PNBA Italian Men’s Bodybuilding Grand Masters competitor Davide Donati divulges how he’s preparing for the 2022 Natural Olympia.
We’re a week out from the most significant natural bodybuilding show of the year, Natural Olympia. Natural Olympia takes place in Las Vegas, NV, from November 10-13, 2022. A Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) Men’s Bodybuilding Grand Masters competitor, Davide Donati, informed us how he’s preparing for this year’s natural bodybuilding Super Bowl finale.
Last year, Davide Donati placed in the top five in the Men’s Bodybuilding Grand Masters class despite his heart rate beating 200 beats per minute. So far this year, Davide Donati’s competed in the European INBA PNBA Elite Tour in Budapest, Hungary, and placed in the top five in the Men’s Bodybuilding Open.
Davide Donati Questions (Q) and Answers (A)
We asked Davide Donati a few questions about how he’s preparing for this year’s Natural Olympia.
Q: How’s your 2022 contest prep been for the 2022 natural bodybuilding season?
Donati: “My preparation is very long; I started in December 2021 with a gradual bulk (increasing 200 kcal per week), reaching a maximum of 3000 kcal per day divided into 50% carb, 30% pro, 20% fat, then from April 2022 I started to cut the kcal gradually reaching 2000 kcal for the goal that I had set myself in October and November, respectively European inba Budapest and NATURAL OLYMPIA PNBA in Las Vegas …
My main foods throughout the year are complex carbohydrates, rice, pasta, oat flakes, and wholemeal bread. Fat: Omega 3 fish oil, EVO oil, peanut butter, egg yolk, walnuts, almonds, butter. All noble proteins, fish, chicken, turkey, beef, and egg white. Workouts are all year round, 6/7 a week; I usually use this split routine:
1st-day push muscles: CHEST, TRICEPS, FRONT SHOULDERS, ABDOMEN.
2nd day: LEGS and CALVES.
3rd-day: traction muscles: BACK, BICEPS, POSTERIOR DELTOID, ABDOMEN.
4th day: CARDIO and ABDOMEN.
This is generally my weekly program.”
Q: What do you expect going into the show, e.g., mindset, etc.?
Donati: ”I expect a unique, unforgettable show like that of 2021, elite athletes from all over the world, where they can compare themselves to equals in a clean and healthy sport and a great control by WADA inspectors.”
Natural Olympia
The most prominent natural bodybuilding league hosts Natural Olympia, the International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA)/PNBA, and it’s the most significant natural bodybuilding show of the year.
Denny Kakos founded the INBA PNBA. He has high hopes for the sport; his ultimate goal is to bring it to the Olympics. Kakos founded the PNBA in 1990 to give a platform for natural bodybuilders qualified for professional status. Later, he merged natural bodybuilding worldwide, birthing the INBA in 1994.
Now, they host the Super Bowl of natural bodybuilding, with competitors worldwide competing. It’s akin to Mr. Olympia in the International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro. But what separates it is that all the competitors are natural. Or they’re banned from competing, stripped of their title and prize money, and placed in the Hall of Shame. In addition, all athletes are subjected to in-season and out-of-season protocols by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the same drug testing guidelines the Olympia use.
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