1. Biography
• Name: Michael Salvione
• Age: 21
• Height: 5’8
• Weight (Contest):156.5 lbs.
• Weight (Off-Season): 180 lbs.
• Body Fat: 4%
• Hometown: Staten Island, NY
• Gym: Pumping Iron Gym
• Profession: Athletic trainer, physical therapy student
2. What got you started in bodybuilding/fitness?
I’ve played sports my whole life but excelled in football and baseball. When I entered high school I was 135 lbs. I was always the fastest kid on the football field but never the biggest. Following that football season, I started to work out with varsity and that’s where it all began. I had some older kids take me under their wings and show me the basics and I expanded my knowledge from there. I even joined a gym and would lift after baseball practices and games. By the time I graduated I was the strongest kid in school history—1,110 lbs. combined in bench, squat, and hang clean and I was only 180 lbs. During this time, I was always a hard gainer so I would eat anything I wanted and work out six days a week. One major issue I had was retaining my gains during football season. I played Division I-AA football freshman year of college but it was during this time that I started to educate myself on the nutritional aspect of bodybuilding. I read a book called “The Body Sculpting Bible for Men.” This taught me the importance of macronutrients and about carbohydrate cycling. After I stopped playing football, I was now able to focus on bodybuilding. Even after that, I never really tried to pack on a lot of size—I always tried to stay lean. Now I have entered my first off-season as a competitive bodybuilder and I am excited to see what I can do while I focus on putting on a fair amount of mass for the first time.
3. What keeps you motivated to train?
At first my motivation came from trying to get bigger, faster and stronger to be a better football player and then it changed to just trying to see how much I could make my body change and how good I could look. More recently after a placing that I felt I did not deserve, I am more motivated than ever to work on my weak areas, better my strong points and leave no doubt when I show up next year.
4. What workout plan has worked best for you?
Split
• Day 1: Quads
• Day 2: Shoulders/ Calves
• Day 3: Back / Abs / Cardio
• Day 4: Hams
• Day 5: Chest / Calves / Cardio
• Day 6: Arms / Abs / Cardio
• Day 7: Off
• Day 8: Repeat
Day 1
Quads
• Squat 4x6-8 (1 week front, 1 week back)
• Hack squat 4x6-8
• Leg ext 4x6-8
• Leg press 7x6-8
Day 2
Delts
• Dumbbell Shoulder press 4x6-8
• Dumbbell Side Laterals 8x6-8
• Bent over flies (alternate week to week with reverse pec deck) 4x6-8
• Front dumbbell raise 3x6-8
Traps
• High cable pulls 4x6-8
• Barbell shrugs (alternate week to week with hammer strength shrug) 4x6-8
Abs
• Cable crunches 3x20
• Hanging leg raises 3xfailure
• Oblique machine twists 2x15
Day 3
Back
• Dead lift (on front squat weeks) 4x6-8
• Wide Grip lat pull down 4x6-8
• Bent over barbell row using an underhand grip (on non dead lift weeks, do t-bar rows)4x6-8
• Seated cable row (alternate week to week with hammer strength row) 4x6-8
• Straight arm press down (on non dead lift weeks) 7x8-10
Day 4
Hams
• Lying leg curl 4x6-8
• Ham tractor 4x6-8
• Standing leg curl 4x6-8
• Stiff leg dead lift 3x8-10
Day 5
Chest
• Incline dumbbell press 4x6-8
• Incline flies 4x8-10
• Flat dumbbell press 4x6-8
• Flat flies 4x8-10
• Cable crossovers (alternate week to week with pec deck) 7x6-8
Calves
• Standing calf raises 4x10-12
• Donkey calf raises 4x10-12
• Seated calf raises 4x10-12
Day 6
Bi’s
• Standing barbell curls 4x6-8
• Preacher curls 4x6-8
• Seated dumbbell curls 3x6-8
• Spider curls 3x6-8
• Reverse grip cable curls 4x6-8
Tri’s
• Close Grip 4x6-8
• Skull crushers 4x6-8
• Single arm cable extension (underhand grip) 3x6-8
• Pushdowns with rope 3x6-8
5. What is your philosophy about cardio?
I like to do cardio first thing in a morning on an empty stomach or immediately after my workout. I typically do steady state cardio when trying to cut with the treadmill on a slight incline. I do not keep the incline too high so there is less stress on my legs and they don’t become over trained and depleted.
6. What is your philosophy about weight training?
I try to work out as intense as possible during each workout. I keep my rest periods to one minute each so my workouts keep moving and I keep focused. I go as heavy as possible with strict form for 6-8 reps during the off-season. When I am prepping for a contest, I still train heavy but for about 8-10 reps. Many people increase their reps significantly while trying to get leaner. I do not do that; I keep lifting as heavy as possible and rely on diet and cardio to lose body fat.
7. Do you prefer HIIT or steady state cardio?
My contest prep coach is old school so I use normal steady state cardio to cut down. I do sixty minutes on a treadmill walking on an incline seven days a week. But I do like to incorporate HIIT into my off-season cardio to help keep excess fat off without spending a large amount of extra time in the gym. I will do HIIT after each non-leg workout for 17 minutes as follows:
• 2 minute warm-up
• 1 minute on
• 30 seconds off
• Repeat until you reach 15 minutes
• 2 minute cool-down
8. What are your top 5 favorite exercises?
• Front Squat
• Dead Lift
• T-bar row
• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Lying Tricep Extension (Skull Crushers)
9. What is your philosophy about nutrition?
My diet consists of seven meals. During the off-season, I have a protein and a carbohydrate at each meal and also incorporate green vegetables. I typically keep my carbohydrates low to stay lean but this off-season, I am looking to add good mass so I am increasing my carbohydrate intake.
Proteins: Tilapia, salmon, lean cut steak, ground bison, 99% fat-free turkey, egg whites.
Carbohydrates: Sweet potato, baked potato, brown rice, oats, white rice, whole grain bread, rice cakes.
Vegetables: Broccoli, asparagus, string beans, spinach.
10. What nutrition plan has worked best for you?
During contest prep, I carb-cycled in a 3-day cycle. Day one I have carbs at my first four meals, day two I have carbs at my first meal and then day three no carbs. A sample meal plan for one day would be as follows:
Meal 1
• 10 egg whites
• 1 cup of oats
Meal 2
• 8 oz red meat
• 1 sweet potato
Meal 3
• 10 oz fish
• 6-8 stalks asparagus
Meal 4
• 8 oz red meat (solid)
• 1 sweet potato
Meal 5
• Post workout shake
Meal 6
• 8 oz turkey
Meal 7
• 8 oz turkey
Meal 8
• 6 egg whites
11. What is your favorite cheat food?
A hot dog with everything on it.
12. What is your favorite health food?
A steak and a sweet potato.
13. What supplements have given you the greatest gains?
For a long time, my supplements consisted of a pre-workout nitric oxide, a post workout whey protein shake and a casein shake at night. More recently in preparing for my next show, I have done a lot of research and have developed a supplementation plan that looks like this:
• Waking Up -1 serving BCAA, 5 g glutamine
• With Meal 1- 1 Multi, 1 tab fish oil, 2 tabs glucosamine
• With Meal 3- 1 tab fish oil, 1 multi
• With Meal 5- 1 multi
• Pre-workout- Nitric oxide, creatine, 5 g glutamine
• During- Intra workout BCAA shake, carb powder
• Post-workout- Post workout protein blend, 40 g protein, 40 g carbs, carb powder
• Before Bed- 1 serving BCAA, 5 g glutamine, casein
14. What does your pre and post workout nutrition consist of?
Prior to a workout I like to have a protein such as fish or turkey and a complex carb to help fuel my workout. Immediately after my workout, I have a protein shake with a 1:1 ratio of 40 grams of protein to 40 grams of carbs. I also add 35 carbs of Vitargo to the shake. Thirty minutes to an hour after this shake, I like to have another meal consisting of a protein and a carb such as white rice.
15. Have online resources (social networks) helped you in your training? If so, what are they and how have they helped you?
Bodybuilding.com and MuscleDog.com have provided me with important information on training techniques and new theories on nutrition.
16. Where is the first place you turn to when looking for training / fitness / nutrition advice?
The first place I turn to is my nutritionist and trainer who help me with my contest prep as well.
17. Who are your favorite fitness/bodybuilder competitors or role models?
Greats like Arnold and Lou Ferrigno, who helped make a name for the sport when it first started and. Also Jay Cutler and Phil Heath, who are both great bodybuilders and great personalities who are going to do great things for the sport of bodybuilding.
18. What was the biggest mistake you made when you first started training?
I made the common mistake most beginners make. I thought the more time I spent in the gym, the bigger I would get, so I would train for about two hours per day. As my knowledge grew, I designed my workouts to be more efficient and I am now in and out of the gym in an hour or less.
19. What tips would you give to a beginner?
Consistency is the key to success no matter what your fitness goal may be. Results typically do not come too fast, but if you stick with it, then it will be worth it in the end. Some days you may not feel like going to the gym but those are the days you need to push through.
20. What are your future fitness goals?
I am currently entering my first full off-season as a competitive bodybuilder. My last contest, I competed at 156.5 lbs. I plan to add good mass and compete in the same show next year in the same conditioning but up in the 170s. I would also love to start doing fitness modeling and gain sponsorship from a supplement company.
21. Where can we find you on MuscleDog.com?
Check out my profile for more about my fitness stats, contest photos, favorites and more.
