Every sport requires a lot of sacrifice, and it was the love for bodybuilding that the strongest Montenegrin, Stefan Šekularac, inherited from his parents. Šekularac easily lifts 300 and more kilograms, and during his career he broke many records in powerlifting (lifting weights). He is aware of the fact that playing sports is healthy for the mind and body, and how he himself became interested in bodybuilding, he reveals
"I have been doing bodybuilding since I was 23 years old. Before that, I was involved in powerlifting for several years. I've been in the gym since I was nine years old, which is probably to be expected, considering that my parents started running gyms a long time ago. And everything I do today was passed on to me by my parents. The love for this sport and the great knowledge I possess as a competitor, and soon also as a coach", says Šekularac at the beginning of the conversation.
In recent years, bodybuilding has become more and more popular in Montenegro, and the Association of Bodybuilding and Fitness has existed for several years. The interlocutor of "Vijesti" does not hide that in the last few years this sport has risen to a slightly higher level, but not as it deserves.
"In Montenegro, more and more people are starting to use gyms and fitness programs are becoming more and more popular. However, bodybuilding as a sport is not that popular, as are the competitors who go to competitions regularly. Unfortunately, there are still few such professionals. There are especially few bodybuilders, the big and strong ones that we really had in the past. Now the primacy has been taken over by that modern category that I honestly don't like, and it is a fitness category that is increasingly popular among men as well," says Šekularac.
As someone who has participated in numerous competitions, he discovers that the preparations for them take a long time, so he had to adapt his life to this sport.
"You must always be in the material, always in strong training and constantly improve. The active part in which you intensify your preparations lasts about four months in order to bring the highest quality 'package' to the stage that day", says Šekularac.
However, it is certainly easier for him that his parents also go to the same competitions, so they prepare for him, and preparing food is much easier than if he were alone.
"Both my father and mother are competitors. Only my brother is still missing and that really makes my preparations a lot easier. I didn't have to explain what creatine is and that it is not harmful. And the even better part is where I was immediately at an advantage, because I was using their knowledge for free. That's why the results came so quickly", boasted Šekularac.
Like any other sport, this requires a lot of sacrifice. Financially, it is not so profitable, but the desire to be among the best always pushes him forward. When asked how much he adheres to his diet or whether he sometimes knows how to "treat" himself with some unhealthy snack, Šekularac answers:
"This sport is really full of sacrifice and full of mental struggle with yourself. I am my own biggest and toughest opponent during the preparation. After two months of preparation, I start to dream about specific food. But I have months when I'm off-season and my father, who is also a coach, often says 'that I'm a real artist for those days when I relax'".
There are many prejudices surrounding the food supplements used by bodybuilders, but Šekularac believes that supplements are indispensable.
"Supplements are something that is necessary during preparation. More precisely, throughout the year. An amateur should constantly use nutritional supplements, especially an athlete who is at a much higher level. A whole arsenal is needed, and protein, creatine, glutamine, bcaa, omega 3, vit-C are definitely indispensable...", Šekularac enumerates.
At the age of 22, he won the title in powerlifting by lifting 300 kilograms, and then he decided to try his hand at bodybuilding. He trains every day, and he also reveals what he looks like when he exercises:
"My training consists of very difficult and intense exercises. I pay the most attention to basic exercises - bench press, squat and deadlift. I work with heavy weights. I like that and sometimes the weights go over 300 kilograms", describes Šekularac.
As this sport requires a lot of concentration, mistakes are frequent, so injuries are unavoidable. Šekularac himself learned from such mistakes.
"I had two very strong and very difficult injuries for my body and mentality, too. One was in the pectoral muscle, and the second one happened a month after the first one when I hurt my knee. The recovery lasted a year and a half and I would say that I am in the final stages. That's why I'm slowly making plans for what to do next. And one of my main goals is to compete with the best in bodybuilding at the beginning of next year. And the huge struggle was mental to get back to training and my plans. For eight months I was more or less bedridden and my movement was limited. However, I managed to deal with the problems and came out even stronger", Šekularac is proud.
Today, gyms are everywhere, and a lot of information is available on the Internet. However, those who decide to practice this particular sport often come with wrong information.
"Something that is the foreknowledge of those who suddenly decide to engage in bodybuilding at a low level, they are often met by 'professionals' who hardly know anything more than those same beginners. The worst thing is that young guys want results overnight, which is impossible when it comes to any sport, let alone bodybuilding," advises Šekularac.
Many believe that today bodybuilding is a sport in which chemistry is used a lot, but the interlocutor of "Vijesti" is not a supporter of consuming such preparations.
"Every professional sport uses chemistry. It's an open secret. It's just that it is visible to the naked eye because we sculpt the body. I never judge professionals because they are people who live for the sport and make a living from it. Winning an Olympic medal or being on the Mr. Olympia stage of the most prestigious competition is something that people dream of, but only a few achieve. However, I am against chemicals mass marketed to children. I believe that consuming these preparations for the purpose of 'being the best on the beach' or 'champion of the village' or even worse 'for an Instagram profile' is the most stupid thing. You can have a beautifully sculpted body without illegal means," Šekularac is sure.
Today, for many, bodybuilding has come down to taking selfies from the gym. Although it spoils the image of this sport, the strongest Montenegrin does not mind.
"Everyone has the right to personal choice. As far as I managed to notice using social networks - on a good body and even better photoshop and various filters that are offered, you can make a lot of money on Instagram. Such an approach cannot harm serious exercisers, our focus is on training and on our personal progress, so it doesn't bother us too much," says Šekularac.
Like in other professions, bodybuilders often face prejudices.
"There is still a lot of prejudice against us and it's shocking. A personal example where I gave an interview for a well-known television and they did a feature about my career, where at the end when everything was finished the journalist told me 'I thought I wouldn't be able to get one sentence out of you, but I had you as one of the better ones interlocutor in a long career'. However, prejudices have always existed, but it is up to us to deal with them", concludes Šekularac.
Bodybuilding is increasingly popular among women as well
His mother has been in this sport for a long time, and is the best competitor in fitness and bodybuilding in Montenegro. How often do women choose this sport?
"The mother is one of the most famous Montenegrins in bodybuilding and fitness. He has been competing for about 12 years and has achieved top results. I think that it was her success that encouraged many women to try this sport themselves. Today, many of them are training, but there are also those who have decided to take up this sport professionally and go to competitions", reveals Šekularac.
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