I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY AMERICAN FOOTBALL SO I JOINED CHEVALIERS D’ORLÉANS, AND THEY ASKED ME TO PLAY QUARTERBACK.
BIG BACK GRIPS USER PROFILE INTERVIEW: MORGAN GIROT
STUDENT BIG BACK REP, BORDEAUX, FRANCE
BBG: SO MORGAN, MAYBE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF, MAYBE START WITH WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHAT YOU DO? CAN YOU TELL US WHAT SCHOOL YOU GO TO?
MORGAN: I’m 20 years old and live in France in the city of Bordeaux, near the east coast. I’m at the school of computing for my third year. But I will definitively stop it at the end of the year to go into the bodybuilding business next year.
So when I don’t attend classes, I try to learn as much as possible and read/watch tons of information about nutrition, training, the right kind of mindset to have.
BBG: Can you tell people how we met?
Interview Questions
MORGAN: If I remember correctly, I discovered Big Back Grips on Facebook in a video by Nick Wright. And then I saw the offer on the Big Back Grips fan page to be a Big Back Grips rep so I decided to send you an email.
BBG: Why did you want to become a student rep for Big Back Grips?
MORGAN: BBG makes an awesome and useful product. So why not let people try them and buy them if they would like.
BBG: What’s the reaction to BBGs as you let people try them?
MORGAN: People are surprised. They feel great, more comfortable, their hands don’t hurt and it’s easier to hold the bar.
BBGs: Why do you use them in your own workouts?
MORGAN: I use them for all the “pull” exercises like pull downs and cable rows. And my triceps work out. They are pretty useful for close triceps rope push downs, a better feeling in my triceps and a better grip. And they allow me to focus on my back instead of my grip during seated cable rows, pull ups and lat pulldowns.
BBG: Where do you work out?
MORGAN: I work out in a private gym because the university gym is quite busy and I can’t train whenever I want. University gyms in France aren’t like in England or USA. My own university gym is not open the whole day; only a few hours. This is not convenient for me because I like to train when I’m prepared for it but not when I have to.
BBG: You’re in France, but the sports pictures on your Facebook page look very much like American style football. Tell us about that.
MORGAN: Well, as a student, I can study almost whenever I want in France. When finish with high school, the only thing you want to do is leave your dad and mum’s house. So I’ve been in Orléans for two years, and I’ve always wanted to play American football so I joined the football team, Chevaliers d’Orléans, and coaches ask me if I wanted to play quarterback. The team was really good, with coaches who played on the French team. It was an awesome experience to be the QB of this team.
BBG: What brought you into the world of lifting and when? What are your main goals in working out?
MORGAN: The main reason is that since I was a kid, guys at school were always laughing at me because I was small. So I had to do something about it. When I was in Orléans two years ago, the gym right across the road, I just had to cross the road to get in the gym. Open every day twice a day. So I started to train with no clue what I was doing, except bench pressing, triceps push downs and pull ups.
I know it’s a cliché but my main goal is to be as big as possible naturally, maybe to compete, but if I do, I’ll do it for first place.
BBG: What are your biggest accomplishments in your athletic history so far? : Wins, personal goals achieved, etc.
MORGAN: I think my biggest accomplishment is gaining 45 pounds in 2 years of training. It changes the way people see you. After only a few months of real training, people started to notice the changes in my physique. But France is really different in how we perceive bodybuilding. Not everyone gets it. Now my old friends do not understand why I want to keep growing because I use to be that little kid.
BBG: What is your workout schedule like?
MORGAN: I’ve just restarted to train 5 times a week. I’m focusing on the main lift because I believe that this is the way to go to get a massive physique.
- Monday is my chest and back workout
- Tuesday: Heavy leg workout and biceps training
- Thursday: Shoulders and triceps
- Friday: Back workout
- Saturday: light legs session + abs.
BBG: What about your diet?
MORGAN: My diet is pretty simple — veggies and fruits every day, lots of protein, good sources of fat, enough carbs to fuel the body and that’s it.
BBG: What are your favorite exercises or body parts to work? What do you consider your best body part? Do have a body part that’s especially challenging to make headway on?
MORGAN: I think deadlift and squat are my favorite exercises but I love dips and incline dumbbell press as well. I suppose my chest is my best body part even if I had a great improvement in my back development last year and I’m working on developing my legs because I haven’t been working them during my first year. That was a big mistake.
BBG: If someone were going to work out with you, what are they in for, what’s your workout style? What would you want from a partner?
MORGAN: I’m used to training alone and asking someone to spot me if needed. But if someone had to train with me I hope they ate a lot before training. I do not talk during my workout because I want it to be quick, intensive and effective, but I would be happy to find a good partner who doesn’t not complain, just trains hard and does not quit.
BBG: Is there a workout that really stands out from the rest? A particularly amazing workout where you ended going further than you ever had?
MORGAN: No particular workout that was that amazing, but I’m really satisfied with almost all my workouts because every time I step into the gym, I know that I have to break a new personal record and that’s going to happen when I feel great.
BBG: What’s your advice to people just starting out?
MORGAN: Stick to basic movements, read as much as you can, learn from guys with experience, fix an objective – and go for it. But be patient.
BBG: Finally, can you give us your workout for just one body part: your best back workout or legs, shoulders, chest or arms, even abs. Just pick your favorites.
MORGAN: Ok, here is my workout from Thursday. It takes me about an 1 hour, 15 min:
- Military press: 3 sets (5/3/1 program)
- Incline bench press: 3 sets (3 to 6 reps)
- Weighted dips: 3 sets (6 to 12 reps) + 1 @ BW until failure
- Military press: 5 sets (10/12/15/20 reps (big but boring from the 5/3/1 book)
- Close grip bench press: 3 sets (5 to 8 reps)
- Skull crushers: 5 sets (8 to 12 reps) s/s triceps rope pushdown (10 to 15 reps)