2011 Mr. Olympia Competitor, Amit Sapir, Gives Aspiring Bodybuilders Advice

The Iranian bodybuilder prepares youngsters to face failure early and stay lean from the start. 

Casual gym-goers might not know who Amit Sapir is. He’s not in the same league as Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ronnie Coleman, but he’s still stamped his mark in the sport after competing in the 2011 Mr. Olympia lightweight division.

So basically, it’ll be wise to listen to his advice. And he’s recently written an article on BarBend detailing the 5 main things every young, aspiring bodybuilder should do.

Check them out:

1. Stay Under 11% Body Fat At All Times

Remember that this is advice for serious, aspiring bodybuilders and not just regular gym-goers…

Amit recommends staying under 10-11% body fat, even in the off-season, as he believes this makes it easier to gain lean muscle mass.

Here’s what the Iranian bodybuilder said:

“Eat just enough to gain lean muscle and not to gain fat. The leaner you stay in your off season, the better.

“Do not go over 101–% body fat, it will hinder your ability to gain new lean muscle mass. Staying lean will help with insulin sensitivity, general health, and will keep you disciplined and focused on making he right food choices to help you grow.”

2. Train Harder During Your Early Years

Amit believes that your prime years (in terms of intense training) are between 18-28 years of age. It’s during this period that he recommends training as much, and hard, as possible.

Why? Because you won’t always be able to keep training as intensely as you age. You’ll find it harder to recover and keep lifting heavy-ass-weights.

Speaking on BarBend, Amit said:

“Get strong in the big compound movements and do them as often as training allows.

“I cannot put into words how much I miss the days when my body allowed me to squat almost daily, to deadlift three times a week, and to bench or overhead press every day and still get bigger and stronger.

“Those years created the base of my physique. My ability to train hard daily and the strength gains I got are still serving me till this day.

“When you are young and fresh, your body’s ability to recover quickly is nothing short of remarkable. If I only had the knowledge I have today with the physical abilities I had from 18 to 28 I’d have been invincible.

“I got better and stronger by the week and injuries were just something that couldn’t happen to me. I miss that resilience.

“Take advantage of being young and push as hard as you can, don’t waste time on anything that is not challenging you. In this period of your life, the amount of hard work you will put in your training will determine your potential to be great down the road.”

3. Don’t Listen To The Haters

One thing Amit mentions, is that every bodybuilder will always face criticism throughout their journey.

However, he emphasises the importance of brushing the haters away and keeping focused on your goal.

On this topic, Amit said:

“I knew the day I started bodybuilding that I would be on the Olympia stage. It was my only goal. I said to anyone who was willing to listen (and also to the ones who were not so willing.)

“I can’t even count the number of times I heard the following: ‘You are delusional’ ‘You’re 5’4”, that’s too short’ ‘You don’t have the genetics’ ‘You will ruin your health’ ‘You won’t be able to have kids’

“By the way, I have two amazing young boys and I am healthy as a horse. Every time I had the same response: ‘Watch me’.

“Proving those people wrong was one of my more significant motivators during my career.”

4. Learn To Comeback Strong From Failure

Bodybuilding is a tough sport with a lot of competition. This is the reason why not many people manage to reach the heights of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ronnie Coleman.

So it’s literally impossible for most people to walk away with trophies in every competition they enter – especially amateurs who are looking to earn their Pro Card.

For this reason, Amit advices youngsters to embrace failure and learn how to return stronger afterwards.

The Iranian bodybuilder said:

“It’s not about how hard you hit, it’s about how much you can take and keep moving forward – There’s no truer cliche when it comes to the sport of bodybuilding.

“I finished dead last in my second pro show. It was the most laborious prep I ever had, and I gave it every ounce of my soul. Getting the last call our was the probably only time in my career that I thought I should quit and find a real job.

“My loved ones talked me out of it, and I went back to the drawing board and worked even harder for my next show – where I qualified for Mr. Olympia, the top of the world in bodybuilding standards.

“I remember thinking that was God’s way of testing me to see how much I wanted it. You cannot knock down the person who keeps getting up, and if you want a real chance in this sport, you will need to learn to have the capacity to crash adn rise

“As long as you are ok with it, then your dream will stay alive, Failure does not mean the end. Quitting does.”

5. “Dream Big, But Be Smart”

There’s no-way that bodybuilders would achieve success in the industry without any ambition. So Amit Sapit reinforced his belief that youngsters need to ‘dream big’.

However, the 2011 Mr. Olympia competitor also recommends having a back-up career, in case of serious injury.

Not only that, Amit also advices youngsters to invest in health insurance and saving as much money as possible in a savings account.

Amit finished the interview saying:

“Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

“When you aim for a goal that is big and difficult to achieve, that also means that you are exposing yourself to a chance that things can go sideways. In a sport where money is not significant and there’s a lot of health risks, it would be wise to have a safety net.

“I’ve seen people risking and losing every dollar they have and ending up in the hospital with no money to pay for the doctor bill. Dream big, but be smart, and take into consideration the worst case scenario.”

Source : spotmebro.com