The 2025 season was the best in Brazilian bodybuilding in history. In total, athletes representing the country won the Olympia title, which took place in Las Vegas, in the United States, in three different categories – Classic Physique, Wellness and Woman’s Physique. However, achievements are not just limited to this competition.
On August 9th and 10th, the last edition of the Masters Olympia was held in Tokyo, Japan. The tournament, which takes place every two years and covers bodybuilders over 40 years old, had another Brazilian as champion of the Women’s Physique category: Nana Silva.
In an interview with the column, the bodybuilder talks about the “wonderful experience” of visiting the country in question and finishing on the other side of the planet – the trip lasted almost three days: “We left here on a Friday, around 10am. We arrived there on Sunday at 8pm”.
Different culture
“The Japanese are very polite. You don’t see trash on the street, their culture is different. You need to take off your shoes before entering the house, you need to cover large tattoos when entering the gym and you can’t film anything there”, explains the athlete.
Regarding food, Nana points out that she did her “carb-up” – the moment of preparation in which bodybuilders ingest carbohydrates to generate muscle glycogen, that is, to make the muscles more rounded and without the flaccid appearance that a long-term restricted diet can cause – with rice, fish and pineapple, basically.
Another point highlighted by the Brazilian is the “backstage” – the place where the competitors meet before going on stage – of the tournament. “Here [no Brasil]many athletes complain about the ‘backstage’, but there isn’t even water for the participants. There is no fruit, much less trash. Everyone takes what they will consume and takes care of their own trash. Here, you see that zone after the championships. There, on the other hand, you don’t see a crumb on the floor”, he recalls.
The world title
When her name was announced as the winner of the 2025 Masters Olympia in the Women’s Physique category, Nana didn’t even realize that she had won the title. She only realized the feat moments later: “The presenter spoke in Japanese and I didn’t even understand. I only realized when the stage director told me that I had won.”
“For me, especially considering where I came from, it’s hard to believe that I would get to where I am. But I did (…) A movie plays in my head. It was radiant, it was surreal”, he adds.
In total, the division in which Nana competed had 23 competitors. In 2025, two-time Musclecontest champion Luciano Cruz Juiz de Fora also competed in the traditional Olympia and came in seventh place in her category. For the 2026 season, she states that her goal is to place herself among the top five on the planet.
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