Interview with athlete Pedro Miguel.
- Name : Pedro Miguel
- Age : 30 years
- Height : 1.70m
- Weight : 81kg
- 7th place in the National Bodybuilding Championship up to 75kg
How and why did you start training?
My first sporting experience was, like almost all kids, football, I played in the younger teams but from a certain point on I realized that it wasn't what I really liked.
I also had a very thin structure and wanted to gain muscle and have a toned body and it was at that time that I decided to start training, I was 17 years old.
I remember as if it were today the first time the doors of a gym were opened to me, my friend and at the time also instructor, Paulo Braz, who accompanied me for several years, advised me and taught me much of what I know today.
What type of diet do you follow?
I try to eat “clean” all year round, even in the off-season. I don’t eat sweets or indulge in too much, but if I ever feel like eating something outside of my diet, I don’t have any problems since I have a very fast metabolism and can afford that “luxury”.
During the preparation or pre-competition phase, I do several variations of high-carb days, low-carb days and zero-carb days. The rotation of days and quantities are adjusted taking into account changes in the body and once a week I do a “cheat meal” if I feel the need.
Diet example
Meal 1:
- 200ml egg whites (7 egg whites)
- 1 whole egg
- 100g Oats
- 1 Banana
- 1 Scoop Whey
- 1 Multivitamin
Meal 2:
(On days when I wake up later, along with meal 1)
- 300ml egg whites (9 egg whites)
- 1 whole egg
- 100g Oats
Meal 3:
- 200g Meat
- 200g Rice
- Salad with olive oil
- 1 Fruit of your choice
Meal 4:
- 200g Meat
- 200g Rice
Meal 5:
- 200g Meat
- 200g Rice
Post-Workout
- 1 Scoop Whey
- 5g BCAA’s
- 5g Glutamine
- 40g Fast Carbs
Meal 6:
- 300g of fish (I alternate between salmon, tuna, hake, sea bass)
- 200g Rice
- 100g Vegetables
- 1 Multivitamin
Meal 7:
- 1 Scoop Whey
- 50g Dried fruits
What type of training do you follow?
I like to train hard and always try to keep the intensity high.
I try not to rest for more than 1 minute between sets, the movements are controlled with a cadence of 4 seconds on the way down and 2 seconds on the way up, in my opinion it doesn't make sense to increase the load too much if we don't fully control the movement.
I do 30 minute cardio sessions 2-3 times a week in the off season and increase to 50 minutes every day in the weeks leading up to a competition.
Sometimes I include some variations in the training, such as superset training, giant sets, negative sets, drop-sets in the last sets in order to give shocks and different stimuli to the muscle, forcing it to react and preventing it from “adapting”.
In the last exercise for each muscle group, I do repetitions until exhaustion if I still have the energy to do so, in order to deplete all glycogen reserves.
My training consists of:
Chest
- Incline Bench Press 4 x 8-10
- Flat Bench Press 4 x 8-10
- Decline Bench Press 4 x 8-10
- Flat Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8-10
- Peck Deck or Openings – Until exhaustion
- Funds – Until exhaustion
Back
- Bent Row 4 x 12-10
- Deadweight 4 x 12-10
- T row 4 x 12-10
- Dumbbell Row 4 x 12-10
- Front Puller – Until exhaustion
- Pull-ups – To exhaustion
Leg – Quadriceps
- Squat 4 x 20-15
- Press 4 x 20-15
- Leg Extension 4 x 20-15
- Hack 4 x 20-15
- Leg Extension – Until exhaustion
Leg – Femoral
- Leg Curl (standing) – 4 x 15-12
- Deadlift (straight legs) – 4 x 15-12
- Leg Curl 4 x 15-12
- Lunges 4 x 15-12
- Leg Curl – Until exhaustion
Shoulder
- Military Press 4 x 10-8
- Sides 4 x 10-8
- High Row 4 x 10-8
- Flights 4 x 10-8
- Laterals (posterior) – Until exhaustion
Bicep
- Curl with Bar 4 x 10-8
- Dumbbell Curl (seated) 4 x 10-8
- Curl Scott 4 x 10-8
- Z-Bar Curl – To exhaustion
triceps
- Tricep to Forehead 4 x 8-10
- French Press 4 x 8-10
- Puller 4 x 8-10
- Inverted Pull (or Rope) – Until exhaustion
Twins (3x/week)
- Standing calf 4 x 8-5
- Calf Press 4 x 8-5
- Solear (sitting) 4 x 20-30
What are the main differences when you want to gain weight and when you want to lose fat?
The differences are mainly in terms of diet, with a gradual reduction in carbohydrates and an increase in protein intake.
I also increase the intensity of cardio to 50 minutes a day and if necessary I do it twice a day.
I do variations in weight training, training in supersets or giant sets, 30/40 repetitions and I prefer training with dumbbells instead of using machines.
Where does your motivation come from?
Obviously I have several idols or athletes that I admire, such as Shawn Ray, Kevin Levrone, Flex Wheeler, Flex Lewis, Kai Greene or Phil Heath, but I think the greatest motivation is seeing the results of our efforts, the visible changes in our bodies, the daily overcoming, eating when we are not hungry, training when we do not feel like it, doing one more repetition when we no longer have the strength.
Reaching the end and going on stage with the feeling and full awareness of duty accomplished is something indescribable regardless of the classification.
I started competing this year and it was essentially a way to test what works and what doesn't, gain experience and learn. My goals are to evolve and grow at a sporting level.
What supplements do you use?
- L-Carnitine
- Caffeine
- BCAA’s
- Glutamine
- Vitargo
- whey protein
- Multivitamin
- Omegas 3 6 and 9
- Vitamin C
- B complex
Any special tips for those just starting out?
I usually say that bodybuilding is not a sport, it is a way of life, if you want to have a “perfect” body you won’t achieve it in 3 months, you need to set long-term goals.
If it were easy, everyone could do it and it only depends on the effort, dedication and discipline of each person to obtain the results.
Attention to detail because often what makes the difference is a set of small things.
If you have a goal then YOU are the one who has to train, YOU are the one who has to rest and YOU are the one who has to plan and prepare YOUR meals for the next day. No one will do it better than YOU!
I would like to say a few words of thanks to my friend Paulo Braz, for opening the gym doors for the first time and introducing me to this sport. To my “brother” and training partner for many years, Rui Pereira, for always being there, for supporting me and motivating me in every training session.
To my friend and trainer Edgar Gomes for all the support, advice and for helping me make this dream come true and to Nuno Baptista, with whom I had the pleasure of doing some photographic work.
Lastly, I want to thank my girlfriend for being a fantastic woman, for always supporting me, for giving me strength and for having the greatest patience in the world!
