Victor Martinez talks candidly about a “miscalculation” with diuretics that made him fear for his health before a bodybuilding competition.
2021 has been a tragic year for bodybuilding with many beloved and legendary athletes passing away far too young. Most of these reported deaths are not connected nor have they revealed conclusive evidence on the cause of death in each case. However, many have started reflecting inward and posting publicly about a change to health standards in the sport. During our recent conversation with Victor Martinez, we asked him if he was ever scared for his health during his career as a bodybuilder. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Victor Martinez reveals the one time diuretics almost put his health in danger.
Victor Martinez has always been candid and honest when speaking with Generation Iron. He’s not afraid to tell it like it is – but he’s also not one to point fingers. So when we asked him if he had ever faced a bodybuilding situation where he feared for his health, he was more than happen to speak openly about it. However, he also chose not to mention names or even the specific bodybuilding event in his story. His reason? Because he doesn’t cast blame on any specific coach, promoter, or event.
In our conversation, Victor Martinez describes a moment when his use of diuretics before a show led him to fear for his health. He awoke the day of the show to shallow breathing and incredibly low energy. He felt that he didn’t have the strength to stand, let alone pose.
“I remember being in bed, man, it was this one… I’m not going to name the show because I don’t want to pinpoint the coach. I don’t want to pinpoint anybody again,” Victor Martinez states in our interview. He goes on:
“You guys have to understand this, I’m not one to throw people under the bus just because of a miscalculation. But I still remember just being in bed, Vlad, I didn’t even want to pose man. I was just there and I was just breathing. My friend came into the room and he goes… I can hear such shallow breathing.”
Victor Martinez then describes that he went back to sleep four four more hours. And at that point upon waking – he felt he could sleep even more. This was not typical for Martinez, who would often have trouble sleeping before a competition.
Victor Martinez goes on to describe actually competing. He felt that each pose was a struggle. His arms felt like they weighed a ton. He describes his legs feeling like stilts. After posing, he drank massive amounts of water. He couldn’t eat. He just kept drinking water. Eventually he started to feel recovered – luckily avoiding a trip to the hospital.
“It all had to do with diuretics man,” Victor states at the end of his story. “I knew there was a better way. A healthier way in bodybuilding terms.”
Shortly after that incident, Victor Martinez decided to train himself and make some slight changes to how he prepared for a show. He again reiterates that it was no ones fault – and that these kinds of risks are inherent in an extreme pro sport like bodybuilding. What was important is that he learned from that incident and decided to change strategies to lessen that risk in his future.
You can watch Victor Martinez’s full comments about diuretics and his health as a bodybuilder in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
