Interview with Men's Phyique athlete, Luis Postiga.
- Name: Luis Postiga
- Age: 24 years
- Height: 1.68m
- Weight: 83 kg
- 1st place in Open SL Nutrition? Mens Physique 2013
How and why did you start training?
I started training as a complement to the sport I was doing at the time, Football, but it quickly went from being a complement to the main sport.
I quickly fell in love and after 6 months I was only thinking about training better, eating better and having a more beautiful body.
It was a gradual evolution, and I started to realize that this was really the lifestyle I wanted for myself.
I am a person of challenges and there is no better challenge than being better than ourselves day after day.
What type of diet do you follow?
I try to have a “clean” diet throughout the year, controlling and changing the amounts of macronutrients I ingest, depending on my goals.
I'm a supporter of solid meals and five of my six meals must have meat.
I don't consider a protein shake a meal for example, at least for me it doesn't give me any feeling of satiety.
I also try to focus on fat throughout the year, from nuts to coconut oil and peanut butter.
Mainly when carbohydrate intake is lower or when I need slower absorption.
Out of season I usually have a “junk” meal, not having a fixed day, but rather when I really feel like it.
Diet.
Meal 1: 200 grams of beef, broccoli and peanut butter
Meal 2: 300 ml of Egg Whites, 150 Grams of Rice
Meal 3: 200 grams of chicken breast, 150 grams of potatoes and broccoli
Meal 4: 2 Cans of Tuna and 200 Grams of Pasta
Meal 5: 200 grams of chicken breast, 150 grams of potatoes and broccoli
Meal 6: 100 grams of beef, 200 ml of egg whites and peanut butter
Three liters of water per day.
What type of training do you follow?
It depends once again on the stage you are in.
In my preparation I have strength weeks, where the load goes up a lot and the repetitions drop considerably and hypertrophy weeks, where I worry more about the quality of the movement and the cadences than about putting on weight, as this would only distort the process of training.
Personally, I really like training hard, as long as the movement is controlled.
It doesn't make any sense to put weight on and not be able to execute the movement in a minimally correct way.
Unfortunately, many people do not evolve physically because they have not yet realized that for muscle hypertrophy to occur, the contraction time must be long.
In the weeks leading up to the competition my training changes drastically.
I include functional training in 2 of my 6 weekly workouts, circuit training with smaller loads and no rest times and I focus a lot on working muscle groups in a compound way or in super-sets.
I increase aerobic training, and also reinforce abdominal training, especially exercises that strengthen the entire “core” area.
What are the main differences when you want to gain weight and when you want to lose fat?
In terms of nutrition, the main difference is related to the amount of carbohydrates I ingest, and proportionally the amount of proteins and fats.
In terms of training, several variables change.
The speed of execution of the movements, the rest time, the time spent on cardio, the type of exercises. Anyway, almost everything.
Where does your motivation come from?
As I mentioned before, I am a person of challenges and there is no sport more complete and challenging than this.
It's not just the time you spend in the gym, but also what you eat, what you drink, how long you sleep. All of this has a huge influence on your body.
My motivation is directly linked to my competitive goals.
On those days when I feel down, when I don't sleep well, when I don't feel like training, when I have to eat without wanting to, I always ask myself two questions:
How would I feel if I went on stage and didn't perform in a good condition, knowing that I could have done more... would I know how to deal with it?
The answer is no, and that's what motivates me to try to be better.
And secondly, I ask myself if it's worth so much effort and sacrifice, for a sport that has little return in Portugal, and the answer is clearly yes, because the sensations you experience in a competition are addictive, and seeing your body change it gives you a feeling of control that is fascinating.
Our body is clearly a reflection of what we do.
What supplements do you use?
In general:
Any tips in particular for those just starting out?
The main thing for those just starting out is to be aware that this sport is a 24-hour sport.
It is necessary to set long-term goals, so as not to become demotivated, train well, with correct posture, eat the best possible, not believe in ?magic? and ?quick miracles? but rather a lot of effort, dedication, deprivation, always knowing that in the end it will be worth it.
As you see your body change you will feel better, with more self-esteem, more disciplined and that is the way.
A tip that I leave you, and this is one of the most basic principles that distinguishes whether or not you like this sport is, avoid comparisons.
Avoid devaluing the work and efforts of others, because at the end of the day this is a path that only you can take.
Everyone does what they want with their body and what is beautiful for us may not be beautiful for others, and the key is to respect it even if we don't understand it.
Do it for yourself and not for others.
I would like to mention some people who were and are important in my journey as an athlete, because despite being an individual sport, anyone who does not have a good support base will certainly have more difficulties.
Fortunately, having entered this field allowed me to meet fantastic people, and this thanks goes to them, Cláudio Henriques, João Marques, Nuno Pinto and Gabriel Matos (they have been an incredible support), my ?brothers? from Sesimbra, where I was born and started training.
João Campos, was fundamental in my preparation, a huge athlete and a fantastic human being (I take this opportunity to reveal that he will be my trainer for the National Championship).
Olavo Ferreira and Tânia Dias, to whom I wish all the success in the world. A special hug to the ?guys? from the north, Ricardo, Luis, Marco.
A thank you also to Luis and Vanessa Cunha who were the first people to believe in me. And of course to my family and my girlfriend for all their support and patience.
To all my friends? on Facebook a special thank you for following and reinforcing your support, sometimes it makes all the difference.
I would also like to invite you to come and train at the Gym where I am an instructor, the Bestshape Gym, located in Cruz de Pau, a unique and popular space.
https://www.facebook.com/LuisCondePostiga
https://www.facebook.com/ginasio.bestshape
