Interview with Myles Leask: Personal Trainer & Fitness Model

Interview with Myles Leask: Fitness Model, Trainer and Actor

We were fortunate enough to catch up with distinguished model, personal trainer and actor Myles Leask who has graced some of the fitness industry’s leading magazine front covers.

If that wasn’t enough:

Myles has also had a plethora of experience working with some of the biggest supplement brands in the world and shared with us some great insights into training, staying motivated and keeping on top of such a busy schedule.

Hi Myles, thanks for taking the time out to chat with us today.

For anyone who is not familiar with you, could you give our readers a brief introduction?

My name is Myles Leask and I’m an Agency signed Commercial and Fitness Model and have been in the fitness industry for around 8 years.

Since my time in the industry, I have been lucky enough to feature and shoot for some of the major fitness publications in the UK including Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Running and lots more.

As well as this,

I’m a Myprotein, Nocco UK, YOLO Food Company and Musclefood Athlete.

I also offer a range of e-Books and online coaching options via my website: www.mylesleaskfitness.com.

Can you tell us a little bit more about how you got started in the fitness industry?

I actually got started from commercial modelling and was then featured in prominent fitness publications which caught the eye of a number of notable photographers.

From there, everything began to snowball.

New opportunities would crop up to increase my brand image, which, I was lucky to get involved in, as the market was no where near as saturated with the various figures, models and fitness trainers as it is today.

What is it you enjoy the most about the work you currently do?

I love the variety of my work.

One day I’m filming for either YouTube, the brands I work with or TV shows and so on. The next, I could be on a plane to a different country for a photo shoot or an exhibition all whilst managing to keep up with my online client work whilst I travel.

The amount of travelling I do also gives me a chance to dig into a lot of my projects such as writing new e-Books whilst essentially being paid by someone else.

Multitasking at its finest!

What is your overall approach to training and staying fit?

For me, it’s all about consistency. It’s putting in the work day in, day out.

I am not one of those people that go on a bulk or cut throughout the year. I try to remain in shape and be photo shoot ready all year round so this means I train twice a day almost every day.

However, I’m always careful about listening to my body when I need a good rest day.

Do you prefer lifting/exercising with a training partner or by yourself? Why?

It’s a mix of both for me.

90% of my workouts are done alone as I like to get my headphones in, get in the zone and get the job done.

Nevertheless, training with friends is always nice but it’s more of a social aspect than anything else as I find it far more productive to go it alone.

How did your relationship with brands such as Myprotein, Musclefood, Nocco UK and YOLO Food Company take place? Was it always your intention to be sponsored from the get-go?

Absolutely!

Once I got involved in the fitness industry, it was always one of my goals to become a sponsored athlete.

Make no mistake about it:

It was a struggle to find the right brands to work with without the possibility of conflict who produced products that I truly believed in, as well as being a part of a team that I could work with for the betterment of all parties.

I feel that finally, after 8 years, I have found the perfect fit and I am over the moon with the team I currently work with and have no intention of changing, just progressing further within the brands.

What does your current training split look like? How do you keep on top of it with your busy schedule?

As I touched upon earlier, I train twice a day most days with the first session being fasted cardio and the second being weights.

I always train primary and secondary muscles together such as back and biceps or chest and triceps and so on.

In addition to that,

I tend to focus a lot more on the harder parts of my body to develop such as legs which I hit more often than my stronger attributes like shoulders which only get trained once a week.

If I’m being totally honest:

Sometimes you just can’t find the time to workout so you need to adjust.

For example, I was at the FIBO Exhibition in Germany a few weeks ago where I was splitting time between supporting both Myprotein and Nocco UK which meant working from 8am-6pm with no breaks.

I was quite exhausted so I skipped sessions whilst I was there to make sure I was full of energy to meet everyone during the day and give everyone the best experience possible.

8. What are the steps you take to get in shape when you know you have a big photo shoot a few months/weeks down the line?

I am pretty much there or thereabouts throughout most of the year, but if it’s for something big such as an exhibition or a brand campaign, I’ll simply the drop cheat meals and reduce calories slightly.

I rarely do things such as water manipulation since after those things you rebound and look worse.

If you have multiple things lined up where you’re trying to unnaturally manipulate your body, it just doesn’t work (or at least for myself it hasn’t).

For me, keeping it simple is key when trying to look good aesthetically.

A guy or girl approaches you and wants to get bigger. What do you normally prescribe them to achieve some serious body mass?

Firstly, eat more.

The biggest mistake I see with the majority of people is that they are massively under eating when it comes to trying to gain weight.

Secondly, sleep.

You need to be well rested in order to grow.

Thirdly, optimise your workouts.

Assess your training schedule and aim to perform more big compound moves. You also want to drop any cardio work completely as this will make it harder to stay in a calorie surplus required for muscle growth.

Talk us through a typical day’s diet. Are there any foods you generally include or exclude?

Usually,

My daily food requirements are met by YOLO Food Company who supply all of my prepared meals for me.

I also snack in between meals with bars and cookies from Myprotein.

In any case,

If I am craving something, I will typically have it, but then I know somewhere down the line that week I will have to put the work in to balance it out.

It’s not about starving yourself – it’s about finding something that works for you long term and that is the best system I have found for myself.

What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever done or seen happen at the gym?

There’s quite a few to be honest but to not shame anyone else, I was once doing HIIT sprints on a treadmill and my phone dropped. I tried to look down to catch it but ended up absolutely stacking it!

Believe me:

There is no way you can style that out to look cool.

Luckily the gym was pretty empty haha!

Do you have any pearls of wisdom you could offer those who are looking to become a PT or fitness model?

Be humble and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

I spend a lot of my time answering queries via email or social media. If you’re nice people will want to help you!

Also, pay your dues.

Don’t expect it to be handed to you and be prepared to put in the work. It’s not easy but it’s definitely worth it.

Finally, do something credible that makes you stand out from the crowd such as featuring in a magazine or winning a competition.

Either way,

Give someone a reason to notice and look up to you.

Finally, what one piece of advice would you give our readers to get in better shape and stay motivated in the gym all year round?

As I mentioned before, consistency is key and I live by this motto.

It’s what you do day in, day out that defines you.

Wherever you go, be sure to always make smart choices.

You can have both a physique and a social life. It isn’t a one or the other kind of thing, you just have to train hard and think intelligently at all times!

More from Myles Leask

In addition to checking out Myles Leask on Myprotein, Nocco UK, YOLO Food Company and Musclefood, you can also find out more about Myles Leask on his personal website: www.mylesleaskfitness.com.

Be sure to stay up to date with Myles Leask on social media as well:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Youtube

Enjoyed this interview? Who else would you like to be interviewed on CheckMeowt?

Let us know in the comments section below!

Joseph Gregorio

Joseph is the Founder and Editor in Chief of CheckMeowt. When he is not sat at the computer guzzling down the nearest thing with protein in it, he can be found pulling up the world in the gym. Occasionally, he is best described as socially unreliable and easily distracte.