Bodybuilder Alexandre Carneiro Interviewed By FullyFlexed.com

What’s your background? What got you started into bodybuilding and how long have you been into it?
I was born in Brasila-Brazil and raised most of my life in Rome-Italy and Santiago de Chile. Only when I arrived in the United States was I truly able to start accomplishing my dream; bodybuilding. I practiced volleyball in high school and wanted to get an early start with bodybuilding but I was surrounded by people who didn’t really understand what the sport was about and it was hard to progress. Once I arrived in Colorado as a first year student in college was I able to truly access the sport and learn about it. Four years later I am still learning more about it. Originally what got me started were several factors. As a kid I always grew up watching the 90’s action movies which always tended to have muscular men portraying the role of the heroes, I always wanted to look like them and be strong like them. Eventually my older brother took me to a gym when I was around 16 and from there on I simply got addicted to it. I have training for 4 ½ years now but only now that I got my new coach Rick Sosias do I feel like I am getting somewhere. He’s teaching me several new things I had no clue could possibly be integrated into training.

What are some your accomplishments in the sport of bodybuilding?
Over the years I have been able to accomplish several things in the sport of bodybuilding and accomplish other things because of the sport of bodybuilding. My biggest accomplishment was signing with Optimum Nutrition and American Bodybuilding; they are an outstanding dietary supplement company that promotes several products in the industry. Due to the sport I was able to get published in local news article and been featured in magazines such as Exercise for Men.  I have also been asked to judge local high school bodybuilding shows and I am only in the beginning of my career and there are many many more things I want to accomplish in the sport.

If you could only do three exercises what would they be?

By far I would pick doing: Squats, Weighted Dips and Deadlifts.

Could you tell us a bit about your routine and how often you change it up?
Whether I am at my off season or getting ready for a show, I feel it is important to lift heavy in order to keep that hard earned muscle mass. I do not believe that lifting lighter and increasing the volume will help in getting more ‘cut’. My current routine consists of:

Monday: Bi’s, Tri’s & Forearms
Tuesday: Quads, Hams
Wednesday: Delts, Calves, Abs
Thursday: Pecs, Tri’s
Friday: Back
Saturday: Abs, forearms, calves
Sunday: OFF

During my pre-contest season I include three sessions of cardio a week, done twice a day. During my off season I just do cardio 3 times a week after training at a low intensity. I change my routine only if I feel like I have reached a plateau. If I am still growing on a routine then I do not feel the need to change it. On average though I would say I change my routine every 3-4 months.

What would you say is your best and worst muscle group?

I would say my best muscle groups are my traps and my calves. I don’t think we have worst muscle groups but ‘holes’ that need to be filled in. In that case I would feel my ‘holes’ would be my biceps and triceps. I need more arms for a more symmetrical body.

What type of cardio workouts do you do? Anything you prefer?
I prefer doing cardio as soon as I wake up on an empty stomach and before I go to bed. I tend to do High Interval Training for no longer than 25 minutes. I personally prefer the stair master as you can perform cardio but also build legs on it. If I do not have access to a stair master then I would just jog on a treadmill on full incline. On either the stair master or treadmill I try and squeeze my glutes and hamstrings so I can improve those areas as well.

Whats your philosophy on nutrition? What do you like to change up on the days leading up to shows?
I believe nutrition is 70% of the key factor to any type of transformation goal one wants to achieve. It is an area I see many people fail at and get discouraged from achieving their goals. You need to eat big in order to get big, however many people think it’s all about the calories. In a way it is, but you also need to get those calories from lean sources and not fast foods.  What my coach Rick Sosias and owner of gym Inner Strength (http://www.goisf.com/) Chris Williamson here in Denver are doing is teaching me how to cycle fats and carbohydrates for ultimate shredding and conditioning. Of course what needs to be changed in every contest prep though it not only the amount of calories consumed but also when what type of foods to consume at the right timing. Not only do I change my food intake to only lean sources of protein and complex carbs but I also do not consume any milk or diet pop.

Whats your supplementation like? Anything you prefer to use?
Like I had previously mentioned, I believe nutrition constitutes 70% of any change you can do to your body, 15% from right training, 10% rest and recovery and 5% supplementation. Now….some people might think 5% is very little and that getting bigger and stronger requires tons and tons of supplements, however a 5% change is something radical when we think of how our bodies look and feel. My favorite supplement above anything else is Optimum Nutrition’s HydroWhey and multi-vitamin/mineral Opti-Men. I believe every person looking to change their bodies and gain weight need five supplements always on hand:

Multi-Vitamin/Mineral
Protein (whether from foods or shakes)
Creatine
Glutamine
BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids)

I use all of those five from Optimum Nutrition in addition to fish oil. The last thing I do for an extra energy rush pre training is using American Bodybuilding Speed Stack Pumped N.O.; damn that thing gets me some insane pumps.

Care to share your thoughts on anabolic steroids in the sport of bodybuilding?
I do not think the use of steroids make anyone a bad person or worst person. I respect the individuals who will take the ‘extra’ step in order to achieve what they want in the sport of bodybuilding. However I only support it in the sport, I do not think it should be something younger individuals simply looking to look better or use them because they feel the need to use them is right, I believe everyone needs to reach their true genetic potential first and then research them really well before even thinking about them.

Could you please describe what your daily routine is like?
On an average day I will wake up and cook my breakfast, afterwards I will start loading all my food to take with me so I can make sure I don’t skip a meal. I work in one of Denver’s most prestigious gyms; Pura Vida Fitness and Spa Club (http://www.puravidaclub.com). I take some yoga classes there in order to relax my mind and body.  I spend most of the day there and go straight to Inner Strength to train. Whenever I get home I’m so exhausted I just want to eat, get on the treadmill, rinse off and pass out. Sleeping is a very important component in my day as it’s when my body can relax and recover.

What keeps you so motivated to stick with bodybuilding?
What I love so much about bodybuilding is that not everyone can do it. No matter whom you are, if you obtain a great physique you know you have great dedication and a strong mind. You can’t buy it, you can’t cheat you really have to work hard at it in order to obtain the body you want. I keep myself motivated by keeping in mind my long term goal and what I want to achieve in life with it. Some days it’s harder to keep that motivation in mind but I always have bigger stronger friends that remind me that if I ever want to look like them then I need to bust my butt and stop complaining.

Any advice or tips for beginners?
Stick to your goals and dreams. Don’t allow anyone to tell you you can’t do something. Use all the negative energy from the people who don’t support you and are jealous of you as strength to keep going. Nothing is truly impossible and if you dedicate and put time into something it will happen. In addition for any beginner, I would recommend sticking to those five supplements I mentioned above, those are the pillars of supplementation. Having a nutritional plan high in protein will help a lot and never forget:

EAT BIG, SLEEP BIG, TRAIN BIG, GET BIG!!!

www.alexcarneiro.com
Alexandre Carneiro’s Bodyspace
Credit for the photo’s belongs to Carl Snider