Page 20 - Flipbook

Q&A with Lee Beatrice - with Dale Padmore - Continued
WF: Bodybuilding as a sport and the fitness industry as whole is growing in Trinidad. What do you think bodybuilding in Trinidad and Tobago needs to be promoted more as a sport?
LB: For starters we could get the private sector involved. We have a lot of top of the line athletes and bodybuilding and fitness has geared away from physiques like mine. There's a broader spectrum of athletes now from the bikini athletes to the men’s physique athletes. We are more versatile now covering a wider range of looks and appearances that could be incorporated into many aspects such as modeling, fitness, carnival costumes. It's very diverse. The private sector needs to come to these shows and events and know the types of athletes we have here that could be used to incorporate and market their products. The sport itself is a very expensive sport, it's not just a sport, it's a lifestyle we live. It's a building process and even though we may get someone willing to sponsor us, it's not an overnight thing. Someone could give you a ton load of stuff (supplements) a month before a show but you wouldn't see that product on stage, you need to get that maybe a whole year in advance. It has to be incorporated into their lifestyle. What you see on stage is the end product of all the hard work that takes place a year prior to that. If these corporate entities could get involved to promote the sport, market and help nurture the athletes to aspire to their goals and aspirations that could help boost the industry and also boost public awareness.
WF: Can you give us a sneak peak into your training and diet?
LB: Training off season and for contest is more or less the same. I'll do the same type of exercises just that the intensity level or rest periods might lessen and the poundage as well. When you are dieting for a contest you’re not consuming as much calories as you would have in the off season so you may not have the same power but never the less the exercises are the same, the workout is the same. During off season I normally do a two day split, two days on, one day off but coming closer to the competition I may train three or four days straight. It all depends on if I break up the body parts to put greater emphasis per session.
Nutrition wise I try to consume at least six to eight meals (per day) which includes liquid meals like protein shakes. I may consume four or five solid meals and the rest as liquid meals as needed. The main factor in my diet is protein, whether it be chicken, eggs, fish, or beef. I particularly like pink salmon and egg whites, I love eggs. I try not to eat anything fried or stewed or curried especially close to competition time, as well as no snacking, I love ice cream. Sometimes it's good to have a cheat meal, a burger or two just to keep you sane.
WF: Can you tell us your heaviest squat and your heaviest bench press?
LB: Well contrary to belief although I may have the biggest legs or the biggest overall package in the country more or less, I don't squat. I haven't squatted in years. If I do squat I may do front squats and the most I may go up to is probably three plates (of 45 pounds each) on each side. I prefer leg press and the most I've ever done based on what the machine can accommodate I did the full machine with someone on top of it which totaled to about 1,740 pounds. With bench press I have gone up to five plates on each side (total of 495lbs), but recently the most I go up to is three plates on each side (315lbs). I've geared away from egotistical training where it's just about moving weight. It's about stimulating muscle. One day I may be in the back (of the gym) doing well over one thousand pounds and no one would know that I'm there. Another day there may be an individual with just two plates on each side and its noise like mad. It's not about training the ego it's about working the muscle to get the blood flowing as much as possible to give you the results. Contrary to belief you don't grow in the gym, when you eat and sleep that's when your body grows, that’s when it repairs and gets bigger. Growth takes place when you go home and eat and sleep and recuperate.
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