Physique of the Month

Greaux—As In GROW!
By Clark Bartram

Fitness model Julien Greaux has come a long way from his childhood home of St. Barth, a small island in the French West Indies with a population of 7,000. “It’s a lot like Gilligan’s Island,” says the French-born, five-foot-ten, 185-lb. 28-year-old, who decided to leave the island two years ago to realize his dreams.

“I was working as a gardener,” he remembers, “and one day I woke up knowing that the only way I’d ever make something of myself was if I moved to Los Angeles.” After 17 years of “crazy training,” Julian looked good and spoke English—he was ready for the big move.

A few years before at a bodybuilding show in New York City, Julien had met legendary fitness photographer Irvin Gelb, who encouraged him to head to the States.

“My friend Laurent Becker gave me money for a ticket,” Julien says. “I arrived in L.A. at 11:00 p.m. with two bags and $400 in my pocket.”

Julien hailed a taxi and told the driver to bring him to whatever hotel was closest to Gold’s Gym in Venice. He got to Gold’s just before closing time, but his first peek at The Mecca was enough for him to know that an exciting new chapter in his life was about to start.

Getting to Know Julien

On Swimming With The Sharks. There are more sharks in L.A. than there are back home in the water around St. Barth! I’m proud to be surviving after two years here. Fitness modeling is a tough business, but I’m focused.

The Not So Glamorous Life. I didn't come out here to party in Hollywood. I came to work hard, train hard, and grow both personally and professionally. I work security from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. for a club in Brentwood. The schedule is perfect for me because I can train and go on photo shoots during the day. I wake up at around 9:00 or 10:00 a.m., have my breakfast, go to the gym from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., go home, eat, take a nap, and go to work.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. My parents divorced when I was nine years old, and I took my anger out on everyone in sight. My mom thought I was out of control, so she put me in a karate school. The first thing I learned was respect for myself and for others. This is the basis of life. Everything would be much easier in the world if we all respected each other.

Bruce Lee’s Crazy Physique. After just a few sessions, I came to love my martial arts training. Then I learned about Bruce Lee and was totally hooked—I wanted to be just like him! At age 10, I was fascinated with all the super action stars with their crazy physiques. There wasn’t a gym in St. Barth, so I did push ups and lots of running and swimming. I remember racing up coconut trees with my cousin Tito to see who was the fastest. I even built myself some dumbbells and a jump rope.

Saved By The Dumbbell. Training gave me discipline, passion, and self-confidence. My cousin Tito and I used to train together when we were kids, but he stopped and started taking drugs. When he died at age 20, I realized where life can take you if you’re not careful. Because of my commitment to training, I’ve never ever touched a single drug—not even a beer. For me, it's a choice—a way of life.

Mother Knows Best. When I got really into training, my mom opened the first gym ever in St. Barth called The West Indies Gym. It’s closed now, but it was my place to train for seven years. I was the strongest person there, and because my mom ran the place I really had to focus and push myself each day. Mom thanks for providing an opportunity for me and for being such a loving supporter of all I do.

Persistence Pays Off. I’m living proof that it doesn’t matter where you come from—if you have a dream, put all your energy into it, and never complain about what it takes, you’ve got a good chance at getting what you’re after. I used to train by climbing coconut trees, and 15 years later I’m on the cover of national magazines. When I was a teenager I saw BLOODSPORT with Jean-Claude Van Damme. I watched it at least 50 times and told myself that one day I’d meet him. And you know what? Today we’re really good friends.

The Ab-solute Truth. Many people ask me for my “secret” to abdominal training. Well…there is no secret exercise or protocol other than hard, consistent effort combined with a balanced nutritional program. I don’t have a set routine for abs. Each day, I choose five different exercises and do five sets to exhaustion for each exercise. Between sets, I rest only 30 seconds.

The Long Haul. I’ve been training all my life, so I don’t think anyone can just look like me after doing my routine a few times. If a professional sprinter gave you tips for the 100 meters, you still wouldn’t be able to run it under 10 seconds. But, you can always grow and get better. I always keep images in my head of what I want to be like, and I relish each step on the path to those results.

On Miracle Pills. People believe too much in miracle pills. Sure, I take fat burners—and they do help to some degree—but you have to train hard to get a shredded physique. You get from training what you put into training. The real miracle is you, not a pill.

Covering All The Bases. In two years of modeling, I’ve been on nearly a dozen different fitness magazine covers. One of the coolest was Karate Bushido—a French magazine with the largest distribution of any martial arts magazine in the world.

Maximum Greaux-th. Ultimately, I want to use my celebrity to develop fitness in France and have my own TV show in Europe—which I will shoot in St. Barth. I feel really fortunate to have been able to pursue my dreams and grow as a person, and I hope I can inspire others to do the same. Pictures of Tito Raymond and Mike O’Hearn motivated me to train like crazy back home in St. Barth. I told myself that I’d be the next Mike O’Hearn. The first time I was featured in a fitness magazine, the title of the article was “Julien Greaux—The Next Mike O’Hearn”! It just goes to show you that if you plant a seed and nurture it, you can make a forest. Just be patient, promise yourself that you’ll never give up, and fight for what you want every day, every hour, and every minute. Thanks guys for being a shining example of what someone can do with a little drive and discipline. I would be remised if I didn’t say thanks to Steve Blechman for the chance to be featured in his excellent magazine, and Per Bernal for being such a great photographer and overall good guy.

Total Body Conditioning With Julien

After a 10-minute, jump-rope warm-up, perform the following exercises in a circuit using a Thera-Band style, elastic resistance device. I typically do 5 sets of 20 repetitions and hold every 5th rep for 5 seconds, which causes a neurological response that shocks my muscles to new growth. For variety, you can alternate your rep tempo—go fast one week and slow the next.

Challenge yourself with a band that offers enough resistance, and flex your muscles as hard as possible during each rep. Always keep your abs tight, and only rest 30 seconds between sets.

Shoulders: Lateral Raises

Bring your arms parallel to the floor, lifting with the shoulders. Don’t “chicken wing” it by lifting with the wrists.

Biceps: Supinated Curls

Twist your wrists away from your body at the top of the movement and feel the burn.

Triceps: Overhead Extensions

Be sure to keep your elbows near your ears and go for a full range of motion.

Chest: Crossovers

Attach the band to something secure. Most bands come with a door attachment.

Chest: Push Ups

I use various hand positions—wide, medium, and close—to ensure complete muscular involvement. I go 5 sets to exhaustion (I never use the word failure) on each set.

Back: One-Arm Row

I like to do as many single (independent) limb movements as I can to develop true symmetry.

Abs: Butterflies

Be sure to keep your legs straight throughout the movement and contract your muscles to get the most out of the exercise. I do 5 sets to exhaustion and hold every 5th rep for 5 seconds.

Abs: Scissors

Same thing here. Keep those legs straight…Hey, stop cheating—keeep ’em straight!

Bonus Section: Cardio Kickboxing—Julien Style

Kickboxing is a great way to relieve stress and burn fat. No rest here my friend! It’s nonstop action that gets your whole body moving. I recommend mixing up the punches, and mixing up the kicks. When you get really good, mix up the punches with the kicks. Control your movements, keep your abs tight, turn on some music, and have a great workout.

Knee Raises

Bring your knees up to your chest, rapidly but under control. Do 5 sets of 20 reps with each leg.

Jabs

Control your punches to protect your shoulders, as well as people who might be walking by! Do 5 sets of 20 reps with each arm.

Upper Cuts

I love punching drills because they incorporate speed, agility, strength, stamina, and focus—all the ingredients of a great martial artist. Do 5 sets of 20 reps with each arm.

Hooks

Come on, we’re elevating heart rates here! Again—5 sets of 20 reps with each arm.

Front Kicks

Consider doing extra reps with the side that feels most awkward.

Middle Kicks

Use a heavy bag or imagine someone in front of you and get out the aggression.

Low Kicks

Be sure to maintain focus on every movement. Put the mind to the muscle.