Ha NoiAt the end of the lesson, coach Ta Dinh Thai, 43 years old, gave himself half an hour to practice, admiring every muscle definition in the mirror.
The room is about 30 square meters but mirrors are everywhere, helping practitioners easily observe and track their own training process. Looking in the mirror is also Mr. Thai's daily habit, "both to recognize flaws and to shape and align his muscles more beautifully."
Currently, he temporarily stopped competing, switched to coaching at the Hanoi Bodybuilding team and teaching at the Vietnam Bodybuilding Weightlifting Federation. Looking at him now, no one would think he once weighed 55 kg, "half his current weight".
After speaking, he took out his phone and showed off an image of himself nearly 20 years ago, "skinny as a stork", small waist, big thighs, shoulders as wide as a coat hanger.
Current image of athlete and coach Ta Dinh Thai. Image: Characters provided
At the end of 2005, Thai played for the Hanoi team but failed. After that, he participated in many bodybuilding tournaments but did not have outstanding achievements. Recalling the first day on stage, the stage lights shone directly into Thai's eyes, making Thai stagger. The loud sound echoed in his ears, making the boy nervous, not daring to look straight down. In addition, he had to brace himself to stretch his veins to the maximum, so he quickly became exhausted.
To improve, he trains all week to gain endurance, the goal is for his muscles to emerge like tree roots. Every day he eats 6 meals, mainly green vegetables, chicken breast, no oil, light food.
He tries to supplement testosterone through food and daily dishes, strengthening the immune system and many other body functions. Some foods rich in vitamin D include tuna, eggs, and soy milk. Add oysters, shrimp, crab or eat oats, bananas, or juice as snacks.
"Being a professional, you need to calculate everything," he said and learned how to calculate food calories to best lose weight.
To participate in the 85 kg weight class, it usually takes him 3-4 months to lose weight. However, "weight training needs to be done intelligently and under expert supervision, especially without dehydration," he said.
According to studies, dehydration of 2-3% of body weight can cause decreased ability to concentrate, increase the risk of injury, lead to ion imbalance (reduced potassium and sodium levels), causing problems. Heart. In addition, weight pressure can lead to mental health problems such as eating disorders and anxiety disorders. Repeated rapid weight loss risks negative impacts on the immune and cardiovascular systems and reduces the ability to absorb nutrients.
Every day he drinks 4-5 liters of water to cool his body, metabolize, and help the body excrete well. Drinking water helps keep your skin from becoming dull, pale, moldy, and makes you look more beautiful. For men, the time of weighing before a competition is also a time of struggle and fatigue, but it is a strategy that determines 60% of the competition's success.
He set the goal of reducing body fat, not weight, to have the best health before competition. He learned more about performing, dancing to music, how to control his spirit when on stage, and how to look and smile to score more points.
Four years later, Thai received the B-class national bodybuilding award. In 2010, he won the national bodybuilding gold medal. For the next 9 consecutive years, Thai won gold medals and became king of the 85 kg weight class. He was favored by everyone, nicknamed "iron man" or athlete. He is in the Top 5 most beautiful bodybuilders at the 2013 Asian Championship, bronze medalist in Southeast Asia 2017.
According to Mr. Thai, muscles are the soul of bodybuilders, the sharper their muscles are, the more they will shine when competing. Image: Characters provided
Over more than 20 years of competing, Thai said he had countless injuries, even tearing his elbow ligaments, leaving his arm unable to control itself. "At that time, I thought I had to retire," he recounted.
However, the man still goes to the gym, "so as not to forget the feeling of exercising." After that, he practiced stretching and using machines to get his body used to it, combining nutrition to help him recover faster. About two months later, he returned to training to continue competing.
For him, a medal is what every athlete desires, a testament to days of weight loss and hard training. Before competing, most people have to plan for 4-5 months to prepare the best body and health.
Currently, he continues to pursue his passion by teaching and coaching. Although he does not need to exercise strictly, he still maintains exercise time every day to stay in shape. From bodybuilding, he trained himself with the spirit and will to not give up in the face of any difficulty.
"My dream now is to win a gold medal at the Sea Games after many years of missed appointments," Mr. Thai said, saying he will continue to train to sing the National Anthem under the red flag with yellow star.
Mr. Thai practices with his teammates and students. Image: Characters provided
Thuy An
