The Arc of a Diver: South African Diver's stellar career as a model in Asia: David Oshry

Fit & Fab: David Oshry 

Health Post Weekly Column

Words: P. Ramakrishnan

Images: Sabrina Sikora 

Years before David Oshry, one of Asia’s top male models, posed in swimsuits, he competed in them. From ages eight to 18, he was a diver, jumping off boards around his native South Africa, where he competed against the best athletes in the region. 

In 1996, he made the Olympic team, but to his dismay, the South African government decided not to send a diving team to Atlanta in the US that year. “It was a political and financial thing,” says Oshry, 30. “I still have my Speedo trunks and a box full of medals in the bottom of a cupboard at my parents’ house in South Africa. There is no way the Speedo would fit me now.” 

That’s not to say he’s out of shape – it’s because he’s put on about two pants sizes in muscle since he quit diving and starting training in the gym. Sport has always been part of his life. In his younger days he also swam and dabbled in athletics, soccer, tennis, squash, field hockey and chess, “until I realised it wasn’t really a sport”, he laughs. “When you have spent most of your life training really hard, I find it is kind of like an addiction,” says Oshry. “If I miss gym for more than three or four days I get cranky and experience what can only be described as withdrawal symptoms. It’s not that different from giving up cigarettes or alcohol.” 

South China Morning Post: So what does a diver’s workout consist of? 

David Oshry: An average workout would begin with about 45 minutes to an hour of stretching, muscle building and strength exercises. Then it’s either into the water or, if it is too cold, train on the trampoline. The water is the most tiring aspect. It doesn’t sound like hard work, but when you dive over and over again, about 100 times a session, it eventually wears you down. 

SCMP: Were you on a special diet? 

David Oshry: I used to follow a “see food” diet. That is when you see food, you eat it. I just remember being hungry all the time. I used to eat more than all the other members of my family put together. 

Did the training teach you to be disciplined, or were you always that way? 

David Oshry: I don’t think of it as discipline. It’s more like conditioning. I started out at a young age doing things a certain way, over and over again. By the time I was old enough to question whether this was the way I wanted to do things, I already had certain character traits ingrained in my personality. Character traits such as never giving up, no matter how tough a task is physically or mentally, or how distant the reward seems. Or being able to step forward, peer over the edge of a three-storey concrete tower, turn your back to the water, and jump off. 

SCMP: Are you still a competitive person? 

David Oshry: If I try a sport and I am not instantly good at it, I feel like an amateur and I don’t like it. But that’s really just a fancy way of saying that if I can’t win at something, I don’t want to play. 

SCMP: Do you still dive? 

David Oshry: I seldom dive anymore. Diving isn’t like riding a bicycle. I can’t just pick up where I left off. I can still do some very basic things, although not very well. Compared to what I used to be able to do, it is downright embarrassing. 

SCMP: There are many gym fans out there who aren’t as cut as you – so what are you doing differently? 

David Oshry: The single biggest thing that I do differently is that I go to the gym and I work out. A lot of people these days are looking for a magic formula, that new special routine or exercise where they don’t have to sweat, where it doesn’t hurt and they don’t get too tired. Well the truth is, there is no zero-impact, feel-good exercise that lets you eat anything you want and still look great without putting in the effort. It really isn’t rocket science. 

SCMP: Which exercise routine or diet have you found works best for you? 

David Oshry: I like the Body for Life way by the author and celebrity motivator Bill Phillips. He advises things such as eating more small meals through the day instead of three large meals. I also prefer to go to the gym more frequently and work out for a shorter time. If I ever spend more than an hour in the gym, I know that it will get harder to convince myself to go back the next time. And I am a firm believer in taking one day a week off from your diet and gym routine. 

SCMP: Do you have any indulgences? 

David Oshry: I enjoy a beer or three on occasion. The trick is to try to make sure that your off-days coincide with your day off.