From london James Hollinghead is in the final stretch of the Arnold Classic UK 2022, scheduled for September 23-25, 2022 in Birmingham, England, this weekend. “The LDN Bodybuilder” recently completed a rigorous last leg workout and provided his growing YouTube subscriber base with some insightful commentary before taking the stage.
The 33-year-old hopes to add the 2022 Arnold Classic UK title to his existing roster, which includes the UKBFF British Junior Championship, UKBFF Heavyweight Championship and the Europa Pro. Body-building contest honors. Now perfecting his physique for the IFBB spotlight, Hollingshead leaves no stone unturned. Check out her fitness update and final leg workout in the video above.
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in bulk as long as possible
For many bodybuilders, volume increase stops several weeks before the competition date to go out time to cut — when the focus is falling body fat and sharpening of muscle definition. Hollingshead likes to increase his body weight for as long as possible to keep increasing. solid muscle.
“A couple of days ago, I had a feedback day,” he says. “I pushed my weight up to the heaviest I’ve been for quite a while. I got my weight back up to 280 (pounds). It will probably be three or four days before you can shift the excess weight. [and] back to the baseline.” Hollingshead can keep his weight on the wire knowing he can cut comfortably.
“Any of you who know me and follow me know that I have almost zero problems shedding body fat,” says the IFBB Pro. Hollingshead has achieved competition success in just six weeks of preparation. “My body just loses fat really fast, but at the same time, it has a real problem with muscle retention.”
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keep the muscle
“I’m not meant to be a big guy,” laughs the mountain-man, who believes his body is better suited for his other athletic pursuits, like skating. runY swimming. “Strength is not an issue, I’ve always been strong, but my strength isn’t really something that correlates with size.”
Hollingshead says his critics, like YouTube commentators, have questioned why he puts so much emphasis on eating rather than bowing before a contest. The Londoner says his gigantic food consumption is necessary hold and add to your muscle mass.
“If you go onstage, you might be ripped to the gills, but if you don’t have a certain amount of size, you’re not going to be in the top three,” says Hollingshead. “Musculature is the first main goal in bodybuilding. That’s why [they call it] bodybuilding because you have to build muscle. The Olympia is the best show to see that. If you look at the top five, they are the most muscular people in the lineup.”
Prioritize calories over “clean” foods
“I don’t like to eat,” laughs Hollingshead. “There comes the night of the day when I can eat (or refeed) and honestly I feel like crap, but if I don’t, and just increase the calories using my existing food, clean up the calories, it just does nothing. And, the amount I have to eat in clean food; the volume of, say, rice, the volume of potato, or something like that, is so much that it really stresses my stomach because these foods just aren’t calorie dense. So when the goal is to get as many calories as possible from foods that don’t necessarily take up the most space, then that’s why you want to use foods that aren’t normally on the plan.”
James Hollingshead Leg Workout
Hollingshead likes to start his workouts with the hamstrings because he finds that quad exercises can exhaust him to the point that he can’t give his hamstrings the attention they deserve if they get worked at the end.
The bodybuilder follows the five-set rule for this workout, performing five sets on his hamstrings, quadskidnappers and calves before pitching five sets in his biceps for a good pre-contest measure. The five sets for each body part are mixed and matched between exercises depending on how you feel.
James Hollingshead’s advice for aspiring bodybuilders
“I just want them to have amazing experiences and not take it too seriously like I sometimes do,” shares Hollingshead. “…remember that you’re with a really elite group of great people, and when you’re around them at these shows, accept it, talk, communicate, have fun, laugh, smile; it’s a brotherhood. Sometimes in these shows you get so caught up in what is expected of you and the locations. [that] you forget that all of you are people who have worked incredibly hard to get there. Use the experience as an enjoyment.”
Let’s say Hollingshead wins the Arnold Classic UK 2022. In that case, he says he wouldn’t be walking away from future contests in preparation for a shot at Mr. Olympia, but instead would opt to build his confidence on stage and stay busy. Hollingshead says staying out of his comfort zone is key to his continued progress, and with a winning attitude like that, who can stand in his way?
Main photo: @Hollingshead89 on Instagram
