Articles INTERVIEWS Meet Shaka Smith: 1st Place Men's Physique A Class at the Orange County Muscle Classic
Shaka Smith was not sure if he was going to compete in the Orange County. He attended the Culver City 
Show a few weeks back and found his interest peaked. He mulled over the idea of getting on the stage himself. Well it's a great thing he did. He walked on the stage this past weekend and rocked it! Shaka when from "thinking about doing a show" to winning the A Class at the Orange County just a short time later. Want to learn more about this physique phenom? Read on!
What are your thoughts on the Men's Physique Division?
The physique division is very strong – it’s a great addition to the competition. I think as competitors we are all trying to figure out exactly what the judges are looking for, but that’s kind of the fun part – it pushes you to bring your best in all aspects.
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Current city: North Hollywood, CA
Years training: I began training for fitness competitions in February, but I have always been active, swimming, rowing, and playing water polo growing up.
Favorite type of training: I love crossfit – and I try to incorporate as much crossfit style training into what I do in the gym.
Favorite body part to train: Abs – I love training abs because they can take so much punishment with minimal rest.
Favorite exercise: Right now I am a big fan of hanging knee raises – this workout gets my abs in their best shape.
Rep range: 15-20 – I prefer higher reps and lower weights. Every few weeks though I go heavy to shock the system.
Number of sets: 3-4
Typical workout duration: 3 hours – I like to do cardio every workout. I always begin with a short run, and I always end with a swim. I really try to hit every part of whatever body part I am training on a particular day and of course there is always an ab workout – consequently I’m in the gym for awhile.
Typical daily eating plan: I don’t really follow any eating plans. I fill my diet with as much healthy food as I can, mostly, salmon, carrots, and fresh fruits. This keeps me full and tends to reduce my craving for the less healthy stuff, but when I do crave the less healthy stuff, I have it and just jack up my next workout a little more.
Favorite supplement:
I’m a big fan of the Animal Pak – it’s a great multivitamin that has just about everything you need for a workout and to get through the day in general.
What peaked your interest in training? I guess having a lot of people ask me questions about training in the gym. I actually didn’t have answers, but they assumed I did. So I thought I’d actually pursue training and become more knowledgeable in an area that I knew would always be beneficial for the rest of my life.
Who influences/influenced your training? James Ellis, who happens to also be my neighbor. He has been awesome and taken me under his wing. As knowledgeable as I felt before training with James, his training jumped me into a level that made it plausible to really compete and think about a career in the fitness world.
Sports: Swimming, Rowing, Water Polo
Physique, fitness, bodybuilding competition history: 2011 NPC Orange County Men’s Physique Division Class A 1st Place
Next planned competition:
July 23rd Culver City (NPC Los Angeles Championships)
What keeps you on track towards reaching your goals? The supportive community, the competitors, event organizers and attendees – everyone is so positive and encouraging, you can’t help but always want to bring your best.
Interesting fact or something you would like our readers to know about you:
Addicted to 30 Rock – never watched it before and currently winding my way through every season on Netflix!
Website and facebook:
www.facebook.com/shakastrong
Contact Information:
Facebook and twitter are the best ways to get in touch with me – I’m on 24/7!
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