The fictional superhero the hulk is a true encapsulation of the reaction of fans to the size displayed by freddie klopper on the bodybuilding stage. But even “the hulk” can get sidetracked.
ON THE GAIN TRAIN BEFORE DISASTER STRUCK
Freddie was training hard to compete in Africa's biggest bodybuilding show ever when he was struck down by injury. “I competed in the Over 95kg division at the Rossi Classic in 2015 and took first place. After that I went into bulking season to start gaining some weight. The plan was to compete at my biggest, widest and thickest at the inaugural Arnold Classic Africa in 2016. For a top spot I wanted to be spot on. I wanted both size and quality; cuts and detail. I hit the 124kg mark and started to change my diet and training to enter the cutting phase of my prep.”
Freddie was in beast mode knocking out reps on the flat bench press in the gym on that fateful day when his world came crashing down. “I started with 60kg and worked my way up to 80kg, 100kg, 120kg and then 140kg before dropping back down to 120kg. On my eighth rep I heard a strange sound like paper tearing. What happened was that I had torn my right pectoralis major. By the time I got home it was turning blue and the pain was unbearable. I had a tear of 8cm in length and it was 2cm deep, but fortunately I did not tear off the tendon. I knew that my prep for the Arnold and qualifying for the show was over. I was out for 12 to 16 weeks.”
DOWN BUT NOT OUT
Being a bodybuilder and having competed from a young age helped Freddie through this tough patch in his life. “The frustration of not being able to compete was the biggest mental challenge I had to face. The thought of being at my biggest ever and then losing a lot of body weight – essentially all the muscle mass I had gained – was devastating for me.”
This story is from the January - February 2017 edition of Muscle Evolution.
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This story is from the January - February 2017 edition of Muscle Evolution.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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