After winning the silver medal in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Olympia, Isa Pereira Nunes was thrilled to win the Wellness title – a category in which athletes have lower limbs that are more developed than their upper limbs and do not exhibit striations in their muscles – in 2024. “Everything I imagined for years became reality (…) I couldn’t contain my excitement, it really was the realization of a big dream”, says the bodybuilder from Rio. The athlete also adds that, at the time, “it seemed like the world had stopped.”
Until the night of October 11th of this year, the biggest bodybuilding championship in the world had only seen one champion in the aforementioned division. Since 2021, when the category was included in the event, Francielle Mattos has collected three titles and created a dynasty.
The scenario changed, however, when Isa overcame her opponent and won the title. For her, this is her time to shine: “I think we’re past that phase (…) now is my moment.” In an exclusive interview, the bodybuilder says she wants to “build her own legacy” and become the “greatest Wellness champion in history”.
Mental health
In 2024, Isa received news that her father had passed away. In addition to other recent family losses that the athlete had to deal with, the shock was the trigger for a difficult phase. “We put the mourning aside: ‘I’m strong. I’m going to make it, I’m going to continue’. Until a moment comes when we melt, we fall apart. And that’s what happened to me”, he remembers.
Faced with the situation, the bodybuilder decided to seek treatment: “I went to seek help from professionals because I needed to understand what was happening at that moment. I came from three bereavements practically in a row.”
“I don’t want to give the impression that this process was quick. Speaking like that, afterwards, it seems like it happened overnight, but it wasn’t. There were months without the enthusiasm to train, to post on social media, to work”, account.
Different preparation
After recovering, Isa officially began her preparation for the 2024 edition of the Olympia. According to the athlete, she “trained hard like she had never done before.” The focus on the title was so much that it ended up “missing for more”.
“There came a time when I went into ‘overtraining’, which is when your body no longer responds to training and diet stimuli. This made us rethink our strategy”, he explains.
Given the context, the bodybuilder and her coach decided to use the excesses to draw up a new plan: “in the final stretch, we didn’t do cardio or eliminate carbohydrates. Basically, I didn’t need to suffer so much in the last month before the championship.”
With the result, Isa and her team decided to change the way their work is conducted. Previously, the athlete began preparing for the championships 8 to 10 weeks before the competition. Now, the intention is to start this process 13 to 14 weeks before the championship: “we prefer to do ‘less’, but for longer. This way, I will gradually lose fat, but keep my muscles dense and my appearance healthy” .
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