Forward Movement Magazine Winter Issue 1 2015/2016 | Page 16

16 CONVERSATION Q&A WITH Chris Darby, IFBB pro WHEN DID YOU GET INTO BODYBUILDING Bodybuilding found me during my college years. I was currently going to Kansas on a full ride scholarship playing soccer. The track coach was a Natural Pro bodybuilder. We soon became great friends and to this day still keep in touch. I give most of my early year’s success and learning how to pose and create routines to him. He is one of the best I’ve ever met. It was from this moment on I found my calling in life and knew I would become a great bodybuilder. I made my decision to give up soccer and pursue the fitness industry in all aspects. It was a very difficult decision but I haven’t regretted it at all. Chris Darby WHAT IS YOUR MACRO BREAKDOWN WHEN YOU ARE BULKING VS. CUTTING? WHAT IS YOUR DAILY SUPPLEMENT STACK LIKE? I’m not fan of supps so I take the bare minimum. Typically I take a mutli- vitamin, liver armor, and vitamin C. I don’t even take pre-workout!  I’ve never been a fan of counting macros; to me it’s pointless and unnecessary. Some people swear by it, but I haven’t found it to be beneficial to me.   The way I go about my food intake is by portion and cup sizes, for instance, 4oz protein, 1 cup of carbs.  The more familiar you become with food you start to learn how much a serving size is without even measuring. It becomes much more efficient the more you do it! I feel the bulking and cutting method works against you and keeps you from fully reaching your maximum potential because all you end up doing is playing the up and down game. Staying leaner and keeping a consistent eating regimen is the only way to secure and put on quality size gains and lean body mass. This provides you with the ability to come in harder and with more density, giving the body an overall 3D look. In this sport, quality key, not quantity. Most don’t realize it needs to be a lifestyle and not just a sport that is practiced seasonally.  If you live the lifestyle, it will show on stage! As far as my food intake goes, it doesn’t change drastically throughout the year. I eat enough to provide my body what it needs to perform and to get better each time I step on stage. I stick to fairly clean eating habits year around. Yes I still eat out and have junk food every now and then but I use these foods to my advantage to train and build mass. I never use food as a ‘reward’ for eating healthy, as many people tend to do. [email protected] WHEN DO YOU DO YOUR CARDIO? BEFORE OR AFTER A WORKOUT? When it comes to cardio I listen to my body. It also depends on my goals for that time of the year. When I’m not competing I do cardio when I feel it! On prep I always do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach. The times that I have to do cardio twice a day, I gauge how I feel and get it in when my body is re YK