Love Island’s Davide Sanclimenti on Ekin-Su ‘distracting’ him in the gym 👀

From the moment he strutted into the Love Island villa with his Mediterranean-bombshell good looks, to when he was crowned the King of Love Island 2022 alongside his Queen Ekin-Su, Davide Sanclimenti had us swooning.

Now, over a year after his big win, the Rome-born hunk wants to use his post-villa platform to help inspire others on their fitness journey.

In the interests of balanced journalism, we asked Davide for a closer inspection of his impressive physique, and we can confirm that he is genuinely sculpted by the gods. But seriously (ahem), you don’t get a body like his without putting in some real work, so heat asked him to spill all on how he maintains those muscles.

Now, try your best to concentrate…

How did you first get into fitness?

I’ve always been a sporty person. I’ve done swimming, basketball, tennis, football. But I started going into the gym when I was around 18 and, from there, I never stopped – I never skipped a workout. The key is to be consistent. When I started my fitness journey, I was definitely addicted – I was counting every single gram of oil and every single grain of rice I consumed. It wasn’t healthy. I had to learn to be more flexible and to allow myself what I wanted sometimes. I now live by the 80/20 rule where I train hard and eat well 80 per cent of the time, and then I’m more relaxed 20 per cent of the time.

How did you stay consistent with training on Love Island?

The first thing I asked when I got into the villa was, “Where is the gym?” The heaviest weight that they had for us when I entered was 15kg. I was lifting 27kg when I was in quarantine before the show, so I went to the producers and asked them for bigger ones. Then they brought in 27kg for me.

Would you like to use your platform to inspire others?

I’m going to start an Instagram account where I post daily about fitness, because I’ve realised a lot of younger guys look to me for inspiration. I once met a man who told me that his 18-year-old son started working out and going to the gym after seeing me in the villa. That really made me proud, and it’s nice to be seen as a role model. That’s what I really want to focus on in the future. What makes me happiest is helping other people reach their goals. I want to show people on a daily basis what I do, so I can give them something daily to inspire them.

You’re a brand ambassador for a protein brand, too…

When I started at the gym, I was always looking at fitness influencers who were promoting protein powder and supplements and I always hoped that one day I could do that. By chance, I went to meet with the CEO of Sci-Mx for other reasons and, when I visited the factory, he saw my passion and my knowledge and asked me to be an ambassador. It’s always been a dream of mine.

What’s your training routine?

I work out five times a week, four if I’m busy. I try to hit each muscle at least twice a week. For example, I can do a heavy chest session on Wednesday and then I’ll do a lighter chest session on a Saturday. When I’m in the gym, it’s always high intensity – you’ll never see me resting for too long. I enjoy doing some cardio, too, more just for fun. I like going for a run and, recently, I’ve started playing tennis. When I’m not training at the gym, I’ll do a couple of hours of tennis.

Do you and Ekin-Su work out together?

With Ekin, it’s more me training her, as opposed to working out with her! But she knows that she distracts me, so she doesn’t come along with me as much now. But at the beginning of our relationship, we’d go to the gym together, and I’d give her some tips in between sets.

Who do you look up to fitness wise?

[Bodybuilder] Jeff Seid was probably my main inspiration growing up. I always liked the fitness influencers who were a little leaner, like Jeremy Buendia. These days, I don’t look to them as much, I’d love to work out with them, though. Back then, I was looking at what they were eating and how they were training. Now, I feel like people are looking to me for these sorts of things so it’s nice.

Do you have any fitness new year’s resolutions?

I always try to set some goals in the new year. In January, I’m always stricter with myself, but it is my lifestyle, so I don’t find it difficult and I enjoy doing it. If you want to see results, you have to enjoy what you’re doing. You cannot focus on just getting your body to look a certain way, or you’re more likely to give up. It has to be part of your lifestyle, because you’ll have more energy, and you’ll stay consistent with it. I also think it’s good to look to others for inspiration, but the main focus has to be yourself. If you can have a vision of yourself, it will help you achieve it.

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