Kaged

ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS

Shaun Joseph Tavernier

Finally I have managed to track down the man of the moment, a certain Mr. Shaun Joseph Tavernier. Shaun thanks so much for joining us and coming on board with KagedMuscle.

It’s a pleasure, thank you!

Let’s begin with your career, I mean it is quite incredible, you were a novice in the world of competing and you won right?! Take us from the start to now.

Well I got into bodybuilding by chance really; I always kept fit from my rugby days. I was training at a local community health club and these guys who were there suggested that I should try and compete but I wasn’t that interested. I had a few friends I knew of who were training at a hardcore gym called Genesis not too far from where I was training back in 2006, so I decided to go down there and take look.

I trained there once or twice and the owner Dave “Bulldog” Beattie and another former British champ Rai Garcia said that I had some real good potential.

By this time my training partner Patrick Grant and I were getting pretty bored with the gym that we were at so decided to give Genesis a try.

Anyways to cut a long story short, I joined there weeks before the British of 2006 and the atmosphere was buzzing as there were three guys there that were training for the British.

I went to watch them compete and I was in awe of the physiques that were on stage and though to myself I could never do that, I’m just not good enough!

Weeks after the British there was a bit of banter in the gym and one of the guys suggested that maybe I was cut out to compete and challenged me to complete a diet and get up on stage. I took him up on that bet and here we are today!

Wow, you have made incredible progress in such a short space of time. Obviously you were born for this! How wrong could you have been about not been good enough ;)! Coming so close to your pro card in 2009 showed everyone just how good you are. How did you feel after that result?

Do you really want me to tell you in words how I felt?J I think not, I will keep that one to myself. Let’s just say it will be business as usual this year and I want what’s mine!

I’m definitely sensing your desire to take your Pro Card this year. How do you feel the British bodybuilding scene has come on?

There are a great bunch of athletes with loads of potential, I think the bodybuilding scene has come on a lot and hopefully will only get better.

For sure it has and I can’t see why it won’t continue to do so. Kris Gethin likened the last British Championship to the Olympia! To add to that what gains do you plan on making this year before the British?

I might not be on stage at the British this year. The state of play is, if I go to the Arnolds and place top 5, I will get my pro card! I intend on being in the crowd supporting and cheering on the other athletes J

Ahh ok. I’m absolutely certain you will achieve a top 5 place and KagedMuscle will be sure to follow it and support you all the way! Where do you see yourself fitting in as a Pro?

Right at the TOP! 202S here I come.

Great answer ;). Presuming you get your Pro Card at the Arnold do you plan on going to the MR. O 202 this year?

Well first things first, I have to ask myself can I be competitive this year, and I feel the answer is yes. Secondly, my aim is to win the 202 Mr. O. How long realistically can I achieve this, and my aim is within 2 years. So I suppose after the Arnolds will be decision making time, but I need to get that pro card first.

That’s very true. What I love about you Shaun is that your totally honest and don’t beat about the bush, you give a head on answer and your confidence is inspiring ;)! Do you plan on moving to the USA when you turn pro?

The states is a place I really enjoy going to, I think it’s great there. I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

For sure. Right now we have covered competing and your future plans in that respect. Let’s turn to your training.

Since the British finals what gains have you made to ensure 2010 is the year KagedMuscle viewers witness ‘The One’ turning pro?

Not doing anything drastic is the best thing I have done. There is a short amount of time between the British and the Arnolds, so the best thing to do is not to do anything drastic. I was happy with my showing at the British, so the aim is to bring the best package I can to the Arnolds. I wouldn’t say so much as gained on the scales but my whole package will be improved for sure, but most of my knowledge has improved which is key to cracking it this year!

Right, obviously your size is there so you are concentrating on bringing in a completely conditioned package which should see you over the line so to speak.
Run us through your training split, your preferred method and how you plan on progressing?

Variety is key for me! My training consists of high and low reps. My training split is: Monday shoulders, abs and calves. Tuesday quads stomach, Wednesday chest abs and calves, Thursday, back abs and calves, Friday hamstrings, biceps and calves, abs

Gosh your abs and calves get a right battering. Any particular reason for this?

Yep the reason for this is simple, they are or rather were weak areas, and both are body parts that can quite easily be forgotten after a hard training session. So I found working them like this worked for me and I responded well.

That couldn’t be truer, and it’s great to see someone like you focusing on a weak area opposed to your strong areas! Is there any particular variety of training you like or dislike, and that also goes for any exercises too?

I’ve tried all sorts of different training methods and all work with me to some extent so I’ve been lucky, but I like to incorporate everything throughout the year.

Cool, you’re a man that’s likes to add variety. Your physique looks very powerful; I would suspect you’re quite strong. Tell us about your heaviest lifts.

My lifts are ok, not too bad. My bench is 170kg for 6 reps, squat is 255kg for 8 reps, deadlifts 250kg for 4 reps.

‘Not too bad’? They are some massive lifts for a lighter competitor, or anybody for that matter! Do you feel it is very important to be strong as a bodybuilder?

I think it’s important to have a decent amount of strength; you don’t particularly have to be immensely strong, but I do like to lift heavy as much as possible.

I can go along with that. In a way, if you train properly, eat well and take good supplements your strength will grow. Also do you feel you need to constantly become stronger in order to make gains as a bodybuilder? Why?

Hhhhmmm that’s a tricky one, I know some guys who have great physiques, look really powerful but don’t lift heavy at all. You really have to be smart about your training and nutrition and try to find out what works for you. For all of us there is a limit that we will not be able to go beyond, I think it’s more a case of making the best of what we have and being smart with it.

Right ok, that’s interested. It brings us back to what Bob Chicarello said, ‘it’s not what you lift but what you look like you can lift.’ Do you feel people over train too much in order to make gains these days?

My honest opinion! I don’t know and have no real concern about how others train as it doesn’t affect me. If a person comes to me for help then of course I will try to help and point them in the right direction if I can see they are doing things wrong.

Fair enough. Have you ever had any injuries?

Yep, at the moment I am nursing a few, mainly my bicep tendon which has held me back the past 18 months, it just doesn’t seem to be healing properly. Apart from my bicep tendon being the major thing, just a few other little niggles here and there.

Ouch! For your peace of mind, your biceps still look great ;). How have they held you back and how have you coped with them to carry on moving forward?

Well my bicep tendon has been a major problem the past 18 months, so I suppose I’ve coped well so far but it has without a doubt limited my progress.

Loved to have seen your shape without this injury. What is your advice to our KagedMuscle fans in regard to avoiding injury?

Be smart, if you feel a niggle or anything not feeling right STOP! Give it a miss and live for another day.

Brilliant advice, a niggle can quickly become a serious problem so act on it! Tell us about your nutrition plan? What does it consist of in large and why?

My Nutrition for the past year to 18 months has been pretty clean; it consists of fish, brown rice, chicken breast, lean steak mince and veg. There you go in a nutshell.

Nice quality proteins, carbohydrates and fats there. Can you expand on how much and how many meals a day and when?

This is a basic version of what my diet for the British looked like

Meal 1: 70 grams of oats with water, along with Myprotein whey isolate.

Meal 2: 2 pieces of tilapia fish with 60 grams of rice and 1 ring of pineapple.

Meal 3: same as above

Meal 4: 2 scoops of Myprotein whey isolate and 1 scoop of vitargo.

Meal 5: 250g of lean mince steak, with 60 grams of rice, and 1 ring of pineapple.

Meal 6: egg whites

Meal 7: 2 scoops of Myprotein whey isolate.

That’s a load of top quality protein as well as carbohydrates and fats. Is there anything different about it to a conventional bodybuilding diet?

Nothing different at all

Is it absolutely necessary for you to consume masses of protein? Most top bodybuilders consume at least 1.5g per pound of body weight, what about you?

No I don’t think it necessary to consume massive amounts of protein; well I haven’t needed to anyway. I think the key it is to have a balanced diet.

Yes, a balanced diet goes a long way. At the beginning your protein needs to be pretty high though right? How much does your supplementation plan contribute to your progress?

It plays an equal part to everything else I do, so I guess it’s very important. All of my supplementation comes from my sponsor Myprotein.

For sure. What should everybody on KagedMuscle have on top of their supplement shopping list?

CLEAN FOOD, None of this bulking rubbish!

That’s it right there; you can’t better a clean diet with good whole food! Yes supplements do help, but a diet is your main priority. That’s the beauty of KagedMuscle, we don’t ask our guests to ‘angle’ the answer to gain more sales, we ask for the truth so you can learn yourself! From your experience as an elite athlete do you feel there is a significant benefit to people looking to accelerate their progress having a tailor made professional nutrition and training plan done for them by an expert?

In some cases it can help and in others in can hinder, so it has its pros and cons. I’ve been fortunate as most things seem to work for me. But I would say, think about everything carefully before you do it as everything has its repercussions.

Why do you say this?

From seeing and hearing about other people’s experience’s

To finish off, let all the KagedMuscle fans know how you will be involved with the site?

Well fans can get hold of me through www.shaunjoseph-tavernier.com and I will also be here at kagedmuscle.com, the number one bodybuilding family!

Now we are talking, future 202 Mr. Olympia right here on our forum for all to access. Be sure to check Shaun’s site out too! Shaun, a massive thanks to you once again! Also, I’m sure we will have you back in another interview before you go hunting across the pond for your Pro card. Cheers bro ;)

Thank you!

Shaun Joseph Tavernier

Finally I have managed to track down the man of the moment, a certain Mr. Shaun Joseph Tavernier. Shaun thanks so much for joining us and coming on board with KagedMuscle.

It’s a pleasure, thank you!

Let’s begin with your career, I mean it is quite incredible, you were a novice in the world of competing and you won right?! Take us from the start to now.

I trained there once or twice and the owner Dave “Bulldog” Beattie and another former British champ Rai Garcia said that I had some real good potential.

By this time my training partner Patrick Grant and I were getting pretty bored with the gym that we were at so decided to give Genesis a try.

Anyways to cut a long story short, I joined there weeks before the British of 2006 and the atmosphere was buzzing as there were three guys there that were training for the British.

I went to watch them compete and I was in awe of the physiques that were on stage and though to myself I could never do that, I’m just not good enough!

Weeks after the British there was a bit of banter in the gym and one of the guys suggested that maybe I was cut out to compete and challenged me to complete a diet and get up on stage. I took him up on that bet and here we are today!

Wow, you have made incredible progress in such a short space of time. Obviously you were born for this! How wrong could you have been about not been good enough ;)! Coming so close to your pro card in 2009 showed everyone just how good you are. How did you feel after that result?

Do you really want me to tell you in words how I felt?J I think not, I will keep that one to myself. Let’s just say it will be business as usual this year and I want what’s mine!

I’m definitely sensing your desire to take your Pro Card this year. How do you feel the British bodybuilding scene has come on?

There are a great bunch of athletes with loads of potential, I think the bodybuilding scene has come on a lot and hopefully will only get better.

For sure it has and I can’t see why it won’t continue to do so. Kris Gethin likened the last British Championship to the Olympia! To add to that what gains do you plan on making this year before the British?

I might not be on stage at the British this year. The state of play is, if I go to the Arnolds and place top 5, I will get my pro card! I intend on being in the crowd supporting and cheering on the other athletes J

Ahh ok. I’m absolutely certain you will achieve a top 5 place and KagedMuscle will be sure to follow it and support you all the way! Where do you see yourself fitting in as a Pro?

Right at the TOP! 202S here I come.

Great answer ;). Presuming you get your Pro Card at the Arnold do you plan on going to the MR. O 202 this year?

That’s very true. What I love about you Shaun is that your totally honest and don’t beat about the bush, you give a head on answer and your confidence is inspiring ;)! Do you plan on moving to the USA when you turn pro?

The states is a place I really enjoy going to, I think it’s great there. I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

For sure. Right now we have covered competing and your future plans in that respect. Let’s turn to your training.

Since the British finals what gains have you made to ensure 2010 is the year KagedMuscle viewers witness ‘The One’ turning pro?

Right, obviously your size is there so you are concentrating on bringing in a completely conditioned package which should see you over the line so to speak. Run us through your training split, your preferred method and how you plan on progressing?

Variety is key for me! My training consists of high and low reps. My training split is: Monday shoulders, abs and calves. Tuesday quads stomach, Wednesday chest abs and calves, Thursday, back abs and calves, Friday hamstrings, biceps and calves, abs

Gosh your abs and calves get a right battering. Any particular reason for this?

Yep the reason for this is simple, they are or rather were weak areas, and both are body parts that can quite easily be forgotten after a hard training session. So I found working them like this worked for me and I responded well.

That couldn’t be truer, and it’s great to see someone like you focusing on a weak area opposed to your strong areas! Is there any particular variety of training you like or dislike, and that also goes for any exercises too?

I’ve tried all sorts of different training methods and all work with me to some extent so I’ve been lucky, but I like to incorporate everything throughout the year.

Cool, you’re a man that’s likes to add variety. Your physique looks very powerful; I would suspect you’re quite strong. Tell us about your heaviest lifts.

My lifts are ok, not too bad. My bench is 170kg for 6 reps, squat is 255kg for 8 reps, deadlifts 250kg for 4 reps.

‘Not too bad’? They are some massive lifts for a lighter competitor, or anybody for that matter! Do you feel it is very important to be strong as a bodybuilder?

I think it’s important to have a decent amount of strength; you don’t particularly have to be immensely strong, but I do like to lift heavy as much as possible.

I can go along with that. In a way, if you train properly, eat well and take good supplements your strength will grow. Also do you feel you need to constantly become stronger in order to make gains as a bodybuilder? Why?

Right ok, that’s interested. It brings us back to what Bob Chicarello said, ‘it’s not what you lift but what you look like you can lift.’ Do you feel people over train too much in order to make gains these days?

My honest opinion! I don’t know and have no real concern about how others train as it doesn’t affect me. If a person comes to me for help then of course I will try to help and point them in the right direction if I can see they are doing things wrong.

Fair enough. Have you ever had any injuries?

Yep, at the moment I am nursing a few, mainly my bicep tendon which has held me back the past 18 months, it just doesn’t seem to be healing properly. Apart from my bicep tendon being the major thing, just a few other little niggles here and there.

Ouch! For your peace of mind, your biceps still look great ;). How have they held you back and how have you coped with them to carry on moving forward?

Well my bicep tendon has been a major problem the past 18 months, so I suppose I’ve coped well so far but it has without a doubt limited my progress.

Loved to have seen your shape without this injury. What is your advice to our KagedMuscle fans in regard to avoiding injury?

Be smart, if you feel a niggle or anything not feeling right STOP! Give it a miss and live for another day.

Brilliant advice, a niggle can quickly become a serious problem so act on it! Tell us about your nutrition plan? What does it consist of in large and why?

My Nutrition for the past year to 18 months has been pretty clean; it consists of fish, brown rice, chicken breast, lean steak mince and veg. There you go in a nutshell.

Nice quality proteins, carbohydrates and fats there. Can you expand on how much and how many meals a day and when?

This is a basic version of what my diet for the British looked like

Meal 1: 70 grams of oats with water, along with Myprotein whey isolate.

Meal 2: 2 pieces of tilapia fish with 60 grams of rice and 1 ring of pineapple.

Meal 3: same as above

Meal 4: 2 scoops of Myprotein whey isolate and 1 scoop of vitargo.

Meal 5: 250g of lean mince steak, with 60 grams of rice, and 1 ring of pineapple.

Meal 6: egg whites

Meal 7: 2 scoops of Myprotein whey isolate.

That’s a load of top quality protein as well as carbohydrates and fats. Is there anything different about it to a conventional bodybuilding diet?

Nothing different at all

Is it absolutely necessary for you to consume masses of protein? Most top bodybuilders consume at least 1.5g per pound of body weight, what about you?

No I don’t think it necessary to consume massive amounts of protein; well I haven’t needed to anyway. I think the key it is to have a balanced diet.

Yes, a balanced diet goes a long way. At the beginning your protein needs to be pretty high though right? How much does your supplementation plan contribute to your progress?

It plays an equal part to everything else I do, so I guess it’s very important. All of my supplementation comes from my sponsor Myprotein.

For sure. What should everybody on KagedMuscle have on top of their supplement shopping list?

CLEAN FOOD, None of this bulking rubbish!

In some cases it can help and in others in can hinder, so it has its pros and cons. I’ve been fortunate as most things seem to work for me. But I would say, think about everything carefully before you do it as everything has its repercussions.

Why do you say this?

From seeing and hearing about other people’s experience’s

To finish off, let all the KagedMuscle fans know how you will be involved with the site?

Well fans can get hold of me through www.shaunjoseph-tavernier.com and I will also be here at kagedmuscle.com, the number one bodybuilding family!

Thank you!

Right, obviously your size is there so you are concentrating on bringing in a completely conditioned package which should see you over the line so to speak.
Run us through your training split, your preferred method and how you plan on progressing?