Sadik Hadzovic is simply 35 years previous, however he’s already competed in 18 IFBB Professional League competitions in each the Males’s Physique and Basic Physique classes. He’s received the celebrated New York Professional bodybuilding competitors twice (2013 and 2022), earned gold on the 2015 Arnold Males’s Physique Basic, and has competed in 5 Mr. Olympia competitions.

How do you construct that physique? Fact is, it’s not about food plan, and it’s not in regards to the exercise. As an alternative, you want an ideal mixture of each food plan and coaching, an artwork kind that Hadzovic and plenty of different athletes have labored to grasp. Your coaching and food plan complement one another, and understanding how the 2 disciplines work together is essential to your skill to pack on main muscle and power.

The artwork of muscle-building and ab-shredding is at all times a couple of mix of issues. Hadzovic works to take care of a wonderfully calibrated strategy to consuming and coaching. This yr, he has to get this combine excellent, as a result of he has main objectives. “My objective now,” he says, “is to win the Olympia.”

Unsure how he’s going to drag it off? Check out a day within the lifetime of his pre-Olympia coaching and food plan regimens.

The Exercise

There’s nothing frilly or particular about Hadzovic’s weight coaching routine. His common periods encompass strolling on the treadmill for a couple of minutes, performing a brief sequence of mobility actions, and hammering one or two physique components with a barrage of heavy weights for lots of complete quantity (31 units within the instance under).

He trains 5 days per week: legs on Monday, chest and triceps on Tuesday, again on Thursday, chest and shoulders on Friday, and again and biceps on Saturday. Dr. Michael Camp, DPT, CSCS, CES creates Hadzovic’s routines and updates them often. And Hadzovic at all times trains laborious. “Individuals do not practice intensely sufficient,” Hadzovic says. “They’re both taking too lengthy between units, or once they’re doing their set, they’re simply counting reps. You need to do a weight that’s simply past your consolation degree…should you can raise a weight comfortably for 10 reps and aren’t out of breath, you’re not likely coaching.”

Certainly one of his favourite days is that back-and-biceps session.

WARMUP: Treadmill stroll, 10 minutes.

Hadzovic begins on the treadmill, simply to get his blood flowing and begin to elevate his coronary heart price barely. He’s not going laborious right here, simply getting shifting.

EXERCISE 1: Foam Curler T-Backbone Mobility

This warmup will get Hadzovic’s again loosened up. That again mobility is essential to setting him up for achievement. He does 1 set of 10 reps.

EXERCISE 2: Cat-Camel/Y-T-Ws

The bodybuilder continues to heat up his again with the cat-camel stretch, which has him alternately arching and rounding his again. After that, he begins to construct stability in his mid-back with Y/T/Ws. He does 1 set of 10 reps of every transfer.

EXERCISE 3: Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown, superset with Broad-Grip Lat Pulldown

Hadzovic does 4 units of his major train pairing. He begins with the straight-arm lat pulldown, which wakes up his lats. It additionally prefatigues his lats for wide-grip pulldowns. He does 4 units of 8-10 reps of every transfer.

EXERCISE 4: Plate-Loaded Row

Hadzovic has executed vertical pulling; now he’ll tackle a horizontal row that builds mid-back thickness. He pushes this heavy, too, doing 12 reps the primary set, then 10, then 8, and eventually, 6.

EXERCISE 5: Behind-the-Neck Lat Pulldown

Then it’s again to vertical pulling, so Hadzovic can carve element into his lats and pile up extra good contractions. He does 3-4 units of 10-12 reps right here. This isn’t a raise for everybody, although, so don’t be afraid to do a unique pulldown, like a one-arm pulldown, on this spot as an alternative.

EXERCISE 6: Machine Preacher Curl

Now, Hadzovic turns his consideration to his arms. He begins with machine preacher curls, opening with an isolation train. He does 4 units of 8-10.

EXERCISE 7: Standing EZ-Bar Paused Curl

His biceps are already pumped, and now it’s onto high-rep work. Hadzovic does 3 units of 10-12 right here, holding for 3 seconds on the high of every rep. It is a lengthy set; it takes 40-50 seconds to get by.

EXERCISE 8: Incline Dumbbell Curl

It’s one other 3 units of 10-12 right here, and once more Hadzovic holds for 3 seconds on the high of every rep. He’s getting a deeper stretch on his biceps right here, as a result of his elbows are behind his torso initially.

EXERCISE 9: Hammer Curl

This basic transfer hammers Hadzovic’s brachialis, a key muscle that helps your biceps actually pop. He’s piled up loads of quantity by the point he’s right here: He’s already executed greater than 100 reps of arm workouts alone.

EXERCISE 10: Standing Bent-Over Rear Delt Cable Increase

Hadzovic finishes with somewhat extra again work, this time integrating his rear delts as effectively. He does 3 units of 10-12 reps right here. It is a light-weight transfer, the one light-weight transfer Hadzovic will do all day.

The Eating regimen

Hadzovic follows a basic bodybuilding food plan, counting on ample quantities of protein (1.5 grams per pound of physique weight, he says) and easy-to-digest carbohydrates for power. Other than a single tablespoon of nut butter, all of the fats Hadzovic consumes is from the opposite meals he eats.

“The connection between consuming and coaching is tremendous essential,” Hadzovic says. “It is the identical distinction as having a race automobile and placing in 83 octane versus 93 octane. I need to use race gas on my engine.”

It’s simply not as a lot gas as you would possibly count on. Eight weeks out from the Mr. Olympia (when this interview was carried out), Hadzovic says he has 15 kilos of water and fats to lose from his body. He should eat sufficient to hit the fitness center laborious whereas shedding as much as half a pound a day within the ultimate 4 weeks of his prep. On at the present time, that’s lower than 2,500 energy.

It will probably fluctuate. Hadzovic has each day check-ins along with his nutritionist, Kash Guidry. If Hadzovic seems flat — “which suggests the muscular tissues aren’t popping,” he explains — he’ll swap out a rooster breast at one meal for a fattier filet steak. Or he’ll add 50 grams of white rice to his pre- or post-training meal. “I eat the identical 15 meals all yr,” Hadzovic quips. “I am continually on this meditative state the place it is regular to eat a excessive protein meal each two hours; it is regular to drink two gallons of water each day; it is regular to do 45 minutes of intense cardio.”

Sadik’s Eating regimen

Meal 1:

8 Egg Whites, 1 yolk

2/3 cup old school oats

1/2 cup blueberries

It’s all about eggs for Hadzovic to begin the day. Eggs are an entire protein, delivering all of the amino acids your physique wants.

Meal 2:

7 oz Hen breast

7 oz Purple potatoes

Hen breast is likely one of the most revered protein sources there may be. Hadzovic provides purple potatoes to the combination to insert some advanced carbs into his food plan as effectively.

Meal 3:

7 oz rooster breast

6 oz cooked jasmine rice

Sure, it’s extra rooster breast and carbs. The jasmine rice mixes factor up for Hadzovic’s palette. Additionally word that Hadzovic isn’t afraid of white rice.

Meal 4:

Protein Shake

Hadzovic has simply completed his exercise as he downs his fourth “meal”, a basic protein shake. He’s replenishing protein into his physique post-workout – and really quickly he’ll have his largest meal.

Meal 5:

8 oz 96/4 Beef

5 oz cooked jasmine rice

Hadzovic now downs six ounces of beef. That is his third totally different protein supply of the day, too (after eggs and rooster), a various strategy that helps preserve his complete nutrient profile balanced.

Meal 6:

8 Egg Whites, 1 Yolk

1 tbsp almond butter

And right here’s the ultimate meal. Hadzovic began the day with eggs, and he ends the identical method. However now, as he wraps up his day stuffed with consuming, he skips the carbs and as an alternative swallows some almond butter, his lone dose of fat. (The remainder of his fats consumption was principally from his protein sources).

Energy: 2,111

Protein: 251 grams

Carbs: 154 grams

Fats: 47 grams

The Wrap-Up

You don’t must be an expert bodybuilder to grab some stable takeaways from Hadzovic. To construct muscle, what you do doesn’t matter as a lot because the intention behind what you’re doing. Practice laborious and try to perform a little extra every time.

Getting in form doesn’t name for the extent of dietary self-discipline Hadzovic adheres to year-round. If you wish to lose somewhat physique fats, you will need to create a caloric deficit and keep it up for just a few months. If you need to construct muscle, add just a few hundred clear energy and follow that for just a few months to bulk up.

Consistency is the important thing. In spite of everything, Hadzovic could also be nearing the height of his aesthetic potential, however it took him effectively over a decade to get there.