Interview with athlete Iuri Frances.
- Name : Iuri French
- Age : 30 years
- Height : 1.77cm
- Starting weight : 99kg
- Current weight : 77kg
What made you join the gym and transform your body?
What got me started was the mirror!
I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, a boy this age is not supposed to have a body like this!
Since I was a kid, I've always been very good at physical tests, I went back to school in physical education, or even in football where I played for a few years, but for various reasons and mainly neglect, I let myself gain weight to such an extent that I weighed almost 100kg. .
Another thing that made me change was seeing friends with typical gym bodies and I thought, I would like to have a body like that!
But... I didn't do anything about it.
From the daily food that was a shame, to the rolls at night after the clubs, it was a sum of “rotten” food.
I stopped thinking and started acting, I had already signed up to the gym for many years, but I went there more to “watch the ball”.
I went from 8 to 80, it's been 3 years since I started going to the gym again, but seriously and in all aspects.
How did you manage to achieve your goals?
It was the move from 8 to 80 that made the results.
I started by not missing a single workout or a single meal. I did weight training from Monday to Saturday, with rest on Wednesday when I boxed, which ended up being good cardio.
A good training partner helped a lot, because like me, he was also fat and we started this together, we both managed to push each other.
I also started by creating a public folder on Facebook and posted my changes, some meals and some photos at the gym, which really motivated me when I read comments from people I knew and beyond, recognizing the work and giving strength.
At first I was reluctant to post photos because Portuguese people are very critical, they start with the typical phrases “Look at this guy arming himself” or “Look at this guy who already knows how to train” but I happen to deal with that and deal well with that. , especially because I have the chance to arrive one day, delete everything and the information will be gone.
I also used many of the trainings, ideas, nutrition from people who make videos on YouTube and blogs, they helped me a lot to separate trainings, choose supplements and learn something about them, to develop diets, etc.
Without a doubt, the internet helped me a lot in this field as the videos by Felipe Franco, Anderson Barbosa, Danilo França and Sardinha are very informative. I relied a lot on these bloggers on my journey and as they are in Portuguese it is much easier.
Now I can prepare my diets and training, thus obtaining better results, and I even do it for some people who are less informed than me, I can now explain mistakes I made so that they don't make them.
What were the biggest difficulties you encountered along the way?
The mental difficulties are the worst, because food is an addiction and one of the best things in life, and I like to eat!
Having to stay focused and know how to say no to dinners that are less interesting from the point of view of my goals.
Some willpower is needed, as coming home from work already tired, going to train, coming back exhausted and still having to prepare meals every day for the next day is really exhausting, and this is not a day or two in this routine, it's been years like this and I'm going for the 4th year in a row.
Then even on a personal level it's also complicated, going to my mother's house to eat and she having to make different food just for me, going to dinner at a friend's house and taking the box of food separately, going on vacation and having lots of prepared meals with me. For the days that I'm going to be away from home, avoiding clubs, parties, etc., is not easy.
Even the closest people like family, friends and girlfriend require some “patience” and I really appreciate it.
Now it's not quite like that, I can now have a more varied diet, indulge in some excesses, stretch myself a lot more!
The idea was to do a good job at the beginning and see it through to the end without fail, that work was done and now it's time to manage things and use a middle ground.
What diet did you follow?
I followed several diets over the months I was training.
I always varied my diet from high, medium, low, zero hydrates, using junk days and other times not.
Vary carbohydrates and protein throughout the day, cut out carbohydrates after 6 pm or not.
Anyway, I tested several things and saw what worked best.
Current Diet
Breakfast
- Sweet potato
- Chicken breast
- Peanuts
- Vitamin C
- L-Glutamine
- BCAA's
Middle of the morning
- Chicken breast
- Peanuts
- Multivitamin
Lunch
- Sweet potato
- Chicken breast
- Broccoli
Middle of the afternoon
- Egg Whites
- Chicken breast
Pre workout
- Sweet potato
- Chicken breast
- BCAA's
After training
- Dextrose
- whey
- BCAA's
- L-Glutamine
- Banana
To have lunch
- Chicken breast
- Broccoli
- Sweet potato
Supper
- Peanuts
- Egg Whites
What training plan did you follow?
It was the same with training.
I started by normally training two muscles a day, then I switched to one muscle a day.
I tested various types of training, such as FST-7, more advanced techniques such as drop-sets, rest pause, varying the rest from 20 seconds to 1 minute, series with slower movement and others faster, series with very little weight and with little weight and in certain fasted cardio phases.
I was testing and learning what suited me best.
Current Training
Training A – Legs (anterior) and calves
- Leg Extension in super series with Hack Leg 20-15-12-10
- Press 20-15-15-12-12-10
- Squat 15-12-12-10
- Adductor 20-20-20
- Gemini sitting 4 sets 20-40 reps
Training B – Chest
- Incline press 20-15-12-10-10
- Articulated bench press 15-15-15-15
- Decline bench press 15-15-15-15
- Openings – with rest pause 12-12-12
- Abdominals 4 sets
Training C – Back
- Barbell row 20-15-12-12-10
- Elevations 4 sets to failure
- Pulldown behind the neck 15-15-15-15
- Unilateral row – No rest 15-15-15
- Incline Reverse Pull – supinated grip 15-12-12-10
Training D – Legs (posterior)
- Leg Curl 20-18-15-12-12-10
- Flexor chair 15-15-15-15-15
- Standing Femoral Curl – No rest – 4 sets 10-12 repetitions
- Abductor 20-20-20-20
- Glutes Machine 20-20-20
- Twins standing 4 sets 20-40 reps
Training E – Shoulders
- Shoulder Press 15-15-15-15
- Sides 15-15-15-15
- Fronts with cable 15-15-15-15
- High row – slow execution – 10-10-10-10
- Inverted openings – Drop sets – 3 sets 8-20 repetitions
Training F – Arms
- Tricep extension rope 4 sets 15-20 reps
- Triceps with barbell 15-15-15
- Triceps on bench 15-15-15-15
- Curl with bar 15-15-15-15
- Concentrated curl 15-15-15-15
- Alternating curls on the incline bench 15-15-15-15
What supplements did you use?
At first I spent a lot of wasted money on supplements, because I thought quantity led to quality and that's not the case.
I did a lot of things where the only result was taking money out of my wallet.
Now my supplementation is always the same regardless of the stage I am in, only the quantities vary.
The supplements I use are:
- Whey Protein
- Dextrose
- Glutamine
- Creatine
- BCAA's
- Multivitamin
- Vitamin C
What advice would you give to someone who also wants to transform their body?
Forget what they say, say or say, do it for yourself and for yourself. If you really want to do it.
Does it cost? Yes it costs, but it is possible.
And forget those who say you can only do it with drugs or it's faster with drugs. Being faster is, but is it justified? You have to analyze what is worth what you want. I didn't use a single drug because for health reasons I couldn't and it was possible. You won't get any Olimpia, but to have a good body and fitness you can, Don't wait, you'll get it in 2 months!
How many years did it take you to gain weight? 6 or 7 years? And do you want to lose weight in 3 months?
Give it time, without fail, because when you ate badly you didn't fail either, it was every day, right? So do the opposite this time. It's good every day for the body to go to its place, slowly.
Don't be a slave to your diet, but to tighten it up at the beginning, you have to. Later on you can take a break, but to start it's serious.
This is my opinion and this is what I did.
My facebook contact is https://www.facebook.com/Yurifrances
I don't accept people I don't know because it becomes difficult to manage, but I have a public folder with my progress, etc.
For any other subject, you can send a message and I will respond.
Many of the messages I receive ask if I'm thinking about competing.
I've thought about it but the level and quality of the participants at 1.77cm is much higher than mine, I still lack the muscle mass and greater definition to be at their level. I train how I know and with the means I have.
I might think about it one day but I have no knowledge of the poses, what is really important on stage, what to focus on, what to do, etc.
It's something that if I ever think about having this experience I have to dedicate myself to.
