This is the life and training of the best bodybuilders in Spain: "In the volume phase I reached 134 kilos"
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman and now, Chris Bumstead are some of the men who have raised the name of Mr.. Olympia to make it the biggest bodybuilding competition in the world. This tournament was created in 1965 by Joe and Ben Weider, who announced it as the new event with which the Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFFB) could change the history and dimension of this sport.. Since then, and over the past six decades, hundreds of men (and women since the 1980s) have pushed their physiques to unimaginable limits to win the highest decoration in the world of bodybuilding.
It is so prestigious that the fact of being able to step on the stage of Mr.. Olympia surrounded by the best physicists on the planet is already a titanic effort for all its participants. To access, first of all, they must obtain a PRO-CARD by competing against the best international bodybuilders in the amateur field and, after that, obtain a “direct pass” by winning any of the professional tournaments that are held during the year.
The next event of this nature will take place in Alicante, on June 17 and 18, and there Joan Pradells, the most mediatic bodybuilder in Spain, will fight to obtain a place for the next Mr.. Olympia in her second year devoting herself fully to bodybuilding. Pradells, despite competing in the Open category (without weight limit), seeks to follow in the footsteps of Ángel Calderón, the best national bodybuilder, who made history by finishing second in the 212-pound category (96 kilos of maximum weight) in last year's event.
Ángel Calderón in competition Food and training
Both dedicate their lives to the development of their bodies, alternating volume phases, in which they increase their muscle mass, and definition phases, with which they adjust their physical condition to the demands of the competition.. “The volume phase occurs when you are out of season, away from the competition, and the definition phase takes place when you are closer to competing. In volume what I do is a caloric surplus. I usually eat rice creams, protein powder, rice, red and white meat, fish such as salmon, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yogurts and fruits, practically the same as in definition, but in extreme amounts.. In addition, I train a lot and gradually increase my body weight, which means eating more and more,” explains Pradells, who has reached 134 kilos in this process.
Joan Pradells during a training session
Calderón, due to the weight limits of his category, controls the development of his physique in volume to reach 96 kilos, a figure that each year, he admits, is more difficult for him to reach: “I cannot make a volume to get to 115- 120 kilos, because then I have to give 96. So what I do is a controlled volume, measuring carbohydrates and proteins so as not to gain weight.. Even so, I usually stand at 110-111 kilos. In addition, my weight gains are usually quite clean, with hardly any fluid retention, which is why it is not particularly noticeable and it is more difficult for me to lose it,” he explains.
Ángel Calderón during a training session
And it is that in that he conquered the definition, in losing the excess kilos so that the muscle comes to light and can be observed in its full form. Both begin this phase a few months before competing, something they usually do “two or three times a year” and in it they reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat and increase cardio time in training.
As for these, in both phases, the sessions are long, “about 4 hours a day” and consist of performing the exercises repeatedly, trying to do the maximum number of repetitions, until their bodies say enough is enough, ” to failure” or above.
Mental force
This preparation process, in addition to the incredible physical effort it entails, also implies a high-level mental commitment, since raising their physiques to the limit implies great suffering.
“The process of losing weight is especially screwed up for me, I'm annoyed all day and don't want to look in the mirror, that's why I try to take refuge in my wife and those around me, who already know me and know how to treat me,” he says. Angel Calderon.
Pradells, for his part, has the support of Marta, his girlfriend, who is the main person in charge of his social networks and is by his side at all times.. She explains that living with Joan during the preparation is like doing it with “a premenstrual woman”, since she is “impatient and unstable”, but that, being also passionate about the world of Fitness, in which they met, she carries it ” way better than any other girl who might be outside of this realm and whose boyfriend is a bodybuilder.”
Joan Pradells with Marta, his girlfriend Compete in Mr. olympia
This hard training process has a clear objective, to reach the stage of Mr.. Olympia. That is where Pradells wants to go at just 26 years old and it is where Calderón, at 41, has already become a regular. The Valencian has competed four times in the largest bodybuilding tournament in the world, qualifying for the final round from his first participation and staying at the gates of victory in the 2022 edition, in which only Shaun Clarida was able to separate him from victory.
The American, thanks to his 1.57 m height, starts with an advantage over Calderón in a category in which weight is so limited. While the Spaniard is obliged to cut his weight by reducing his diet a great deal, Clarida is not even obliged to weigh himself because he always arrives at the competition well below the limit.
Ángel Calderón (center) with Shaun Clarida (right) in the final of Mr..
“Shaun Clarida, being so short, starts with a certain advantage because in volume he reaches 100 kilos, so he goes out to compete in 86. He does not even need to weigh himself and he goes out to compete at his best physical moment. I have to do the reduction work, in which it is impossible not to lose muscle mass along the way, that's why I don't compete as I would like, which is how I am when I weigh 105 kilos. In any case, I hope to beat him no matter what,” says Calderón.
In addition, he explains that when you arrive in Las Vegas, where Mr.. Olympia, “you hallucinate, because you see yourself surrounded by the best bodybuilders in the world and, although at first they don't know you, after so many years, they greet you and respect you.”
economic benefit
The world of bodybuilding is very sacrificed, not only for the physical and mental, but also for the costs involved. Despite the fact that in the big tournaments the participants who remain in the first places are financially rewarded, the amounts are much less than what is invested by these athletes, since they can spend about 5,000 euros a month to keep their physiques in shape.
For this reason, social networks have become a key tool for them, because there, in addition to being able to show their progress and have contact with their followers, they collaborate with different brands that help them greatly with the economic part.
In this section, Pardells is the dominator in Spain. The young man accumulates half a million followers on Instagram and 300,000 on YouTube, where he uploads a daily video showing his routine and way of life. “After several years dedicating myself to networks, in 2022, Marta and I began to study the operation of each social network and to investigate the way in which we could exploit each of them to the maximum. We are not trying to look for viral content, although it is also important, but we want to lay the foundations of a community through perseverance and showing something beyond training or my physical condition. It's about sharing the whole process, not the what but the how.”
In addition, Joan owns a company called PBS Apparel where she sells fitness related products and is her main source of income.
Thanks to this “boom” on the Internet, Pradells has had experiences such as being invited to programs such as La Resistencia or being interviewed by Jordi Wild on his podcast. However, he assures that “it is not all good”, and it is that both he and Marta have suffered phone calls, visits to their house and countless looks and comments on the street for the simple fact of being who they are.