Isky, a warm welcome to Stunning Men and many thanks for taking the time to do the interview.
Could we start off with talking a little about yourself and your background?
From when I was young I’ve always been active and in action. My name given to me by my mother is originally Iskandar Fay; I am Malaysian but was born in London.
As well as doing fitness modelling, stunts, martial arts, and filming I also am doing a medical science course in college and will be going to university next year to do sports and exercise rehabilitation.
You have a stunning physique. How do you maintain it and keep healthy? I imagine practising martial arts helps!
I am able to maintain my body by staying full of life, not ever being lazy and always keeping a decent diet. When I was around 14 I did tae kwon do and was lucky enough to join the tae kwon do demonstration team to do performances as I was a quick learner and flexible at doing kicks and tricks.
Between my tae kwon do years I was able to get on the Kensington and Chelsea athletics team in secondary school to compete against other schools in the UK. My specialities in the athletics team were high jump, long jump and the 100m races.
When I was 17 I decided to take a break from tae kwon do and move on to doing fitness training in the gym and also Mix Martial Arts (MMA) with my older brother.
What is your best lift at the gym?
Everyone is born with a special certain muscle that their body develops better more than others, my advantage muscles have to be my legs, biceps and triceps. The most I have ever pushed with my legs are around 340KG at my best.
What are your top three favourite exercises and why?
My first favourite exercise has to be the leg press because in the first place, I enjoy doing my legs. It also allows my whole body to grow bigger and faster due to the fact that this exercise produces more testosterone in the body. If my legs are big, my upper body will follow to become proportional to my legs.
The second is cable grip standing fly. This is a must do for me as I do enjoy pumping up my chest but also because my chest is my weak spot; so I always enjoy being productive and improving the weakest part of my body.
Lastly The triceps extensions using dumb bells or barbells because I enjoy doing my triceps and I am always able to go really heavy on my triceps too. I get a really good triceps pump which really looks unreal! (Isky laughs)
What’s the best form of cardio for you?
The best form of cardio for me is really just running and jogging to be honest, with a spice of sit-ups and crunches and also an 8 minute abs workout. You can see this here.
I don’t know the aerobic man’s name but I always do this exercise too for every cardio session I have. I can never not do any abs when I’m giving myself a cardio session.
What’s your gym/training routine like?
I do my best to train 5 – 7 days a week with a week break every 3 weeks of training.
Monday – legs
Tuesday – chest and triceps
Wednesday – back, traps, shoulders and biceps
Thursday – cardio with abs
Friday – chest
Saturday – maybe legs
Sunday – maybe cardio with abs
How do you keep motivated?
My brother always keeps me motivated, always giving me small pet talks on what I can be in the future and how much potential I have in being a ‘somebody’.
My mother also motivates me because she has a lot of faith in me, which gives me the confidence to train harder. This also makes my mother happy, which is my life’s goal as she has been a supportive single mother throughout my life.
I have a lot of friends who are 1st placed or sponsored fitness models who make me just want to be part of their group. So basically really my family and friends motivate me to train harder in life.
How do you fit bodybuilding and fitness into your life? Is it a difficult thing to achieve?
I find it pretty difficult as I have education to deal with at the same time and body building itself is a lifestyle in which it’s hard to eat every 2-3 hours during college hours and the whole fitness training is ok.
I guess as fitness itself is about being fit and healthy so I’m ok with that, it’s just the body building part which is hard to mixing with fitness in my life.
How do you approach a challenge?
It depends on whether I think the challenge is hard or not for me. If it’s something I feel confident in I’ll just hit it where it stands but if it isn’t, I will think about it first as I am kind of a neat freak or perfectionist...
What do you eat in a normal day?
On a normal day I would normally consume high amounts of protein, which means for breakfast a protein shake maybe with oats or some brown rice and chicken.
Then I would normally eat grilled chicken later, then maybe a sandwich with something meaty or fish like salmon and a pre-work out drink (sometimes Size On or No Explode or Rage) after training I would have some brown rice or noodles with meat or fish and some fruits for desert like berries and banana. I would have another meal before I go to sleep followed by a casein protein shake.
Do you allow yourself a cheat day? If so, what is your guilty pleasure?
I know some people will hate me for this but yes I do sometimes require a cheat day at some point. I know it’s looked down on by many fitness people but I guess some people just can’t resist their very own guilty pleasure. I LOVE CHOCOLATE. Chocolate is My Guilty Pleasure, I love all kinds of chocolates, from white to dark to milk to any kind.
You do stunts for TV and films. Could you tell us a bit about your acting?
My acting skills are very believable; I’ve done many fight scenes and dangerous stunts in my pass in front of the camera.
Could we talk about your passion for acrobatics and martial arts?
I always love expressing myself with acrobatics or perhaps with just movement itself, I enjoy doing acrobatics because it allows me to feel free and safe knowing that my body is capable of looking after itself without the sense of getting hurt.
I love martial arts because it has helped me overcome many obstacles in my life and has disciplined me to the max, which I can only love more. I hope to pass on my passion for martial arts to my kids in the future as that is how strong my passion for martial arts is.
How did you get into modelling? Is it something you always wanted to do?
I got into modeling when I was 16 as that is the legal age for doing modelling and adverts. I always wanted to pursue modelling in the first place. I used to take lots of model-like pictures and poses for my msn page when I was young and had lots of people commenting on how photogenic I was and how I have a good facial structure.
What do you enjoy the most about modelling?
The most I enjoy about modelling is that I am able to meet many different types of people, my contact list from every casting, advert, movie, and modelling work will just grow and grow. It’s definitely a very fun way to meet many people from many different backgrounds.
What advice would you give a new model?
Be confident, don’t make any hasty decisions, the best thing about falling down is getting back up! Also remember to have fun!
What do you do in your down time?
I don’t allow myself to have a down town, plus if it ever happens gym is my remedy.
Do you have any role models? People who inspire you?
My mum as she has been a single mother since the day I was born and had the strength to raise 2 amazing boys and my older brother Fauzie Fay who was always my motivation. He was my inspiration to martial arts and always forced me into doing sport activities when I was young! (more laughs)
Now a few quick fun questions if you are game? Do you think you are a good date?
Maybe...
Are you a brief man or a boxer kinda guy?
I’m a boxer kinda guy
What do you listen to on your iPod?
Jazz, Piano, Dubstep!, RnB, Slow Jam, anything that sounds good to my ears.
Your favourite song/piece of music to play while running?
DUBSTEP!
What kind of movies do you like?
ACTION!
What three words describe you best?
B - BIG
F - FRIENDLY
G - GIANT
(That’s what most of my friends call me)
One final question Isky, where do you see yourself and what would you like to be doing in 10 years time?
Hopefully doing action films, getting my name out and hopefully getting myself on the big screen.
Isky, it was great to do this interview with you! Thank you for your time and for being a good sport. All the best for the future!
