Mullingar now has its own Mr. Muscle in the form of Claudio Nardone, who won first prize at the Northern Ireland Fitness Model Association (NIFMA) competition in the Aer Lingus Social and Athletic Association (ALSAA) centre in Dublin on 28 November.
Speaking with Topic, Claudio Nardone, 29, said. “The section that I won was their main event and was called the Mr. Muscle category.”
It took a lot of effort for the gym lover to secure the prestigious award with years of hard training and strict dieting under his belt. “It’s not the kind of thing that just happens overnight. It was surreal when they called out my name. I had put so much effort in and I wanted to at least place. It was the hardest I had ever trained and the best physique I had ever achieved so it was great to see my efforts rewarded like that.”
Mr. Nardone said that he had harboured an interest in bodybuilding long before he began competing this year. ” I wanted to do it ever since I was very young and I have been involved in several different sports. When I was younger soccer was my sport of choice and I also used to compete in kickboxing. I then decided to pursue bodybuilding and I’ve been doing that ever since.”
Mr. Nardone said that it was a fascination with how the human body can be sculpted that drew him to the sport. “I look at it as art and your body as the canvas to be sculpted. When I was training in the gym, I always had the intention of competing one day ‘cause it takes such a long time to build yourself up.”
As well as hitting the gym, the Mullingar native said that a complete diet overhaul is necessary in order to stand a chance in competitions such as NIFMA. “You have to change your diet because it’s 24/7. It’s very extreme and definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I’ve played many sports to a decent level. When you are coming up to a competition, every meal of every day is so important to your physique and one bad meal can change the way you look, so you have to be super dedicated.”
13 weeks before the competition, the athlete said he would consume only six or seven small meals a day and, as the the event approached, the portions became smaller while the level of training he was doing became more intense. “That’s where it becomes really difficult because you are feeling the effects of limited calories and you also have to train really hard. The final week before a competition is not really healthy for your body and it’s more like torture. By the time the competition comes around you are barely able to make it on stage.”
In June, Mr. Nardone came sixth in the Republic of Ireland Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (RIBBF) competition where he learned a lot about what it took to win that coveted first prize. “From speaking to other people at the competition about training and diet, I realised that it takes more to win. I assessed my pictures after that competition and realised what area I needed to work on.”
Next year, Mr. Nardone has plans to take the next step in his career and become a Pro Card which means he would be competing as a professional athlete in England and competing against the best in Europe.