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| Bart Ruzik |
Stunning Alp is model from Cresskill, New Jersey, USA
of Turkish decent.
Click on the photographers' names to see more of their work
Alp is a no nonsense
kinda guy and is very straight forward. What you see is what you get and he always
speaks his mind, so as Alp puts it himself, what comes out its either very funny or very awkward!
Alp says he is rarely
stressed over anything because with a positive mindset, strict diet and
training anything can be achieved.
We are thrilled to feature Alp at Stunning Men and warmly
thank him for accepting to give us an interview.
As these photos plainly show, he has an awesome physique and gorgeous looks – a great
combination for someone who wants to try bodybuilding competition.
Vital statistics:
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 185lbs
Waist: 31"
Chest: 43"
Eye colour: brown
Eye colour: brown
Hair colour: brown
Skin colour: olive
Check Alp's brand new Facebook page! It is still being developped but it will definitely be worth following
for tips and advice!
Here is Alp's interview in full
One
last question Alp, where do you see yourself and what would you like to be
doing in 10 years time?
Welcome to Stunning Men Alp and thank you for doing
the interview.
Thank you for having me.
Could you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
Sure, I am 100% Turkish. Both my parents were born in Turkey and
immigrated to America for graduate school, they were both enrolled in Kansas University
Go JayHawks! So I was born in Kansas City where I grew up and after about 12
years my family moved to New Jersey where I lived till I went to college. I
graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelors of Science in
Business Management and I currently work in Connecticut for an Electrical Steel
Company as an assistant accountant and help out with a lot of the business
administrative projects. Fitness and modeling have really become my personal
passions recently over the past two to three years. I've always been an active
person playing sports for all my life so weight training came very naturally to
me as an individual and an athlete. As time went on my training evolved and I
started to learn more about dieting and nutrition to really help me break many plateaus
I had created over the years. So I started training and practicing nutrition
after high school, it's become as normal as getting dressed in the morning for
me and that’s what I really wanted to help others with. Making fitness and
eating healthy really a lifestyle for everyone, because many of the illnesses
we have today can be drastically improved if not cured by fueling our bodies
with the right things instead of with the abundant garbage that’s all around us
every day.
You have a stunning physique. Have you done any
bodybuilding competition?
Thank
you, actually I have not yet but I'm hoping in the near future to enter an
amateur show. I still feel that I have too many weak points that I have to
really work on and attend to before I feel 100% confident to step on stage to
show the audience my vision of absolute aesthetics
How did you get into modelling? Is it something you always wanted to
do?
Well throughout my life I've always been inspired
by the art of the male physique. Learning about it in my art history classes
always caught my attention which was good because it seems that nothing
throughout high school and college could really keep me mentally stimulated. So
I've always wanted to model and help inspire people how I was once inspired and
how I am everyday by my heroes and other great athletes. After starting to work
in Connecticut I really wanted to pursue my lifelong goal of modelling, so I
really worked hard to get noticed and slowly break into the industry. I still
am "light years" from where I want to be, but every day is one baby
step closer to achieving my goals in life.
Light years? A few months, maybe ... What do you enjoy the most about modelling?
The most rewarding thing to me is when people
tell me how I've helped or inspired them to improve themselves mentally or
physically through my modelling. Doing something for yourself is great but when
you can inspire someone else to become motivated and hungry, now that is
something powerful, something that can help improve the people around you that
is what I truly enjoy
What is your best lift at the gym?
In terms of my upper body I'd like to think everything has grown proportionally,
however my favourite lift time and time again will always be the incline press
with either dumbbells or the Olympic barbell. Every time I hit the set hard
regardless of weight, my chest and front delts just feel super pumped, it feels
fantastic. Incline press is hands down my most loved exercise even though it
isn't my heaviest lift, I believe it is the most beneficial in terms of all
around upper body building.
What’s your gym/training routine like?
My training routine is always changing because I
don't want my body to get too used to certain exercises. However, I do usually
follow a 5-6 day split devoting each different day solely to that particular
muscle group I'm training. If I feel like I have a bit of extra energy in the
tank, I'll throw in another smaller muscle group that I would like to improve
on.
So usually my weeks look like this
Monday - Chest (if energy left, biceps)
Tuesday - Back (if energy left, Abs)
Wednesday - Legs, legs, legs
Thursday - Shoulders & Traps
Friday - Triceps and Cardio
Saturday - Biceps
How do you keep motivated?
This is one of the deepest questions not just for
me but for everyone. Staying motivated and positive is a constant struggle for
everyone in the world I'm sure. I've developed a strong will power over the
years through successes and failures in and out of the gym. May it be something
deep like with friends and family or something as simple as being able to get
up that last rep, so time and time again I found that if I just stay positive
and motivated and keep doing what I love then through that I can really achieve
what I set out to do and I can walk away happy. So through my strong will power
and life experiences I constantly stay hungry and motivated to keep pushing the
envelope to hopefully one day achieve my goals
How do you fit bodybuilding and fitness
into your life? Is it a difficult thing to achieve?
Hey, every day I have friends and family tell me
that I'm completely nuts cooking my specific meals and eating at specific times
and working out for 2-3 hours a day and if they were me they wouldn’t be able
to keep the routine going. However, over the years everything has become so
automated for me It's almost like breathing. I won't lie this life style
takes 110% dedication and motivation to keep trucking and keep doing the right
things but once mastered and making everyday count makes life worth living.
Whenever there is a larger change in my life, like vacation, class schedule
from education, or a job change I really sit down and write out how my day
currently looks, then I add in what my day SHOULD look like. I've done this
literally every time I have an important event in my life, and try to work my
fitness lifestyle around it. Yes, there are times when something's just can't
be done and this life style and something else are mutual exclusive but that’s
life so adapt and move on no need to dwell on it.
What do you eat in a normal day?
A lot of people think the best way to lose weight
or "get ripped brah" is not to eat but it couldn't be further from
the truth. On any given day regardless of cutting or bulking I have anywhere
between 6-7 meals a day. Generally my protein sources are all very clean. I
stick to primarily chicken, tuna, and egg whites with the occasional steak
during dinner. As for the carbs, when im bulking I'll allow for more simple
carbs and when im cutting I'll switch over into more complex carbohydrates.
While bulking lots and lots of pasta and when I'm cutting down I'll incorporate
oatmeal, veggies, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. As for fats, while bulking I
don’t really watch it too much just try to stay with foods I cook myself, but
when I cut for fats I will only consume good natural fats. Almonds and avocados
are solid staples in my diet as well as cooking my meats in olive oil or
coconut oil.
Do you allow yourself a cheat day? If so,
what is your guilty pleasure?
Absolutely!! Cheat days are essential in the
greater scope of fitness and bodybuilding. They allow for few positive things,
one the mental relief not needing to follow that specific diet and enjoying
food! Also, it helps trick your body into not going into "survival
mode" so you can clean up that last bit of mass or fat around the waist.
maybe 4-5 weeks out from a shoot or event I will either completely cuff off
cheat meals/days or just allow something that isn't SO greasy and heavy.
Whenever I indulge on a cheat day or meal I LOVE a great pasta with thick meat
sauce on top. Hands down the best cheat meal around in my opinion.
How do you approach a challenge?
I'm a pretty calculated person, so whenever I
have a challenge in my way I try to break it down piece by piece. It's much easier
to break something down and master or conquer smaller parts of it one at a
time. Then before you know it the challenge has been met and the job has
executed.
What
do you do in your down time?
I'm actually a HUGE dork, I love
video games. I'm sure people are raising an eyebrow right now, but I absolutely
love figuring out puzzles and competing fiercely with friends and online. When
I was younger, I would play chess with my grandfather. We would walk into town
because their house was a bit further away and sit and play chess for hours. So
I guess from a young age I've always enjoyed competing and out smarting my
opponent. So when I'm not running around at work, lifting at the gym, and
chowing away at my meals you can catch me either gaming or spending time with
close friends and family.
Do you have any role models? People who inspire you?
Absolutely, despite Arnold's recent shenanigans
he will forever remain my childhood role model. When I was young I was inspired
by his perfect build, I remember seeing him on magazines and thinking to myself
"One day I'll be like that." So as I grew up I began to really
understand who he really was. He was extremely hard working and very ambitious,
and not just some strong man meat head that the media really tried to make him
out to be. After reading about him and his achievements and his iron will it
just made me respect him so much more. Two other role models in my life are my
parents. They are the two strongest, iron willed people I know. My father
started his own marble company when we moved to New Jersey and my mother
supported him immediately. Before you knew it they were both managing a
successful business. While they don't always approve of my bodybuilding because
they cherish education they can clearly see the benefits of training and a
healthy diet.
Now a few fun questions if we may? Do you think you
are a good date?
Haha, I'd hope so! I usually talk a lot because I have a lot to say, I
really try to relate to my guest of the evening through my life experiences. I
try to make them feel as comfortable as possible so I can really get to know
them on a deeper level opposed to just what's on the outside.
Are you a brief man or a boxer kinda guy?
Depends on the occasion! If it's just an average
day I'll go with boxers, but if it's a night out then I'll put on a nice pair
of briefs. You never know who's going to be looking when you take them off!
What do you listen to on your iPod?
I generally like all types of music and I can see
why people love different genres. However for me personally, I fell in love
with EDM not too long ago. Even though I am a bit lazy when it comes to
uploading the newest tracks on my iPod, you can definitely find me in the gym
repping out to Deadmau5, Tiesto, and Armin.
What kind of movies do you like?
I'd have to say it's a tie between comedy and
action. Because
I'm such a dork I love my super hero movies. Even though some of them suck and
don't hold true to the comics from which they were comprised from, I always
give it a go just to fulfil my curiosity. I've always loved characters that
seemed larger than life and that could always make an impact on the people
around them.
Right now I have a lot of different paths that I
could take which would lead me to completely different lifestyles and careers.
But the one thing that is for certain, is that I will never stop training and
never stop trying to inspire others to better themselves.
It was great to interview you
Alp! Thank you for your time and for being a good sport. All
the best for the future!
Comments
Very nice job on the interview! Great photos, and great path to follow!