Who Is Adrian Tan?
Adrian Tan is a prominent physique competition, sponsored athlete, and personal trainer. He is well-known in his native Singapore, where he has won the Singapore National Bodybuilding Championship five times in addition to the “Mr. Singapore” title twice.
Short Career of Adrian Tan
Although Adrian Tan now possesses a well-built and well-known body, the road to the top was by no means straightforward. When he observed his high school friends lifting after class, he got his first taste of the bodybuilding culture.
He claims that his admiration for how quickly they were altering their physical appearance motivated him to try it. But it turned out to be a difficult battle.
He grabbed hold of this new interest and “drowned” himself in bodybuilding literature and publications. He started employing the workout regimens of several legendary bodybuilders, such as Frank Zane, but claimed that they were “a little too intense.”
Despite this rocky beginning, he started a good beginner’s regimen and soon noticed significant physical changes.
At present, Adrian’s exercise regimen has significantly improved. He has competed in and won ten international competitions and is now the spokesperson for several well-known worldwide corporations.
Body Measurements of Adrian Tan
| Full Name: | Adrian Tan |
| WEIGHT: | 215 – 225lbs (93.0 – 102.1kg) |
| HEIGHT: | 5’8″ (172.5cm) |
| NATIONALITY: | Singaporean |
Accomplishments
- 1994 Mr. Teenage Magazine Winner
- 1995 Manhunt Singapore Winner
- 1997 Singapore Nationals Bodybuilding Championships –
Welter Weight Champion - 1998 Singapore Nationals Bodybuilding Championships – Middle Weight Champion.
- 2001 Singapore Nationals Bodybuilding Championships – Light Middle Weight Champion.
- 2006 Singapore Nationals Bodybuilding Championships – Light Middle Weight Champion.
- 2006 Singapore Nationals Bodybuilding Championships – Mr. Singapore
Overall Champion. - 2011 Singapore Nationals Bodybuilding Championships – Middle Weight Champion.
- 2011 Singapore Nationals Bodybuilding Championships – Mr. Singapore
Overall Champion. - 2014 Musclemania Overall Physique Champion.
Training
Getting the Hang of it
The magazines and books Adrian was reading as a teenager provided him with his initial understanding of good weightlifting techniques.
He once read in a magazine that bench pressing would help him develop a “big barrel chest,” but he claims that this workout worked his deltoids more than his chest, so he needed to utilize dumbbells to strike various angles.
He discovered how to experiment with dumbbells, and by lifting them at different angles, he was able to isolate his chest. Adrian learned the value of proper form in bodybuilding thanks to this new strategy’s quick muscle development.
“For me, form and execution are always important. To make sure I receive a good contraction in the muscle group, I lower the weights and go lighter if I don’t feel it in the muscles I’m exercising.
Large Lifting
Adrian has always believed in using big weights throughout workouts. He performs numerous repetitions while sticking to “the basics,” such as numerous dumbbell and barbell presses for the shoulders.
He claims that because he liked the “tapered V” appearance, his shoulders are his favorite body component to work out.
Adrian Tan is renowned for having thick calf muscles and has said that “consistency is crucial” when it comes to these muscles.
He claims that they are the most “stubborn” muscle to build, as they can withstand a lot of weight before being sufficiently broken down to grow in size, and trains them two to three times per week with high volume and plenty of sets.
Cardio
When Adrian works out at the gym, he alternates between several cardio equipment to “keep motivated and consistent.” He uses the treadmill, stepper, and elliptical equipment. He also periodically goes outside to jog, walk quickly, or climb stairs.
He uses cardio to cut while he is competing or having a picture session, but he never overdoes it because he thinks that individuals frequently go too far and drop too much weight during this time.
But according to him, “cardio is the key, even in the off-season as low to medium intensity cardio assists in muscle growth and gives you more stamina for your exercises.”
Routine
Every day, Adrian works out one bodily component. The following is his training split:
Monday: Quads, calves
Tuesday: Chest
Wednesday: Back
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Arms
Sunday: Hamstrings, calves.
He performs 4 to 5 exercises for each body region, maintaining a rep count of at least 10. He claims that working his legs harder for longer periods “actually pushes a lot of blood and nutrients” into his quadriceps.
Nutrition
Adrian claims that the discipline he learned via bodybuilding is “second nature now.” Adrian takes pride in his ability to prepare his meals well in advance of eating them, and this discipline applies to that as well.
Adrian does this to help him concentrate on the task at hand, knowing that his meal will be ready when he gets home in the refrigerator.
The Off-Season Diet
Adrian tries to eat five to six small meals each day when the season is off. These meals give him about 2400 calories, depending on the food he decides to include, which is enough for him to gain some muscle.
Even though he aims to gain power and muscle over this time, he claims that he remains fairly thin and only varies in weight by 15 to 20 pounds.
He claims that if he gained any more weight, it would hurt his knees and lower back and put him at risk of getting hurt.
If Adrian had to pick just one dish to enjoy during the off-season, he would select sashimi since he enjoys fish. He also enjoys sushi, although on rare occasions will choose a large hamburger as a treat.
Exercise Diet
Adrian’s nutrition dramatically alters while he is competing. In the 15 weeks leading up to the competition, he steadily reduces his daily carb intake to just 80 to 140 grams while maintaining a medium-carb and high-protein diet.
According to him, depending on how much fat he is retaining, he drops it even further on some days.
The following is an illustration of Adrian’s daily eating schedule for the competition:
Meal Plan
Meal 1:
- 1 cup oats
- 1 scoop whey
- 6 egg whites & 1 egg
- 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
Meal 2:
- 1 cup rice
- 8 oz chicken
Meal 3:
- 1 cup rice
- 8 oz flank steak
Meal 4:
- 1 cup rice
- 8 oz chicken
- 1 tbsp flaxseed oil
Meal 5:
- 1 cup oatmeal
WORKOUT
Meal 6:
- Simple carbs 60 grams
Meal 7:
- 1 cup rice
- 8 oz salmon
Meal 8:
- 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
Supplements
Supplements are also very important in Adrian’s competition and off-season diets. He uses whey protein heavily, varying the type throughout the day so that he has slow-release whey before bed and isolated whey after a workout. His usual stack is below:
- Whey protein isolate
- Whey protein casein
- BCAA’s
- Glutamine
- Multi-Vitamins
- Pre-workout (various)
Supplements
Adrian Tan’s diet during the off-season and competitions places a high priority on supplements.
He consumes a lot of whey protein, adjusting the type throughout the day so that he can have isolated whey after a workout and slow-release whey before going to bed. Below is his regular stack:
- Whey protein isolate
- Whey protein casein
- BCAA’s
- Glutamine
- Multi-Vitamins
- Pre-workout (various)
Influences and Idols
Shawn Ray was Adrian’s main inspiration when he initially began training since Adrian read several of Ray’s books. He claims that anyone who makes the commitment and pushes themselves to their physical limitations to have a terrific physique is someone he admires.
What can Adrian Tan teach us?
Everyone has to start somewhere if we are to learn anything from Adrian Tan’s narrative. Adrian’s impressive body is the result of many years of toil, as well as the triumph over challenges like picking up bad weightlifting techniques.
It could be helpful to think of your journey as a steady learning process if you are having trouble reaching your fitness goals. If you have patience, your outcomes will materialize.