Durban - Mitesh Rampersad, is set to participate at the Arnold Classic Africa Bodybuilding competition in Johannesburg next year.
The 32-year-old Pietermaritzburg resident qualified earlier in the month at the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB), for the biggest qualifier of all categories: the Gentle Giant Classic.
“In order to qualify, you have need to place among the top competitors per category. It’s also based on how you look and the potential you have to progress.
“I placed sixth in my category, which is classic bodybuilding under 1.75m and I qualified for the Arnold Classic. It is the most fulfilling feeling, knowing I have worked hard enough to be part of such a prestigious competition,” he said.
The private wealth banking assistant told POST it has been his dream to participate at the Arnold Classic since watching the competition in 2016, and vowing to some day compete.
With six months to go before the competition, Rampersad told POST he plans to train even harder for six days a week.
“Closer to the competition, I will split my training into a morning and evening workout and cover each muscle group twice in a week.
“The muscle groups include chest, back, shoulders, calves, arms and legs, and the exercises and weight variants vary weekly.
“My diet is 70% strict at the moment and I have about two cheat meals, but that will stop soon. I eat a lot of white meat with the odd red meat and my proteins are always eaten with carbs. As I get closer to the competition, I will have one cheat meal a week to allow my body to get a shock (junk) so it doesn’t get used to healthy food,” he said.
Rampersad, who can squat with up to 150kg with form and do dead lifts with 165kg with form, told POST he started bodybuilding at the age of 18, when he felt it was time for him to add an additional sport to his list of hobbies.
“By 23, I decided to take this ‘sport’ more seriously and started to do specific exercises to target certain muscle groups.
“After about four years of training, at 27, I felt my body was ready to perform in bodybuilding competitions,” he said.
Although he did not place anywhere during his first bodybuilding competition, Rampersad did not let that deter him from participating. He took an extra two years to focus on building himself up and says he has not looked back since.
Rampersad told POST, his mom Reena and fiancée, Keziah Rajah, are his biggest supporters as they always encourage him to perform to his best ability.
He said he hopes to see more community involvement in the sport and wishes it would get more recognition from the Department of Sport and Recreation.
“It would be great if we could raise more awareness about the sport and its competitions, also if we could show the benefits of participating and of leading a healthy lifestyle.
“Younger boys will find out it is only by a healthy diet that they can learn the discipline. They would also have more education about supplements and how to achieve their body without the use of them,” he said.
The Arnold Classic Africa Bodybuilding competition takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, in May next year.