Ivan Podrez is only 27, and he is one of the strongest powerlifters in Russia. In 2018, the athlete from Sevastopol, performing in powerlifting, collected a total of 1062.5 kg, landing more than 450 kg. But for most ordinary people mysterious terms like "power triathlon" do not say anything, and the indicator of strength are tight biceps, powerful legs and press cubes. After all, what difference does it make how much you sit down, if you're usually dyspneatied and even walking down the stairs to the third floor - is it already a problem? One day the athlete decided to change himself and in a year turned from a spherical weightlifter into an athlete with a body to envy.
Interview with Ivan
- Did you ever worry about the numbers on the scales?
- Of course, they did, but not in the way you might think. In powerlifting, the more you weigh, the stronger you are, if the weight gain is not swelling. Of course, I had it, to some extent.
- Any problems with the pressure?
- When I was preparing to perform in 2018, I faced this. The doctor advised me to use the pills to get him back on track. I had a pressure of 120 over 80 at 180-190 kg - and now it remains the same at 135 kg. In general, this problem was solved.
- What was your maximum weight?
- At the training session I reached 192 kg, and before the start I weighed on an empty stomach - 187. Now I weigh 135. It turns out, I lost 55 kg.- Where did you start?
- There was a diet, but it was not some 2000 kcal per day. I ate 1 kg of boiled buckwheat daily, meat or fish - 1.6 kg a day already finished products. There were more vegetables. I ate every two hours from 8 am to 10 pm. At the same time he was hungry at first. Last time I ate carbohydrates was at 5 pm. There was a real Tryndets at first, ha-ha. When I started to lose weight, the waist was 143 cm, recently measured - 107 cm. The bicep was 52 cm, and now it's 50 cm. I almost didn't lose any of my hands.
-Did cardio do it?
- No, and I'm not going to. I have a fairly active lifestyle, I work as a coach. Now I left powerlifting temporarily to develop more as a coach. All day long on my feet - with such a load I just don't have enough to do cardio. I don't always have time to train. After May 1, the schedule will be easier - maybe I will reach jogging. If I want a dry form, as in bodybuilders, I will run, but so far I have stopped the weight race. Muscles have already started to "burn", and now we need to be very attentive to the issue of weight loss. So far, the situation is as follows: I cut food - muscles burn, add calories - belly and hard-hot grow, ha-ha.
- For a powerlifter, as you know, the main thing is the power indicators. Have you lost a lot of power?
- Power workers have fallen, and seriously. But the fact is that I do not do squats, pulls and presses with a lot of weight. My weight went away very quickly, and I even held on a little, so as not to "merge" at all. If I was making a base with a large scale, I would be seriously loading my joints. But now, for the first time in the last 5 years, I felt like a human being, nothing hurts, I train for pleasure.
-I wasn't afraid I would lose my strength - a year ago I realized that I needed a break from powerlifting for at least a year. Recently, I was asked to play with a small prize pool, and I found myself on the platform in the powerlift, lifting 340 kg. Basically, the result is normal. I don't want to compete anymore, to be honest - training takes a lot of time and effort. So I am full of enthusiasm to experiment further with my body, to make form. I'm still a beginner in this field, trying a lot on myself, I'm not new in powerlifting anymore. By winter, I think, I will prepare for the performance in the traction again, but seriously, maybe even gain 5-10 kg
- How much has your training changed?
- Now I do everything with supersets of 4 approaches on 15 repetitions. I unloaded a week, did 4-10. I train intensively, the weights are small. I squeeze 100 kg, do pull on straight legs with a weight of 100-120 kg, but to work out and feel the muscles, I need such weights. This is very different from the powerlifter training I'm used to.
- After such a transformation did not you think to try yourself in the power extreme? Speed and breathing became better.
- Yes, I'm interested in this direction, but the fact is that I do not have time to go to another room and try training in the power extreme. Of course, this is more promising than powerlifting in financial terms, but the first time you need financial investment in training. I will still perform in the traction, where my own weight does not play such a huge role, as in squats and bench press.
- Diuretics didn't use it during the weight race?
- No, I don't know much about them.
- Has your skin sagged strongly?
- In the beginning - very much, I even worried about it. Over time, it began to tighten. The main thing is not to get fat and not to lose weight, to let her stretch as much as possible. It takes patience. I am pleased with how my skin tightened. Maybe the average person will say that I look like a Sharpei in the stomach, but it's nothing compared to how it was in the beginning.
- How did your wife feel about your metamorphosis?
- She is very happy. She didn't like the fact that I do powerlift, although she herself has the title of master of sports according to the WRPF Federation. She is not a fan of sports, roughly speaking. My relatives also did not approve of the fact that I weighed a lot. Now everybody admires, people look differently.
- How to be obese people who decided to lose weight, but did not do sports?
- I would advise you to start by learning to diet. If they have lost at least 5 kg of weight with its help, then you can already go to the hall, but you have to understand that dieting will become even more difficult, because the metabolism will accelerate. And remember that you do not lose weight in the room - you lose weight at home when you eat properly. In the hall you just get into shape.