Victor Martinez - Relentess

MHP STAR VICTOR MARTINEZ – TOUGH & RELENTLESS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON BREEZE

“When I’m done with bodybuilding, I want to be remembered as someone who never quit,” says Victor Martinez, one of the world’s top bodybuilders at age 41. “Given everything I’ve been through over the years, people should hopefully look at my career and know that I was tough and relentless.”

Now don’t get ahead of yourself. This is by no means the start of the Dominican Dominator’s swan song in the iron sport. As I sit to write this, Vic is hard in training to prepare for the New York Pro and Arnold Classic Brazil … and he’s looking bigger, tighter and more symmetrical than ever!

“I’m feeling great,” the MHP-sponsored superstar says. “Training is going very well, and I’m getting closer to getting ready for the shows. No injuries and I’m having great workouts every time. Only room to get better!”

But the quote that opened this story provides a uniquely inside look at the matter-of-fact way that Vic looks at bodybuilding and life in general. Mere mortals would have long been derailed from the lifting game if they had faced the trials and tribulations that this soft-spoken behemoth has overcome. It’s long been reviewed and retold, but Victor’s incredible rise to beat the odds—over a handful of occasions—is really the stuff of legend.

Let’s quickly review: After placing a controversial second to Jay Cutler in 2007, Vic seemed destined to wrestle the Olympia crown from the champ’s hands and start his own indomitable streak of Mr. O wins. But then a crushing knee injury sidelined him, requiring surgery and months of rehab to repair. After working incessantly to build his quads back up, the Edgewood, NJ resident fought his way back to the runner-up spot at the 2009 Arnold Classic.

But then tragedy struck as he was preparing for the Mr. Olympia later that year: His beloved sister was killed in New York City. Turning to the weights to get him through this incredibly dark time, Victor did what no one thought was possible: He prepped for and entered the O, placing in the top six.

Two years later, the 5'9", 265-pounder was back on top of the bodybuilding world after winning the inaugural 2011 Arnold Classic Europe title. But in typical Victor Martinez fashion, he was detained by customs upon return to the U.S. and spent months in a detention center. When he was released, he had lost 40 pounds and basically had to start bodybuilding all over again.

Thanks to a fire in his belly, fury in the gym, and becoming a test subject for a new muscle building myostatin inhibitor called MYO-X from MHP, Vic packed on the muscle he’d lost and toyed with the idea of competing at the 2012 Olympia. But can you believe it—bad luck enveloped the Dominator once again. He suffered a broken arm in a freak accident and basically had to start from scratch all over again. Yet as is always the case with this incredibly positive muscleman, he laughed it off, worked through rehab, rebuilt his physique yet again, and triumphed onstage at the 2013 Toronto Pro.

Today, Vic’s attitude has never been better. With the New York Pro in his sights once more (he was the runner-up in 2013), he has an even bigger goal beyond that when he hits Rio de Janeiro in May: to be the first competitor to hold Arnold Classic titles on three continents! “That would be a milestone in bodybuilding competitive history that I very much want to own,” he says in his typical nonchalant manner.

It is that very low-key personality that belies the competitive fire in Vic’s heart. “I’ve never been a guy who said ‘I could have’ or ‘would have’ if not for something happening to me,” he says. “I’ve had injuries, personal crises, etc., but I’ve never been a quitter and never made excuses. I take whatever life throws at me and I keep moving forward. If it doesn’t kill me, it makes me stronger!” He laughs.

Victor currently divides his training time between three gyms: Steel Gym in Manhattan, Star Fitness in the Bronx, and Bev’s Powerhouse Gym in Syosset, NY. His regular training partner is Dean Lewis, a powerful lifter who has pushed him through countless high-intensity workouts. But Vic also catches up with close friends and fellow IFBB pros Marco Rivera, Jon De La Rosa, and Juan Morel for hardcore sessions. He genuinely enjoys every minute in the gym and pushes himself hard with every set and rep.

He follows a four-days-on/one-day-off rotating program, beginning with shoulders, triceps, and abs on day one. Even after more than two decades under the iron, Vic still likes to go fairly heavy, but he’s more keen on precise technique than ever. For instance, he’ll work up to 225 pounds for 10 reps on the barbell shoulder press, do sets of shrugs with 315, and work up to 50-pound dumbbells for side lateral raises. To keep his legendary arms growing and strong, he’ll do pushdowns with 140 pounds for sets of 10 to 12 reps and hits close-grip benches on the Smith machine with 275 for sets of 15.

Day two is reserved for quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. After starting out with leg extensions to pre-exhaust his quads, Vic performs barbell squats with up to 405 pounds for 8 to 10 reps on his heavy set, followed by a drop set with 225 for max repetitions to failure. He loads the weight on for leg presses, working up to a massive 11 45-pound plates on each side for 8 to 10 reps.

For hamstrings he’ll do leg curls (both dual- and single-leg machines) followed by stiff-legged deadlifts. Then he finishes his leg workout with 4 sets of 20 to 30 reps of standing calf raises with as much weight as he can handle, typically close to the full weight stack, depending on where he’s training.

Chest, biceps, forearms and abs are the focus of day three. To focus on his upper pecs, Vic begins with incline dumbbell flyes (up to 70 pounders for 10 reps) and moves next to barbell incline press, working his way up to 225 for a couple sets of 10. For flat dumbbell presses, Vic performs 4 sets, including a drop set on the final effort. Then he performs 3 unique supersets, matching dumbbell decline press with single dumbbell pullovers.

To blast his massive biceps, Vic performs barbell and dumbbell curls (on an incline bench) and preacher curls. Reverse curls with the bar behind his hams help him build and maintain thick, sinewy forearms. Finally, he’ll chisel his abs with five to eight minutes of nonstop work to include leg raises, decline sit-ups, cable crunches, and weighted trunk twists. (This is the same ab routine he also performs on day one.)

Vic finishes his training cycle with back and calves on day four. With arguably one of the best V-tapers in the sport, this is one of his favorite body parts to train. He starts with pull-ups, moves to heavy lat pulldowns and bent-over rows (working up to 275 pounds for 8 to 10 reps), and finishes with one-arm dumbbell rows and seated cable low rows. To cap off his back muscularity, Vic works deadlifts in a controlled fashion to emphasize the squeeze at the top and full range of motion. Four sets are what he needs to finish this back session. Then it’s on to calves again, doing either standing or seated calf raises as heavy as possible.

As he preps for the NY Pro, Arnold Brazil, and eventually the Olympia, Martinez performs cardio five days a week on the StepMill machine. He’ll do 30 minutes of interval training, changing from high to medium intensity every two to three minutes. He skips doing cardio on leg day and instead performs this on his off day at least once weekly.

“My favorite exercises are deadlifts, squats, and barbell curls,” Vic says. “But what I consider my best body part is my back. I love training back!”

On the dietary front, the muscular marvel eats six meals a day and consumes two protein shakes. His year-round diet looks like this:

OFF-SEASON DIET
Meal 1: 8 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 2 cups oatmeal or possibly pancakes
Meal 2: 8 oz. chicken, 200 g rice
Meal 3: 8 oz. steak, 8 oz. baked potato
Workout
3 to 4 scoops Dark Matter (immediate post-workout)
Maximum Whey protein shake (3 scoops 45 minutes post-workout)
Meal 4: 8 oz. salmon, 4 oz. potato
Meal 5: 8 oz. flounder, 4 oz. potato, vegetables
Meal 6: 8 oz. chicken, 200 g rice
Probolic-SR shake (before bedtime)

IN-SEASON DIET
Meal 1: 10 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1 cup oatmeal
Meal 2: 8 oz. chicken, 100 g rice
Meal 3: 8 oz. steak, 4 oz. baked potato
Workout
2 scoops Dark Matter Zero Carb Concentrate (immediately post-workout)
Maximum Whey protein shake (3 scoops 45 minutes post-workout)
Meal 4: 8 oz. salmon, 4 oz. potato
Meal 5: 8 oz. chicken, 200 g rice
Meal 6: 8 oz. chicken, 4 oz. potato, vegetables
Probolic-SR shake (before bedtime)

Even with all the trials and tribulations the Dominican Dominator has endured, his best memories of bodybuilding are not the titles he’s won or even his triumphant return (on several occasions!) to the stage. Instead, Vic remembers where it all started when he was a young man and the weights and his friends at the gym were all he had.

“I remember spending full days at Johnny Lats gym,” he recalls. “I’d sit around waiting for guys to come so we could train. It was like $10 or $20 for the month and you could go there and hang out all day. I remember being at the gym and playing chess with Kai Greene. We were all total gym rats. We filmed our first training video back when there was no social media. It was called Guest Pass—I have to get it from one of my friends. I’d really like to see it now! It was back in 1992 or ‘93. Those are really my best bodybuilding memories.”

Fast-forward 20 years and Vic still looks at bodybuilding as his passion … and his privilege. It’s been a remarkable career thus far.

“I’ve been with MHP more than 10 years,” he says. “I have such a great relationship with Gerard Dente, who’s always believed in me even when I’ve gone through the worst of times. He is a real friend, and the brand is simply the best and most innovative in the industry. I am so lucky to be part of the MHP family.

“In truth, from the first ad I appeared in, it didn’t seem real. Working with MHP has gotten me to where I wanted to be, and I’m still thrilled every day to be doing what I love as a career. Now I’m in ads a lot, but it still seems unreal. I look at them and say, ‘Wow, I’m in a magazine.’ I’m very proud and very thankful. I’ll never get used to it. To this day I still appreciate it. I’m living my dream!”

As he heads into another competitive season, Vic has one bit of sage advice for his fans. It’s something that he knows on a very deep and personal basis:

“My advice to everyone out there is to take it one day at a time. It’s bodybuilding—it’s a time game and a learning game. Don’t get frustrated. Keep pushing yourself and moving forward. Make changes to your program and always look to improve. Don’t look for quick results. Have an ultimate goal and be patient and work toward that goal. Be relentless.”

In other words, be like Vic!

Editor’s Note: For more information about or to purchase Vic’s favorite innovative MHP supplements, visit MHPSTRONG.com. To find Victor’s full workout, including sets, reps, and weight, log onto MHPSTRONG.com and locate his Athlete Page.

VICTOR MARTINEZ’s MUSCLE BUILDING MHP SUPPLEMENTS

Morning: Activite Sport multivitamin with breakfast
T-BOMB 3xtreme testosterone booster
MYO-X myostatin inhibitor
Releve joint formula

Mid-Morning: A-BOMB anabolic amino acid formula
Power Pak Pudding high protein pudding

Pre-Workout: Dark Rage pre-workout
NO-BOMB nitric oxide booster
BCAA 3300 supplement
DREN fat burner

Intra-Workout: BCAA 10X ENERGY

Post-Workout: Dark Matter post-workout (before final 6-week prep)
Dark Matter Zero Carb Concentrate post-workout (final 6 weeks)
Glutamine-SR sustained release glutamine

Evening: Activite Sport multivitamin (2) with dinner
A-BOMB anabolic amino formula
MYO-X myostatin inhibitor
Releve joint formula
Power Pak Pudding (if hungry or needs extra protein)

Bedtime: Probolic-SR sustained-release protein
5D-TROPIN nighttime anabolic activator
T-BOMB 3xtreme testosterone booster