Macau’s first bodybuilding and fitness competition THE IRON GAME 2022 1st Black Gold Cup (Dream Sail) was successfully held at Broadway Macau over two consecutive days in October, attracting nearly 200 participants from Macau and Mainland China. For the first time, the competition combined bodybuilding and powerlifting, with the bodybuilding competition being scored according to the standards and rules of the International Federation of Body Building (IFBB).
The powerlifting competition was also the first formal powerlifting competition recognized and included in the national record in Macau. Held on the first day of the event, the powerlifting competition was divided into men’s and women’s categories, starting with two groups of ‘Bench Press’ and ‘Three Bigs’ (Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press). Eight national records were broken, all by female athletes Lai Yanshan and Yang Haoxin from Macau.
Participating in the women’s open group 63kg class, Li Yanshan broke the squatting record with 150kg, and the deadlift record with 170kg. In the lighter 57kg class, Yang Haoxin broke the squatting record lifting 142.5kg and the deadlift record with 143kg.
The second day of the event featured the bodybuilding competition. Local bodybuilder Manuel Loi won several categories including ‘Local Men Physique’ and ‘Local Classic Physique’ and also placed second in the ‘Open Men Physique’ class.
“The level of this competition was relatively high compared to my previous experiences. There were lots of huge guys there,” Manuel admits. “The organisers were really passionate about this show. They really put a lot of effort into it, especially regarding the marketing, even using DouYin social media to promote it in Mainland China to get more contestants.”
Now 26, Manuel got into bodybuilding around seven years ago after he finished high school. At the time he weighed 55kg and today he is around 78kg in the off-season.
“In the beginning I was just trying to get bigger and strengthen my body because I was very skinny. Back then I was doing BMX X-Games, so I was trying to build up more strength in order to perform the tricks better,” Manuel notes. “Then I saw how it affected the appearance of my body. My shoulders got broader and I looked better. I felt happy and had a better quality of life. People would come up to me and compliment me on my looks and size, so I started to switch from X Games to bodybuilding. Then one day a guy at the gym asked me if I had ever considered competing in a body building contest and that’s how I got into it.”
His first competition was the Men’s Physique Body Building competition in 2019 in Kuala Lumpur. He was 23 year’s old so competed in the Under 24’s Junior Category and impressively won third place.
“The thing I like most about bodybuilding is that it gives me a real sense of achievement. But I also try to not to stress too much about the achievement, because I also enjoy the process,” adds Manuel. “The most challenging thing is going on stage. The competition is tough because there are a lot of big guys there. You sometimes feel that you are never big enough and always want to be bigger and bigger so you can beat those guys.”
Manuel is currently preparing for his next competition in Thailand in early December organised by the IFBB. “Ultimately, my target is to achieve an IFBB pro cup title,” he says.
“Before a show, I try to do a 12-week lead-up preparation. During the year I usually try to keep around 15-17% body fat because it’s good for bodybuilders during the off season to put on size and muscle, but when I go to competitions, I give myself about 12 weeks to cut down the body fat percentage,” he explains. “In the last two weeks before the competition we try to drink tons of water and get all the sodium out of our bodies, so our skin looks more flat and tight, to show off the muscles more. And on the day before the show we do carb loading. It’s very tough and not really that healthy for your body because you have to drink up to 10 litres of water a day, which is not normal.”
Manuel was previously a club manager at Anytime Fitness and now works as a freelance trainer at Heavy Metal Fitness. Describing his daily fitness routine, he says:
“I do two hours of training a day, with one hour of cardio in the morning. More than two hours can be bad for your joints. If the intensity of the training is high, then one hour should be good enough already. My diet is mostly low carb: 50-100 grams of carbs and 200 grams high protein. I replace carbs with good sources of fat like salmon, nuts and peanut butter.”
As bodybuilding and gym membership is becoming more popular in Macau, what advice would he give to someone interested in getting started?
“Everyone is starting from a different place, so I think it’s better to get a coach, especially in the beginning. When I first started, I didn’t know how to train and I just tried to follow others who I saw in the gym, but that is not very effective. Furthermore, there is a risk that you might injure yourself, so I think it’s best to invest in yourself and hire a certified personal trainer so you learn how to train smart.”
