Felipe Franco opens up about the “board shorts” criticism and hateful remarks thrown at the Men’s Physique division.
Felipe Franco has been on the rise in the Men’s Physique division for years now. But in his home country of Brazil, he’s already known as a superstar. He’s one of the biggest bodybuilding athletes in the entire country. But from a global perspective, the division he competes in, Men’s Physique, is often criticized for not being “real” bodybuilding.
While the overall smaller size of the athletes is a part of the reason there is criticism, the biggest problem people seem to have is regarding the mandatory board shorts athletes wear on stage. Unlike any other division in bodybuilding, the mandatory competitor shorts for Men’s Physique cover up the entire top half of their legs. To fans and many Men’s Open athletes, this means that Men’s Physique competitors don’t need to train their legs. If you can’t see them, they aren’t getting scored.
No matter how successful the division grows, this blemish has always received extremely aggressive criticism. Some comments have become borderline hateful and led to public arguments on social media between athletes.
Felipe Franco faces this criticism every day. So how does he handle the hateful comments and lack of respect? For Felipe, it’s about ignoring the white noise and focusing on the fact that there are hundreds of Men’s Physique competitors. It’s a legitimate sport with hardworking athletes. While there are some loud protesters, they are a loud minority and do not represent the true thoughts of most Men’s Open bodybuilders or fans.
While witnessing an inside look to Felipe Franco’s training, he details how any skeptical person he’s met changes their stance after spending time with Felipe. They see how hard he works and how impressive his physique is. He’s no different than any other bodybuilder who competes.
Felipe Franco ends his remarks discussing the various Men’s Open bodybuilding legends he’s met such as Ronnie Coleman and Dexter Jackson. They all respected him just as much as he respected them. The legends understand it. The real athletes understand it. Men’s Physique division is not an “easier” division. It’s an art. It’s a sport. And Felipe Franco looks to become the best at it.
Felipe Franco: The Chosen One is now available on all major digital platforms. You can order the film today by clicking right here or the banner below.
