MP: What made you decide to work out?

Wash: Growing up in Brazil, I was very interested in physical activity. I did martial arts, volleyball, track, and soccer. I love competing and being active, so working out was a natural fit for me. To borrow a quote from a fellow fitness model: I’m an athlete first, companion, parent, worker and then a fitness model.

MP: What is your advice for someone who exercises for the first time?

Wash: Do it slow and consistently. If you start slowly, and you're consistent with it, you will get stronger and feel better about how your body is feeling and looking. That helps to make you want to continue and keep up your schedule in the gym.

MP: Beginners often experience tremendous gains in strength in a short period of time, but what about the latter years of training? Should you always strive to hoist up more weight and/or another rep from the last session?

Wash: My foremost advice is to “listen to your body”!!   Fatigue is great; means that you are doing good work and your body is working hard. Straining is bad.   I overdid it with squats one time about 10 years ago and I can no longer deal with the weight on my back.  I think that cycling your weight training gives you longevity far beyond the up and down experienced by most people.  6 weeks of heavy 8 to 12 reps, 6 weeks of mid weight 12-16 reps and 6 weeks of lighter weight for 16-25 reps should do the job just right!!!

MP: What is your favorite time of the day to work out and why?

Wash: I used to LOVE working out in the morning, because I could get it out of the way. But I learned that splitting up my day and doing cardio in the morning and then weights around 3:30 (before the crowds) works great for me!

MP: Do you believe that form should always take precedent over weight in all cases?

Wash: What is your notion on cheat reps? 90% of the time form should be maintained…  but there are times that cheating does help…  working out solo is dangerous while doing heavy weight. If I am pushing myself hard but my muscles quit in the middle of the rep, I would rather cheat and finish than have it fall off in some weird way and hurt me. That’s what happened while I was squatting.

MP: What is your advice for people who try to reach their goals in the gym but lose motivation to achieve them?

Wash: MOVE… MOVE… MOVE…  do stuff that’s different. CHANGE THINGS UP!!!  Keep it moving!!   Walk in the morning with a significant other or your dog (whichever is around at the time… LOL) play like you’re a child in the yard…  run around your house for 30 secs and walk for 60…  take a spin class to shake your body...   take a yoga class…   get a TRX Suspension training and go outside and work out !!    Regardless, move, move, move.. when you were a kid, you never stopped and never cared much about candy !!! what has changed??   YOU…

MP: Do you follow a specific diet every day or do you have just a general feel for what you need to consume in terms of eating proper servings for each food group? Why?

Wash: I have a specific combination of foods that I know I must follow… NO white bread, white rice, fried foods…  I think we all get that by now. With that, I eat 40% lean protein (chicken, fish, lean red meats), 40% low glycemic index carbs (sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice) and 20% fats (fish oil, flax seed oil, olive oil). As far as the amounts, I know what my body needs now and in my head have those numbers. A good rule of thumb: think of all the food you want to eat for the day. Divide it in containers for the day (6 or more portions) and try it out… if you are starving at the end of the day, your numbers are off… then again, you can also consult the many professionals that deal with nutrition and they can help you with it !!

MP: A lot of people go about training the wrong way. They either look to perform as many sets as they can or they don’t do the right amount of the right sets. They work without purpose. Something that bodybuilders should aim for is “the pump”. Can you explain to our readers what this means and why it is so crucial in order for muscle growth to be achieved?

Wash: Think of the pump as throwing the paper ball into a trashcan and scoring!  That awesome feeling is the same things as the pump that you get in the gym.  When things go right and you get it, it will feel right!!  There are just so many flat bench motions you can do. To make it challenging you will have to change the weight, repetitions or tempo.   To achieve a great pump,  use about 75% of your max weight, go for 10-14 reps and rest only for 90 secs…   do that 4 times (after warming up with 30% of your max) and call me in the morning !!  HAHA  You will feel  your veins popping in your chest and you will love it!

MP: How many meals should one aim for a day and what should the basis of their meals consist of? Do you believe in cheat meals?

Wash: I can’t say what everyone should do. I can only tell you what I do with my diet. In order to really know what works best for your body, you should experiment with different times and number of meals. Yes, I definitely believe in cheat meals! –your body reacts well when you’ve been eating strictly and then you do something to shake up your body.  It does NOT mean a cheat meal every day though!!  Lol   once a week have a cheat meal (don’t overdo it)!! It’s good for the soul.

MP: Research tells us that lifting for extended periods of time (over an hour) increases cortisol (a stress inducing hormone) and decreases testosterone. Do you follow this theory of keeping your workouts under an hour or do you extend it past that?

Wash: Yes… my weight training is about 50 minutes…  I will walk sometimes for about 30 minutes after to have a chance to catch up on the local buzz in the gym though!!    Purpose, intensity and precise timing!

MP: What do you believe the biggest misconception about bodybuilding is?

Wash: Every person who works out does steroids, needs to do them and will be doing them!  You can achieve an awesome lean body by working smartly, eating properly and being injury free!

MP: What are your future goals in life?

Wash: A magazine cover, complete my own training tool which is in development right now and connecting with as many people as I can to spread the word of health & fitness.