23 February 2015

Local leaders – Billy Giampaolo (Elite Physique)

| Amy M
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Billy Giampaolo

Billy Giampaolo is an elite level powerlifter, a former Mr Australasia body building champion and the founder and executive director of one of Canberra’s most successful gyms, Elite Physique.

Billy started lifting weights when he was 13 and has an overseas world class deadlift personal best of 372kg. He says that he decided to open a gym because he wanted to cater to people with a range of fitness goals.

“I found that all gyms had something missing. They were either too serious or too general. I wanted to create something that catered to everyone, whether they were 70 years old or going for a world record,” he says.

He assembled an expert team of trainers, from professional body builders to experienced martial arts practitioners (he describes his team as “the best people, with no attitude”). Since opening Elite Physique in 2005, the business has expanded to include supplements store Elite Supps and Elite Distributors, which distributes sports nutrition products around Australia.

Billy says that what many people don’t realise is that there’s no quick fix for getting fit. While 12-week programs and fad diets maybe effective in the short term, long lasting results come from consistently putting in effort.

“No one comes in and says, ‘I want to be really great at the basics in two or three years’. Nobody wants to learn how to become a master. People want the magic bullet solution, and that’s why there are 2000 different diet and training regimes out there,” he says.

“You could buy a car, or a house, or anything you wanted today, but you can’t get a better physique today. You have to put in the work over months and years. It took you thirty years or longer to get the body that you have, so of course it’s going to take a long time to change.

“What really works is focusing on becoming the best you can be at the basics. Work on the basics of lifting, focusing on your posture, your glutes, hamstrings and abs. If you don’t have strength in those areas, you’ll find that you’re injured more often and it’s harder to achieve a symmetrical aesthetic.”

Billy lists setting the deadlift world record in 2010 and winning the Mr Australasia bodybuilding competition in 2003 as career highlights, but says that he is most proud of helping a legally blind teenager to set the junior Australia record in powerlifting.

“He didn’t just break the record. He smashed it by 40kg. That’s unheard of.”

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Dame Canberra11:39 am 23 Feb 15

Love Elite Physique. I had a membership there for years until I moved out of the area, and really enjoyed it. They’ve been running a promotion offering outrageously cheap $5 casual visits – a very good incentive to drive from the inner north to Phillip once a week. Great value.

Billy is awesome, and this article has just reminded me to get my butt into gear and get back to Elite to work on improving my fitness and stamina again. I have a membership going to waste due to pure laziness … time to get back into it!

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