Sergio Oliva Jr. continues to teeter on the verge of a bodybuilding comeback. In a recent The Menace Podcast, Oliva Jr. shared that legal issues stalled his planned return and opened up on the pressures of competing at another Mr. Olympia contest.
As a Men’s Open competitor, Sergio Oliva Jr. became an instant favorite in the sport with detailed muscularity, staggering proportions, and freakishly large biceps. He is the son of bodybuilding legend and three-time Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva, who served as one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s greatest rivals.
Having earned gold in shows like the New York Pro, Oliva Jr. is accustomed to testing his talents against other world-class competitors. He also gained notoriety following his fifth-place finish at the 2020 Arnold Classic, where he defeated mainstays such as the late Cedric McMillan, Akim Williams, and Patrick Moore.
Oliva Jr.’s last bodybuilding show took place at the 2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro behind Regan Grimes and Shaun Clarida. While he hasn’t seen an Olympia stage in five years, Oliva Jr. intends to change that this season.
Sergio Oliva Jr. Explains Comeback Delay, Refutes Downsizing Rumors: ‘I’m 291 Lbs Now’
According to Oliva Jr., travel issues stemming from his Dubai car accident make it difficult to firmly commit to a bodybuilding show.
“So, yeah, I mean, most people have already seen my post explaining the situation. But what people don’t know is the way things work here is… you cannot do anything until the face is finalized done and sent to insurance.
Right now, I’m waiting for my car insurance people to deal with the case; it’s just a normal accident situation but because of Ramadan, nobody is working. So, it’s kind of at a stalemate waiting around for them to take my piece of paper and say this is done, and now on to the next stage. I’m waiting for that and that’s the problem,” Sergio Oliva Jr. explained.
“It’s not like I’m wanted for a crime, I’m just wanted for fines,” added Oliva Jr. “I think right now it’s a situation where I haven’t done anything wrong and doing the right steps. I think doing something like that would raise some red flags. I want to go to Brazil to beat Milos’ dude [Behrooz Tabani], but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Despite fans suggesting that Oliva Jr. has downsized, he said he’s tipping the scales at 291 pounds. Additionally, he doesn’t believe size was the reason why he was coming up short at competitions.
“I want to respond back to people but then I stop myself. That’s the whole reason I moved out here. Their opinion doesn’t matter to me. But to answer that: there’s only one bodybuilder on the IFBB circuit that weighs more than me and I don’t think people realize that.
If I’m losing my shows because of condition, talking about me being downsized means I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. Can you imagine only having Big Ramy weighing more than you on stage and people are talking about, ‘Oh, you look small.’ Good, who cares. I’m not losing shows because of size.”
“It went up two pounds, I’m 291 now,” added Oliva Jr.
Oliva Jr. would like to master his peaking process for contest preps and called it a ‘crazy science.’
“To peak… it’s such a crazy science, you just have to know your body so well. And that’s the only thing I’m not confident about. I’ve always looked the best the day before. A lot of people say they’ve looked their best a day after a show, me, I’m ready to go the day before every show and then – I was just going to say my nerves, the pressure, the cortisol, it’s really all mental that stops me and poor Aceto, he’s killing it every show for me bringing me in, and my own self-destructiveness is what kills me.”
Even though he’s dominated other contests, Oliva Jr. says there is an overwhelming pressure to shine on the Olympia stage. He plans to make improvements to his lower back as he eyes his next competition.
“On the outside world, I think they think I don’t do shows because I’m like better or too good for something. It’s not, it’s quite the opposite. I put such pressure on myself, that I think, yeah, I don’t want to go to the Olympia and get 15th place, I want to win it and be in the first call out. So, let me spend more time building, fixing my physique and then go to the Olympia and do well.”
“I still need to work on my lower back. I definitely need to work on that. That’s what the problem is, I’m always nit-picking myself so much. By the time I’m done talking about what I need to work on, I’m like, ‘fuck it, I need more time, I need more time.'”
This isn’t the first time that Oliva Jr. has opened up about his ambitions to become a Mr. Olympia. In a special appearance on Flex Lewis‘ Straight Outta the Lair podcast, Oliva Jr. stressed that he hasn’t abandoned his dream of winning a Sandow. He specified that he could still pull off the victory if he nailed his prep.
RELATED: Sergio Oliva Jr Works Up A Major Sweat With Intense Training Session
Athletes including Sergio Oliva Jr. have until October 9 to secure a pro victory to clinch an invitation to 2023 Mr. Olympia. Should Oliva Jr. find success, this will serve as his first Mr. Olympia show since 2018 when the late Shawn Rhoden was announced the winner.
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