At the close of another week, we go out in style. A few days a I was able to shoot some great videos with Winston Tsai, who took a jaw-dropping 2nd Place in Physique at the 2012 NPC Simmons Peckam Classic!The video above, shot a few days after the contest, gives you some idea of good the young champ looked. This is a guy that gives it his all in the gym, and with the help of his friend Colin Weng (who's currently prepping for the NPC Junior Nationals), Winston has been able to build a first class look. Please take the time to watch the featured videos and if you have a facebook - please join his fanpage "Winston Tsai Fitness."
Mo Saaidi with Collin Weng at Powerhouse Gym - East Lansing
Also, I was able to catch with Mo Saaidi, who I've been trying to get on camera for weeks! He's been able to pack on a decent amount of muscle and trains with strategic precision. He's in full control of his weight; he's meticulous when it comes to good form, and he's a very sociable and approachable kind of guy. What I really like about his look, is that he's good arms, excellent abs, a solid back, but more than anything, I think his best bodypart is his chest.
Make sure to check back for more; we're going to be doing a lot more videos with Mo, Winston, Kyle Hein, and hopefully Colin Weng!!
I think a lot of things get easily lost in the shuffle. A lot of people in our sport think bikni girls come off the beach and walk onto an NPC stage - they don't know about the girls that powerlift and/or do triatholons (as seen on FigureBikni.com); many people also don't know about the numbers that natty powerlifters move, they just assume that because their natural, the numbers must be lower by at least 40% -- WRONG! But one are where a lot of people are in for a shock, is Physique.
People see these young, good looking model types, wearing colorful boardshots, tanned bodies, and catwalk poses to a sea of camera flashes. There's no pushing or shoving (as seen in the bodybuilding posedown), there's no trash talk (like at the Olympia press conference), and there's no dvds featuring these guys throwing weights around or looking like total meatheads (sorry Branch,lol). Most people think Physique guys eat rice cakes and drink wheat grass tea. They don't life hard, they're models. WRONG!
In this article we take a look at three Lansing/E.Lansing Physique stars. The top video features Winston Tsai, with bodybuilder Jeff Vasque offering some encouragement. In the second video, we tune into Colin Weng's channel. Colin is a top level Physique competitor aspiring to hit the Junior USA stage in 2012; he's also training Winston Tsai.
Moreover, we shocase an interview (above) with Kyle Hein. Kyle is getting ready to compete in two shows, in Ohio & Kentucky. He has a great physique, highlighted by quality guns (peaking biceps and thick triceps).
Finally, if you scroll down to the next post, you can read a great interview with Martin Mester, who won the C Class and the Masters Division (both in Physique) at the 2012 NPC Iron Man Naturally. An interview with overall winner of that show, Shaka Smith, is on the way!
Last but certainly not least, make sure to check out my interview RxMuscle.com's Aaron Singerman. Aaron is an aspiring physique star, who's taken as high as 2nd Place in open competition. He's also the co-host of the popular industry-wide radio shows, "Access Bodybuilding" and "Iron Empire Radio." He's also the national spokesperson for IronMagLabs, a wonderful supplement company that makes the strongest prohormones legally availabe. IML is a huge supporter of our sites, and we couldn't ask for a cooler company to work with!
Christian Duque: Please tell us your full name, age, height, and regular weight/contest weight. Also please tell us where you were born & raised.
Martin Mester: My name is Martin Mester I'm 35 years old. My height is 6´2. My contest weight is 216lbs, with my off-season weight at 222lbs. I was born in the Czech republic, but I live in Madrid, Spain.
Christian Duque: When did you first start training with weight, how old were you, and what inspired you to transform your physique?
Martin Mester: I was started my training at a young age - 15 years old. My motivations were movie stars like Van Damme, Stallone, and Arnold. I wanted to be strong and have muscle, so I started step by step. I started going to the gym and developed from a skinny body to a muscular one.
Christian Duque: As far as your training goes, do you incorporate everything in the gym (machines, barbells, and free weights)? Or do you prefer any particular forms? What does your split (programa de entrenamiento) look like for the week?
Martin Mester: I prefer "change" with every workout, whether I'm training heavy or doing circuit type work.
I try to surprise my body through heavy working sets and/or intensity. I usually will use the machines, barbells, free weights, with a split of three days on, with one day off. When I'm close to a competition, I'll train 2x a day. Before breakfast, I'll be doing my cardio on the stepper or bike. I'll schedule my weight-training session for the afternoon.
Christian Duque: Many people want to have definition and good lines, talk to us about how important cardio vascular training is for you? How important is it develop lean, vascular look?
Martin Mester: I think that cardio training is very important to be lean. And generally, intensive workouts are really good for shedding extra calories and looking lean. Everybody has muscle but if that muscle is under fat, nobody can see it. So if you want to be lean with great shape, you have to do put forth some real effort, because nothing is free in life. If you put 100% to your workout and diet you can expect 100% awesome results - results you'll be proud of!
Christian Duque: As far as diet goes - do your dietary requirements change vary during the year, or do you keep a pretty consistent set of meal plans? What does your normal diet look like?
Martin Mester: My diet is more or less the same year-round. I try to always be in good shape. Just before the competicion, I am more strict with my diet, exerting greater control over what I eat.
I eat 6 meals a day with 2 protein shakes. I need more good fats than carbohydrates so I eat more steak, salmon, almonds, etc. I try to consume 3,5 g of protein per 1kg of body weight, with just a bit of carbohydrates - normally oatmeal or potatoes.
Christian Duque: For those men reading this, that would like to compete in Physique, do you recommend staying lean year-round (todo el a~no) or do you advocate for an On and Off season? Is there a danger for the Physique competitor to "Bulk Up?"
Martin Mester: In my opinion is better to stay lean year-round. Physique is not bodybuilding so you dont need to have huge muscles, what you need is to have quality muscle come the contest. Of course there isn't a danger "bulk up," if you do it correctly; however, I think you really dont need it. Instead, focus all your efforts at developing rockhard muscle! Physique isn't about size, it's about quality muscle and symmetry.
Christian Duque: Talk to us about your record, how many competitions have you entered? Has it been all Physique, any bodybuilding?
Martin Mester: I just did 2 competitions and I won both of them - I'm very lucky. My first competition was last year, the West Coast Classic, where I won the Men's Physique, Class C. And this year, I won the Iron Man Naturally Mens Physique (Class C & Master's Physique).
Christian Duque: I think everyone that sees your photos, is blown away (WOW) by your abs. What tips can you give the readers as far as seeing improvements in their own bodies?
Martin Mester: I work my abs like I would any other muscle - remember that, surprise is the name of the game. Sometimes I'll train heavy for high reps, other times I'll do circuit super-sets, but other times I'll just mix it up even further. You have to remember that there's many different exercises to stimulate the abs. In order to reap the best results, consistently introduce new exercises and follow through with a clean diet.
Christian Duque: Talk to us about your supplements. What's your favorite protein, creatine, amino acids, etc? What companies have you had the best experiences with?
Martin Mester: I use supplements such as a protein shake, bcaa's, glutamine, and crealkaline from Scipharm and Beverly Nutrition. I also use a fat burner from VPX, because I have great results from it.
Christian Duque: Please tell us what you have planned for 2012 and where your fans can go to reach you.
Martin Mester: For this year, I definitely plan on doing the West Coast Classic! In October, I plan on doing the Arnold Classic (Europe) in Madrid. This is the first year they'll have Men's Physique and I can't wait to be there.
If you haven't heard Episode 35 of the VPX Shotgun Big Show, featuring John Romano and Lee Priest, I strongly encourage you to do so. This episode was incredibly entertaining as Derek Anthony joined the show. I must say, I was curious about how Derek and Lee would get along, mainly since Lee is a comical, outspoken kinda guy and Derek Anthony was always marketed as the resident hothead during the RxMuscle days.
But the rapport couldn't have been any better than it was. The three got along splendidly, making me wish the show would go for another hour or two! Derek really felt like he belonged; the more I listened to the program, the more I felt like this trio could be just what the doctor ordered - taking three-man shows like Heavy Muscle Radio and Pro Bodybuilding Weekly, head on.
At a time when feuds seem rampant between the SBS & its fans v. HMR and its fans, few could dismiss that pound for pound, Derek Anthony and Aaron Singerman are quite possibly the two most popular names in the game - and both are remarkably similar. Anthony and Singerman both had a connection to RxMuscle, both are around the same age, both have fairly new but exploding radio shows, and neither actively competes (e.g. hold a pro card or is a top NPC contender).
Pound for pound, it would be interesting which celebrity would have more fans? Anyone up for starting a fan poll? Whether at RxMuscle, GetBig, Bodybuilding.com? I'd put my money with Singerman, but after last night's show, I might go back to the undecided column.
Again, awesome show! Check out the The DA Show (http://blogtalkradio/DAShow) and DerekAntony.com.
I first got into bodybuilding after a bad breakup in 2005. The sport meant so much to me that it shot up my self-esteem helped me kick twelve years of smoking, and it made me take my diet, training, and supplementation more serious than anything else in my life. In no time, I was reading the bodybuilding magazines, buying books and dvds, and visiting the online message boards. In 2006, I discovered Pro Bodybuilding Weekly, a weekly show hosted by Dan Solomon and bodybuilding champion, Bob Cicherillo.
Once PBW got boring, a new show featuring Muscular Development Magazine's John Romano & Dave Palumbo, titled No Bull Radio took to the online radio waves. I was instantly made a diehard fan. So naturally, when Romano and Palumbo parted ways with MD, I followed the duo to their next project: the revamped RxMuscle.com
on a recent episode of VPX Shotgun Radio, with John Romano and Lee Priest, the hosts discussed a new judging criteria which seeks to mark down Men's Physique competitors with "overly muscular calves." This is serious cause for alarm, as the men that compete here (unlike the Women in the counterpart WPD) are already hiding their quads, glutes, and hamstrings with loose-fitting boadshorts that span the body from waist to knees. It's bad enough that most guys nowadays don't do squats, much less stiff leg deadlifts or lunges! This Division is essentially telling guys it's ok not to have legs and to walk around looking like lawndarts (a pretty accurate comparison, made by John Romano, former senior editor of Muscular Development Magazine.
So what's the deal with Men's Physique anyways? Is it possible the mainstream public doesn't relate to guys like 4x Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler's physique? Might it be that 202 Bodybuilding has been such a hit, that the 210 Class is about to take off? Could it be the IFBB may want lighter physiques, possibly more natural looking (naturally without going 'natural' -- what's that anyways?).
But sure, I could see Men's Physique really doing well with the mainstream public, but feeding into the ignorance of training chest and arms everyday, with no attention to lower back/hams and quads, what is are the IFBB and NPC looking to accomplish.
And what do the athletes have to say? In a recent video shot by Bill Comstock for RxMuscle.com, titled "A Day in Venice," IFBB Mens Physique Pro Steve Cook expressed some very heartfelt concerns. For eleven minutes, the viewer is treated/punished to watching IFBB Pro Jerome Fergueson, the self-proclaimed guru trainer for the new division, do everything in his power to keep Steve exhausted and out of breath. Interestingly, when Fergueson gets lost, maybe to make another Planet Fitness commercial where he can make a mockery of the sport of bodybuilding, Steve Cook wastes no time to speak from the heart. He said the following:
"One thing I'd really like to see in the next three years as Men's Physique really evolves, is a standardized short... that would show off the legs, show off the hamstrings, the glutes; just give the judges more to judge on. That and maybe allowing us to pose a little bit. Then I could see this Men's Physique thing really taking off, IF IT'S ALLOWED TO BE DONE." (11:54 - 12:30)
I really hope John & Lee give their thoughts. The first chance this Pro gets, all he wants is to be able to train hard, showcase his legs, be allowed to pose more, and basically, truly present a MAN's physique. John & Lee have never attacked the athletes - and they are 100% for the fans, but these judges, and the drummer(s) they march to, are implementing all sorts of ridiculous policies that quite frankly leave me at a loss for words. John & Lee are the only ones to hold certain parties ACCOUNTABLE. I mean, am I the only one that's left asking why on Earth Steve Cook would end such a statement asking for such BASIC, COMMON SENSE requests with -- IF IT'S ALLOWED TO BE DONE. For a Pro Athlete in a Division that I have socks older than, you gotta wonder just how BLATANT the control is and just how warped the reasoning behind it is.
The NPC/IFBB should have the integrity to recognize that the lawndart look is not going to appeal to the mainstream, and if it does, it goes agains tall of the Weider Principles that speak to a full body's worth of muscle. Arnold & Lou, Franco & Zane, they all hit legs, they had hamstrings, glutes, and CALVES! What the HELL are they smoking to first cover the largest muscle in the body and then to have the AUDACITY to suggest they'll mark done OVERLY muscular calves?"
It's a disservice to the kids/guys in the gym, it's a disservice to the fans -- who like muscle, and seemingly, it's a disservice to the athletes themselves -- who are troubled by there not being a uniform suit, guys that want to train within the specified SIZE and SYMMETRY requirements of the new class, and who want to showcase a strong, healthy, streamlined physique.
I wonder what Bob Cicherillo would have to say about Steve Cook's comments? I personally applaud the MPD Pro, who I think has SICK back development, incredible core strength, and has the looks to be the next Bob Paris and/or Gary Strydom for the sport. I just hope he doesn't get blackballed because he spoke his mind during a video where he was mostly subjected to ridiculous exercises that guys with muscular physiques rarely do -- juiced or natural. Anyone care to wager how many box jumps Jay Cutler could do? Lol
Physique sports are amongst the most difficult to master, because there is no scoring the field goal, hitting a homer, or knocking out the champ. Many competitors commit to years of hard training, coupled with months of strict dieting, developing posing routines, nailing their color, just to stand on stage and look their best for a few hours - minutes actually!
Bodybuilding is the king of all physique sports, demanding the most disciplined, courageous individuals. There supplements are just the tip of the iceberg, and in fact, they are the smallest part.
One of the best Women bodybuilders in the NPC, the largest amateur federation in the United States, is Kate Cooper. Just recently she took 2nd place in the Heavyweight Class as the 2011 NPC USA Championships, and she won the Light Heavyweight (Over 35) Class at the 2011 NPC Masters Nationals. Kate has been competing since 2001, according to her website's contest overview. She's placed Top 5 in several key shows, as well as winning the 2004 NPC Excalibur -- one of the best known contests in the country.
Given her recent success at national qualifiers, I am confident that you'll see this beautiful lady earn her IFBB Pro Card in no time! For more info on this superb athlete, visit her official website at: http://www.kate-cooperfbb.com/
