The 2024 edition of Olympia was the one that had the most Brazilians in the history of the event. Of the 48 bodybuilders who represented the nation in the most renowned championship on the planet, 4 are athletes from Marcelo Cruz, who after only two seasons being the main coach of Integralmedic was pointed out as one of the best in the country in this role.
In addition to names like Isa Pecini (current Olympia Top8 in the Bikini category), Vitor Porto (current Olympia Top5 in Category 212) and Edvan Palmeira (current Olympia Top5 in the Men’s Physique category), the professional physicultist of the Open category and physical educator also works with the world surf champion Italo Ferreira. Started in May 2024, the partnership in question was already responsible for three steps titles.
Switch -turn
In an exclusive interview with the blog, Cruz points out that he became more as a coach and less as a bodybuilding athlete from the moment Darkhouse, the Training Center (CT) intended for athletes sponsored by Integralmedica and Darkness, was inaugurated, just over two years ago.
“This transition (from athlete to coach) was due to the opening of CT. Filipe Bragança (CEO of Integralamedica) told me that I believed in my potential and wanted me to assume as the main coach of the team. Today, my priority is to be coach. My athlete side is in the background,” he says.
Currently, the Physical Education professional follows about 10 bodybuilders. In addition to the athletes already mentioned, the team has several names that have already qualified for Olympia and are pointed out as promises, such as Livinho and Diego Galindo, from Classic Physique.
Among his titles as a bodybuilding athlete are the Brazilian championships of NABBA (2015) and WFF (2016), as well as the South American Championship of NABBA (2016 and 2017) and Mister Santos (2017), from IFBB.
Handball luggage
Before becoming one of the main references of Brazilian bodybuilding, Cruz was a professional handball player, a career he could not pursue due to a knee injury.
According to the athlete, the experiences he had in another sport were fundamental so that he could play his current role in the best way possible: “The luggage is very beneficial (…) in the past, I traveled with delegations of more than 40 people. This, for sure, helped me to work with a lot today.”
“For me, this change was very good. Just like today, in handball I was practically a robot. At the age of 10, I ran on the hill because I knew it would help me run better on the court. In sports, it is not enough to give their 100%, all the other team members also need to donate to the fullest. It’s expected from you. To be a champion, you need to go beyond that.
Is there the ideal training?
With the popularization of social networks and bodybuilding, discussions about the supposed ideal training are increasingly constant. For the physical educator, however, this does not exist: “Everyone has a digital. This means that you are unique. You need to test all training methodologies and see how your body reacts to each one. That’s what I do with my athletes.”
Still according to Cruz, the differential of a good coach for others is knowing how to adapt to each person: “I have athletes who do well doing two workouts a day and others who respond better to only a daily workout. There are those who need a longer rest time, just as the opposite also happens (…) there is no right methodology. When you have only one method, you are restricted to just one type of athlete.”
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