Meeting top bodybuilder Simeon Panda

One of bodybuilding’s current top icons, Simeon Panda held an open training session at South London’s Metroflex gym in Sydenham.

Panda has his own very own unique physique. His huge, chiselled upper body sits on his small waist, making him almost look as if he’s a cartoon character.

The Musclemania Pro is a natural athlete with the ferocity of a powerlifter and arguably one of the most aesthetically impressive physiques in the world.

The 30 year old measures 6ft 1ins and currently weighs 104kg, with under 10% body fat.

The London-born athlete who maintains a stage-worthy defined physique all year round, is an advocate for natural bodybuilding and an inspiration to fitness enthusiasts worldwide, receiving millions of views of his workouts and blogs on YouTube.

Early stages

Panda first started lifting as a skinny 16-year-old wanting to improve his strength and overall size. He was inspired to go further when he met a friend in college who was very muscular and ripped.

He wanted a change his small frame and asked his friend how he got so big. The answer: weights and workouts – and lots of them.

That same day, he ordered himself some dumbbells, and thus began his transformation.

Panda said: “My friends even thought I was weird at one point as I would bring my dumbbell over to theirs when I stayed over.”

He is now a global star, with 2.9m followers on Instagram alone, and competes in shows around the world, judges top bodybuilding competitions and is the owner of his own sportswear company, SP Aesthetics.

Motivated

When he first started weight training, he recalls working out every day without fail. He soon realised he was on to something big.

“I was training in my living room and a friend of my brother’s who had not seen me in a while came over and was shocked and said I was huge. That really motivated me to go at it even harder.”

Panda realised he was gaining strength and size rapidly so he eventually bought heavier weights until it was time to find a gym.

“The only regret I have is not training legs from my first years of gym as they would have been much better than they are now, but they’ve still come along way.

“My perspective on training is do the best you can until you know better, then when you know better, do better.”

Training

As Simeon built up his strength and knowledge of fitness over the years, he’s now a firm believer in training heavy, both physically and mentally.

“I say mentally because nothing gives me the same buzz as moving a tremendous amount of weight,” he said.

“Warming up is very important to me as I tend to lift heavy very regularly, so I make sure my joints are prepared as I have a current elbow pain. So I heavily wrap it up before training.

“Everyone’s body is different, but training heavy was the most effective way for me to gain muscle and size as well as eating well.”

Panda says muscle growth occurs when your body is trying to repair the damage done by lifting weights on your body. Over time, your body will adapt to even the toughest routines. To make sure that he doesn’t hit a plateau, Panda will change and cycle his routines every so often.

Changing exercises frequently tends to shock the muscle as its being hit in a different movement which allows further muscle growth.

Below is Simeon’s training regime which he does tend to change by one or more exercises from time to time.

Monday: Chest

8 sets of Bench Press ranging from 1 – 20 reps

8 sets of Incline Press ranging from 1 – 20 reps

6 sets of Cable Fly’s low ranging from 6 – 20 reps

6 sets of Cable Fly’s high ranging from 6 – 20 reps

Tuesday: Legs

3 sets of Leg Extensions 20 reps

8 Sets of Squats ranging from 4 – 10 reps

8 Sets of Leg Press ranging from 12 – 15 reps

8 Sets of Lying Leg Curl ranging from 6 – 20 reps

4 Sets of Calf Presses on Leg Press Superset with Raises off the wall 20 reps

4 Sets of Donkey Calf Raises Superset with Raises off the wall 20 reps

Wednesday: Back

8 sets of Bent Over Row ranging from 6 – 20 reps

8 sets of Lat Pull Down ranging from 6 – 20 reps

8 sets of Seated Row ranging from 6 – 20 reps

8 sets of Deadlifts ranging from 6 – 20 reps

6 sets of Single Arm Row ranging from 6 – 10 reps

Thursday: Shoulders

8 sets of Shoulder Press ranging from 6 – 20 reps

8 sets of Dumbbell Lat Raises ranging from 6 – 20 reps

8 sets of Front Raises ranging from 6 – 20 reps

8 sets of Barbell Shrugs ranging from 6 – 20 reps

Friday: Arms

8 Sets of Close Grip Bench Press ranging from 6 – 20 reps

8 sets of Preacher Curls ranging from 6 – 20 reps

8 sets of Pushdowns ranging from 6 – 20 reps

8 sets of Hammer Curls ranging from 6 – 20 reps

Saturday

Rest

Sunday: Legs

8 Sets of Leg Extensions 20 reps

Dumbbell Walking Lunges 20+ Laps of the gym

4 Sets of Calf Presses on Leg Press Superset with Raises off the wall 20 reps

4 Sets of Donkey Calf Raises Superset with Raises off the wall 20 reps

Panda suggests compound workouts are the foundation of building muscle which includes squats, bench presses and deadliest. All three work multiple muscles at once which increases the speed of muscle growth.

Diet

Panda’s diet is like most professional bodybuilders and fitness models, being strict and accurate to his training needs.

Having a speedy metabolism, sometimes he tends to get in one or two cheat meals a week in order to get the extra calories he needs.

His daily diet will look something like:

Meal 1: Oats, Banana & Almonds

Meal 2: Rice Cakes & Cottage Cheese

Meal 3: Wholegrain Rice, Chicken Breast & Vegetables

Meal 4: Wholegrain Rice, Chicken Breast & Vegetables

Meal 5: Wholegrain Rice, Chicken Breast & Vegetables

Meal 6: 8 Egg Whites & Smoked Salmon

Meal 7: Mackerel & Vegetables

For more information, visit simeonpanda.com