Trainer And Fitness Model Dave Dreas Talks To M&S

What is your athletic background, and how did you get involved with fitness and muscle building?

I was born and raised in small town Minnesota. I grew up playing just about every sport you could imagine so from a young age I was rather competitive. It wasn’t until high school that I decided to focus on basketball. I was fortunate enough to receive a full ride basketball scholarship to St. Cloud State University (MN). Through my four years of college basketball I earned All American Honors, was selected to the Division 2 All Star game, was named St. Cloud State Male Athlete of the year and finished #2 all time on the scoring list (1802 career points).

Once my career came to an end I focused more on my overall health and training. I learned a great amount of training techniques and principles through the strength and conditioning programs that I went through as a college athlete. It has helped put me in the position that I am in today and I am very thankful for it.

I am slowly building a personal training, nutrition and fitness modeling brand and I hope to help others with their fitness goals. In regards to fitness modeling I love doing the shoots and seeing the end products! I was fortunate enough to do a Reebok commercial and I have had some great photos shoots with well respected photographers and its great to work with such skilled people.

I love how there is a ton of opportunity to be successful in the fitness world! You just need to find your niche and establish a consistent brand!

Which do you prefer, and why…stead state cardio or HIIT?

I prefer HIIT. I’m not a huge fan of steady state cardio. I respect the people that do it but I feel there are better ways of doing cardio that will save you a lot of time! I’ve had great results doing HIIT during my workouts. It’s important to get your heart rate up and have some form or resistance training whether that be weights, kettlebells, TRX or Bands. I feel that’s the best and quickest way to fat loss.

It’s the same old analogy, would you rather look like a long distance runner or a sprinter? Many would choose a sprinter so my advice would be to train like one!

What are some of your best training tips for someone who wants to look good and get ripped?

First, you need to clean up your diet. It took me forever to do that and I wasted a lot of time. You will never get the physique that you desire if you aren’t eating properly. I would recommend you go see a dietician or nutritionist so they can see if you have any food intolerances or problems in regards to digesting food. If your body has trouble processing food then it makes no difference how healthy you eat. It’s a must to know if your body is running properly!

Second, I feel it’s so important to train with a heart rate monitor. I use one every time I train so that I can see where my heart is and gauge how hard I’m working. A lot of people think they are working hard when in reality they aren’t! You can save a lot of time in the weight room by going heavy and hard in a short period of time. You shouldn’t spend more than an hour in the gym!

Lastly, read! Yes, this one may seem odd but do your homework! Study different diets and learn different workouts. You can learn a great deal about what other fitness models and physique competitors are doing! Even if you have no desire to compete you can still look great and learn from the ones that do! The more you learn the better you will plan and the more efficient you will become!

What does your post-workout nutrition and supplementation look like?

My post workout nutrition consists of simple sugars and protein. I come home right after workout and usually have a 16.9 oz Gatorade with a protein mixture. I take 1 scoop of Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro Whey Protein and mix in 10-15g of creatine and 10-15g of BCAAs. About 30 minutes later I will have my biggest meal of the day and that consists of 40-70g of protein and 30-50g of complex carbs.

What are your thoughts of niche diet approaches like the Paleo Diet, Adkins Diet, Keto Runs, the Warrior Diet, Intermittent Fasting, etc.?

I think under the right circumstances those diets can be very beneficial. I for one am a big fan of intermittent fasting. I have gone through stages of intermittent fasting and have had phenomenal results from it. It’s important that you do your research and learn as much as you can about these diets so you know why you’re doing it!

At the same time, you need to understand your body and FEEL what the diet is doing to you and how it’s affecting you. As I mentioned, I had great results in cutting body fat and looking shredded. It’s a great lifestyle for someone looking to stay lean all year round. I was able to eat quality foods and carb cycle like I would on a normal diet yet it was only during an 8 hour window.

The only trouble I found is that it is extremely difficult to gain weight during that period. That is why I feel it’s necessary to cycle in and out of it to give your body a break. Understand though it is not for everyone and be sure to do your research first!

I also do like the Paleo diet. I eat very similar to that. I’m a huge fan of eating things that run, swim, fly and grow from the ground. I train clients all the time and tell them to avoid the processed crap, loaded with trans fats and sugars. If someone is looking to clean up their diet the Paleo diet is a great place to start.

Which athletes do you admire any why?

I just admire people that work hard and go about their business. There are some guys in the fitness world that really utilize what they have to help inspire others and make others better. There are also other people that just care about themselves. You need to surround yourself with others that will push you to be better and want you to succeed.

I admire Greg Plitt and the work that he does. He’s no nonsense and is extremely passionate about fitness. Every time I watch his videos I want to go workout! He was one of the first guys to take advantage of online marketing and has built a tremendous brand from it. I respect that a lot!

Another extremely passionate guy that I have been fortunate to work with has been Clark Bartram. He has been extremely helpful in my career and I admire how he has such a great balance in his life between work and family. He is a true professional and I would like to mold my career after him.

I also admire Chris Powell. He was the host and trainer of Extreme Weight Loss Makeover Edition. I love how much he cares about helping others with their weight management struggles. You can see how passionate he is in his eyes when he is training and talking with his clients.

Workout music – Don’t care, or MP3 player?

I need music when working out! There have actually been studies that find people actually work harder and push more weight with music than without it. I am a big fan of house/trans music along with some hip hop. I currently rock it out to:

• Let Me Show You Love - Ash and Avicii
• Every Other Way (Armin Van Buuren Remix - BT FeatJes
• Titanium - Guetta Featuring Sia
• We Run The Night - Havana Brown Featuring Pitbull
• Sandstorm - Darude

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

• Website: www.davedreas.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/davedreas
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davedreas

Which college or professional sports teams do you root for?

I’m a huge fan of Michigan Wolverines Football! They are the winningest program in college football history! That’s what’s up! GO BLUE!

Funniest thing you’ve seen at the gym recently?

I saw a guy bench pressing. He had his left leg on the ground and his right leg was crossed over his left knee. Basically he had one leg of support on the ground. It made zero sense and blew my mind.

I might also get a little heat for this one! A CrossFit pull up get’s me every time. I’m a fan of CrossFit and the type of lifting that it is but their version of a pull has no purpose in a weight room. Swinging your legs to get as many reps as you can really provides no benefit and it actually scares me to watch people do them. Either I don’t get why they do those pull ups or I’m just not a CrossFitter! More power to them and I respect what they do but…c’mon!