Martyn Ford

Bodybuilder, Fitness Model, Actor

Martyn Ford is a 320 lbs, 6’8” bodybuilder with an inspirational story. He was a talented cricket player in his youth, on his way to building a successful career.

However, during one of his training sessions, an injury struck him. After the injury, Martyn got a severe case of glandular fever (infectious mononucleosis), which left him sidelined for around 12 months; a period which was crucial for his career development. As a result, Martyn had to abandon his dreams of becoming a professional cricket player, and look for something else to build his career upon.

It was during this time he decided to “enter the world” of fitness and bodybuilding; seeing it as an ideal way to channel his frustrations that built up inside of him throughout the months he was unable to play cricket. But, soon, this frustration was replaced with a passion for lifting “the iron” – he became “captivated” by his progress in the gym.

Martyn hasn’t looked back since then – through years of hard work inside, and outside of the gym, he’s become a famous fitness model, actor, and online sensation.

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“Think about what you don’t want to become. Negative reinforcement is a great tool to kick start the body into action! The fear of being a failure is almost like the ‘fight or flight’ that will either crush or push you!”

Athlete Statistics

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Accomplishments

• Sponsored Athlete
• Fitness Model
• Actor

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“Growing muscle and forced reps! If you want to grow big muscles, you got to move big weights, simple! But don’t mistake moving big weights with doing so at all costs. You still need to be able to move the weight with good form. Going heavy and breaking your back in the process isn’t very beneficial at all.”

Related article: Best natural testosterone boosting supplements for maximum muscle gains

Training

Cardio for Burning Fat

Maryn’s “go-to” type of cardio can be anything from walking and running, to cycling on a bike. However, he likes to up the intensity sometimes by adding a couple of HIIT sessions every month.

He also trains MMA twice per week, in order to stay in good condition.

Inducing Muscle Growth

Every four or five weeks, Martyn will change his training routine in order to “shock” the body. He believes this is the best way to avoid plateaus in strength and size increase.

However, he rarely changes reps and methods of his workouts; instead, he just changes the types of exercises he does. For example, one week he might do only pressing movements for his chest, and the other, a mixture of chest flys and presses.

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Martyn’s Mass-Building Routine

Some of the rules of Martyn’s workouts include resting for 60 seconds between each set, and two minutes between each exercise. He also incorporates forced reps, drop sets, and slow negative reps in order to get the most out of his workouts.

Monday: Chest/Biceps

• Incline Press 3 x 12/8/6
• Incline Fly’s 3 x 12/8/6
• Decline Press 3 x 12/8/6
• Barbell Curls 3 x 12/8/6
• Concentration Curls 3 x 12/8/6

Tuesday: Back/Traps

• Bent-Over Rows 3 x 12/8/6
• Close Grip Pulldowns 3 x 12/8/6
• Deadlifts 3 x 12/8/6
• Seated Single Arm Rows 3 x 12/8/6
• Shrugs 3 x 12/8/6

Wednesday: Recovery

• Rest day

Thursday: Shoulders/Triceps

• Seated Dumbbell Press 3 x 12/8/6
• Seated Laterals 3 x 12/8/6
• Single Arm Lateral Raises (Using Cable) 3 x 12/8/6
• Front Raises 3 x 12/8/6
• Rear Delt Fly’s 3 x 12/8/6
• French Press 3 x 12/8/6
• Rope Pushdowns 3 x 12/8/6

Friday: Legs

• Leg Extensions 3 x 12/8/6
• Squats 3 x 12/8/6
• Leg Press 3 x 12/8/6
• Hamstring Curls 3 x 12/8/6
• Calf Raises 3 x 12/8/6

Saturday/Sunday: Recovery

• Rest day

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Nutrition

Calories In vs. Calories Out

Martyn’s diet has changed greatly over the years. When he first started, he ate massive amounts of calories without specifically counting macros. This resulted in him gaining a significant amount of fat, alongside muscle.

Nowadays, he is required to stay in shape year-round, because of his acting career. To achieve this, Martyn consumes anywhere from 4500-8000 calories every day; precisely counting his macros in each and every meal. This way, he’s able to stay at 8-10 percent of body fat at all times.

This amount of calories might seem a lot, but Martyn is 6’8” tall and weighs over 320lbs, so his body needs massive amounts of quality calories to preserve his muscle mass.

“I have really started to pay greater attention to my nutrition. I now weigh and monitor my food intake much more closely.”

 

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Editor’s Tip

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Martyn’s Ford Fat Loss and Muscle Building Diet

• 1st Meal: 7 ½ ounces Chicken Breast, 2 tablespoons Udo’s Oil and 3 ½ ounces Green Vegetables
• 2nd Meal: 5 ounces Chicken Breast, 5 ounces Egg Whites and 3 ounces (dry measure) Oats
• Post Workout: Protein Shake
• 3rd Meal: 7 ½ ounces Chicken Breast, 7 ½ Vegetables, 3 ½ ounces Olive Oil and 2 tablespoons (dry measure) Brown Rice
• 4th Meal: Same as meal 3
• 5th Meal: 5 ounces Chicken Breast, 5 ounces Egg Whites and 5 ounces Sweet Potato Salad
• 6th Meal: 7 ½ ounces Chicken Breast, 2 tablespoons Olive Oil and 3 ½ ounces Green Vegetables
• 7th Meal: 7 ½ ounces White Fish and 1 cup Large Green Salad
• 8th Meal: 15 Egg Whites, 2 tablespoons Low-Fat Cottage Cheese and 1 cup Green Salad

Supplements

• Whey Isolate
• BCAA’s
• Creatine
• Glutamine
• Multi and Mineral Vitamins
• ZMA
• Udo’s Oil
• Garlic
• Ginger

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What we can learn from Martyn Ford

In his younger years, Martyn had a great future ahead of him in cricket – he was living his dream. But, due to some unfortunate circumstances, this dream became “a mission impossible”.

As a result, he had to search for other ways of fulfilling his life. Some would’ve given up in Martyn’s situation, and would’ve completely lost their sense of direction in life. However, Martyn didn’t give up because of the adversity; instead, he came out stronger and learned something from it.

He channeled all the negative energy into fitness, unknowingly building a successful future for himself. Thanks to this kind of mentality, Martyn now lives another story; completely different than he had planned. But, he’s happy with his progress, and he says he; “couldn’t ask for anything more”.

Whenever you’re faced with a difficult challenge in your life, remember Martyn’s story. Because that difficulty may just be another way of reaching greatness in the future.