Dave Bohr: Shredded Personal Trainer Talks With Intense Fitness

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started with training?

My name is Dave Bohr I’m 29 (as of this week) I’m original from and grew up in Detroit, MI. I moved to Southern Orange Country when I was 20 and I’ve been here since. I’m a Muscle-Tech sponsored athlete as well as GENr8 sponsored.

I have been a personal trainer for a little over 12 years, and started training properly when I was 15 in my basement with a cement filled weight set.
My best friend Adam got me into training in-directly because he was getting gigantic and strong in his garage when we were just kids and it was inspiring to watch. I was already into martial arts as a kid and didn’t like traditional sports other than wrestling so bodybuilding/powerlifting seemed perfect.

What work out program has worked best for you?

No one particular program has worked the best for me. What I can say is first obtaining a base from powerlifting greatly helped me add on muscle. Since I began, I’ve always used some form of Powerlifting/Bodybuilding Hybrid style. Similar to guys like Ronnie Coleman, Branch Warren, & Johnnie Jackson.

I like to use heavy compound lifts always to start off my workouts, and then move more towards higher rep isolation work. I will always use some type of advanced techniques in every workout to further stress the muscle. So I may use drop sets/strip sets, super sets, pre-exhaust, partial range, lock outs, negatives, and different techniques with the help of my spotter. I think at a certain point it becomes important to step outside your comfort zone and really push your body hard if you want to continue to gain strength & lean body mass.

How much and often do you perform cardio?

It depends, and fluctuates all the time. Even if not dieting I will try to add high intensity cardio for the sake of heart health at least twice/week. When dieting I don’t require much cardio to respond well and lose fat, 35-45 minutes AM/PM 3-5x/week max.

Do you prefer steady state cardio or HIIT?

I use both LISS & HIIT cardio when dieting, as well as Hybrid LISS/HIIT. The Hybrid form basically is your typical LISS session around 45 minutes or so with 2-3 HIT (high intensity) rounds for about 90 seconds. I like to do at least 1 round in the middle of the session and another when about 90% completed. It just helps increase your RMR slightly more for the hours to follow, and is healthy for the heart.

When in fasted state I will only use LISS keeping heart rate low around 60% of maximum which is about 115bpm (beats per minute for me). I also try to primarily use LISS when already in low single digit body fat trying to get lower, since lower intensity cardio is more ideal for utilizing fat for fuel, and other nutrients I prefer to be spared from cardio.

What supplements have given you the best results?

Well you have to keep in mind when you take dozens of supplements and are using different methods of dieting/training, ECT… it becomes very difficult to credit any one supplement. However I currently use the following and am a fan of these:

• BCAAS (Modern BCAA by USP labs; I like it due to the 8:1:1 Leucine ration, Leucine is by far the most important of all the BCAAs) I usually take between some meals & pre/intra/post-workout.

• Vitargo I use in my Pre/intra/Post workout shake 3-6 scoops/day I feel it’s the best post workout carb source on the market and is definitely worth the $.

• HydroWhey I prefer but I am using SEI pharmaceuticals due to taste/price.

• Zinc/magnesium/b6 (ZMA) & Melatonin before bed each night

• Arginine I take about 1000mg pre-workout in pure form

• Six Star Muscle Creatine Fuel; I have loads of this, so I’m finishing it up taking it pre-workout, but I’m a fan of Jack3d & Super Pump.

• R-ALA I will take 200mg on high carb days with my last few carb meals

• Beta alanine I take about 3-5g pre-workout

What is your favorite exercise and why?

Lately I really like seated DB lateral raises simply because I can feel them in my shoulders more than most exercise’s. Being seated with your feet planted down in-front of you allows you to lean up/down to create momentum and get a really good set with heavier weight than you would be able to use while standing.

What is the best training tip you could give to some one else?

Don’t attempt to learn by trial and error. Bodybuilders as an entire culture of people since the 1960’s are still in the process of learning via trial & error regarding many subjects, so no one Individual is going to get any success like that.

You don’t have to hire someone like me although that’s one method, you can still learn quite a bit by doing a decent amount of research regarding resistance training, diet, and cardio before you jump into a routine. There are many great websites, forums, books, and magazines to learn from. It’s very frustrating seeing people wasting day after day in the gym and looking the same year after year. It’s not my personal duty though to approach every person and correct them which can be very offensive to a lot of people.

How does your training change from off season to contest prep?

Well I don’t compete; I just help those that do. But I still diet as if I am competing and get to my leanest as well as peak just to do it. The last 6 months I have decided to stay lean the remaining of the year so that requires a diet that’s consistent of clean foods 90% of the time. With a consistent training/cardio program.

For this style of dieting I alternate fast maybe 4-5 days of the month (go 16-18 hours in fasted state) and focus on fat loss these days via cardio as well as break my fast with clean foods while keeping a daily deficit. I also will fluctuate fats/carbs based off feel. Generally I will keep carbs low half the week, and raise them higher around training days. I like to fat load and spike fat when most sedentary, but still keep carbs under control. Overall though my actual resistance training doesn’t change much when I’m getting more serious with the exception of a lot more core training.

What kind of music or what artists do you listen to when you train?

A little of everything, I’m big on tunes, I have about 22,000 songs or so on the PC to keep things fresh. But I’ll listen to Artist like as Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, Infected Mushroom, Shpongle, Sepultura, Justice, Rammstein, Ferry Corsten, ect…

What is your favorite cheat food?

Sushi hands down.

How do you stay motivated?

It’s pretty easy for me. I’m surrounded by people all day who are motivated with big goals that depend on me. I have a lot on my shoulders forcing me to stay committed. There will never be a time in my life where I stop training for good. If it feels like a burden for you to train then you will quit, or you will at least never give it your all. I enjoy working out, I feel good the entire session, and even better when I walk out the door with an endorphin rush.

Dieting is no different, most successful people these days you see who are staying in shape year round are on Facebook constantly uploading phone pictures of the random foods they prepared lol. You can literally eat something new every single day 365 days/year and still be on an extremely strict diet if you have good culinary knowledge. You just need to practice cooking, and do some research. There are 50 healthy ways just to prepare a chicken breast for example, no reason for food to ever get repetitive and bland.

What do you love most about the sport and competing?

Well the entire evolution of bodybuilding really fascinates me. It’s nothing how it was in the 70’s, and it’s still changing. We are seeing less of the “mass monsters” being rewarded lately and more focus on aesthetics for example. It’s also a very rewarding sport for the athletes. You’re not just competing against other guys, but primarily yourself. Even if a guy goes from 2nd to 5th in one comp to the next if he improved his conditioning, and maybe added a few lbs. of muscle without increasing his waist diameter, that is a win to me.

What else do you do when you are not training or competing?

The majority of my time lately is focused towards Apex my Online Training Company, so I sit behind a computer a lot most days. One of my main hobbies is actually just researching and reading about things that Interest me like History & Science, so I’m a bit of a dork. I’m not big on the bar/club scene, when I can finally get out. I like the beach, hiking, outdoors, or hanging with friends and have a UFC party, BBQ or something along those lines. I’m a pretty a simple guy.

What is your favorite motivational quote?

“Using no way as way, having no limitation as limitation.” –Bruce Lee

Tell us about your company Apex Contest Prep and what services do you offer?

Well I’ve been a personal trainer for a little over 12 years, but I started Apex in Oct 09 to focus more on my online clients. Today most of my work is with online clients. I have a waiting list for in-person training, but typically only open 1-2 slots every few months at the most and nothing open currently.

I only offer one Online Training package that covers everything related to getting in shape. The reason I do this is so that I have control over essentially everything to insure the client’s results. The exact package details can be found on my website, but it includes a customized diet, workout, supplement plan, cardio plan, cardio log, training/dieting logs, physical stat logs, a food data base, a core training program & log. Everything is also interactive with clickable links on all the foods & exercises along with detailed notes on not just what to do, but how to do it. All clients sent me email updates throughout the week, and every 2 weeks sends me all of their logs for me to analyze, critique, make changes to the routine, and place in there file for tracking purposes.

If some wants to connect with you, where can you be found?

Email: Dave@ApexContestPrep.com
Website: www.ApexContestPrep.com
Facebook: www.ApexDiets.com (It re-directs you)
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ApexContestPrep

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview and the best of luck to you in the future!

No, Problem thank you for interviewing me.