"Relief Man": the success story of a bodybuilder from Austria

It's hard to believe that this handsome man with an Atlanta body is 50 years old. It is even more difficult to imagine him as a flimsy 12-year-old boy who had to endure ridicule because of undeveloped muscles. Today Helmut Strebl is a world–famous bodybuilder.

With a height of 191 centimeters, he weighs 97 kilograms. Before performances, he sheds weight up to 89 kilograms, lowering the subcutaneous fat content to 4%. The Austrian has achieved stunning results thanks to a special approach to training. Helmut Strebl justifies the apt nickname "relief man".

The first steps to fame

As already mentioned, in childhood Helmut Strebl was bullied by his peers because of his asthenic body type. He was a thin and lanky teenager. Thanks to the strength of character, Helmut, instead of being offended and discouraged, decided to take up physical training. Until the age of 16, the young man independently worked with weights, building muscle mass. His first fitness equipment were five-liter plastic bottles filled with water.

At the age of 16, the young man became addicted to the gym. A kind of competition with classmates pushed Helmut Strebl to a career as a fitness model. So, an inconspicuous boy went from school ridicule to worldwide fame. Today, an Australian with a relief body is a professional athlete, a certified personal instructor. Helmut Strebl received an education in sports biology, dietetics. He also developed his own training methodology.

Training

An athlete trains at least five to six times a week, devoting each day to a separate muscle group. Depending on the severity of the exercise, Helmut does from 10 to 30 repetitions. The Austrian left himself one day off – Saturday. He keeps a special notebook in which he notes the features of the classes, the developed muscle groups.

During training, he performs six to seven exercises for a specific muscle group. On Sunday, the Austrian trains his deltoid muscles. Monday is dedicated to working out the back. On Tuesday, the athlete trains the pectoral muscles. On Wednesday– legs. On Thursday, he performs six hand exercises. On Friday, he trains his abs muscles. Then one day of rest and everything starts all over again.

Principles of nutrition

Helmut Strebl eats six or even seven times a day. Each meal contains protein. Most often, the source of protein is chicken, dietary meat, white fish. The fitness athlete replenishes carbohydrates due to brown rice, potatoes. The evening meal contains a minimum amount of carbohydrates.

The diet largely depends on the schedule of competitions. Four weeks before the performances, the athlete increases his carbohydrate intake. In the last four days, the amount of nutrients gradually increases to 400 grams per day. A decrease in the proportion of subcutaneous fat occurs due to an increase in the fat content against the background of a minimum intake of carbohydrates.

Principles of a sports career

Starting at the age of 12, Helmut Strebl developed six rules that he followed all his life. Today he shares them with subscribers:

The athlete built a career based on these principles.

Regalia and achievements

The bodybuilder has been accused of using steroids more than once. However, he proved his innocence to chemistry by winning twice in the nominations Natural Muscle Model and Natural Bodybuilding in the MiamiPro Professional Championship in 2013 and 2012. These are not all the sporting achievements of the Austrian athlete.

Helmut Strebl holds the title of "Mr. Austria - 1996", Vice-Mr. Europe. In 1997, he took second place at the Bench Press Competitor. In 2012 and 2013, he took part in MiamiPro, competing in the category of athletes for 40 years. He also became the second in the Muscle Model Class B category at the Open Class.

Future plans

The 50-year-old athlete is in no hurry to retire. On the contrary, Helmut Strebl strives to motivate other people by his own example. The athlete describes his life in these words: "My life serves as a message to the whole world." Thanks to exhausting work, intense training and perseverance, the percentage of fat in his body does not exceed four percent.

Helmut Strebl maintains an Instagram page, to which 100 thousand users have subscribed. He also has his own Youtube channel, where there are videos of the athlete's workouts. The Austrian is loyal to the nickname "relief man", which he received from fans for the expressive forms of muscles.