Interview with athlete Pedro Miguel.
- Name : Pedro Miguel
- Age : 30 years
- Height : 1.70m
- Weight : 81kg
- 7th classified in the National Bodybuilding up to 75kg
How and why did you start training?
My first sporting experience was, like almost all kids, football, I played at a younger age but at a certain point I realized that it wasn't what I really liked.
I also had a very thin structure and I wanted to gain muscle and have a toned body and it was at that point that I decided to start training, when I was 17 years old.
I remember as if it were yesterday the first time the doors of a gym opened to me, my friend and fellow instructor at the time, Paulo Braz, who accompanied me for several years, advised and taught 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'm not one to eat sweets or indulge in a lot of excesses, but if on some occasion I feel like something outside of the diet I also have no problems as I have a very fast metabolism and can give myself that “luxury”.
Already in 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 you 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
After training
- 1 Scoop Whey
- 5g BCAA's
- 5g Glutamine
- 40g Quick hydrates
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 take more than 1 minute of rest 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 there is no point in increasing the load too much if we don't fully control the movement.
I do 30-minute cardio sessions 2 to 3 times a week in the off-season and increase it to 50 minutes every day in the weeks leading up to a competition.
Sometimes I include some variations in training, such as training in supersets, giant sets, negative sets, drop-sets in the last sets in order to give shocks and different stimulation 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 Handle – Until exhaustion
- Barbell Pull-ups – Until 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 (legs straight) – 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
- Lateral (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 – Until exhaustion
triceps
- Tricep to Forehead 4 x 8-10
- French Press 4 x 8-10
- Handle 4 x 8-10
- Inverted pull (or rope) – Until exhaustion
Twins (3x/week)
- Standing twin 4 x 8-5
- Twin in the 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 cardio intensity to 50 minutes a day and if necessary, I do it twice a day.
I do variations in training with weights, 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 biggest motivation is to see the result of our effort, the visible changes in our body, overcoming daily, eating when you are not hungry, training when you don't feel like it, doing one more repetition when you no longer have the strength.
Reaching the end and going on stage with the feeling and full awareness of a duty accomplished is something indescribable regardless of the classification.
I started in the competition this year and it essentially served to test what works or not, gain experience and learn, the objectives 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 tips in particular 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 will not 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 in obtaining results.
Attention to detail because often what makes the difference is a set of small things.
If you have a goal then it is YOU who has to train, it is YOU who has to rest and it is YOU who has to plan and prepare YOUR meals for the next day. No one will do it better than YOU!
I want to say a few words of thanks to my friend Paulo Braz, for opening the gym doors for the first time, and getting me started in this sport. To my “brother” and training partner for several years, Rui Pereira, for always being there, for supporting and motivating me in each training session.
To my friend and trainer Edgar Gomes for all the support, advice and 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 patience as big as the world!
