Learning Objective 3 (U3): To be able to create production materials for an original media product to a client brief (P4,M3)

Creating Production Materials 

Written Copy

Stefan Mazur was born in Poland but lived in Hertfordshire for most of his life. He is a passionate and motivated body builder who has been actively working out at his choice of Gym for over 2 years. He has recently gained a lot of attention due to his participation in weightlifting competitions around the local area, winning a fair amount in his weight class. Perhaps more impressive is his transformation from a small skinny boy playing basketball with his mates at school, to a fit and healthy athlete.

StagGyms: agreed on an interview with Stefan Mazur at his local gym in Hatfield; the interviewer is Eryk Dudziak who works at Stag Gyms magazine.

Personally, how happy are you with your overall transformation?

I'm ecstatic to say the least. I think about the journey I've gone through nearly everyday of my life, and it feels good to see with your own eyes that hard-work can pay off and bring such amazing results. Obviously, I'm going to reach for more, 'cause that's how life works you know, but I'd say that whether this is as far as i'll go, or however further I can progress, I'm a hundred-percent certain that I'll be happy with it.

As you probably know, a lot of young people in Hertfordshire and the UK in general would want to be in the same position as you. What do you think is the most important factor in achieving this?

Well... over the course of my... I guess you could say career, many people have told me different methods of how to become fitter and healthier. But in my opinion, the most important factors in getting to a similar position as me is definitely motivation and dedication. The truth is that as long as you keep going to the gym or keep regularly exercising at home and make it a part of your routine, it's nearly impossible for you to regress. When I signed myself up to a gym for the first time to build muscle, a couple of friends showed me how to use the equipment and gave me some ideas on how to approach my target, then after getting a bit more independent, I sort of turned it into a hobby rather than this dreadful burden that most people starting out see it as. So yeah, I think that definitely just focus on actually making it to the gym regularly, and when you're there just consistently work hard and don't worry if some days you feel worse than the others, lack of energy is completely natural.

What's the best thing about exercising/bodybuilding?

Of course most people would assume that seeing the end result is the best thing about bodybuilding, however, I think that the best aspect is the feeling you get when you hit a new target. For example, let's say your personal best for the bench press is 60kg and you've been repping out for a couple of weeks now. When you get a friend to spot you and you finally hit that 70 kg rep that you've been working for over the last couple of weeks, it's literally the best thing ever. When that happened to me for the first time, it was like a moment of realisation, because that's when you notice that hard work does actually make a difference and bring results.

Do you eat foods that you would recommend as meals for people similar to yourself?

This is an important question, as while exercising is one half of the equation, a good diet and knowing what to eat can really boost the process exponentially. Personally, whenever I come back home from the gym, first thing I do  is make myself some scrambled eggs with bacon and onion. For people trying to build muscle in the long term, I would suggest eat fatty foods with high protein during the winter to bulk up and gain mass, and then cut down on the fat as April/May approaches to turn all the fat you stored up into muscle, and getting that summer body over the holidays.

Do you consume any supplements, if so do you recommend them?

Yes, I consume supplements in the form of Protein Shakes usually around 3 times per week, I recommend them as they can help you make sure to intake enough protein during the day, if you're sometimes struggling to fit a lot of high protein meals during the day; it can really be a lifesaver! Another occasion I would strongly recommend to drink a protein shake or anything similar, is just after gym if you feel that you've had a good and hard working session that specific day. This is to speed up the process of muscle repair, which will bring results faster and make sure you hit your targets earlier.

If you'd like to hear more from Stefan Mazur, make sure to purchase our next issue where we will be doing a podcast with Stefan Mazur and a well known cardio trainer from Watford, Vanessa Lane.