Fábio Lopes is one of the big names in national bodybuilding and increasingly also at international level with his excellent services.
Fábio is an athlete Myprotein and in 2015 he went to the United Kingdom to win Mr Olympia in his category.
As if that were not enough, he also achieved an excellent 3rd place at the Arnold Classic in Madrid and an incredible 4th place on his debut at the World Championship in Spain.
Get to know him better in this interview.
- Name: Fábio Lopes
- Height: 1.70m
- Weight: 90kg
- Classic Bodybuilding 2009 - Champion up to 1.70m
- Portugal Cup 2010 - Champion
- National Champion 2012 - Up to 75kg
- Arnold Classic 2013 - Top 6 up to 75kg
- Arnold Classic Europe 2015 - Top 3 up to 80kg
- Power Expo 2015 - Absolute Champion
- Mr Olympia UK 2015 - Champion up to 80kg
- World Championship 2015 - 4th place up to 80kg
How and why did you start training?
I decided to start training after leaving the collective modalities, the last being Basketball.
I was always quite thin, and I didn't like it, so the solution I saw for that was to start training in the gym.
I can say that it was literally love at first sight by the gym.
I loved feeling the muscle "pump" and perceiving each muscle at work, besides that it aroused a lot of curiosity and since then it has been routine until today.
What made you want to compete?
The gym where I trained had bodybuilders who took the sport really seriously and that influenced me.
At the time also to try to learn a little more, I used to buy bodybuilding magazines regularly to improve my knowledge.
This was enough to awaken my desire to compete.
Of course, I had a lot of support from those close to me to go on stage.
What kind of food do you follow?
Above all I have a very varied diet.
I always try to keep calories constant and for example I don't choose to cycle carbohydrates.
I always have meals with carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats throughout my day.
- Meal 1
- 100g Instant oats
- 50g Biological Muesli
- 250ml Vegetable Milk
- 8 Egg whites or 1 Scoop of Albumin
- Meal 2
- 1 Fruit
- 100g Rice
- 220g Chicken Breast
- Meal 3
- 100g Biological Mass
- 220g Red Meat
- Meal 4
- 1 Fruit
- 100g Oats
- 50g Impact Whey Isolate
- Meal 5
- 100g Organic Bread
- 180g Tuna or Mackerel
- 30g Dried Fruits or 30g Peanut butter
- Meal 6
- 200g Potato
- 300g Fish
In addition to this, I also eat a lot of salads and, as always, a good amount of greens daily.
What kind of training do you follow?
As a rule, my trainer changes my training every five weeks, however, I can say that drop sets, super sets and pyramid sets are constant in my training.
I am a perfectionist in the execution of each exercise and I try to recruit each muscle that I work in the best way.
I need to feel the contraction of the fibers and I don't lift the weight by lifting, I train the muscle and not the ego.
In terms of muscle division, I do something like this:
- Monday - Chest and Gemini
- Tuesday - Dorsal and Abdominals
- Wednesday - Quadriceps and Twins
- Thursday - Rest
- Friday - Shoulders and Triceps
- Saturday - Biceps, Femoris and Twins
- Sunday - Rest
Where does your motivation come from?
My motivation comes and grows with the results I'm getting, when I look back and see what I've walked, there's no way not to feel motivated and keep going.
I have always believed in work and dedication, whatever it is, and I have proven to myself that it is worth it.
What supplements do you use?
There are supplements that are always present in my routine:
- Multivitamin
- Coenzymes
- Omega 3
- Antioxidants
- B complex
- Glutamine
- BCAA's
- Isolated Protein
- GABA
- ZMA
- Vitamin C
After a full 2015, what are your goals for this year?
I am particularly focused on my evolution.
This year I have the Myprotein with me to give me enormous support and together with my team (Coach, osteopath, my brother Fernando Piedade, Brachial) I want to emerge in 2017 in a much better condition.
If I chose to compete this year (2016) I would not have enough time to grow and mature in muscle terms, and I would be further from my big goal.
I want to be heavier, bigger, to be able to compete in a category above the current one.
Any tips in particular for those just starting out?
Be dedicated and work correctly, only then will success appear, be it on stage, professionally and in everything in your life.
These are simple words, I know, but sometimes difficult to apply.
Follow Fábio Lopes on social media.
Instagram Fábio Lopes (@ fabiolopes_1)
