Milos Sarcev

Professional Bodybuilder

Milos Sarcev (AKA. The Mind) has had an incredible journey in the fitness industry. From champion bodybuilder competing in more than 70 shows, to one of the best coaches in the modern era, he’s done it all.

However, it wasn’t always easy for The Mind – he left his family and friends behind in Serbia on his quest to find success.

This is his story:

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Athlete Statistics

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Accomplishments

Competitions

• 1986 Mr. Yugoslavia, 1st
• 1987 Mr. Yugoslavia, 1st
• 1988 AAU Mr. Universe, Light-Heavyweight, 3rd
• 1989 WPF Mr. Universe, Light-Heavyweight, 1st
• 1991 Grand Prix Denmark, 5th
• 1991 Grand Prix England, 9th
• 1991 Grand Prix Finland, 4th
• 1991 Grand Prix Italy, 7th
• 1991 Grand Prix Spain, 7th
• 1991 Grand Prix Switzerland, 6th
• 1991 Niagara Falls Pro Invitational, 4th
• 1991 Night of Champions, 11th
• 1991 Mr. Olympia, Did not place
• 1991 San Jose Pro Invitational, 3rd
• 1992 Arnold Classic, 8th
• 1992 Chicago Pro Invitational, 5th
• 1992 Grand Prix England, 8th
• 1992 Grand Prix Germany, 10th
• 1992 Grand Prix Holland, 12th
• 1992 Grand Prix Italy, 10th
• 1992 Ironman Pro Invitational, 6th
• 1992 Niagara Falls Pro Invitational, 4th
• 1992 Night of Champions, 5th
• 1992 Mr. Olympia, 16th
• 1992 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational, 4th
• 1993 Chicago Pro Invitational, 3rd
• 1993 Grand Prix England, 5th
• 1993 Grand Prix Finland, 3rd
• 1993 Grand Prix France (2), 3rd
• 1993 Grand Prix Germany (2), 5th
• 1993 Grand Prix Spain, 4th
• 1993 Niagara Falls Pro Invitational, 3rd
• 1993 Night of Champions, 5th
• 1993 Mr. Olympia, 11th
• 1993 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational, 3rd
• 1994 Grand Prix England, 8th
• 1994 Grand Prix France (2), 6th
• 1994 Grand Prix Germany, 4th
• 1994 Grand Prix Italy, 4th
• 1994 Grand Prix Spain, 4th
• 1994 Mr. Olympia, 13th
• 1995 Canada Pro Cup, 3rd
• 1995 Houston Pro Invitational, 5th
• 1995 Niagara Falls Pro Invitational, 4th
• 1995 Night of Champions, 6th
• 1996 Canada Pro Cup, 3rd
• 1996 Florida Pro Invitational, 3rd
• 1996 Night of Champions, 4th
• 1997 Canada Pro Cup, 1st
• 1997 Grand Prix Czech Republic, 8th
• 1997 Grand Prix England, 8th
• 1997 Grand Prix Finland, 8th
• 1997 Grand Prix Germany, 7th
• 1997 Grand Prix Hungary, 7th
• 1997 Grand Prix Russia, 7th
• 1997 Grand Prix Spain, 9th
• 1997 Night of Champions, 2nd
• 1997 Mr. Olympia, 10th
• 1997 Toronto Pro Invitational, 1st
• 1998 Grand Prix Finland, 5th
• 1998 Grand Prix Germany, 5th
• 1998 Night of Champions, 11th
• 1998 Mr. Olympia, 11th
• 1998 San Francisco Pro Invitational, 5th
• 1998 Toronto Pro Invitational, 7th
• 1999 Arnold Classic, 5th
• 1999 Grand Prix England, 5th
• 1999 Ironman Pro Invitational, 2nd
• 1999 Night of Champions, 5th
• 1999 Mr. Olympia, 10th
• 1999 Toronto Pro Invitational, 2nd
• 1999 World Pro Championships, 5th
• 2001 Night of Champions, 10th
• 2001 Toronto Pro Invitational, 7th
• 2003 Grand Prix Hungary, 6th
• 2003 Night of Champions, 9th

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Biography

Early Years and Nutritional Specialist

Born in Bečej, Serbia, Milos had always been a lover of fitness from an early age, taking part in soccer, basketball, karate, judo, aikido and swimming in high school. These sports led him into the gym, originally weight lifting simply to gain strength and improve his athletic ability.

Milos’ new fascination for the industry motivated him to learn the science behind bodybuilding. The Mind enrolled at the University of Novi Sad (Prehrambena Tehnologija), where he trained to become a Nutritional Specialist.

This education would prove invaluable in his later years.

First Competition

After graduating from College, Milos was keen to put what he’d learned into action – he began testing numerous different training methods to optimize fat loss and muscle gains.

By the age of 24, in 1988, the Serbian was on the way to achieving one of the greatest physiques in the world. It was at this point that he moved to America to chase his dream of earning his Pro Card.

The Mind’s first competition was the 1988 AAU Mr. Universe in the Light-Heavyweight category. Although he didn’t win, he placed a very respectable 3rd, gaining experience and exposure in the industry.

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Earning his Pro Card

After his debut show, Milos stepped up his training in the gym, working hard to achieve his dream physique. A year later, he came back strong, winning the 1989 WPF Mr. Universe in the same category as his first.

As well as taking home the trophy, Milos had earned his Pro Card, realizing his ambition of becoming a professional bodybuilder.

Life as a Professional Bodybuilder

The Mind’s first competition as a pro was the 1991 Niagara Falls Pro Invitational, where he placed 4th. Over the course of the next 8 years, Milos appeared in over 50 shows, gaining more recognition for his hard work.

By 2003, at the age of 39, the Serbian had become a legend in the sport. However, he wanted to give back to the sport and began training athletes

Becoming a Pro Coach

Following his retirement from competing, Milos became one of the greatest coaches in the world. He trained the likes of Flex Wheeler, Bob Paris, and Lee Labrada, guiding them to many successes.

Project World Record

In 2001, Milos gained even more exposure when he was named as one of the people behind “Project World Record” – the team that helped Tim Montgomery break the 100m world record illegally, with the help of performance-enhancing drugs.

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Training

Milos is a huge advocate of giant sets, believing that this type of training allows maximum muscle stimulation.

12 Week Workout Plan

Milos’ giant set routine would look like this:

Weeks 1 through 4:

• 5 rotations for each muscle group with 4 exercises per rotation
• In each rotation include one heavy duty exercise with maximal load

Weeks 5 through 8:

• 4 rotations for each muscle group with 6 exercises per rotation
• In each rotation include two heavy duty exercise with maximal load and make the last exercise have a heavy isometric contraction only

Weeks 9 through 12:

• 5 rotations for each muscle group with 6-8 exercises per rotation
• In each rotation include two heavy duty exercise with maximal load and one super heavy eccentrics only

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Nutrition

Hyperemia Advantage

Milos believes that his “Hyperemia Advantage” theory is essential to performing in the gym. Milos explains that blood flow is increased by 60% during a session in the gym:

“So here is rationale behind it. Men have about 5L of blood and women have about 4L distributed all over the body which is constantly circulating around. In a state of rest at maximum about 10 -12 % of that blood finds its way into our skeletal muscles, as there is no real physiological demand at the time of a low physical activity period.

However, when we become active, blood is sent to our working muscles… and that increased blood flow to exercising muscles (Hyperemia) can achieve an astonishing 60% increase in blood flow or more during weight training. This happens ONLY during the workout!”

Anabolic Nutrients

The Mind goes on to detail that anabolic nutrients injected bloodstreamod-stream and topping it up throughout a workout, along with insulin, can encourage the body to gain more muscle:

“So as my father suggested, if I supply all the necessary anabolic nutrients in a pre-digested form (e.g; ATP, glucose, amino acids etc) into the blood stream right before training and then continue delivering more of the same nutrients during my training session whilst raising the most anabolic hormone in our body – insulin – I will create an immediate and maximal anabolic environment.

So instead of losing nutrients (protein degradation or catabolism) we are creating a greater nutritional uptake by our muscle cells (protein synthesis or anabolism) and simultaneously preventing anti-catabolism… everything we need to great the maximal results we are after.

So we need to remember that we only have this opportunity during training, not before or after as blood will not be in the muscle to this extent.”

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Idols and Influences

Throughout his career, Milos has had many influences, but he names Steeve Reeves, Frank Zane and Arnold Schwarzenegger as his main idols.

The Serbian is also a massive fan of his fellow countryman, Slobodan Bobo Blagojevic.

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What we can learn from Milos Sarcev

Milos has taught us that taking the time to learn about the science of bodybuilding can be a massive influence towards your success. He studied as a Nutritional Specialist – this allowed him to optimise his workout and diet plan.

One thing we can take away from Milos is that you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it – he succeeded in becoming one of the greatest coaches in the modern era after an impressive career as a competitor.