Filipe Martins is an athlete in the Men's Physique category who started competing this year and is already getting talked about.
In addition to the excellent results at national level, he recently went to Mr Olympia in Liverpool to claim second place.
Get to know him better in this interview.
- Name: Filipe Martins
- Age: 24
- Height: 1.70m
- Weight: 73kg
- Northern Regional Championship – Absolute Champion
- National Championship – Champion up to 1.72m
- Portugal Classic Powerexpo 2015 – Absolute Champion
- Arnold Classic Europe Madrid – 12th place
- Mr Olympia Liverpool – 2nd place
How and why did you start training?
I started training around the age of 18, the beginning was a bit strange because he was a very thin boy and weighed around 45/50 kg.
I started training basically because I didn't feel good about myself, and I didn't feel good because the big guys at the time always tended to tease me, because I was very rebellious and always had a ready answer, and after some fears or misfortunes of nightlife, I decided that I wanted to enter a martial art, and consequently a gym.
I started by practicing Muay Thai until my love for the gym and lack of time made me choose what I liked the most.
What made you want to compete?
I've always been a sports lover, I've always played 11 football and I've always liked to challenge myself. My love for the gym and fitness was increasing, along with my physical fitness that, thank God, kept following me.
I have always closely followed the path of foreign fitness athletes, but also some Portuguese ones, such as Ricardo Correia, Francisco Macau, Rui Pedro Batista and Tierry Vilson who for me are influential people in the sport.
The taste grew until last year I was present at the Power Expo in Maia and then I decided that I really wanted to belong to that world, that stage and live that experience that made me so ecstatic even though I was outside.
What kind of food do you follow?
My diet throughout the year, whether in bulk or pre-competition phase, is always a diet as “clean” as possible. In other words, I rarely go off the diet, except on the supposed day of the garbage, to try to obtain the highest quality yield possible.
I personally have some difficulty in gaining weight, as as I just mentioned, my diet is very restricted to avoid as much as possible the gain of high percentages of fat, which would only make it difficult for me in the pre-competition process.
Here's a sample of a diet I've been on, to give you a little idea of the type of diet I'm on.
- Meal 1
- 6 egg whites
- 2 gems
- 85g oats
- Meal 2
- 2 whey scoops
- 2 slices of rye bread with peanut butter
- Meal 3
- 220g chicken
- Broccoli
- 200g rice
- Meal 4
- Sweet potato
- 1 green apple
- 2 cans of tuna
- Pre and post training with proper supplementation
- Meal 5
- 300g beef
- Spaghetti
- Green bean
- Meal 6
- Fish fillets
- 30g walnuts
- Meal 7
- 2 scoops of casein
- Lean Greek Yogurt
What kind of training do you follow?
I basically follow an adaptation training, and I say adaptation because thank God I was lucky to be accompanied by a professional, who in addition to my PT, my master and my friend, is also a very attentive professional.
In other words, my training comes in phases, phases that our body goes through for a whole year, with ups and downs obviously, and which aims to get around the breaks our body gives.
We usually work with repetitions of 15, but I myself am not an advocate of using the same type of training for a long time, as our body stops assimilating so easily when it gets too used to a routine.
Leg training example
- abductor machine
- Leg Extension
- Press
- Standing unilateral leg curl
- Dead weight
What are your three favorite exercises?
- Free barbell squat
- Inclined openings with dumbbells
- Tricep with strings
Where does your motivation come from?
My motivation comes mainly from me, trying to be useful in something, being proud of myself in something, but also a lot of those who accompany me, my family, friends, my girlfriend and my teacher who never gives up on me not for a second.
These are examples of motivation that I focus on, because when you feel that there is someone who trusts you even for a second, who loses even an hour to see you take a stage, and who tells you when you need it most that they are proud in you, there's no better feeling in the world, so that's part of my motivation.
But obviously to follow for example the current Mr Olympia Jeremy Buendia in itself it is a motivation, and of course I am an attentive follower.
What supplements do you use?
Since I started competing I always use the same supplementation brand, which is Biotech USA.
Afterwards, I use various supplements, from vitamins to proteins and muscle restorers.
Any tips in particular for those just starting out?
Yes, I have some.
1st – Never be in a hurry.
I say this because these days there are a lot of people who train, or who start training, and think that the results appear overnight. In reality it is not like that, things come from work, sweat, sacrifice and dedication!
2nd – As the best of all Arnold says: “Never be afraid of failing”.
Because if you commit yourself or commit to something out of fear of failing, falling and not getting up, things don't work, so you should never be afraid of failing.
3º Always believe in ourselves and try, because it is better to die trying, than to die thinking that one should have tried but didn't.
Goals for the future, what are they?
My future goals are to give some importance to international competition for now, I hope I can have a better year in 2016 than this one.
I hope of course to get the maximum exponent of the competition and consequently the so-called PRO Card.
Finally, I hope that my work and dedication is valued in the best way.
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