Ismael Martinez

IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, Fitness Model

Ismael Martinez picked up his first pair of dumbbells at 16 years of age. Since then, he’s grown into an IFBB Pro Men’s Physique athlete who competes on the grandest of stages – including the Joe Weider’s Mr. Olympia.

As a winner of both the Mr. Mexico and North American Bodybuilding Championships, Ismael is one of the most promising athletes from South America. He also boasts a growing social media presence, where he shares training, nutrition, and recovery tips.

Alongside bodybuilding, Ismael works as a chemical engineer. Juggling these two careers means Ismael has to carefully plan his schedule. However, no matter how busy life gets, Ismael always finds time to get a workout in, showing everyone the importance of consistency.

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Athlete Statistics

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Accomplishments

Contests

2014

• IFBB Amateur Olympia Latin America, Men’s Physique Class A, 4th place

2016

• IFBB North American Championships, Men’s Physique Class A, 1st place

2017

• Miami Muscle Beach Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 11th place
• Europa Dallas, IFBB Men’s Physique, 2nd place
• San Jose Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 3rd place
• Vancouver Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 6th place
• Golden State Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 5th place

2018

• California Night of Champions, IFBB Men’s Physique, 8th place
• New York Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 9th place
• Toronto Pro Supershow, IFBB Men’s Physique, 6th place
• San Jose Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 4th place
• Vancouver Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 1st place
• Mr Olympia, IFBB Men’s Physique, 16th place

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Training

Ismael Martinez trains 5-7 times per week and gives every workout his best. Staying motivated and disciplined is his number one priority.

Thanks to his unwavering focus, Ismael has been able to sculpt one of the most aesthetic physiques in the world – proving this by stepping on the 2018 Mr. Olympia stage.

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Switching it Up

Some of the exercises Ismael does are a staple in any fitness athlete’s regimen; these include bench press, lateral raises, squats, and biceps curls.

Doing these exercises day after day is how Ismael achieved his incredible ripped physique. However, over time, Ismael’s muscles adapt to the same training routine, so he has to switch things up.

He does this by either changing the exercises in each workout, or by increasing/decreasing rep range, sets, and weights – thus avoiding training plateau.

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Shoulder Workout

• Warm-up; Lateral Raises, 3 sets of 6-10 reps
• Shoulder Press, 3 sets of 8-12 reps
• Lateral Raises (heavy weight), 4 sets of 8-12 reps
• Rear Delt Dumbbell Flys, 4 sets of 8-12 reps
• Seated Dumbbell Front Raises supersetted with Lateral Raises, 8-12 reps

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Nutrition

As a Men’s Physique athlete, Ismael Martinez has two main phases in his diet; bulking and cutting.

When preparing for a show, Ismael will drastically reduce his calories to burn fat. However, he’ll make sure that his protein intake stays high, as this prevents him from going catabolic (muscle-wasting).

The details of Ismail’s diet are his own little secrets, but one thing he always says is that, if you want to grow, you have to eat more calories.

That said, he doesn’t advise going for a ‘dirty bulk’. Which means, Ismael won’t eat unhealthy and processed foods in order to gain weight, as this will cause him to gain too much fat. Instead, Ismael will eat clean foods while maintaining a caloric surplus of about 500kcal per day.

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What we can learn from Ismael Martinez

The take-home message from Ismael’s story is; don’t make fitness over-complicated; instead, focus on staying consistent day in and day out.

It’s much better to start your journey imperfectly and learn as you go, as opposed to trying to do everything right and getting discouraged.

Ismael Martinez didn’t achieve his physique overnight. His success is a result of training the best he can and knows, day after day.

Some days, he might not have an ideal workout, but he picks himself up and gets back in the ‘squat rack’. Stay patient, have a fierce work ethic, and always pick yourself back up when you fall down – that’s Ismael’s motto for success.