Riding high off his win in Cluj, Romania at the 2023 Masters Olympia, Libya’s Kamal Elgargni has decided to weigh his options before announcing any additional contest plans. In a recent The Menace Podcast published Sept. 10 on YouTube, Elgargni spoke on which division he would choose to compete in should he enter the upcoming 2023 Mr. Olympia competition.
Having never dropped below third place on the sport’s biggest stage, Kamal Elgargni has remained a perennial threat in Men’s 212 Bodybuilding since he first stepped foot in the league. Winning the prestigious Arnold Classic title in 2018, Elgargni went on to secure third in his first 212 Olympia contest that same season.
Taking time to perfect conditioning and fullness were key factors in Kamal’s success moving forward. Elgargni claimed 212 Olympia gold in his sophomore appearance at the event (2019 Mr. Olympia) and did so against a competitive lineup. As the hunted champion, the 51-year-old later fell to Shaun Clarida in 2020.
The title briefly switched hands again when Derek Lunsford topped the podium in 2021, but last year, his exit to the Open prompted Clarida to win back his 212 Olympia title, with Elgargni taking third place, respectively.
Elgargni won the 2023 Masters Olympia in August. Now qualified for Open and 212 at the nearing Mr. Olympia, Elgargni discussed his future plans with a round table of bodybuilding veterans.
Kamal Elgargni Says He’s Undecided on 2023 Mr. Olympia Plans
With little time until the sport’s main attraction takes place, Elgargni is uncertain about whether or not he will compete at the 2023 Mr. Olympia.
“This is the big question to be honest, I don’t think so, said Kamal Elgargni. “The question is, which one am I going to do, the Open or the 212? To be honest, I’m not thinking of anything yet, until I get back home which is to the states and then, I want to take some second advice from my family and my wife.”
“To be honest, I wasn’t – I don’t think I’m going to do it again, but I know I could do exactly the same, bring maybe a little bit better of a package but I don’t know… listen, these guys are a lot younger than me. I’m sure they have fresher muscle or whatever, maybe whatever, I don’t know. But yes. I do understand you both guys. I do understand you.”“For me, this is the only thing I haven’t did. You’re right, is to be at the Olympia stage. I would definitely bring good condition, a good package as well,” added Elgargni. “Oh God yes, [I wouldn’t have to worry about making weight] especially with the rebound now what’s going to happen to me maybe, yeah, I’d be struggling.”“Even at the 212, so I didn’t see, I’ve got nothing against Angel, the guy from Spain… but I think in my eyes when I looked at everything: it’s not just me — a lot of social media and a lot of people think he shouldn’t have beaten me.”
“I don’t think I’m going to give up easy,” said Eglargni. “The thing is, I will come back for the Masters. I’m not going to say I’m not going to compete, I’m going to come back for the Masters that’s for sure. No [Masters is not next year] they said it’s going to be every other year.”
“To be honest, to be honest, I’ve made my mind, I’m going to speak to my wife very carefully because we just bought a house, a brand new house, I just got the keys, so I need to move from this one to this one, changing furniture, I need to help her or whatever. But I want to do the Olympia, I want to do the Olympia this year. I want to do it. I want to do it. I will announce soon which class I’m going to do. So I’ll take the… yeah. I would love to. I can’t do anything else. I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
Elgargni’s Reveals High-Volume Training Strategy, Rep Ranges for Training, and Protein Sources
“High volume but I don’t do heavy weights. I do heavy enough but I never – I don’t know, I’ve been so smart. I don’t really rush. I don’t really train fast. My technique is very slow and push very slow. I’m used to this training, all year-round, exactly the same. I’ve never done the six reps and the wait for three minutes and do heavy. No. No. No. It’s just on and on and on. My body is used to this.”“I think that’s what makes me different, I don’t know,” added Kamal Elgargni. “I do five or six exercises and 15 reps not less. If I do like 10 reps heavy, and I feel like oh this is not as heavy, I have to do 10 clean squeeze and push reps – clean – if I do less than that, that means the weight is heavy. I lower the weight a little bit down and I have to hit at least 10 clean reps. But mostly, mostly, not less than 15 reps.”
“I do 20 minutes every other day [cardio]. Pre contest sometimes I do a half an hour first thing in the morning and the last six weeks I do almost maybe half an hour or more or 20 minutes at night before bed.”“Six meals a day, which is normal. Egg whites and whatever oats in the morning and then I’ll add the chicken, fish, salmon, so I mix my meals. Chicken, fish, beef, and salmon. These are my meals, rice and sweet potatoes. That’s exactly what I eat.”
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