The good nutrition is mostly a discipline matter

From hobby to local title

How did Mister Sullana 2016 get the triumph?

By ChulucanasGym. Photos by Javier Velasco for El Regional de Piura.

How many years can you take since you decide working out consciousnessly until you get a significant goal? Kevin ericson Cano took nine years since the moment he came into the gymwhen he just was 15.

“Then I was 65 kg, I was too thin,” he remembers. “A friend paid me the class and the trainer said I could be bigger.”

In the beginning, Kevin wasn’t so serious about it, just having it as a hobby. But when he saw how his body muscled, he changed his mind.

“This is my passion today,” he states. “This is what I like.”

- What’s your attitude today?

- Demanding myself more everyday to have my muscles bigger.

- How do you get motivated?

- Training everyday and seeing results, this is a healthy sport because it implies discipline.

Kevin says he consumes supplements as part of his plan, inclusive he sells them for fundraising his training and feeding.

“Supplements give proteins because the diet alone couldn’t supply yet, also the muscles need supplements,” he explains. “Otherwise said, vitamins for recuperation and growing around.”

Today, Kevin is 24 years old, 170 cm height, 85 kg, according to his official record. Coming himself over was not easy - he had his times of doubt but he realised everytime he failed, he had to bring himself up.

“But it only costed me in the beginning, now it’s a lifestyle,” he says.

- What was the hard part?

- The hardest was the diet living in Peruvian Northern. Imagine dismissing to eat tasty food because they don’t supply the nutrients what the body needs, in the other hand, the daily working out, not drinking alcohol, not being awake overnight wwas not difficult to me.

- Do you live expectant of the weighing machine?

- I’m not obsessed about counting calories neither but I do care my regular feeding.

On November 5^th, 2016, nine years of training and caring had their first significant goal: Kevin had been declared Mister Sullana’s absolute champion. The next one will be to participate in Mister Piura, scheduled for March 2017.

“My goal is becoming Mister Peru but I have to invest more in diet and working out more,” he assures.

For the moment, the inmediate is fundraising.

“I get funds by giving classes at Cuerpo en Línea Gym where I’m the trainer, plus the gains by selling supplements.” In that sense, Kevin is in contact to a related firm but the things are not so sure. Actually he estimates he will have to double the investing for the national championship than today’s.

Meanwhile, he tries not to miss discipline in his daily life.

“I wake up at 5in the morning, I work at the gym until 1 in the afternoon, I rest until 3 and get back to work until 10 at night, then I sleep.”

He doesn’t’ lose attitude neither.

“Practicing sports keeps me healthy, makes me happy, because I feel agreed for my results,” he points out.

Post-produced by Sheyla Benavente.

Natural Supplements

Freddy Pozo’s 7 big challenges

This athlete reveals what made him to hold on a sport career despite the obstacles.

 

 

All photographs provided by Freddy Pozo.

 

Freddy Daniel Pozo Guerrero was born in Piura City, Peru, on October 7^th, 1982.  When he still studied at San Miguel School, in this city, he premiered as an athlete in 1994 School Games. He was recruited because of his talent into the so-called Achievement Poles promoted by Cuban trainers.

 

In 1997, he classified to a Peruvian Northern tournament. He got a place that same year for a nationwide’s else.

 

Since 1999, he began to train with Jose Bonilla Cortez. The next year, he won marathons in Piura City, Trujillo (both in Peru), and Macará (Ecuador). His achievement as a top athlete allowed him to enter directly the university in Trujillo, in 2001, where he highlighted in the 5K, 10K pedestrian tests, while he got high scores  in lane – 800 meters, 1500 meters tests.

 

When his sport career was rising, the first difficulty came in. An injury forced him to break it all. He lost the scholarship.

 

He had to return to Piura where he entered another university. His body seemed to react again as much as he was an athletics university champion between 2005 and 2007. One of his major achievements was winning in Cuenca (Ecuador) amid his category.  He covered 44.4 miles  in 6 hours.

 

Despite he was the Best Piurano in Piura’s Half Marathon, he decided to leave the sport and focus in his studies in 2008. Then, he faced his second big difficulty. He looked for sponsors but no one granted him. “Sports are not profitable because you have  to train 6 daily hours,” he tells. Aside the time, he might invest in feeding and supplements. There was no money.

 

This decision carried him a third difficulty. Freddy is 5.5 feet. In 2008, he was 123 lbs. Breaking suddenly made him to increase 88 lbs, slightly .

 

A fourth difficulty returned him to athletics but not in a competitive level. His mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. In the beginning, she survived it, and the physical activity was part of the treatment. Freddy turned her coach.

 

He lived a fifth difficulty with his mother. An apparent medical negligence caused her to pass away in 2019.

 

Freddy sheltered in the sport. He went out running in the mornings, he went to the gym at nights, beginning himself in Olympic discipline – powerlifting, very different to bodybuilding, because the first one addresses to hold on a weight in the air the most time in the less number of moves as possible, the second one basically addresses to model the muscles.

 

“Many people remembered me from my time as an athlete,” Freddy comments.

 

It was when the sixth difficulty came in. Somebody used a pesticide to poison one of his colleagues. Somehow, Freddy got poisoned. His central nervous system was under attack causing him a temporary paralysis that has turned a fibromyalgia –defined by Mayo Clinic as generalized muscular pain and sensitiveness—through the years.

 

In freddy’s case, it turned him off some flexibility. As the physical therapies were very expensive, he had to learn applying them. Even, he opened a specialized center but he might close it because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here we have the seventh difficulty.

 

During the lockdown, he studied handball and volleyball which he graduated as a technician. The interesting is he never has done any of them in his lifetime. “I’m a little self-taught,” he affirms. “What I have learned was by my own.”

 

Up to this date, Freddy Pozo coaches handball teams in sub-13 and sub-17 categories, he’s 135 lbs, he believes the sport helped him to overcome every difficulty. It rejuvenated him,even: “The training and the lifestyle make me looking like a 27-year-old dude,” he assures.

 

Do you have a similar story? Tell us on X | WhatsApp | chulucanasgym@gmail.com

  

What is really a gymbro?

Within admiring, wondering, or misunderstanding, here we guide you about the good and the bad of being so.

 

If you are one of these guys who spend your every free time by training or standing at the gym, if you’re updated about supplements, if you pay your membership timely, if you’re watching in very detail what you eat (what includes how, how much, when, and why), if you’ve turned an expert to decode the nutritional facts charts – anyway, if your personal and social life spins around the gym, you’re maybe a gymbro (from gym brother).

 

By extension, at least in Peru, gymbros are these training partners whom you share the same right lifestyle at the same right place, as much as the relationship that began at the gym can transcend to other circles of your life.

 

“In general, the gymbros begin by sharing the same machine, and they soon match their whole life to work out the same muscle group, to use the same supplement, and even reaching the moment that if one of them leaves the gym, the other one follows him,” a trainer tells us.

 

When yes, when not

The gymbros can turn real communities, the gymfrats (from gym fraternity). For the people who don’t belong to the fitness world, this can wonder them and even a trigger to make fun (there are many memes about), but for many professional trainers, meeting gymbros is a serious matter because they can be capable to move customers agreeing or disagreeing, depending on the experience they have at the gym.

 

“everyone who are trainers today started being gymbros upon a time ago,” they add us.

 

There are also who use the term to mask a romantic or sexual relationship that began at the gym rooms. First of all, it’s not bad to fall in love with your gymbro, but it would be good not to use it as an euphemism for avoiding to say lover or friend with benefits, especially if you go to a medical check due to some little sexual health problem – the medical doctors are not fool, although you think so.

 

Benefits & risks

Is it good or bad to be a gymbro, fitness freak, or gym-rat? Like we use to say here, it depends on the situation.

 

• Positive – your time is better organized as much as you life quality visibly improves compared to the average.
• Negative – You reach to the point that you are at the gym without other reason than being right there believing you won’t be happy somewhere else.

 

• Positive – Your gymbro turns your main motivator for never giving up the training, as much as the sparring-type methodologies work wonderful for you.
• Negative – Going to the gym depends on your gymbro goes to. If he doesn’t go, you don’t go. In other words, you nullify your proactivity.

 

• Positive – You’re not easily teased by the advertising when it’s about to introduce you some new product.
• Negative – You become freak, turning you into a compulsive buyer of every supplement, apparel, clothes, method, or ‘miracle’ that is advertised.

 

• Positive –Your gymfrat is not only in good times, but in bad and especially worst times either.
• Negative – Believing your gymfrat is the only posse which you can aspire to.

 

• Positive – your gymbro Will ever encourage you to achieve a new asset.
• Negative – Your gymbro pushes you to behave the opposite to the sport.

 

Have in mind…

After that, being a gymbro  is not bad at all even provided you know how to take it locked at the gym, or if it suddenly becomes a great physical support and emotional support. But if it begins to infest your other dimensions, get concerned – maybe, you need professional support to see what is going you wrong.

 

Finally, dont confuse a gymbro and a gympro, who is the guy training aware at a gym because he lives through his body, whether a competition or a career which the physique is key (models, artists, security agents, lifesavers). In fact, a gympro knows he must give the necessary dedication to the training, but he is also aware he must keep a physical, mental, or social balance.

 

Would you like to share us your story as a gymbro? Tell it to us on our Twitter account or at chulucanasgym@gmail.com. Maybe, it would be good to post it.

  

Training Chulucanas Gym Style

Five lessons to gain muscle and courage.

By Nelson Peñaherrera (@nelsonsullana) / FACTORTIERRA.NET

Photos by Jhon Gomez / Chulucanas Gym

CHULUCANAS, Peru -- “Come in here,” Bruno Rosas, 26, guides me gently, pausing for a while the lobby he does to get a sponsorship.

Bruno is a bodybuilding fan and part of Chulucanas Gym Project (CG), what looks for promoting that discipline and fitness to expand healthy lifestyles in his community, and for getting that more contestants go to regional and national competitions.

One of the goals is to reach Mister Piura contest every March, and national ones in the long term.

But such goal requires much investment on effort, time, attitude and money.

Bruno has been very accomplished with the three first. He has developed some muscle and harmony, organizes a couple of hours in his schedule to work out, persevere. What lacks is money.

Bodybuilding, as well as almost competition sports, requires much money investment and Bruno does not own enough funds.

“I work whatever I find,” he trusts me.

His variable, scarse budget goes to his 18-month-old daughter as priority, then himself – working out.

Lesson 1: Warming Up. Bodybuilding is a discipline focused on highlight human anatomy by gaining muscle volume, even beyond the average, or the fact of keeping the shape not losing aesthetics (fitness).

At least across Piura, bodybuilding has begun to be relevant the last 25 years, what means gymnasiums opening for all likes and budgets.

Piura City started first, then Sullana, Talara, and so all province capital cities (Ayabaca and Huancabamba joined for the last 5 years), and more uncarefully in certain district capital cities.

The wave arrived in Chulucanas more than a decade ago, assuming it first like a rare thing, an eccentricity or just a women’s issue.

Lesson 2: Discipline. The wave touched Bruno two years ago and since that happened, he could not set free of it. In fact, this guy does not drink, smoke and he has got some emotional spot among the problems he must face daily.

In the end, everything gets out the gym every afternoon from 5 to 7.

If he had less things to do, he could give time to develop another of his skills: “singing.”

While, he is learning to do lobby, to stand up before a person and convincing to get support  for dress, supplements or relief to contest. To be right, he works like radar.

“Why not you tell him?,” he addresses to CG co-ordinator’s lawyer Jhon Gomez, 26, who started to work out two months ago.

Although Gomez was an athlete when he was a high-school student, his firstyears of university and proffessional career kept him out the sports and healthy lifestyles until he confronted himself many mornings ago, went to the gymnasium, and paid for his membership. He started training, that same afternoon.

Two days later, he was so achy that he promised in vain not to get up from his bed. Then, uncomfortability turned discipline, and as he has been involving more, he knew stories of many boys with much talent and attitude but few money.

Lesson 3: Go beyond the fearAfter working almost all day at an office, Jhon goes to . rite letters, visit (almost intercept) pottential sponsors, convince and get first sponsorship promises.

Inclusive, he has got into something it is not necessarily part of his proffessional profile: production of promo videos about CG.

He has turned as the producer of a couple of them, released on FACTORTIERRA.NET YouTube channel, those have got attention of cyber surfers in England and Scotland!

Also, Red Hit has recommended the features.

Videos are manufactured by CG. In fact, Jhon is the camraman.

Lesson 4: We all begin as novates. Harold Palacios, 22, works out in the morning and studies Nutrition at seat Sapientae University in Chulucanas at the afternoon.

Harold also prepares to contest but budget is not enough for him so he is one of CG members to be covered by sponsorships in the mean term.

Lesson 5: Working out continues after the gym. But those men not only breathe at the gym. Jhon Gomez is looking for specialists to get medical, nutritional and even psychological advisory, because he is conscious that some bodybuilding fans could hide conditions anger, anxiety management, depression or drugs abuse, just to mention someones.

“Boys not only have to get a good body but mental, spiritual harmony,” he states.

Meanwhile, CG continues to explore chances and making plans for projecting toward their community as a sport reference, looking for sponsorships, perseverating, reaching goals with satisfaction, although the rest do not understand them.

“Mom says me I’m becoming thin but the truth is clothes before did not fit me, I already can wear now,” one of the guys trusts me under promise not to reveal the name.

Will we see them contesting once?

It is a matter of time and hard work, the same key variables for getting the perfect body.

Suportt CG by writing Jhon Gomez at chulucanasgym@gmail.com

Watch its video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieNJD9baoA&list=UUiuUwqP4GSoioUmhdR0q93Q

Translation corrected by esthefany Rodríguez. © 2014 Asociación Civil Factor Tierra (@factortierra). All Rights Reserved.

Divine Sport

 

When musculation becomes unhealthy

The reasons of Ronald Saavedra

I gained less than I invested, I got a debt too, but… it was worthy, he states.

By Nelson Peñaherrera. Photos from Ronald Saavedra’s Archives.

Ronald Saavedra is a dude who born in Sullana, Peru, on February 21^st, 1993. Last November 5^th, he conquered his first big summit: the first place in Young Cathegory at Mister Sullana 2016 contest, also the first ribbon in his

life.

Despite those repeating ‘firsts’, I think he has not been granted as much as he hard-worked.

The problem is this is not the first case neither. It’s the repeating story in every person who wants to do an outstanding career in sports (and every human activity, for instance)and finds a outrageous support lack.

However, Ronald doesn’t feel concerned about that anyway, so he displays too much self-steem to put the urgency of a sponsorship for his life and –what he calls- passion in a second place and to have my uncomfortable questions, which in some sense, face me to recognize myself as a full-idealism guy and motivated to go higher than the highest the human being had reached.

- What’s your height, what was your initial weight?

- I’m 1.69 meters, I was 55 kg when I began to go to the gym.

- What’s your actual weight?

- I’m already 70 kg.

- How long had you been that weight?

- Three months ago, because I was 68 before.

- When you began to work out for Mister Sullana.

- Yep.

- You told me you began to work out three years ago, when you were around 20. What did you motivated to start?

- I simply saw myself on the mirror and I said myself I wanted to be bolder, muscled, because I saw others in very good shape on TV.

- Who oters?

- Arnold [Schwarzzenegger]in bodybuilding and Jeff Seid in fitness.

- Why did you think you had looked like the guys on the TV?

- I wanted a better look than them, I was motivated of how they got what they proposed and worked out hard for reaching it.

- How was your first day?

- I was amazed seeing those guys working out hard, lifting much weight, getting their goals.

- Could you say that was your first motivation or you already went motivated?

- Indeed, I’m motivated about the whole people who propose anything and get it, even in issues out of the gym issue – seeing people who work hard to get what they want. Actually, everyone goes motivated to be what everyone likes.

- That means you wwent pretty alone to your first gym day.

- Yes, I did. I actually went with some friends some days later. As the time went on, I already began to work out with my friend, the trainer Kevin Cano.

- Who pushed you to enter Mister Sullana?

- My friend Kevin Cano was who convinced me. He said if I worked out heavy, I could win due to my good body’s genetics and aesthetics. “Go, get prepared, work out hard,” He said me.

- So if Kevin had not said you anything, you never got in.

- The truth is I didn’t want because the preparation is expensive, so I decided to get in with I had, until I got as good.

- So if Kevin had not said you anything, you never got in.

- You don’t know how much I really wanted to, but, right… I think I didn’t enter because of the expenses.

- How did you fundraise your preparation?

- I invested the few I had in my feeding and supplements. Itt wasn’t enough but it was what I could cover.

- How much are we talking about?

- More than about 600 dollars.

- Are they your savings?

- Yes, of course.

- Did you work anything?

- I worked but I left it out for a good preparation.

- What about the rest of your budget?

- Nothing. I got zero, so Ihad to lend  something.

- How much did you lend?

- Mmm. About 85, I guess.

- How much did you win from Mister Sullana’s prize?

- I wan about 150.

- So, covering debt and initial income, hwe have a 450-dollar hole, and you quit your job too. Was it worthy?

- I think it was, actually. What I care is winning. Money goes and comes. We know that.  I learned what I went to. It’s my passion. The prize here is a few but the important is winning.

- But the investing cost doesn’t compensate the gain. It’s a lose. What will you do now?

- I’ll follow working again to cover  the expenses.

- You got a 450-dollar deficit and you are going to generate new expenses in your training process, also.

- [Laughs] Yeah. But that debtis paid by some jobs I got.

- It’s a debt with yourself.

- Something like that… It could be.

- Do you have any sponsor that had offered you some supporting?

- No one has sponsored us.

- Why do you want to be a police officer?

- I’m thinking good about being a police officer or working hard to launch my own business.

- And would you leave your empty cash-machine just by your passion?

- [Laughs] I truly wont. That’s not fair so!

- I relief. You were scared me. I understand that the point isn’t about the Money but the goal. But I couldn’t leave without a penny by my passion, journalism in this case.

- [Laughs]

- Ronald, by heart, I have really enjoyed interviewing you. I admire your audacity, and I truly congratulate you about the title. It’s the less deserved by so much sacrifice.

- Thanks very much. Thank you.

- OK, for the end. I think to publish this interview And I figure out you have to say something to the people for supporting. There are few like you who sweat the shirt, although they leave a 450-dollar hole. [Laughs] So, what do you want to request to our followers?

- [Laughs] Yes! Isnpt it…? You know, just propose your things. Everything can be with effort and dedication. Everything is in your mind. Don’t be defeated by anything. Bring you up, continue fighting. Every effort has its reward.

If you are interested in supporting Ronald, you can contact him to his Facebook account.

Post-produced by Sheyla Benavente.