My 8 months in Australia on the #tripofalifetime came along with a precious haul of priceless memories, amongst which was one particular encounter. I am referring to the day when I took a train from central Melbourne to Glen Waverley to meet and work out with my favourite bodybuilder, the phenomenal Aaron Curtis.
Prior to meeting Aaron I had been following him for a good 4/5 years, around the time I started taking bodybuilding more seriously. The first time I came across Aaron was through this videoclip. Have a look…
What struck me most about Aaron were a number of traits we had in common;
Like me, Aaron had the privilege to grow up with the mindset of an athlete as he competed in middle-distance athletic events. Like me, Aaron was born in 1984. Like me, Aaron stands proud against performance enhancing drugs.
Aaron has been a major source of inspiration for me over the past few years, managing to achieve an incredible physique the natural way, without using steroids or taking any lazy shortcuts. On top of all this, Aaron is a gentleman with a ridiculous sense of humour.
In view of sharing some Curtis fitspiration with you Mirror Friendly followers, I asked Aaron to be kind enough in answering a few questions which I had always wanted to ask him.
So here goes my Q&A with the legend himself…
Name and Surname: Aaron Curtis
Age: 31
Nationality: Australian
Job: Personal Trainer
Achievements: Last place in the 2013 IFBB FitX Men’s Physique. (Andrew: “Stop fishing for compliments mate”)
What led you to take up bodybuilding? Various injuries from football and athletics.
In what way has athletics influenced you? It instilled in me a solid work ethic and the realisation that you only get out what you put in.
How often do you train and how do you split your training?
At the moment I train 5 days a week:
- Shoulders/Triceps
- Back/Rear delts
- OFF
- Chest/Biceps
- Quads/Hams, Back/Calves
- OFF
How does your typical daily diet look like?
Current macros: Proteins 280g Carbohydrates 420g Fats 90g (c.a. 3600 calories)
Meal 1: Rice, yoghurt, cottage cheese, apple, banana, strawberries, honey, cinnamon.
Meal 2: Salmon, lettuce, tomato, celery, capsicum, cucumber, nuts, seeds, salt and pepper.
Meal 3: Kangaroo, sweet potato, beetroot, zucchini, cucumber, cabbage, celery, chili flakes, hot sauce, sweet chili sauce, salt and pepper.
Meal 4: Chicken, potato, zucchini, cucumber, cabbage, celery, chili flakes, hot sauce, satay sauce, salt and pepper.
Meal 5: Either chicken/beef/kangaroo/fish, a couple eggs and various non starchy vegetable matter.
I like to focus on eating mostly whole, unprocessed foods, as I make an effort to keep artificial colours, flavours and preservatives to a minimum.
What is your favourite treat/cheat meal and how often do get to take it generally?
Sushi, ice cream and hot cross buns. Once a week.
What are your fitness-related goals and how do you stay motivated to keep working at them?
To get as big and strong as possible. I really just enjoy training hard, pushing myself physically and eating lots, so getting bigger and stronger is just a byproduct of those things really.
How important is it for someone with our lifestyle to hang out with people of the same or similar mindset?
They say to be successful you should surround yourself with like minded, successful people… I have definitely never bothered with that. It does seem appealing though.
What is your opinion on doping and substance abuse?
I have only ever cared about being a better version of myself, so I have never felt the need to use performance enhancing drugs. I am strongly against doping in drug tested sports and I would be happy to fight any drug cheats in a mixed martial arts competition.
Nowadays it’s hard to find top quality athletes in bodybuilding who are natural. What made you stay away from crossing the line like the majority do? Why do you think that people nowadays revert to doping already from a very young age?
Over the years, I have had a lot of very good ‘bad examples’ around me, when it comes to performance enhancing and recreational drug use. After watching a couple friends die, I have absolutely no desire to develop a life long drug dependency.
What can be done to fight this problem in sports and in society?
Education.
Do you believe the human body has a limit as to how much it can physically improve the natural way?
Yes, but I don’t know anyone personally who has reached that physical limit. The only limiting factor I see is time, as eventually we all get to a point where our bodies are too old and we will start to regress.
What in your opinion is the key to achieve physical greatness?
Eat at at calorie surplus and progressively overload, for a very long time.
Why do you love bodybuilding? What does it give you?
It gives me structure, the ability to set goals and an enjoyable physical outlet.
Your favourite quote:
“Too big for quotes.” Aaron Curtis – Skinny Natural Bodybuilder
Thanks so much for your time Aaron. Keep inspiring in proving you’re #toobigforsteroids 🙂
Finally, on behalf of the Mirror Friendly team and our followers I would like to wish you all the best as you shortly become a dad for the first time (what a lucky kid!). I am looking forward to see what a great skinny daddy you will be.
To fitness with love,
Andrew
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