Body fat 12%
After
Height 6ft
Weight 80kg
Body fat 6.5%
Fitness was a game
I was never very active as a young child and really got sucked into the video-gaming world. Before I knew it, I’d gained a ton of weight which totally knocked my confidence and despite my best efforts, I just wasn’t that athletic kid – always lagging behind, toward the back of the race.
I desperately wanted to be that athletic guy but wasn’t naturally gifted in that department. To help me deal with my asthma and build up confidence, my dad took me to karate.
I found out quite quickly that I was actually good at this sport and finally finding something that I excelled in was hugely confidence-building for me.
I became so passionate about martial arts, inspired by the likes of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee.
This meant you could find me in the gym 5 or 6 times a week, sometimes even twice a day, leading to the achievement of my black belt in karate within 4 years.
Fighting for mass
At this point, I’d slimmed down and had no muscle. As well as martial arts, looking at guys like Jean-Claude Van Damme made me really appreciate the visual aesthetic too and I knew I wanted a physique like that.
My journey started sneaking into gyms at 15 years old with my older brother, pretending I was 16 as that was the minimum age.
We’d hit a 3-day split consisting of chest/triceps, back/biceps and shoulders. We’d skip leg day (ed: Lee laughs) as we never saw the value in it as young guys starting out.
Being a kid who was sometimes depressed, fitness really pushed me to become better and trying hard in everything I do, always.
I’ve carried these lessons with me through university and bodybuilding – fitness is my calling and I feel that what I’ve been through alongside not being the most genetically gifted guy means I can relate to others going through the same emotionally and physically.
My goal now is to be the best coach and personal trainer I can be to help people through fitness because I’ve seen how powerful it’s been for me.
Fuel for Lee’s Transformation
My meal plan
I follow a flexible approach to nutrition. I have mostly whole foods I.e. Chicken, sweet potato, broccoli, beef, salmon and other typical healthy, whole foods but always keep a 10% allowance for foods that I enjoy, in or out of contest prep. Balance is key to sustainability I believe. I like to follow habits that I can for life rather than just 12 weeks
My cheat day
When I’m not trying to get seriously lean. Food is how I socialize outside of training. It’s hard to pick a favorite food but I love Thai and Mexican food. I can make a jar of natural almond butter disappear pretty quickly so I try to avoid it during a strict cut. Sweet or salty popcorn is another diet vice of mine.
The transformation supplements
Staple Supplements : Multivitamins, omega 3, probiotics, vitamin D and greens powder
Sports Supplements: Whey isolate, protein blends, creatine monohydrate, BCAA’s, ZMA and pre-workout
Lee’s cardio routine
2 x short, sharp HIIT sessions a week is the norm for me; 5-10 minute blasts, which boosts metabolism to keep me lean and defined, despite my love for food.
Lee Constantinou Transformation Workout
I use the workout I constructed for my e-book, ‘Herculean’ to get me chiseled and defined.
Mon – Push A + Core
Tues – Pull A + HIIT
Wed – Rest
Thurs – Lower A + HIIT
Friday – Push B + Core
Sat – Rest
Sun – Rest
Mon – Pull + HIIT
Tues – Lower + HIIT
Glossary
TDS: Triple drop set
SS: Superset
RP: Rest-pause set
F: to failure
TS: Titan set (3 exercises back to back)
| Monday | Push A + Core |
|---|---|
| Flat barbell bench press | 4 x 8-10 reps |
| Standing military press | 4 x 10-12 |
| Incline dumbbell chest press | 3 x 10-12 (tds) |
| Dumbbell lateral raises (ss) | 3 x 12 |
| Flat cable fly (ss) | 3 x 12 |
| Bodyweight dips | 4 x 8-10 (rp) |
| Narrow push ups | 3 sets (f) |
| Tuesday | Pull + core |
|---|---|
| Overhand barbell rows | 4 x 10 - 12 reps |
| Wide grip pull ups | 3 x 10-12 |
| Underhand pull downs (ss) | 4 x 12 |
| Dumbbell pull overs (ss) | 4 x 12 |
| Barbell curls | 4 x 10-12 |
| Alternate hammer curls | 3 sets (f) |
| Thursday | Lower |
|---|---|
| Back squat | 4 x 10 - 12 reps |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 x 10-12 |
| Walking dumbbell lunges (ts) | 3 x 12 |
| Leg extensions (ts) | 3 x 12 |
| Seated leg curls (ts) | 3 x 12 |
| Barbell standing calf raises | 4 x 8-12 (triple drop set) |
| Leg press (ss) | 3 x 10-12 |
| Leg press calf press (ss) | 3 x 10-12 |
| Friday | Push B + core |
|---|---|
| Seated dumbbell shoulder press | 4 x 8 - 10 reps |
| Incline dumbbell chest press | 4 x 8-10 |
| Seated barbell shoulder press | 3 x 8-10 |
| Cable lateral raises (ss) | 3 x 12 |
| Incline cable flyes (ss) | 3 x 12 |
| Close grip bench press | 4 x 8-12 (triple drop set) |
| Cable push downs (ss) | 3 x 12 (f) |
| Saturday | Core workout |
|---|---|
| Hanging leg raises | 3 x 10 |
| Cable crunches | 3 x 15 |
| Dumbbell side crunches (ss) | 3 x 15 |
| Russian twists (ss) | 3 x 12 |
| Swiss ball pass | 3 x 10 |
| Barbell rollouts | 3 x 10 |
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