YAROSLAV PETRUNIN “I want to support myself and my name. I don’t want to be somebody else.”
If you just bumped into Yaroslav Petrunin on the streets of Cheltenham, you could be forgiven for not suspecting that he is, in fact, a bodybuilder.
D
on’t get me wrong, he’s a well-built guy, but his body isn’t bursting out of his clothes, with veins bulging from his arms and legs 24/7. But there’s more to this athletic, mild-mannered Accounting and Finance student from Russia, than meets the eye.
“I wake up and have my first meal before I go to uni, and then when I have a break after my lesson I’ll eat, then I have another lesson and go to the library for three hours and then I’ll eat again after that. “ “Basically, I need to eat all the time otherwise I’ll lose my results. My diet usually includes chicken, rice or sweet potato and vegetables, so it’s pretty plain and boring, but at the same time it’s quite efficient in terms of losing weight and gaining muscles.”
Yaroslav recently took part in the Miami Pro competition, run by World Beauty, Fitness and Fashion. The competition saw 250 participants modelling in front of an audience of almost 600 people. For someone who seems so unassuming, to think of him on stage in front of all those people, half-naked too, is a strange concept.
The willpower needed to stick to that diet is something a lot of us probably lack, highlighting the mental strength needed to be a bodybuilder. When people first look about bodybuilders, it’s difficult to look past the physique and outer strength and see the work and dedication needed to make progress.
I first met Yaroslav in a photography studio, and over the course of a few hours, it became apparent just how many different sides there were to him. He seemed shy at first; uncertain about the day’s schedule and what was expected from him - far from the swagger and confidence people stereotypically expect from bodybuilders. But as time went on, he began to open up and let his guard down. Despite his apparently quiet nature, it turns out there are three things about bodybuilding that really appeal to Yaroslav, and the one that appeals most to him, is the one that brings out the exhibitionist in him.
Yaroslav’s physical routine is just as gruelling as his diet, too. He works out five times a week, which is five times more than I ever manage, and each workout lasts for roughly an hour, but sometimes they go on a bit longer. “I enjoy the actual process of lifting weights and getting stronger, but the third thing that I enjoy most is the performance, so how you pose and how you introduce yourself to lots of people. When you’re on the stage there’s hundreds or thousands of people and you need to introduce yourself and be an actor actually.
“The first would actually be the dieting. When you’re dieting I would say that you’re leaving your comfort zone and it shows real power over your body.” Now, as someone who more than occasionally enjoys a kebab, I know I have no power over my body, but Yaroslav’s diet is calculated and meticulously worked out. 16
