Victor Martinez after prison. Victor Martinez training program - Victor Martinez training programs - Training programs - Article catalog - RealMuscle. Photo gallery of Victor Martinez

Victor Martinez is the second Dominican bodybuilder with IFBB professional status after compatriot Tony Domenech. After winning the 2001 Nationals 2000, the bodybuilder received a prestigious pro card. After winning the Arnold Classic in 2007, where he beat the famous Phil Heath and Dexter Jackson in the top parade of the strongest bodybuilders, he confidently took 3rd position. Experts considered him the main nominee for the Mr. Olympia title in subsequent years. However, events were not in the strongman’s favor. If the bodybuilder had been more lucky in life, the predictions would probably have come true.

Biography of Victor Martinez

Victor Martinez was born in a small town located in the Dominican Republic. When he was two years old, his family emigrated to New York, USA. Since they were poor, they settled in Washington Heights (a suburb of New York). In addition to Victor, their family had 9 more children, 7 sisters and two brothers.

Victor Martinez attended Washington High School. He loved sports and played on the school football team. To increase his strength, he goes to the gym. It is here that Victor finds his new hobby, bodybuilding.

Soon, Victor Martinez met Stefan Dickerson, who saw great potential in him. Stefan motivates Victor to take bodybuilding seriously and trains him for some time.

In 1997, Victor Martinez competed for the first time at the amateur championship “New York Metro Championships” and confidently won it, taking 1st place. A year later, Victor begins training with a new coach, Victor Munoz, as a result of which he progresses even faster.

In 2001, Victor Martinez received the IFBB PRO card. The first professional tournament in which he performed was the “IFBB Night Of The Champions”, taking 8th place.

From 2000 to 2004, Victor Martinez was involved in the illegal sale of steroids. In 2004, he was caught and faced up to 10 years in prison. But the jury, looking at his achievements in sports, commuted the sentence to 90 days in prison and 5 years of probation. As Martinez himself recalls, during these 90 days he lost about 10 kilograms of muscle mass, despite daily training. When Victor Martinez was in prison, the legend of world bodybuilding visited him.

2007 turned out to be a very successful year for Victor Martinez, as he won the 2007 IFBB Arnold Classic and took 2nd place at Mr. Olympia". But according to many experts, who won the Olympia looked significantly worse than Martinez.

In 2011, Victor Martinez took 1st place at the IFBB Arnold Classic Europe championship, which was held in Spain. After his plane landed in the United States on October 9, 2011, he was arrested for violating immigration laws. Because his emigration card was not renewed after his release from prison for selling steroids, he was taken into custody without bail. On April 27, 2012, after a retrial, he was released with the right to remain in the United States.

Today, Victor Martinez continues to perform on the professional stage, creating worthy competition for top athletes.

Bent-over row with trap bar

Deadlifts and squats develop the legs, buttocks and lower back. But there is an exercise that allows you to train your upper body - bent-over trap bar rows. The element qualitatively loads the latissimus dorsi muscles, trapezius, scapular muscles, biceps of the arms, and rear deltas.

The exercise simulates training with a T-bar or bent over straight bar row. The main difference is the parallel position of the palms. This grip is comfortable and natural. Therefore, using a trap bar allows the athlete to focus on working the latissimus dorsi muscles, as well as lift more weight.

Let's look at the exercise technique:

1. Stand in the frame, grab the handles, and straighten up.
2. Place your feet narrower than your shoulders, approximately hip-width apart.
3. Bend forward 40–45° and bend your lower back down as much as possible.
4. Hold the projectile with straight arms.
5. Pull your butt back slightly and bend your knees slightly.
6. Exhale, pull the barbell to your chest.
7. As you inhale, lower the bar to the starting position.

• The bent over trap bar row is a basic exercise. Perform it at the beginning of a strength training session on the back.
• Before your main sets, do 1-2 warm-up sets without weights to warm up your arm joints.
• Don't spread your elbows wide, pull them close to your sides. This will allow maximum load on the latissimus muscles.
• At the top point, squeeze your shoulder blades together and tighten your back muscles. Stay in this position for 1-2 seconds.
• In the lower position, do not fully extend your elbows. Otherwise, the dangerous load on the joints will increase.
• Keep your head straight and look forward to maintain an arch in your back.
• Avoid "rounding" the spine. If this happens involuntarily, reduce the weight of the barbell.
• Perform the exercise evenly. Avoid jerking movements on yourself.
• To properly work out the back muscles, you should do 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions.
• To securely hold the projectile, use wrist straps.

The list of contraindications is similar to deadlifts and squats with a trap bar.

If you are a beginner athlete, most likely your muscles and ligaments are not yet ready for heavy basic elements. But without strength training, you won’t be able to build muscle mass. Therefore, we recommend including exercises using a trap bar in your training plan.

The equipment will help strengthen the muscles, move the initial results off the “dead” point and prepare for classic squats and deadlifts.

– a young and very specific sport. Above the increase in strength indicators, which is typical for, CrossFit puts an increase in strength endurance. Against beautiful muscles, which are important for bodybuilding, functionality is important in CrossFit. And it is for the development of functionality that exercises are used that are rarely used in previously described sports. For example, instead of classic deadlifts, CrossFit uses trap bar deadlifts.

Basic facts from the biography

An athlete from the Dominican Republic, Victor Martinez, is considered to come from the rather large city of San Francisco de Macoris, which is located in a picturesque place in the province of Duarte. The future bodybuilder was born on July 29, 1973. However, not even the athlete’s entire childhood was spent in his homeland. At a very young age, Victor’s family changed their place of residence. Now the Martinez couple has settled in New York. In this metropolis, the boy went to school for the first time, and also began to play sports diligently. From that moment on, his love for sports began to develop. At first, like any young man, he was attracted to sports such as football, basketball and baseball. Victor showed good results, so he easily became a participant in local competitions. For this, the young man needed excellent training, so he often worked out with weights. Although his natural physique was already beyond praise - strong and beautiful forms, sculpted, toned muscles. A special place in Victor’s life is occupied by a person who helped the young athlete strengthen his training in the gym. It was Stefan Dickerson. It was he who considered Victor’s genetic talent, which could be used with maximum effect for bodybuilding. In principle, his educated guesses on this matter will, subsequently, really bring the bodybuilder to the level of a professional. Martinez wanted only one thing - to quickly begin active training and positively establish himself in relevant competitions. In addition to the wonderful relationship between the coach and his ward, a very friendly understanding has developed. Martinez respected Dickerson's opinion and followed his instructions impeccably, which helped him achieve enormous athletic progress, which was clearly expressed by a magnificent increase in muscle mass, which was represented by stunning proportionality. This is very important for this type of competition. In 1998, there was a change of coach. Now Martinez’s sports performance has become supervised by Victor Munoz. The first successful steps at a higher level of sports simply “infected” the novice bodybuilder with the idea of ​​gaining the necessary muscles and fully competing with professional heavyweights. To do this, he naturally sought to acquire a decent appearance in order to adequately compete with experienced bodybuilders. At his first performances he weighed 100 kg. However, intense training allowed him to add about 7.5 kg of high-quality “lean” muscle volume. This result gave him a certain advantage. So this is despite the fact that Victor’s back muscles have significantly increased. Subsequently, bodybuilders will note that it is Victor Martinez’s back that will become his trump card, which will always very effectively emphasize his individual beauty and thereby distinguish him from the general mass of bodybuilders who are trying to most advantageously demonstrate the development of their muscles on the podium. Victor's trapezius and latissimus muscle groups were particularly large and had excellent development. But this did not spoil his figure at all; it maintained a certain balance and proportions. This weightlifter in his youth, as it turned out, was not only interested in sports. Almost no one knows about this. But, nevertheless, Martinez still has a criminal past. In 2000, he was taken into custody for distributing anabolic steroids to athletes. Law enforcement officials were sure that Victor was seriously involved in the steroid business. Based on these considerations, the police kept him under their radar at all times. Until 2004, when Martinez was finally arrested. At that time, they predicted a rather unpromising future for him - imprisonment for up to 10 years. However, the judges softened their verdict due to Victor's high sporting achievements. The final sentence contained the following information - 90 days of serving the sentence in custody and a suspended sentence of five years. Being in prison had a negative impact on his weight, which he began to rapidly lose. But this figure did not exceed 10 kg, because Victor was supported by guards who periodically supplied him with protein shakes. This was enough for the bodybuilder to resume daily training and maintain his gained shape. After all, government food was terrible and of low quality. The athlete had to train in difficult conditions. Victor was constantly disturbed by strong night noise. However, in this trouble the bodybuilder was not abandoned and rejected. He was always supported by his family and friends. It is known that even the legendary bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman visited Martinez during this period. This “bitter” experience allowed Victor to draw his conclusions. He decided that he would never go to jail again. Having pulled himself together and determined to win, Martinez gradually returned to serious regular training and continued to compete in tournaments.

Most successful results

The bodybuilder’s first serious achievement took place back in 2000. Then he took part in “Nationals”. Victor was remembered as the winner in the heavyweight group and the absolute category. Two years later, the bodybuilder presented himself for the first time at the international Arnold Classic tournament. Only professionals participate here, because this competition is second only to Olympia in its importance and popularity. However, he did not achieve great success, he still needed hard work on his forms, nevertheless, he took 13th place. Next year, luck really favored him, because it gave him victory in a very respectable “Night of Champions” tournament. A year later, the bodybuilder noticeably increased his pace. He was again recognized as the best in the “Pro Strength Show” competition. This is how it came to Olympia. Martinez tried himself there for the first time in 2004. For a newcomer, the result was more than successful - a prestigious 9th place. And in 2005, at the same tournament, he was able to climb several steps higher, thanks to which he became a worthy winner of fifth place. Literally a year later, his name appeared among the Olympia medalists - an honorable third place. He had to let only Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler go ahead. The ladder of success led Martinez to victory at the Arnold Classic tournament in 2007 and second place at Olympia. The most successful competitions that took place after for Martinez were the following - in 2011, the Arnold Classic at the European level, in 2013, the Toronto/Montreal Pro, and a year later, the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Tampa. Since then, the bodybuilder has no longer won the competition. Although his fans are convinced that the situation will soon change dramatically.

Martinez's daily diet

During a mass-gaining course, an athlete’s nutrition is always special. Victor advises drinking as much water as possible during this period, which is always important. Personally, a bodybuilder drinks about four liters of fluid a day.

A bodybuilder's meal plan, which consists of six stages:

1. For breakfast, oatmeal, orange juice and egg whites.
After this, regular cardiological exercises. Intense, but short - up to 45 minutes. 2. The athlete loves to treat himself to the traditional national dish of his homeland - pancakes, filled with bananas and cheese. The diet also includes a protein shake. Exercises in the gym.

3. Turkish sandwiches are ideal for daytime meals; they are deliciously accompanied by tender chicken meat.

4. Protein shake. After it there are cardiological loads.

5. Towards evening, turkey fillet with rice is perfectly digestible.

6. Steak is good for dinner, accompanied by turkey and rice in large quantities.

• Dumbbells are spread to the sides.
• Seated barbell press.
• The dumbbells are raised in front of you.
• Muscle work when using a shrug with a barbell/dumbbells.

2. On the second day, leg training occurs (each exercise is designed for 4 sets with 10 repetitions):

• Leg press.
• A single leg press is performed on the machine.
• With straightened legs, we do deadlifts.
• Barbell squats can be increased to 15 reps.

3. On the third day, chest work (each exercise is designed for 4 sets with 10 repetitions):

• Bench, positive incline, dumbbell press. Repetitions - 6-20.
• Horizontal bench, dumbbell press.
• Half-ver.

4. On the fourth day there is rest.
5. The fifth day is focused on training the back muscles (each exercise is designed for 4 sets with 15 repetitions):

• Barbell row to the chin.
• Dumbbell rows occur while bending over.
• Deadlift.
• Shrugs with significant weight.
• T-bar row performed in a bent-over position.

6. For the sixth day, arm training is provided (each exercise is designed for 4 sets with 10 repetitions):

• A barbell is lifted onto the biceps brachii muscle.
• On the bench. The barbell is lifted onto the biceps brachii muscle.
• Narrow grip. Barbell bench press.
• Dumbbells are bent over.
• Hammer exercise.
• One-arm dumbbell overhead press.

7. The seventh day is a long-awaited and necessary rest.
Victor Martinez is the second Dominican bodybuilder with IFBB

after compatriot Tony Domenech.
After winning the 2001 Nationals 2000,
the bodybuilder received a prestigious pro card.
the Arnold Classic
in 2007 , where he beat the famous and confidently took 3rd position in the top parade of the strongest bodybuilders.
Experts considered him the main nominee for the Mr. Olympia
in subsequent years. However, events were not in the strongman’s favor. If the bodybuilder had been more lucky in life, the predictions would probably have come true.

Victor is one of those who cannot be called lucky. Was born

he was in July 1973 in San Francisco de Macoris in a poor family. When I went to school, the desire to study was completely absent. My sister had to buy bananas to lure her first grader to school.

In 1979, the family moved to New York and settled in the north of Manhattan. Here the boy had to experience for himself how difficult it is to live in the Latin American ghetto. Street fights forced a teenager to take up strength sports

. In addition, the boy was raised by a despotic father, which left its mark on the psyche. Tired of the beatings, at the age of 17 he left home and began to take care of himself. However, when his father became very ill, Martinez returned home and began caring for him.

Childhood and adolescence

Victor is one of those who cannot be called lucky. was born in July 1973 in San Francisco de Macoris into a poor family. When I went to school, the desire to study was completely absent. My sister had to buy bananas to lure her first grader to school.

In 1979, the family moved to New York and settled in the north of Manhattan. Here the boy had to experience for himself how difficult it is to live in the Latin American ghetto. Street fights forced the teenager to take up strength sports . In addition, the boy was raised by a despotic father, which left its mark on the psyche. Tired of the beatings, at the age of 17 he left home and began to take care of himself. However, when his father became very ill, Martinez returned home and began caring for him.

Good start

At this time the guy gets acquainted

with Stef Dickerson, who convinced him to seriously engage in bodybuilding and began to help him with this.
Training in 1997 brought the first successes
- Victor took
first place
New York Metro .
In 1998, the muscleman began working with coach Victor Munoz and until 2001 he successfully performed at other NKA
.
Prize-winning places
led to his participation in the
“Night of Champions”
, but the athlete could not rise higher than
8th place
.

However, failure motivated new achievements

.
With the help of nutritionist Chris Aceto, he adjusts his diet
, gains 100 kg of weight and quickly progresses in muscle mass.
He was one step away from winning the Olympia
in 2006, but his
mother was dying of cancer
.
The bodybuilder could not cope with the shock and takes 3rd place
.
The next year he shows the best result and becomes second
.

Latino[edit | edit code]

To be a Latino means to adhere to clear concepts and principles, to have specific character traits and the desire to be first in spite of everything. All this came together in the Dominican Titan. After a successful start in 1997, Martinez was faced with a serious task: to gain weight to participate in professional tournaments. He begins to train harder, changes his nutrition strategy, pays more attention to recovery and eventually gains an additional 7.2 kg of lean muscle mass to his 100 kg. In addition, the athlete demonstrates voluminous deltas and an incredible back size. Martinez's back becomes an unattainable ideal for amateurs and an object of envy for professional rivals. The harmonious picture of the back consists of a well-developed trapezius and impressive latissimus muscles.

With such a figure, the Dominican begins his ascent to Olympus.

Piggy bank of achievements

• In 2008,
  Victor wanted to confirm the title he received at
  Mister Classic
  , but again it didn’t work out.
  Due to an injury to the Achilles tendon, he had to undergo surgery and take a long time to recover, so
  the athlete did not have new records
• In 2011,
  the bodybuilder won
  first place
  at
  Classic Europe
  , but at
  Mr. Olympia
• In 2013,
  Martinez showed
  the 11th result
  , although before that he won the
  Montreal PRO
  .
• In 2020,
  the athlete confidently
  won
  the
  Baltimore Grand Prix
  .

History of professional fights

Training secrets

The Dominican bodybuilder is one of those who constantly keeps his muscles in good shape and does not let himself go. To avoid overload on the musculoskeletal system and heart, the bodybuilder divided the program into 3 parts

:

• in the morning - aerobic exercise;
• in the afternoon - training in the hall;
• In the evening - .

The complex includes compound and target exercises. These are: , different types of traction, .

According to Victor:

“As long as the classics have an effect, they should be done.”

Trainings are held in 3+2 mode:

• on the first day, we target deltoids and trapezius
  ;
• in the 2nd – the bottom of the body
  ;
• on the 3rd – hands
  ;
• 5th – back
  ;
• 6th – biceps
  .
• According to the schedule, on the 4th and 7th days the muscles rest
  .

conclusions

The trap bar row is an excellent, proven exercise in CrossFit. If your gym has a Ttap bar, use it exclusively, replacing it. So, you will work your back muscles much deeper, and most importantly, you will increase the actual performance of the muscles and will be able to lift large packages without the risk of spinal injury or breaking your back.

Today, this exercise is increasingly included in large CrossFit complexes, replacing several complex and isolating exercises at once. And this makes it indispensable not only for achieving the best sports results, but also in the case when it is necessary to perform a full body workout in circuit training in a limited time.

If the program for developing strength and mass gain includes only deadlifts, this is enough to comprehensively work out the legs, back, abs, wrists, and arms and include it in the training program. This technically simple exercise will give a head start to the squat and bench press, which are superior in effectiveness to other techniques.

Considering that the practice has many modifications, each athlete can choose an option to their liking. The distribution of muscle load depends on

• leg positions;
• grip width;
• lifting heights;
• amplitudes.

What muscles work in the classic deadlift:

• flat wide (trapezoid);
• lats;
• gluteal;
• quadriceps;
• erector spinae;
• adductors;
• biceps femoris;
• semitendinosus;
• semimembranous.

For perfect execution, it is important to have stretched Achilles tendons and biceps femoris. How to do a deadlift correctly:

1. IP - feet in line with the shoulders, toes turned outward, 1/3 of the length are under the bar and pressed to the floor. It is better to experiment with the position of your legs
   . Only a comfortable position and angle of rotation will allow you to distribute the weight of the load between muscle groups.
2. The back is impeccably straight, the shoulders are turned, the shoulder blades are brought together.
3. Moving your pelvis back and bending your knees, we lean towards the bar so that our shoulders hang over our knees.
4. We grab the base with an overhand grip (lock and mixed grips are allowed). Using the muscles of the back, we confidently and smoothly lift the projectile.
5. In the positive and negative phases, the bar touches the body. When the base deviates a couple of centimeters from the body, the back is subjected to excessive stress.
6. We pull the barbell slowly to the knees, and after the peak of the lift we work more actively.
7. Having reached the middle of the thighs, straighten the knees, back, and connect the shoulder blades.

Deadlift technique on video:

When lowering the load, proceed in the reverse order.

We do not allow forced repetitions or jerky movements. We do not work in a state of extreme fatigue.

In a basic exercise with a large load, it makes no sense to perform numerous doubles (6-8 is enough).

It is better to build a program with a gradual increase in weight with each set.
Recommended weight:

• guys from 25 kg;
• girls up to 20 kg.

Anthropometric passport

Naturally mesamorphic bodybuilder

and designed for strength training. A proportionally pumped up figure is admirable. The aesthetic impression is slightly spoiled by the calves. Due to their anatomical features, against the backdrop of huge deltas, a wide torso and double biceps, they look less developed.

• With average height
  – 176 cm;
• weighs
  in the off-season ;
• after drying,
  loses weight up to 118 kg;
• biceps
  in diameter are 51 cm;
• waist
  circumference – 82 cm;
• hips
  – 77 cm;
• torso
  – 150 cm.

The athlete claims that the secret

his beautiful body is due to proper nutrition and exercise.

Startedit edit code

The first step was moving to the USA, studying at the New York School. Washington, DC, as well as successful graduation in 1995 from the Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center with a degree in art and business. However, after this, Martinez had to experience all the delights of life in the Latin American ghettos in New York. The Big Apple, with its 12 million residents, is not only the most populous city in the United States, but also one of the most crime-prone. It’s not for nothing that our hero, finding himself in the Latin quarters known for their “friendliness,” began to build his body at an accelerated pace. Victor was seriously interested in bodybuilding for many years, but 1997 was a landmark year. It was then that Martinez took first place at the New York Metro Championships tournament, which is held by the National Committee on Athleticism (NCA). Vic successfully competes in a series of NKA tournaments until 2001. The result is a professional card and the right to participate in the IFBB Night of Champions tournament, where on his first attempt he manages to take only 8th place. However, the explosive Latin American temperament did not allow him to break and gave him the strength to fight and come within a step of Olympus. Of course, New York is not even close to California.

Under the Los Angeles sun, future bodybuilding stars are rising together, supported by sponsorship and public attention. In the shadow of New York skyscrapers, a more “unformatted” product is born, which makes its way through the twilight of contradictions and cruelty of the “concrete jungle”

This is exactly what Victor Martinez is like, he is used to relying only on himself, which gives him the right to build his life and career without looking back at anyone.

Unpleasant facts from the biography of Victor Martinez

Ironically, the jock was hit more than once

straight from the podium
to prison
.
The first time this happened was in 2004
for the sale of prohibited
AAS
.
To collect the dossier, the FBI had to install an agent in the hall for a year. Judging by how events developed, the athlete was greatly disturbing someone. Nevertheless, he spent 90 days behind bars
, where
he lost 18 kg
of weight, although he trained whenever possible in the prison gym. If it weren't for the support of a friend, it's hard to say how it would have ended.

In 2011

In Spain, a bodybuilder wins the European
Arnold Classic
.
Before the hero of the sports chronicles had time to step off the ramp and accept the congratulations of the fans, he ends up in a colony
for emigrants.
This time he was accused of overstaying his green card. serve 7 months
in Riker's Island and
lose 27 kg
.

Prisonedit edit code

In the United States, the presence of Latinos in correctional facilities is not surprising; rather, it is the norm. True, when one of the main contenders for the title “Mr.

Olympia”, this attracts the attention of many. By the way, Martinez was arrested back in 2000 for helping some athletes prepare for shows using steroids

The police believed that Vic was a big shot in the steroid trade. He was under surveillance until July 2004, when Martinez was arrested in the town of Fairview. He faced up to 10 years in prison, but given Martinez’s merits in sports, he was sentenced to 90 days in prison and five years probation. Vic says the following about his impressions: “While I was in prison, I lost about 10 kg of weight. I could have lost more, but I trained every day to stay at least in some shape. The hardest thing for me all this time was that I could not sleep properly because the doors were constantly opening and closing. The food was of poor quality, but the guards I knew brought me protein shakes, which helped a lot

The support of family and friends became very important in such a place. And most importantly

Ronnie Coleman visited me and it was great! Sport can lift a person to the skies, or it can break him. Victor Martinez survived and was able to continue his journey in professional bodybuilding. Time. his time in prison helped him set his priorities and decide never to return to prison.

Victor Martinez biography

The future champion ( Victor Martinez
) was born on July 29, 1973 in San Francisco de Macoris, a city located in the Dominican Republic. But when he was still a small child, his family moved to live in America, New York. They started a new life in Washington Heights, which stands for the Manhattan community. Here young Victor went to the Washington School, and a little later, in 1995, he graduated from the Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center and received a degree in business and art history.

Since his school years, the young man loved sports and repeatedly competed in football and basketball competitions. Some say that in order to be a little stronger specifically for these sports, Martinez went to the gym. Other sources say that going to the gym was the reason that Brooklyn was a troubled, crime-prone area where you had to be able to stand up for yourself. Be that as it may, Victor began to lift weights.

Training principles edit edit code

FULL CONCENTRATION

. To achieve elite status, the modern bodybuilder must learn extreme concentration. To do this, he needs to monitor the smallest details of the training process and diet. According to Martinez, without this success is simply impossible.

EXECUTION TECHNIQUE

. The first question that can be addressed to Martinez is: how does he maintain such an impressive form with his workload? Victor answers: “I have always loved lifting heavy weights. In the beginning, I focused on powerlifting, more important to me was how much I benched, not the size of my chest. Even now that I'm a professional bodybuilder, I don't finish my workout until I've lifted heavy weights." Vic says technique is extremely important when building an athletic physique. Despite the fact that Martinez is a pro, he carefully monitors the exercises performed by others, compares them with his own technique and draws conclusions for himself.

The main thing that an ideal technique provides is the ability to avoid injury. Victor always tries to listen to his body and claims that in bodybuilding it is the best adviser. Martinez encourages his clients in the gym, and all bodybuilding enthusiasts, to be attentive to their body, not to overload it and to be careful during training.

"OLD SCHOOL" - "OLD SCHOOL PRINCIPLES"

. Victor Martinez in his training program skillfully combines old, time-tested exercises with new approaches. He performs classic exercises such as squats, pullovers, and deadlifts. Martinez believes that you should not give up the classics as long as it brings the desired result.

GOOD NUTRITION ALL YEAR ROUND

. Vic is one of those bodybuilders who stays in great shape throughout the year. In order to stay toned, you need to stick to a diet even in the off-season. Constantly staying in shape, Martinez avoids physical and psychological problems in the pre-competition period, because... It’s easier for him to adjust his diet and achieve his goals.

CARDIO TRAINING

. Martinez's training day is divided into three parts: a morning cardio session, an afternoon gym session, then an evening cardio session. This principle will allow the cardiovascular system to work stably even under high loads. And the day flies by faster, as Victor claims.

USE QUALITY SPORTS NUTRITION

. Victor urges you not to save money and choose high-quality sports nutrition. Martinez's sponsor is one of the most popular sports nutrition companies in the United States.

The daily dose of protein along with additives is 400 g.

Daily routine and nutritionedit | edit code

8:45-9:00 Get up. 1st meal. Oatmeal, egg whites and orange juice.

10:00 Cardio session. Duration about 45 minutes.

12:00 2nd meal. The Dominican dish “Platanos” is a pancake with bananas and cheese. Protein cocktail.

13:00-14:30 Training.

15:00 3rd meal. Grilled chicken and Turkish sandwiches.

18:00 4th meal. Protein cocktail.

19:00 Second cardio session.

21:00 5th meal. Turkey and rice. 0:00 6th meal. Steak and more rice and turkey.

Victor drinks up to 4 liters of water a day.

Performance history of Victor Martinez

He soon met Stefan Dickerson, who noticed the guy's potential and invited him to take up bodybuilding more seriously and even build his career on it. A little later, Victor and Stefan become very close friends. Next, Martinez acquired his own coach, whose name was Victor Munoz. But this happened a little later in 1998. Then the guy began to progress even faster.

In 1997, Martinet tried his hand at the New York Metro Championships tournament and took first place. Then he performed quite successfully in a series of tournaments held by the national athletics committee until 2001. This earns him a professional bodybuilder card.

The first professional tournament was the IFBB competition “Night of Champions”. He finished in 8th place - not such a bad result for his first attempt. Eighth place did not in any way hinder the athlete’s motivation, but rather provoked him. A hot temperament and a refusal to be second rather than first gives the athlete the strength to improve himself, his training, and his life.

They say that if you are a Latin American, it means that you must follow certain rules and even concepts. You must be the first in everything, there is no other way. This temperament prevailed in the athlete. After a successful start in 1997, he needed to gain kilograms of quality muscle in order to compete with the titans of bodybuilding. This is what the champion did in the near future. Intensified training, adjustments to his regime and nutrition allowed him to add another 7.2 kilograms of pure muscle to the 100-kilogram champion. The athlete's deltoids amazed even professional bodybuilders. And his back became the envy of everyone who looked at it. Having such “weapons”, the Latinos take the first steps to conquer Olympus.

Trap Bar Row

The technique often becomes an alternative to the traditional option. The back is unloaded, it is easier to maintain balance, and the quadriceps are pumped more.

Target muscles:

back straighteners working isometrically.
Synergists:
gluteal, quadriceps, soleus, adductors.
Stabilizers:
trapezius, biceps femur, calf, diamond.
Antagonists:
abdominal.

1. We sit down in the trap bar and grab the side handles.
2. Straightening the body, we lift the projectile.
3. We move our shoulders back and lower them down.

We avoid 25 kg pancakes. For deep squats, discs from 10 to 16 kg are suitable.

Focus:

lats, glutes, upper trapezius.
Auxiliary:
4 heads of femoral muscles, back extensors, semimembranosus, biceps femoris, tendon, forearms.
The practice specifically loads the inner thighs
, which is not typical for other types of deadlifts.

The difference from other techniques lies in the position of the legs, located 1.5 times wider than the shoulders. With this interval, greater demands are placed on the flexibility of the hip joint. With insufficient development, the distance increases gradually. The complex includes additional plasticity practices.

1. We assume a sumo pose: in a wide position, we spread our feet at an angle of 40 degrees.
2. With a straight back and bent knees, we lift the barbell with a different grip, focusing on the thought that we are pressing on our heels, and not pulling the load up.
3. We take a forced breath at the line of the knees and continue to rise more vigorously.
4. We return back in a clear sequence.

• Girls
  work with a load
  of up to 15 kg (13 x 3);
• men
  –
  from 30 kg, 12 x 3-4 sets.

Sumo allows you to lift heavy weights.

Victor Martinez and prison

However, everything is not so simple on the thorny path of a bodybuilder. The police began to suspect the giant of trading steroids and had him under surveillance since 2000. In 2004, after four years of surveillance, Victor was arrested in the town of Fairview. He faced 10 years behind bars, but the jury commuted the sentence based on his outstanding athletic achievements. However, he was jailed for 90 days and given 5 years of probation. It wasn't easy in prison. Martinez said the following in an interview: “In prison, I lost 10 kilograms of muscle, despite the fact that I trained there every day. The hardest thing was that I couldn’t sleep normally because someone was constantly opening and closing some doors. I also lacked normal nutrition, because what they give in prison is very different from the diet of an athlete. However, I was helped by the guards who handed me . I was also supported by friends and relatives, and even visited me more than once.”

Previously, Victor was given every chance to become Mr. Olympia, even Ronnie Coleman considered him his successor. In 2006 he became the favorite for the title. His form exceeds all expectations, he hired Chris Aceto as his nutritionist, who helps him prepare himself. The athlete does not miss a single detail in the training process and, it would seem, very little separated Victor from victory, but disaster happens - the athlete’s mother died of cancer. This came as a shock to the champion.

But, even despite this, the athlete decided to perform, because he knew that his mother would approve of his action. The performance brought Victor third place, and he dedicated it to his mother.

Subsequent Olympias have become worse than the one that took place in 2006, despite this, Victor is considered a strong opponent, whom even the best athletes reckon with.

Well, besides bodybuilding, Victor is a good family man. He has three children, of which two sons are Jered and Justin, and a daughter, Victoria. The champion has a large family. He has 7 sisters, two brothers and 31 nephews. In addition to his family, Victor writes the sports column “Gym” in the magazine “Muscular Development”. Not long ago he wrote his book on bodybuilding.

"Olympia"[edit | edit code]

Speaking about the competitive future of our hero, it is worth noting that, according to the ex-lord of Olympus Ronnie Coleman, Victor Martinez is the only and most likely contender for the throne. On the eve of the 2006 tournament, there was an opinion that Vic had a serious chance of success, because he looked much better than before. Martinez invited Chris Aceto, a well-known nutritionist among the pros, to work in front of Olympia (Jay Cutler himself has been collaborating with him for many years). It would seem that now nothing in the world can prevent him from achieving success: Victor is completely focused on preparation, he does not miss a single detail and devotes himself entirely to the training.

But this time too, fate prepared the most difficult test for the athlete: a few weeks before the tournament, his mother dies of cancer.

This was a real shock for Victor.

He stated the following: “This is a great loss for me, but I must stay on the chosen path and do everything in my power to achieve my goal. This is what my mother taught me - to compete and win. I myself know that professional bodybuilding is not a job in a company where you can take time off to mourn. In bodybuilding, you either have to accept the loss and continue training, or give up.”

It is worth noting that many of the greats have encountered this. So, on the eve of one of the tournaments Arnold won, “Mr. Olympia" his father died. Schwarzenegger couldn't even fly to Austria for the funeral, because... There were a few weeks left before the tournament. Another famous professional bodybuilder, Darrem Charles, had his mother shot two weeks before participating in Olympia, but that didn’t stop him either. This may all sound cynical, but the stakes in professional bodybuilding today are too high.

That’s how Victor Martinez took part in the show, where he took third place, and he dedicated his success to his mother. Here are his words: “After the loss, I am like a freight train that rushes towards its goal without stopping, and the goal is to become Mr. Olympia.” But dreams are dreams, and reality is completely different - in 2009 Martinez became 6th, and in 2010 - only 8th. What will happen next is not yet known.