Photos by Adelaide headshot photographers – Wilson and Lewis Photography

Say "Hello" to Mr. Gavin Baust!

One of the most fun aspects of working as portrait photographers in Adelaide is the sheer number of awesome people that we meet during our working day. We are often privileged to meet, and to photograph, a wide variety of people ranging from creative individuals, to business people, to engaged couples seeking professional images.

Every person we meet brings with them a unique personal life story. The stories we hear always captivate our imagination. But rarely do we meet someone as focused and dedicated to their personal journey as Adelaide local, fitness, fashion and lifestyle model - Mr. Gavin Baust.

As a lifelong amateur footy player, Mr. Baust achieved a level of physical fitness pursued by most avid gym goers. After having his potential noticed in his gym, Gavin successfully trained for, qualified and competed in numerous natural bodybuilding events.

It is not every day you get to photograph someone as fit or as dedicated as Gavin Baust, so we took the opportunity to ask him the following questions:

Q1:
What do you love about bodybuilding and why is living a healthy lifestyle so important to you?

Mr. Baust: 
I enjoy living this lifestyle as it keeps me fit, healthy and in great shape. It also allows me to meet like-minded people to share ideas and goals with.

It offers me the opportunity to inspire and help train others in attaining their own fitness and health goals, which is very important me.

I also love the challenge of competing in competitions and pushing my body and mind a little further each time.

Q2:
Which events have you competed in so far?

Mr. Baust:
2016 Australian Natural Bodybuilding (ANB) South Australia. 1st place fitness model open. 2016 ANB South Australia. 2nd place overall fitness model. 2016 ANB national championships. Qualified in top 10. 2017 World Fitness Federation (WFF). 1st place beach model, qualifying me for world championships.

I am now off to Phuket Thailand for the World Amateur Natural Titles. 
** Gavin  claimed 5th place in overall fitness, 4th place in novice fitness, and 3rd place in physique**

"Fitness is not determined by a number, it’s about how you feel."

Q3:
How far in advance do you begin dieting for a bodybuilding competition?

Mr. Baust:
I start dieting for a competition 4 weeks out. I start to reduce the size of my meals, and I time my carbohydrate intake around workouts so I use the nutrition provided from them as energy for my workout, and my body has no chance of storing it as body fat.

In the week leading up to a competition, or "peak week" as it is known. I have eliminated carbohydrates from my diet, forcing my body to use its stored body fat as its primary source of energy.

This is a very uncomfortable feeling but necessary to achieving the 3-4% body fat levels required for competition judging.

Q4:
What types of exercise / training do you do to stay in shape and compete?

Mr. Baust:
I keep myself in very good physical condition all year round. I stay in shape by playing Australian rules football, boxing, running, strength resistance weight training, high intensity weight training, and basically anything that allows me to be active and exercise.

Having such a vast variety of training options, and playing team sport makes working out a lot more fun and enjoyable.

Q5:
What is your number one fitness tip that you would give to people?

Mr. Baust:
The weighing scales are liars! Fitness is not determined by a number, it's about how you feel.