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Sunday, March 16, 2008 - 10:25 PM
PHOTO BY RICK DREW PHOTOGRAPHY
Date of birth (or current age): April 14, 1974 (34)
Home town: Bulgaria (Moved to U.S. 5 years ago.)
Height: 5'11"
Contest Body Weight: 212
Off Season Body Weight: 230
Name of training facility: XSport Arlington Heights (South and North)
Tell us briefly about yourself. Any general information you want to provide about who you are, what you do, family life, special interests etc.
My family lives in Bulgaria. I moved to the US about 6 years ago and I have worked construction mostly since I arrived here, mostly as a carpenter working on building houses. I am very interested in training and bodybuilding and would like to train others who are interested and want to succeed. I graduated from the National Sports Academy in Bulgaria 6 years ago. My first major was physical education with a focus on bodybuilding and fitness. After I graduated in Bulgaria from the Academy, I came to the US. I always wanted to live here, and after thinking about it for a long time, one day I decided to go to the US and pursue my dream. Life in Bulgaria was good for me too, so it was a hard choice to leave. When I lived in Bulgaria, I worked as a stunt man doing movies. There is a company called New Image and they produce movies in Bulgaria with a some major U.S. studios so I was able to get a lot of stunt work through them. In the movies, I was involved in a lot of fight scenes, jumps and other stunts. During that time I worked on a few major feature films and met stars like Jean Claude Van Dam and Steven Segal on his film Out for a Kill. When I came to the U.S. I still wanted to work in films and so I went to LA and tried to get into stunt work. Unfortunately, L.A .was too big and too crazy and I didn't really know anyone which makes it really hard to get a break. So I decided to move to Chicago and make a living here. But I still love the movies, mostly action adventure films and I'm still very interested in the entertainment industry.
How many years have you been training?
I've been training more than 12 years or more with some breaks. When I was younger, I played a lot of soccer in Bulgaria. As a result, my legs were good size but my upper body was skinny.
Why did you get into bodybuilding?
It was one man who motivated me...Arnold Schwarzenegger. I wanted to be like him. He's an unbelievable person for so many reasons, including bodybuilding and I wanted to be like him. After I turned 20, I started focusing more on bodybuilding to get there and I've been at it ever since.
PHOTO BY RICK DREW PHOTOGRAPHY
How many competitions have you done?
I competed in Bulgaria two or three times and I didn't place well. So I kept working out for myself and figured I would compete again one day. When I got here to the U.S., I thought I would try competing again. It's very difficult to be a bodybuilder and make a living at the same time. Bodybuilding takes a very strong focus, have a lot of discipline and takes a lot of time. So you have to work hard at it while you're trying to make a living. Since I've been in the U.S., I have 2 competitions. I did the Continental in St. Charles and I placed 4th in the heavy weight class. The second competition was the Iron Man in December 2007 and I took 1st place and overall.
What is your main motivation to compete?
I always want to be a winner. That is my goal, I want to be a winner...that's all. It's not the easiest goal. I also want to be the first Bulgarian bodybuilder in the US to make it as a pro.
Who did you work with throughout your contest preparation, if anyone, and how did they help you?
I was on my own for the most part, but as I said, I didn't place so well in St. Charles so then I called Stoil Stoilov who is also from Bulgaria. He's been living here in the US for a long time. He placed 2nd in the NPC Nationals in Dallas in 2007. I think it was in the light heavyweight class. He's a good guy, and a professional bodybuilder in my eyes. I called him and he gave me a bunch of advice about my diet and exercise and how I should work out. He helped me a lot with the Iron man and I'm thankful. I'm that kind of person, I don't usually beg for help, I don't ask for help but this time I'm glad I did. He's still helping me out.
What was the hardest thing about preparing for this most recent competition?
Honestly, the diet. Basically I think the diet is the most important thing. But if you do it right, you can succeed. If not, it's not going to work. So the diet is the hardest thing and also the most important.
What kept you motivated and focused on your goals prior to your most recent competition?
I wanted to be the winner. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I have no family here, and that makes me even more motivated to succeed.
Why do you think you won over the competition in your most recent show?
Probably because I was the best at that show. I was the best in that particular completion.
Tell us about your off season training, nutrition and supplementation program. What does that look like typically?
My off season isn't that structured. I just I eat everything, and I don't watch my food much. Right now, I'm trying to put on as much weight as possible. I'm using "Up Your Mass" weight gainer once or twice a day. I eat a lot of meat and protein, mostly beef, chicken. In the morning I'll eat 4-5 eggs for breakfast. I'm also using Animal Stack vitamins and that gives me a lot of energy for training.
In the off season, I typically lift heavy, doing mostly squats, bench and dead lifts. Although I'm lifting heavy, I don't train crazy heavy to put on more size. I train every day, but not more than an hour per day. I do warm up sets, then a few heavy sets. I'm shocking my body with weights, that's all. I'm doing 8-12 reps per set typically.
PHOTO BY RICK DREW PHOTOGRAPHY
How were you doing the day of the show? What were your main concerns and what were you thinking about?
I was a little worried. I didn't place well at my first show and I didn't want to be 4th again. I was a little concerned and confused too. I didn't know who would be compete against me in this show and I was expecting the same guys that I competed against in the Continental but it was a new group of guys who came to compete and that worked out well for me.
Tell us about your in-season training, nutrition and supplementation program.
You have to stick with your diet that makes you tired, nervous, weak and not focused. In season, I don't jump right away into the diet. I start by cutting carbs slowly. Basically, I do 3-4 days with carbs, then 1 or 2 without them. Preparing my body for the shock. 2-3 weeks before show I am down to zero carbs or as low as possible. The only carbs I had were from the salads I ate. I was eating at least 2 lbs of chicken or fish a day and I tried to eat mostly fish, white filets and tuna. I also try to eat as little sodium as possible which is key for the diet to work and to look your best. You don't have that water resistance and can get a really ripped look. I started my diet for The 2007 Iron Man 8-10 weeks out from the show. If I do it too early, I get so tired and it's hard to do my job in construction since it's very physical already. As for vegetables as part of my contest diet, I tend to eat mostly tomatoes, carrots and cabbage. During the in season I don't take any protein shakes at all. I focus on eating good foods and nothing else.
In season, I work out 7 days a week. It's a big difference from my off season training. I do the most reps during my training too, 12,15 or 20 reps per set. And I'm training more often and not resting as much between sets. For my leg workouts, I do 20 reps per set. I typically work one muscle group per week and do 3-4 exercises per muscle group. In season, my intensity is much higher. My breaks between sets is very short...20-30 seconds between sets at most. I make my muscles burn and tingle and know that I'm working them. So my workout is shorter in general but much more intense. I don't like doing cardio, so I don't do it pre-contest. Maybe once a week but it's not my priority. The diet works for me on it's own and I don't need to do that much cardio to see the results. When you are bodybuilding it is not about a certain exercise, it's more about the way you listen to your body. Whatever your body wants, you give it to it. The way you work out has to be right for you. All these interviews and programs have advice about how to get results and that is fine. You can still get some basic information from those types of stories, but mostly you have to listen to yourself.
In your opinion, what does it take to achieve a goal someone sets for themselves and to win?
It takes a lot. I don't know. It mostly is discipline. If you are not disciplined you won't succeed. You don't need someone to push you to achieve a goal. If you want to reach a goal it's all in your hands. It's up to you to make it happen and no one else.
What advice would you would give to others working to compete in an NPC sanctioned show?
Keep going, don't give up. If you want to win and achieve some goals in front of you, then don't give it up keep working at them. The only way you can achieve these goals is by trying, just don't give up. That's all.
 PHOTO BY RICK DREW PHOTOGRAPHY
What are your future plans? Are you preparing for any upcoming contests?
Since I won the 2007 Ironman, which qualifies me for national level competitions I want to do some national level shows and keep going up. I'm planning to do the Jr. Nationals on June 20th, 2008 right now, but I'm not completely sure what will happen. For now everything is going well, I'm gaining weight and getting up toward my goal of 250 LBS. I want to be 220 LBS on stage and I'm up to 241 now, so I'm getting there. From then I don't know. It's all in Gods hands and I guess mine too.
Final thoughts? Anything that is on your mind not covered in the questions?
Life is hard, but I don't want to complain. It's hard for everyone. I do what I can to keep going. Whatever happens, I'm going to pursue my dreams and keep motivated. If you give up, it's not going to happen, so I keep going.
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