Like other athletes, members of the Da Nang Bodybuilding Team have been struggling with numerous challenges during the unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bodybuilders in Da Nang are racing against time to prepare for the 2021 National Bodybuilding Championships which is scheduled to take place in late December. Photo: ANH VU

The Da Nang Bodybuilding Team was very excited about the 2021 National Fitness Club Cup which was scheduled to take place in early August. However, the team’s 3-month preparation process became meaningless when the sporting event was canceled at the last minute amid concerns over rising daily COVID-19 cases.

Also, the team members struggled with the complexity of conducting proper training as a consequence of the restrictions imposed in the city for a long period.

In order to maintain training sessions during the social distancing period, the team’s coaching board as well as each athlete must creatively and safely think of ways to make home workouts more effective with rice bags or large plastic water containers.

Notably, ensuring nutrition and diet was the biggest challenge faced by athletes during the unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite being mentally prepared, the city’s social distancing extension resulted in the interruption of main food supply for athletes, so the athletes hardly could comply with strict nutritional requirements.

In addition, the cancellation of the 2021 National Fitness Club Cup at the last minute had a negative impact on the psychology of both coaching board and team members.

Being aware of these obstacles, as soon as the city enters the new normal, the Da Nang Bodybuilding Team races against time to have the best preparation for the 2021 National Bodybuilding Championships which is slated to take place from December 22-29 in Dong Nai or Khanh Hoa.

Head coach of the Da Nang Bodybuilding Team Tran Van Dung said it was difficult to compare with other sports, but with its specifics, bodybuilding had stringent requirements, especially when it comes to nutrition strategies.

“For nutrition alone, each bodybuilder costs a minimum of 500,000 VND/day. In order to prepare for competitions, bodybuilders should eat 2-3kg of chicken breast and 20-30 eggs daily, and are allowed to eat only red meat and absolute bland food. Also, functional foods such as BCAA powder lemon lime squeeze, MuscleTech Hydroxycut Hardcore, and Whey protein are highly recommended” added Mr Dung.

Aside from adjusting the appropriate diet, members of the city’s bodybuilding team seriously perform exercises with doubled volume and high intensity of movement. Currently, they have to practice for up to 6 hours/ day instead of about 3 hours/day as before.

In spite of the aforementioned difficulties, both coach and members of the local bodybuilding team are making their efforts to practice so as to gain the best possible results at the forthcoming event.

Reporting by NGUYEN AN - Translating by M.DUNG