ROB MILLS HAS never been opposed to a transformation. Throughout his illustrious career, the former Australian Idol star has had to buff up and slim down to suit a variety of roles and performances. Most recently, he needed to drop some weight and build muscle to pass as Bon Jovi during a tour celebrating 40 years of the legendary rocker’s hits.
Knowing he’d be baring some skin in some 80s-inspired sleeveless vests, Mills’ decided that his exercise routine could use a much-needed revamp. He landed on finding a personal trainer, who provided him with a 12-week, full body program that would help him build muscle while shedding some excess weight.
The program worked. Mills managed to attain the physique he wanted and the tour was a roaring success. Here, in his own words, he breaks down the experience and details the routine that gave him the confidence to be “wearing Speedos all the time” while gallivanting around Europe.
“Throughout my life, I’ve always been pretty active. I played footy, cricket and baseball all through my teenage years and as an adult, I started running and going to the gym occasionally. But since turning 40, I’ve always wanted to see what my body could do, and over the last few years, I’ve become more focused on getting everything right.
I’ve gone through periods in the past where I’ve had to tone up for different roles. There was Ghost: The Musical in 2016 and Jesus Christ Superstar in 2017. For that, I thought to myself, You can’t be fat Jesus hanging up on the cross. As a result I got pretty lean. I was down to 73kg, which is as skinny as I’ve been since I was a teenager.
This time around, I didn’t have any specific goals, but seeing as I was going to be wearing open vests and the tight jeans of the ’80s for the Bon Jovi tour, I figured I should try to lose the muffin top. I’ve also been wanting to sort out some of the niggles I’ve had with my body for quite a while. I’ve had problems with my shoulder in the past, so rehabbing that allowed me to lift heavier for chest and shoulder press, and even back exercises.
For the last few months, I’ve been ramping up my workouts with my trainer, Matt Boland. I’ve managed to get down to around 76kg after starting at 82kg, but I’ve also gained a lot of muscle. A bit of the dehydration in the last day or so before the photoshoot probably helped the look, but I feel good too.
A few months ago I asked my trainer to give me a program that was fairly simple. I wanted to be going to the gym four to five days a week, but I also wanted the workouts to be flexible and fairly quick because my schedule can be hectic.
It was pretty full-on, but the thing with Matt’s program is that I didn’t have to be at the gym all day. I’d go to the gym and I could finish my session in around 25 to 30 minutes, but I’d still feel like I had a good workout. And then the next day, I never felt like I didn’t want to go back to the gym.
People look at an eight- or 12-week program as a quick fix, but it’s more of a starting point for a new lifestyle. It becomes part of your routine and you stop thinking about how many weeks you have left and start thinking about what your next goal is going to be and what you have to do week to week. That’s what has happened for me.
Another important factor was my diet. For years and years, I’ve been going to the gym and running occasionally but I haven’t really gotten the results that I was hoping for. It was the meals and meal prep that made the difference. It sounds obvious, and it’s probably the first piece of advice any trainer would give to anyone, but if you want to lose some weight, just don’t eat as much. That’s what did it for me.
The workout routine that helped Rob Mills lose weight while gaining muscle
Upper body functional bodybuilding
- Barbell shoulder press 4×6
- Dips 4xMax
- Rest 1:30min
- Dumbbell bench press 3×8
- Underhand lat pull down 3×12
- Dumbbell hammer curls 3×12
- Rest 1min
- Seated row 3×8
- Lateral raise 3×8
- Dumbbell skull crusher 3×12
- Rest 1min
Plus three rounds of:
- 10cal ski erg
- Push ups x 10
- EZY bar curls x 10
- Hanging knees to chest x 10
Lower body + shoulders
- Squat variation 4×6-10
- Rest 2min
- Dumbbell RDL 4×10
- Seated shoulder press 4×12
- Rest 1:30min
- Dumbbell reverse lunges 3×10
- Dumbbell lateral raises 3×12
- Rest 1:30min
- Lying hamstring curls 3×10
- Rest 1min
- Leg extension 3×12-15
- Rest 1min
Pull + arms
- (Weighted if possible) Pull ups 1×10, then 1×8/6/5/5
- Rest 2min
- Seated row 4×10
- Dumbbell strict curls 4×12
- Rest 1:30min
- Close grip pull down 4×10
- Dumbbell skull crushes 4×12
- Rest 45sec
- Machine hammer row 3×12
- Dumbbell hammer curls 3×12
- Rest 45sec
- Cable pull downs 3×12
- Overhead tricep extension 3×12
Functional bodybuilding
- Bench press 1×10 then 1×8/6/4
- Pull ups 4xAMRAP
- Rest 2min
- Seated shoulder press 4×10
- Prone dumbbell row 4×10
- Rest 1:30min
- Dips 3×12
- Lateral raises 3×12
- Rest 1min
Conditioning:
- 20cal ski erg
- 10 gorilla row
- 10 push ups
- 10 dumbbell hammer curls
- 30sec kettlebell carry
For the first time ever, I feel like I actually look my age. Before, I’ve always felt as if I looked like a skinny kid. I wouldn’t say that I’ve now become a man, but I’m more like a small adult that’s grown up. My shoulders are wider, I feel stronger and I just have more complete size.
I have way more confidence than I once did. I’ve been wearing Speedos the whole time on my recent European holiday. How’s that for confidence? The impact on my mental health has also been huge, and I put it down to setting and achieving goals, because once you reach a new milestone, you get a mental reward for it and feel better about yourself.
From now on, I’ll still be going to the gym a few times a week – I probably won’t be dehydrating myself to look good in photos though. What I’ve said to a few people is that it hasn’t been that hard to maintain my fitness level. I really enjoy training now and I still get the serotonin boost out of a workout. I can feel it benefitting my mental health.
My advice to someone who is in a similar position as I was a few months ago would be to find someone to hold you accountable. It could be a mate, it could be a trainer, it could be a partner. Just do it with someone who has a similar mindset and you’ll both feel the benefits. Some people are pretty good at holding themselves accountable, but for me, it was helpful to have a trainer there to keep me focused and say ‘you can’t skip this, it’s important’ when I was considering slacking off.
It’s not all about these, eight-, 12- or 16-week challenges. Maintaining your health for the long-term requires a reason to keep doing it once you’ve lost that initial spark you get from a challenge. You need that source of motivation, and it can come from a trainer or a social community or a class. I went with a trainer because I liked having someone to guide me through things as well.
Importantly, I didn’t drink for the last ten weeks of the challenge. I started questioning why I felt like needed to reward myself with a beer. Or why the reward even had to be beer. Getting fit helped me look at my relationship with alcohol differently and decide that I didn’t necessarily need it as much. I’m not saying to not drink at all, it’s alright to have a big night here and there, but you don’t need to have ten drinks every time you’re out.
On that same topic, I wrote a book about what it means to be an average Aussie man a few years ago where I talk about stuff like alcohol consumption, the importance of exercise, mental health, mateship and take a deep dive into what it is to be an Aussie man. If that’s sounds interesting to you, check it out!”
