Andrea Presti Mister Olympia: how to prepare with diet and sport

Muscles ready to explode, eyes focused and a few smiles. On stage, Andrea Presti is at his house: “I’m fine, I don’t suffer from fear.” Professional bodybuilder born on 4 August 1987 in Val Camonica, he dedicated the sacrifices of a lifetime to his body. From the first day in the gym to the most important bodybuilding competition in the world, Mister Olympia, 28 years after the last Italian to succeed: “I started playing sports with judo, I was 3 years old. Now I feel like I’m living in a dream”. Between work out, Power supply, an ancestral fixation for sneakers (“I have a house full of them”) and always an eye on Lakers and at the NBA, it was told to Official Active.

The most important match of his life, Mister Olympia, is approaching (the 2021 edition will be held in Orlando, USA, from 7 to 10 October). But how did it come to bodybuilding?

“Following dad I started with judo, which I practiced until I was 18 between national and international competitions. It is a martial art with the culture of physical strengthening, there is a part of working with weights and starting to focus on this. I wait, at 16, I gradually realized that I liked more than fighting. At 18 I put aside the tatami, still continuing to train in the gym, and at 25 I decided to finalize all my efforts towards competitive activity. said ‘Why not try …’ and here we go “.

How important is the head in bodybuilding?

“It is essential, especially if you are not born with the kiss of mother nature. Bodybuilding is an elitist sport and of aesthetics, you are immediately labeled as gifted or not. At the beginning, I was considered not very predisposed from this point of view. But I worked hard to achieve my goals and today I would like to be an example of those who, with dedication and many sacrifices, have achieved unthinkable results “.

What did you insist on the most?

“They considered me too long-limbed, 99% of the insiders said that I would never go beyond the Italian championships. I didn’t listen to them and focusing mainly on weak points such as arms and calves I was right”.

How does a top-level bodybuilder train?

“Those who know me consider me a training and diet fundamentalist. I always push to the maximum and never relax, a bit like Cristiano Ronaldo (laughs, ed). Not surprisingly, on stage I am always the most drawn and defined athlete In general the professional bodybuilder is distinguished by attitude. The routine includes two daily workouts, from Monday to Saturday. The first, in the morning, lasting about an hour and a half. The second, in the afternoon, which usually does not exceed two. hours and a half… “.

And how does he behave at the table?

“The diet differs according to the period. In the off-season phase, that is, away from competitions, muscle mass is built and weight increases, with abundant meals and a high caloric intake. When the competition approaches, you work to be defined and get on stage at the top, with the best possible ratio between volume and quality. I impose my diet on six meals a day, eating every 3 hours starting from breakfast, at 7 am. When I don’t have to compete I allow myself a sgarro weekly, the cheesecake. But three months before the competition I eliminate that too “.

And in the week of the race?

“The daily meals remain six and, unlike popular beliefs, the water is not eliminated. The carbohydrates are gradually reduced, leading the body to a deliberate need to have them. Two days before the race there is the so-called refill, we eat more to restore energy to the muscles, together with the filling effect which on stage translates into definition and volume “.

How does the approach to preparing for an event like Mister Olympia change?

” If I think about it, I still struggle to realize that this is all true . And maybe it’s good, because I don’t feel the anxiety of the big opportunity. I’m working as usual, I try to give 100% every day “.

What is the first thing you will do immediately after the race?

“I will thank my trainer Mauro Sassi with a big hug. He took me from regional competitions and together, after 6 years, we made it this far. He devoted a lot of time to this adventure, I owe him a lot”.

What was your example?

“Dorian Yates, English bodybuilder capable of winning Mister Olympia six times. He too was considered unsuitable for bodybuilding from a genetic point of view, but training at a frenzied pace has achieved great goals. In his history I see a little bit of mine …”.

Who is Andrea Presti off the stage?

“A person like many others, I manage a gym in my city and I am the head of a team that deals with consulting from the point of view of training and nutrition, even online. Then I like to travel, I go crazy for sneakers and I follow the NBA and the Lakers a lot, where my favorite champions have always played, from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. “

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