Outspoken Men’s Open competitor Iain Valliere has been making strides during his latest prep. In a Bro Chat podcast, Valliere discussed his new look under coach Matt Jansen and what measures they’ve taken to bring a career-best physique in 2023.
Valliere entered the IFBB Pro League scene with hard muscularity and thin skin. At the Mr. Olympia competition in 2020, the Canadian native took seventh place. He later compiled back-to-back victories at the 2021 Tampa Pro and Texas Pro before finishing runner-up to Nick Walker at the Arnold Classic. Returning to the Olympia stage, Valliere finished seventh again.
During the 2022 season, Valliere punched his ticket to Olympia with a victory over Antoine Vaillant at the Vancouver Pro. Despite the momentum, Valliere was unable to improve on the sport’s biggest stage and dropped to 11th. In the aftermath, Valliere openly stated there were problems with his peak and posing routine.
In April, Valliere rejoined Matt Jansen to kick off his 2023 Mr. Olympia campaign. After splitting up with his former trainer, Patrick Tuor, Valliere mentioned his plan of attack would see him enter and win the Toronto Pro Supershow scheduled for June 4.
280-LB Iain Valliere Talks High-Protein Diet, Gives Update on Prep: ‘Quads Look Good, My Waist is Still Tight’
While re-building his physique post-Olympia, Valliere said his priority was adding fullness to his chest. He revealed the recent improvements have helped with the quality of his front double biceps pose.
“Eleven [weeks]. Yeah, I was happy with the look, it’s coming together good. I mean, front double is like a pose I’ve always kind of shied away from, I didn’t like, but I honestly took this, and I was like, ‘man I like how this is shaping up.’ Quads look good, my waist is still tight, I could go for a little more lat width but that’s just kind of how I am and they’re getting better.”
“Mostly, it was my chest. You know, I really had a shallow chest for the majority of my career. When your chest is a little flatter on a front double, I just didn’t like how it looked. I’m starting to get a little bit more thickness there so it’s starting to look better. But I thought it looked really empty through my chest. I have big legs, big arms, and big shoulders – I didn’t love how it looked, but I like this. I think this looks great for me.”
Valliere talked about the changes since rejoining Jansen and said they have been small but effective. One aspect of his prep that changed was the amount of protein he was consuming. Under Jansen’s guidance, Valliere is also eating more fruit and reintegrating deadlifts into his training routine.
“It just looks different. I don’t really know what the answer to that is. There’s small differences, sure, am I doing some different stuff in training? I don’t know… you’ve been with a million coaches, it’s kind of the same but kind of different.
My protein intake is considerably higher than with Patrick, Patrick is definitely a low-protein kind of guy. Definitely higher intake there. I got back to some of the lifts I neglected for a while like my deadlifting, a couple different lifts but as a whole – he does have me eating a lot more fruit. I’m seeing it, especially in my recovery and stuff like that, I am noticing a difference,” said Iain Valliere.
With 11 weeks until his next competition, Valliere revealed he’s weighing a ‘dry 280’ pounds.
“I notice I feel and look more muscular and harder but less full because I’m not eating as much carbs, I don’t feel – I wake up in the morning, I feel emptier, my muscles aren’t popping as much, but when I get some food in the day, I feel like it comes a little more to life. I do like how I’m looking with a little high protein for sure.”
“Those [physique updates] were right after training, I came home, ate a meal, and took them,” said Valliere. “It [my weight] was like 280 on the button in those pics. A dry 280 too not like 280 after a day, I was 280 in the morning.”
The last time fans heard from Valliere, he offered a controversial take on Men’s 212 Bodybuilding. According to Iain, the 212 class should be absorbed by the Open division. He believes 212 competitors like Shaun Clarida and Derek Lunsford should continue to test themselves in the Open.
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With Matt Jansen’s help, Valliere is optimistic about his current season. Since Valliere finished 11th at the last Mr. Olympia competition, he’ll be required to earn an invite to this year’s event.
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This guy needs Tom Platz.