KUALA LUMPUR – Such is his passion for bodybuilding that national backup athlete Arif Amaruddin Azmi spends 90% of his monthly salary on the sport.
He said the remaining 10% would then go to this family, adding that most of the money he uses for bodybuilding goes towards buying protein, like chickens and eggs.
“Honestly, I’d do anything for bodybuilding. I’m not like others who usually think of buying a house… my wages go towards bodybuilding,” he said after the handover of the Jalur Gemilang to the national bodybuilding camp heading for the Southeast Asian Bodybuilding & Physique Sports Championships in Batam, Indonesia from Thursday till June 12.
Arif Amaruddin, who is also a policeman, admitted that he has also had to forgo other pleasures, especially when it comes to food, by maintaining a strict and disciplined diet to ensure his body remains “ripped” ahead of his maiden international outing in Indonesia.
“Every morning, I will have 10 fried eggs without oil and oats for breakfast, and prepare grilled chicken with a bit of salt as well as vegetables for lunch and dinner.
“I have to keep away from sugar and oil because they are my main enemies, apart from having to burn fat,” he said.
In terms of training, the 28-year-old said he undergoes three 10-hour gym workouts daily, including doing cardio exercises in the morning.
However, the bodybuilder, who hails from Banting, Selangor, is grateful for the sponsorship of supplements and clothing from a local sports nutrition company as they help ease the burden he faces as a national athlete.
On the championships in Batam, the welter and light middleweight (65kg and 75kg) runner-up of the 2022 Inspector-General of Police Cup hopes to be in the best shape to bag gold in the 75kg category.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Body Building Federation president Datuk Ahmad Badrus Othman said it has set the national bodybuilders a three-gold target for the championships in Batam.
He said that all the bodybuilders selected this time were from the backup squad so that they could experience competing at the highest level, and he also hopes that they will continue to emulate the excellent performances of their seniors in previous editions,
Besides Arif Amaruddin, Malaysia will also be represented by two others – Muhammad Shaiful Hisyam Abd Aziz, who will compete in the men’s 175cm athletics physique category, and Shelen Aderina Kok, in the women’s over 160cm physical event. – Bernama, June 6, 2023
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