How to Get a Body Like Ivan Stoitsov
Mar 21st, 2008 by Mehdi Tags: Build Muscle, Lose Fat
| New to StrongLifts.com? |
| Here are a few posts the other readers recommend you check out. |
Reader omri_ro1 asked in StrongLifts.com Forum:
What do you think is Ivan Stoitsov body fat %? His abs are extremely defined.
Ivan Stoitsov. Bulgarian Olympic weight lifter. Ivan Stoitsov totaled 368kg at 76,83kg at the Weight Lifting World Champs 2007. His 158kg Snatch & 205kg Clean & Jerk got him gold. Here’s a video of his 205kg Clean & Jerk.
Ivan Stoitsov’ Training. Olympic weight lifters train 6-8 times per week. Often 2x/day. Those workouts burn calories and increase metabolic rate. Add to this muscle mass. Stoitsov’s body is a fat furnace.
Weight lifters from his category cut down weight before the meet. Caloric excess helps recovery which is important when training that much. Body fat is the last thing he thinks about, it’s all about getting strong to win the medal.
Here’s a video of the training of Polish weight lifters. It gives you an idea of the amount of work these guys do. Pay attention to the different weight classes, and the amount of body fat they carry.
How to Get a Body Like Ivan Stoitsov. On the above picture Stoitsov’s body fat is around 10%. Stoitsov’s abs are strong & thick from the heavy Overhead work & Front Squats. That’s why they’re defined.
If you want to get a body like Stoitsov, do what he does:
- Get Stronger. More strength is more muscle. Bringing your body fat down to 10% is useless if you don’t have muscles to show for.
- Move a Lot. Try to stay fat doing 3x weight lifting, playing squash with colleagues, tennis with girlfriend, some swimming, … all in 1 week.
- Eat a Lot. All these activities burn energy. You need food. Eat massive amounts of healthy nutrition without even counting calories.
- Be Patient. Stoitsov didn’t become like that over night. His body is a result of his training & mindset.
Check out G-Flux: Building the Ultimate Body by John Berardi for more on this.
Tired of the way you look? You want to build muscle & lose fat while getting stronger? Click here to download my 52 pages 100% FREE eBook.
Articles You Might Also Like:
Subscribe with RSS
I’ve recently been wondering,
When you see athletes training for the jerk movement, they always use the same leg position (eg: left foot in front, right foot to the rear)
doesn’t this create muscle imbalances in the long run? Or is the leg drive in that part of the movement neglectable?
I wonder - how do you guys manage to lift 3 times a week, do swimming and other sports/activities, AND have a life outside of that? Maybe it’s just me, but personally I find it quite difficult. I mean, I like weightlifting. I like it a lot. But there’s also lots of other things that I want to do and which are very important to me. Not to even mention having a job that eats up about a third of your life (the second third being sleep and the third - what’s left after that). If I were only to lift weights, swim, play tennis and work - there’d be no time left to, say, reading, writing, hanging out with friends, doing activism… the list goes on and on. I understand that one has to sacrifice something if he/she is serious about his/her sports-related activity, but that’s hardly all there is to life. Any input would be appreciated.
@xzebrasx
I do not know how I fit it all in but I do almost all of what you list in addition to dedicating several hours per week to home renovation My wife would prefer that I work longer on the home, get it done quicker and then take a break - but then I would have to give something else up that week. I also try to do something with my three kids as well as a night out with my wife every other week (she is too busy). Oh, in addition to my day job, I spend several hours per week developing software in between my visits to several websites including this one.
My workouts are about 90 minutes 3 times per week which includes pre-stretch/lift/post-stretch/HIIT. Sometimes, HIIT is simply DDR (Dance Pad game) with my kids. I like biking but if anyone else goes with me I do not try to do HIIT.
@xzebrasx: I think the key is to combine the exercise and things you love with the people you want to hang out and relax with. Take a long walk with the girlfriend along the lake. Play a pick up game of basketball with the guys and grab a beer afterwards. Read on the bus/train if you use it to commute.
There’s 24 hours in a day - 8 for work, 8 for sleep. The other 8 hours can be split up however you want, but there’s definitely enough time to get everything done you want.
I lift three to four time per week instead of lunch. I do have very demanding job and my work last from 9 to 8. After that I’ m glad that I could go home and be with my wife (no kinds yet).
I like weightlifting as well but after such day I have no energy left.
To Doo - you have my respect
How in the world did you come to the conclusion that Ivan’s bodyfat is 10%?
I understand you don’t actually know what his actual bodyfat percentage is and you were just making a stab in the dark for the purpose of this blog post, but 10% is way off.
To say that his abs are strong and thick from heavy overhead work and front squats COULD be correct. But that is NOT why they are defined.
You can have super strong abs and still have them covered up with layers of fat. The only way to get DEFINED abs is to have a low (single-digit) level of bodyfat.
If I had to guess, I would say his bodyfat percentage is between 5-7%. In my opinion, it would be stupid for him to compete at 10% bodyfat because that would just be extra fat he’s carrying around and it would only hurt his totals.
Peace.
How cruel to recommend strength training to a novice who wants to gain muscle and lose fat. That’s like telling someone to walk west when they ask how to get to California.
If you want to gain muscle and lose fat then strength training is an horribly inefficient way of achieving those goals. More muscle could be added in 6 weeks of intense bodybuilding than a year of strength training. Likewise, more fat could be burned through daily cardio.
Thanks for the advice! The biggest problem I seem to be having is eating a balanced diet. That is, one supposedly should be free to do whatever one likes after the workout, but then the “proper nourishment” factor kicks in and you’re forced to think about when/what you have to eat and etc. I guess I’ll just make me some food the day before working out and take it with me
If you do not have a gym at home, I agree with sasper that exercising with friends is a really good choice. If someone is expecting you to be there, you aren’t going to “forget” to go. And the usual competitive guy thing helps performance. I’ve had the same gym partner for >15 years, and this keeps me going.
On the other hand, a home gym is more efficient - no driving time
@xzebrasz: Yeah, I find the constant focus on eating the “right” thing is a real drag. At least eating all the time means I’m never hungry so I don’t eat crap just because I’m bored. There are a few things that fit Stronglifts definition of good food that I really enjoy (eg grilled salmon steak) but I hate looking at a really great dessert and thinking “it’s just tons of refined sugar and 2 days hydrongenated fat”.
@Trevor
I’m not normally one to flame here.. but are you f-ing kidding me?
http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/Topics/Training_Primer.htm
read that, please.. he’ll explain better than i can..
Great article and video Mehdi!
and…
How cruel to recommend strength training to a novice who wants to gain muscle and lose fat. That’s like telling someone to walk west when they ask how to get to California.
If you want to gain muscle and lose fat then strength training is an horribly inefficient way of achieving those goals. More muscle could be added in 6 weeks of intense bodybuilding than a year of strength training. Likewise, more fat could be burned through daily cardio.
@ Trevor
Well in a society where a significant portion of the general populace lead sedentary lifestyles, the advocacy of any form of activity be it strength training or otherwise is sensible I’m sure you would agree.
And frankly I can’t quite what is so ‘cruel’ about recommending strength training in any case. If aesthetics is you motivation, then by all means body build to your hearts content. Alternatively (this being the imperative term), if your motivation is something less superficial, then the article is asking you to consider strength training because the benefits to the practitioner are unique and independent to those of experienced in bodybuilding.
You are correct to suggest that you would build more muscle in a 6 week period through bodybuilding, but I’m absolutely certain you’d be stronger from strength training.
Great article video Mehdi!
@flupn
That’s a good point about the imbalance developing from always split jerking with the same legs, I’ve wondered about this myself. Instead of power cleans, I’ve cycled in classic clean and jerks and snatches, both squat and split style in addition to strong lifts 5×5. I usually alternate legs instead of always splitting with the same leg in front. But my right leg is always dominant, so if I am trying a new personal best, I split jerk with the right leg in front. I usually practice olympic lifts on sunday and do stronglifts monday wednesday and friday. I don’t know if Mehdi would approve of this, but I am still able to lift stronglifts 5×5 on Monday. Since working up to the snatch has taken months of practice, I’ve definetely seen an overall improvement in all areas of strength.
Well, these athletes compete in the sport, and their only aim is to lift as much as they can. If they have a strong leg, they’re gonna take advantage of it in competition. The off season is where they take care of muscular imbalances. It’s the same with pretty much any other sport that is 1 limb dominant - baseball, tennis, etc. They all develop imbalances from these sports, but it comes with the territory.
What these training videos don’t show is all the bicep curls and tricep extensions these olympic lifters perform. They know that the only way to a powerful, functional body is through isolation work in front of a mirror. Right? And don’t forget the indispensable leg extension, leg curls, lateral raise, and calf raises. Where would our top athletes be without calf raises?! But to all the newbies out there, don’t perform these all important lifts (especially the bicep curl) unless you can be in front of a mirror. I mean, if you can’t get turned on while watching yourself lift weights - what’s the point? Am I right? : )
On a serious note: I appreciate the absence of mirrors in these training facilities. One of the things about a CrossFit facility that I respect is: No Mirrors. Good form must be felt to be properly executed .
@Ed
lol
“if you can’t get turned on while watching yourself lift weights”
“and the indispensable leg extension!”
some gems in there, I may have to quote you later on
Great Blog Mehdi -
Berardi’s stuff is outstanding, particularly the GFlux article, inspirational to say the least.
@ Trevor - The only good thing about your opinion is that you have one, just like everyone else on here, but then again opinions are like anuses - everyone has one. Opinions like the one you posted here belong in the toilet.
I started the 5×5 routine only doing 2 days a week. In 8 weeks there was a MASSIVE difference. (I took before/after shots) — So Trevor, I think you should do some homework before stating your “facts”
Nice article….it’s good to see that our national weightlifters are famous in other countries. You know, bulgarian training is hard, very hard….look at this site http://www.criticalbench.com/bulgarian-weightlifting.htm
thanks for this post Mehdi, I really enjoy it!
i somehow manage to get my 5×5 workout (70-80 minutes long) done before the day starts at 4:30 in the morning. then off to shower, then breakfast, and then finally to work. i come home 5 and the rest of the day is mine. i feel and look great, i’m not tired and you wanna hear the sick part….i dont have weekends. you want it go get it.