Meet the Man in The Shorts: Yanik Joseph

Details

Published on Wednesday, 09 April 2014 19:34

Written by Ian Lauer CSCS

With us today is Yanik Joseph, leading by example.  Congrats on a great showing!  What made you decide to compete in the Men’s Physique Division?  I’ve always been a very athletic guy during my high school and college year’s where I played soccer, track and field and cricket.  After attending a local NPC show, a guy by the name of Chad Nicholls came up to me and said, “I saw you at the gym every day; I thought you were prepping for the show.”  I told him I wanted to attend a show first to see what it’s like before making my decision. He said, “You got a really good look; we got another show coming in Kanas City, you should do it.” So, I did a 6 weeks prep for my first show in Kansas City where I came in second in open class C. After that, I was hooked. After the show, came to find out, Chad Nicholls is one of the top coaches in the fitness industry. Getting advice from him was life changing.

Can you tell us a little about the show in which you most recently competed?  I most recently competed in St. Louis Pro Mid-West Championship where I place 6^th in class C. After getting feedback from the judges from my first show, they all thought I needed to be much fuller. I got with Tad the Diet Coach who got me in perfect condition for this show. Since I’m a dark guy, I’m still trying to find a fine tune for tanning and glazing to present a great package.

How did you feel after pre-judging?  I felt great after pre-judging. I wasn’t in the first call out but it did not affect me in any way, shape or form. All the guys looked great and I was very comfortable with the package I brought to the stage. On the down side, I spent countless hours of posing but since the show was running behind, we were told to do one pose then move to the side. I felt this may have affected the placing of some guys since the judges did not get a really good look at most of the competitor the way they wanted to. 

How did you feel about the final results of the show?   I felt good about the final results because I knew I brought a great package to the stage. We can only improve from our past results. So, I’m back in the lab (gym) creating an IFBB pro physique, a physique I’m comfortable with.

What are your thoughts on the Men's Physique Division and what it may be able to do for your career?  I think Men’s Physique has really taken off. It’s a more attainable look a regular guy could achieve with good nutrition and dedicated training compared to an actual bodybuilder look. Career wise, I truly think it’s a more marketable look for companies looking to promote supplements, clothing and regular modeling. With that being said, I think Men’s Physique athletes should be in shape all year round. If not, fewer jobs within this industry will come their way. As a Men’s Physique athlete in this industry, it’s a great way to promote myself as personal trainer leading by example. Too many times we see personal trainers who actually need a personal trainer themselves.

Age: 30

Hometown: Springfield, Missouri, by the way of Caribbean Island of Dominica.

Current city: Springfield, Missouri

Years training: 6 years of training, all natural.

Education: Missouri State University: Bachelor’s degree and Psychology and Marketing.

Occupation: Vendor Banking Coordinator at Expedia.com and Personal trainer

Favorite type of training: High Intensity circuit training. This type of training keeps me in perfect condition all year round.

Favorite body part to train:  I like training legs, since most of my recent soccer training composed of very explosive leg movements. Now, I spend more time under tension during my leg training.

Favorite exercise: Back Squat. As we all know, legs is one of the biggest muscle groups in the body, and when worked intensely, releases testosterone which promotes growth. I try hitting legs twice per week.

Rep range: I like working within 8-12 rep range. During the final 3 weeks of contest prep, my rep range goes from 15 to 30 with a 30 second break between sets.

Number of sets:  I usually do 5 set per each exercise.

Typical workout duration: My work out lasts anywhere from 1hr 15 minutes to 1hr 30 minutes.

Training split: My training split consists of a 5-day split. I like going from a push to a pull movement. Meaning, I will do chest on Mondays, back on Tuesday, shoulders on Wednesdays, arms on Thursday and legs on Friday. I also tend to get another leg session in if I can. I never so the same work out. I always switch it up. One week I might do all my exercises with a drop set followed by a super set on all exercises the following week. I also tend to do a lot of negative and heavy/light movements. I do abs for 10 to 15 minutes after every workout. Some are weighted exercise while others are body weight movements.

Typical daily eating plan: My eating plan changes according to my daily activities. For me being at 190 lbs., I consume 280 grams of protein per day, 150 grams of carbs and 70 grams of fat. I keep my carbs low because I mainly sit at my desk for 8 hours during the day, which means my activity level is very low. I Consume 6 meals per day which are all high protein low carbs meals.

Favorite supplement: My favorite supplement is 100% Gold Standard Whey Protein.

What peaked your interest in training?   I’ve always been in shape for soccer, but after graduating from college I came across Greg Plitt’s YouTube channel. His words and motivation has instilled that inner self belief in me that anything is possible with pure heart and determination. From there, I found a new love for the health and fitness.

Who influences/influenced your training?

I must say, Greg Plitt has influenced my training. After coming across his YouTube channel, I immediately signed up on his website. Everything I’ve learned from working out to health and fitness first started with him.

Sports: I played soccer in high school, college and also the Dominica National soccer team. I also played cricket, basketball, and track and field in high school.

Special interests:  Educating myself more about health and fitness, watching Champion League Soccer, anything soccer related, competing in Men’s Physique shows and watching CSI Miami!

Physique, fitness, bodybuilding competition history:

2^nd place class C at the All Star Championship

6^th place, St. Louis Pro Mid-West Championship

Awards and/or accomplishments:

2nd place class C at the All Star Championship

AC Bommers Football Club, (Dominica Premier League)

3rd place in the Dominica first division football league

2nd place in the Dominica first division football league

5th place in the Dominica premier Division league

Lead the team with goals and assist

Dominica National under 15 team

Dominica National under 17 team

Dominica National under 20 team

Dominica National under 23 team

Dominica Senior National Team

HIGH SCHOOL

DOMINICA SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST HIGH SCHOOL (Caribbean)

3 X Conference Champions

National Champions 

COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

Harris Stowe State University NAIA

Missouri State University, Division 1

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Played world cup qualifying games against: Bahamas, Haiti, British Virgin Islands, and Mexico.

International Friendly against: Denmark’s under 23 team.

Copa Carib Tournament against: Grenada, Stain Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Cuba.

Under 20 world cup qualifier against: Jamaica, Cayman’s Islands, and Grenada.

Next planned competition: Missouri State Championship, July 5th

What keeps you on track towards reaching your goals?

The distance I’ve traveled thus far, self-motivation, self-discipline and having a humble personality.  

Interesting fact or something you would like our readers to know about you: I like Chinese food.

Social Media and Contact:

Facebook: [email protected]

IG: yjfitness

Email: [email protected]
 

• < Prev
• Next >