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COVER MODEL PHYSIQUE

BY SAM BOND // PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATT MARSH

In just 18 months, Kirk Miller went from being your Average Joe Plumber to a successful fitness model. Kirk tells Muscle & Fitness how he achieved and maintains that cover model look.

As I sit opposite Kirk, two things strike me. The first: it’s astonishing to see someone so lean and vascular that hasn’t come armed with several Tupperware containers. The second: Kirk seems genuinely passionate about his training and helping others achieve their goals. Kirk is very clear that he feels anyone can achieve what he has achieved and aspires to be the UK’s leading fitness model to prove just that. “I don’t see myself as anything extraordinary because I really think anyone can achieve this.” Kirk and I trained alongside each other in the same gym when I was at Coventry University. Kirk always had potential and a great physique so why did it take him so long to get his act together? His answer: “I used to be out on a bender all the time, but now I want more. I started thinking positively and now I have goals.”

Seven years ago, Kirk began his training for a personal training qualification but diversified slightly and trained as a plumber instead. Since recently winning a cover model competition he has picked up his personal training again and is now committed to making a difference with his clients. “I grew tired of seeing people waste their time in the gym. People were continually asking me for advice anyway so it made good sense to switch to personal training. I love how I can make a difference as a trainer and I’ve even helped a client reach the finals of a cover model competition like I did.”

In 2010, Kirk beat thousands of hopefuls to win a prestigious cover model competition and began a new career as a fitness model. The most fascinating thing is he doesn’t seem to have changed all that much since I used to bump into him at 3.00 am on a Sunday morning in a take-away kebab shop. I wonder how many would-be cover models or champion athletes there are out there that haven’t quite got round to making the changes necessary to achieving their own potential? I asked Kirk why he entered the competition and what has changed for him since? “I was getting complimented on my condition a lot at the gym. I’ve been saying I would enter the competition for about five years now but I was still getting drunk three nights a week. I had always fancied entering something like this and I actually entered it in 2009. I missed the phone call telling me I had made it to the final and left it too long to return the call. My friend Sonya helped me knock up a personal statement and we sent off a few photos the following year. I knew I had the potential to win but just hadn’t changed my mindset at that stage. I went to Mexico for two weeks and enjoyed myself and came home to find out I had only 13 days until the final. That’s when I started thinking positively. Two months later I heard I had won and I’ve been picking up pace since then, really.”

I’m sure right now a lot of our readers are thinking exactly what I was thinking as Kirk said this: ‘Yeah right, it’s that easy.’ I thought I would ask the obvious question of how he prepared for the competition in just 13 days. “Once I had made that decision to go for it, I was fully committed. If I had trained any harder I might have made myself ill. I really did try and push myself right to the edge and make every moment in the gym count. I carefully controlled my diet and kept my carbs really low. I even tried to manipulate my water levels to make that little bit of difference.”

A quick online search for Kirk will show the incredible condition he is in pretty much all year round. We can all appreciate how hard it is to achieve this standard of physique but I wanted to know exactly what motivates Kirk to maintain this condition throughout the year. “I think most blokes want to look good all year round. Since winning the cover model competition I’ve started doing a lot of media work so I need to be in good shape. But I also feel I need to keep up a certain appearance to help my clients and to help others believe it’s possible to achieve their potential. I try and practise what I preach. I have had a lot of nice comments from people too and that’s encouraging.”

How often do you train?

I train every weekday and sometimes on a Saturday. I use weights throughout the week and cardio at any other time. Sunday is usually a rest day but from time to time this can change. I’ll only be training at the weekend if I am preparing for something. Next Sunday I’ll be training but I’m off to Ibiza on a boys holiday in a couple of weeks so I’d like to look sharp.

WHAT IS YOUR TRAINING SPLIT?

Monday: Chest (40 minutes),  calves (20 minutes), followed by  cardio/interval training (30 minutes)

Tuesday: Back (40 minutes),  hamstrings (30 minutes)

Wednesday: Shoulders (40 minutes), Abs (20 minutes) followed by  cardio/interval training (30 minutes)

Thursday: Quads (40 minutes),  calves (20 minutes)

Friday: Biceps and triceps (40 minutes)  followed by  cardio/interval training (30 minutes)

Saturday: Extra cardio and abs session

Can you talk us through your approach to training and why you train this way?

What you see here is a typical training split but my training is never written down. I pretty much make it up on the spot. No workout is ever the same from one week to the next. The main thing is I keep moving the whole time and I don’t just go through the motions. If I’m going to do something, then I do it and I don’t back out. The general rule of thumb is I work on a 12, 10, 8, 6 rep system with three to four exercises per bodypart. I will take every set to failure if I can and then use forced reps if I have a spotter. I don’t beat myself up if I miss a rep target but I’ll immediately do a drop set to keep going.

I remember you used to jump in with my own leg training on occasions back at the Apollo gym. Why do you split your legs up now?

I find my legs react better when I split them up and I can really focus entirely on each muscle group. I train my legs so hard that it will hurt for days after. I don’t spend too much time worrying about squats any more, I just get in and do them. My form is always perfect though, and I’ll end a set if my form suffers.

Can you explain your choice of cardio training?

If I have a busy day of clients I will run in the morning but I react really well to interval training. Again I just make it up on the spot. I use the Stairmaster because it’s more intense—it separates the men from the boys.

Obviously you need a particularly good midsection to be a fitness model. How do you train your midsection?

I always start with my lower abs because it’s harder to hit them properly. Every guy wants good abs. But good abs only come with being lean and having a good diet. They are just another muscle group so I train them once a week. I’m a personal trainer and a fitness model now so I have to have good abs. I’m lucky that sit-ups were drilled into me at an early age when I played football. But you have to be an animal to push yourself through training them.”

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL DIET?

My diet will change depending on my schedule but it will look something like this:

Breakfast

100 g oats with water
Ground cinnamon
2 scoops whey isolate
1 tsp hemp oil
Green tea and black coffee

Mid-morning (2 to 3 hours later)

Tin of mackerel/tuna
Salad
Handful of almonds

Lunch (2 to 3 hours later)

50 g (uncooked weight) brown rice
150 g organic turkey with hot spice
1 tsp hemp oil
Mixed vegetables

Late lunch (2 to 3 hours later)

50 g (uncooked weight) brown rice
150 g organic turkey with hot spice
1 tsp hemp oil
Mixed vegetables

Post-workout

2 scoops whey isolate
2 scoops dextrose

Dinner

Loads of vegetables  (as much variety as possible)
150 g turkey steak

Before bed

2 scoops slow release protein
1 tsp hemp oil

How do you cope with the diet when it gets really tough?

Well you need to be committed but you also need a balance. I cheat every single week regardless. I like food so why shouldn’t I? The level that I cheat will depend on how hard I’ve worked that week. If I’m training for a photo shoot, a cheat day might become a cheat meal and then I will gradually clean that up over the weeks leading up to it. Diets don’t need to be hard and there is a tendency to rely on supplements. I treat myself to a rump steak each week and completely relax at the weekends. Because I’m never too far out of shape, I know I can see results very quickly so it’s easy to stay motivated.

What about at times like on holiday or at Christmas, Do you relax at all?

I still train hard at Christmas but I used to take time off. I love food though so the diet goes right out of the window. I will always train hard during the week and relax at weekends. I still party but I’ve just dropped it down a bit. I just don’t want to be one of those guys who only allows themselves one bar of chocolate a week. There is more to life than the gym.

Kirk’s top fat-burning tips

Train hard and don’t waste your time in the gym. If you’re dieting for a goal, don’t cut corners and don’t approach the goal with half measures. If you commit to eating good clean food throughout the week, you can afford to relax at the weekend or enjoy a cheat meal. Cheat meals can help keep you sane and give you something to look forward to but don’t go overboard—they need to be earned and there will always be a price to pay.

Kirk’s suggested chest workout

Most people are weak in the upper chest so I would recommend this be the focus for the workout. Make sure your form is perfect in every exercise and focus on the mind-muscle connection. Increase the weight each set and if the first set is too easy, do not count it.

INCLINE BARBELL CHEST PRESS

4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps

Pinch your shoulder blades together and maintain an arched back like powerlifters. Lower the bar to just a few centimetres off the chest and try to push the weight through your chest. Lock the elbows at the top of the movement—this will help maintain the tension on the chest.

INCLINE DUMBBELL FLYE

 3 sets x 10 to 12 reps

Don’t go too low with these flyes and keep the dumbbells directly over the upper chest. On the last set, when you reach failure, immediately switch to the dumbbell press and keep going to failure.