I’m back in Italy, driving on familiar roads. 🇮🇹
No matter how much I travel, there’s always something special about coming home. Time to enjoy the roads, catch up with family and friends, and recharge before the next adventure.
My main Instagram profile is still having technical issues, unfortunately. In the meantime, please consider following my Italian Instagram profile, where I am continuing to post regular updates. As always, thank you for your support.
The treadmill probably isn’t the first piece of equipment people associate with bodybuilding.
Most people picture barbells, dumbbells, squat racks, and heavy machines. Those are definitely where much of the work happens. But if you’ve ever watched competitors during contest prep, you’ve probably noticed another machine getting a lot of attention: the treadmill.
I’ve spent more hours on treadmills than I can count.
Not because I particularly enjoy them, but because they serve a purpose.
One thing I’ve learned is that the treadmill becomes whatever you need it to be.
Sometimes it’s a tool for burning extra calories during prep. Sometimes it’s simply a way to get moving after a long day of traveling or sitting on airplanes. Other times it’s where I clear my head before or after a workout.
Walking on a treadmill isn’t glamorous, but it gives you time to think.
There aren’t many distractions. You settle into a rhythm, your mind slows down, and you have space to process things that are easy to ignore when life gets busy. I’ve planned future competitions, reflected on difficult decisions, and solved more than a few problems while walking at an incline.
It has become a surprisingly productive part of my day.
I also think people underestimate how valuable walking can be.
Fitness doesn’t always have to mean pushing yourself to exhaustion. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is choose an activity you can recover from quickly and repeat consistently. Walking places very little stress on the joints, helps with recovery, burns calories, and is something almost everyone can do regardless of their fitness level.
That consistency is powerful.
During contest prep, the treadmill also becomes a lesson in patience.
There are no shortcuts. You simply put one foot in front of the other for the time you’ve planned. Some days the minutes seem to pass quickly. Other days you’re watching the clock, wondering if it’s broken.
You finish anyway.
In some ways, that mirrors bodybuilding itself. Progress often comes from doing simple things repeatedly, even when they aren’t especially exciting.
The treadmill may never be the most popular machine in the gym.
But over the years, it’s quietly become one of the places where I’ve done some of my best thinking, developed more discipline, and taken one more small step toward my goals.
Unfortunately, I am currently experiencing an issue with my official Instagram profile and I am unable to access it at the moment.
If you need to contact me, please reach out through my EU profile or, if you have my number, directly via WhatsApp.
I am already working to resolve the situation and hope to regain access as soon as possible.
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Thank you all for your support, patience, and for sharing this message.
Stretching doesn’t get much attention in bodybuilding. It isn’t exciting, there are no personal records attached to it, and it rarely ends up in progress photos. But over the years, it has become one of the most important parts of my routine.
That wasn’t always the case.
Like many people, I used to treat stretching as optional. If I had a good workout, I considered the job done. Stretching was something I would get to later.
Eventually, that mindset catches up with you.
Years of training create strength and muscle, but they also create tightness. Movement becomes more restricted, certain positions feel less comfortable, and exercises stop feeling as smooth as they once did. You can still train hard, but the body starts fighting you more than it should.
That’s where stretching helps.
When I stretch consistently, my range of motion improves, positions feel more stable, and exercises simply feel better. I move more freely and stay connected to the muscles I’m trying to train instead of working around limitations.
There’s also a mental benefit.
Stretching forces you to slow down and pay attention to your body. It helps you recognize areas that are tight, fatigued, or carrying unnecessary tension. That awareness often carries into the rest of the workout.
Most importantly, stretching supports longevity.
Bodybuilding is a long game. The athletes who last are usually the ones who take care of their bodies instead of simply demanding more from them year after year. Stretching is part of that maintenance.
It may never be the most exciting part of training, but it helps me continue training the way I want to train: strong, controlled, and able to keep improving for years to come.
When people look at bodybuilding from the outside, they usually focus on the physical side first. The training, the diet, the stage conditioning, the discipline required to maintain that level of structure year after year.
Those things are definitely part of the lifestyle, but they are not the only reason I value bodybuilding so much.
One of the things this sport has given me is the opportunity to experience places and meet people I never would have encountered otherwise. Over the years, bodybuilding has taken me to different countries, different gyms, different competitions, and introduced me to people from completely different backgrounds who still share the same mindset and passion for improvement.
There is something unique about that environment. You can walk into a gym almost anywhere in the world and immediately feel connected to the people around you because everyone understands the work behind the lifestyle. The routines may look different, the languages may be different, but the mentality is often very similar.
I think that sense of community is one of the best parts of bodybuilding.
A lot of attention gets placed on appearance now, especially online, but in real life the sport is built around people encouraging each other, helping each other improve, and sharing the process together. Some of my favorite memories in bodybuilding have nothing to do with trophies or placings. They come from the people I’ve met, the conversations after training sessions, traveling for competitions, and seeing others gain confidence through fitness and discipline.
That is part of what continues to motivate me. Not only improving physically, but continuing to grow the sport in a positive way and helping other people discover what this lifestyle can bring into their own lives beyond the mirror.
One thing I enjoy about bodybuilding is that progress is never really finished.
Every physique photo captures a specific moment in time, but behind that moment are thousands of workouts, meals, and decisions that nobody sees. Looking back at photos like this, I always remember the process more than the pose itself.
Keep showing up. The small efforts add up.
There’s an old saying about what to do when life hands you lemons.
Most people take it as a lesson about staying positive when things don’t go according to plan. Bodybuilding teaches something similar. Not every workout is perfect. Not every prep goes as expected. Not every goal happens on the timeline you originally imagined.
Over the years, I’ve learned that progress often comes from adapting rather than complaining. You work with what you have, make the best decisions you can, and keep moving forward.
And occasionally, you stop at the grocery store and end up becoming part of a very literal version of the saying. 🍋💪
One uncomfortable truth about bodybuilding is that genetics do matter.
Muscle shape, structure, bone structure, muscle insertions, metabolism, recovery ability, and even how someone responds to training can vary significantly from person to person. Two athletes can train equally hard for years and still end up with very different physiques.
That is simply reality in a physique-based sport.
I think problems begin when people move too far in either direction with this conversation.
Some people pretend genetics do not matter at all and act as if every physique is achievable for everyone with enough effort alone. Other people use genetics as an excuse to stop pushing themselves before they have even given consistent effort a real chance.
The truth is somewhere in the middle.
Good genetics can absolutely create advantages in bodybuilding. Certain athletes naturally have fuller muscle bellies, narrower waists, wider clavicles, or respond to training exceptionally well. At the highest levels of the sport, genetics become very obvious because everyone is already training hard and dieting seriously.
But discipline still matters tremendously.
Most people never come close to maximizing the physique they are personally capable of building because consistency is much harder than people expect over long periods of time. Sleep, nutrition, recovery, training quality, patience, and lifestyle all influence results heavily too.
I also think social media has distorted people’s perception of what “normal” progress looks like. Beginners compare themselves immediately to elite-level physiques without understanding how rare those genetics often are even within bodybuilding itself.
That comparison can become discouraging very quickly.
One thing I respect most in fitness is seeing someone maximize their own potential regardless of where they started genetically. Bodybuilding becomes much healthier mentally when the focus shifts toward improving your own physique instead of constantly wishing you had somebody else’s structure.
You cannot control your genetics.
You can control your consistency, your mindset, your discipline, and the effort you bring to the process over time.
That is still where most real progress comes from.
There’s something different about training in Las Vegas.
Maybe it’s the energy of the city, maybe it’s the nonstop atmosphere, or maybe it’s just the fact that gyms like Torture Gym attract people who are there to work. No fancy distractions. No pretending. Just heavy training, loud music, and people chasing improvement.
I took this photo during one of those late-night sessions where the gym almost disappears around you for a while and everything narrows down to the workout itself. Those are still some of my favorite moments in bodybuilding. Just focusing on the physique, checking progress, and trying to bring up weak points one piece at a time.
A reminder that taking care of your health is one of the best investments you can make. From routine check-ups to staying proactive about wellness, every step counts toward a stronger future.
People sometimes assume bodybuilders completely stop enjoying food.
During contest prep, there are definitely periods where meals become extremely repetitive and structured. You eat for performance, recovery, conditioning, and routine more than enjoyment. That discipline is part of the process.
But outside of prep, I still appreciate good food very much, and one thing I will probably always love is gelato.
Part of it is cultural. Growing up in Italy, gelato is connected to everyday life and memories in a way that feels very normal there. Summer evenings, walking through the city, sitting outside with friends or family after dinner — gelato is part of those moments.
I also think good gelato reflects something I appreciate about Italian culture in general. It is usually simple, but done very well. A few quality ingredients, good texture, good flavor, nothing excessive.
And after long periods of strict dieting, even something small like a scoop (or three, haha) of gelato can feel surprisingly satisfying. Not only because of the taste, but because it reminds you that bodybuilding should still leave room to enjoy life too.
That balance matters to me.
Fitness has given me structure, discipline, and purpose, but I never wanted to become someone who could no longer appreciate simple experiences outside the gym. Sitting somewhere in Italy (or even New York City!) with good weather and good gelato still feels like one of the easiest ways to slow down and enjoy the moment for a little while.
One exercise I personally think many newer lifters should be very cautious with is the behind-the-neck shoulder press.
Years ago, it was much more common in bodybuilding routines, and some people still swear by it. But over time, I’ve seen too many lifters force themselves into positions their shoulders simply are not built to handle safely.
The problem is that the exercise demands a combination of shoulder mobility, stability, posture, and control that many people honestly do not have, especially beginners sitting at desks all day with tight shoulders and poor thoracic mobility already.
Once heavy weight gets involved, the position can place a lot of stress on the shoulders and rotator cuff very quickly.
I also think many people perform the movement incorrectly without realizing it. They force the bar too low, arch excessively, lose shoulder positioning, and turn the exercise into something much riskier than it needs to be.
For me, the bigger question is always this: What are you gaining from the exercise that cannot be achieved more safely another way?
There are already many excellent shoulder exercises available. Dumbbell presses, machine presses, lateral raises, cable work, and more controlled pressing variations can build impressive shoulders without putting the joints into awkward positions repeatedly.
That does not mean nobody should ever do behind-the-neck presses. Some experienced lifters with exceptional mobility and years of training may tolerate them perfectly fine.
But I think newer lifters often assume an exercise must be good simply because they saw advanced bodybuilders doing it online somewhere.
Experience changes exercise selection a lot.
As people train longer, they usually stop chasing exercises that only look hardcore and start paying much more attention to longevity, recovery, joint health, and staying able to train consistently for years without unnecessary injuries.
Some days in the gym feel amazing. Most don’t.
Most workouts are just me showing up, putting my headphones in, and getting the work done whether I feel like it or not. That’s the reality of bodybuilding after enough years. Nobody sees the hundreds of regular training sessions behind the photos and stage shots. They just see the result afterward.
I’ve learned that consistency beats excitement every time. The days where you least feel like training are usually the days that test whether you’re serious about your goals or just interested in them when it’s convenient.
People love searching for secret arm exercises, but after enough years in bodybuilding, I’ve realized bicep growth usually comes more from consistency, execution, and proper tension than constantly changing movements every week.
There are a few exercises I continue returning to because they consistently work when performed correctly.
The standing dumbbell curl is still one of the best overall bicep exercises in my opinion. It’s simple, but small details change the effectiveness completely. I try to avoid swinging the weight excessively and focus on controlling the negative portion instead of rushing through repetitions. Letting the arm fully extend at the bottom while keeping tension on the bicep makes a huge difference compared to doing half-reps with momentum. You can do these with either dumbbells or a barbell, and for variation, you can use an underhand grip or an overhand grip.
Incline dumbbell curls are another exercise I think many people underestimate.
The stretched position during the movement creates a very different feeling compared to standard curls. Sitting back on an incline bench forces the biceps to work from a deeper stretch, and that usually creates excellent tension when the movement is controlled properly. The mistake many people make is going too heavy and turning the exercise into shoulder movement instead of isolating the biceps themselves.
I also still like preacher curls, especially for strict contraction work.
Preacher curls remove a lot of momentum and force the biceps to do the work directly. They can feel humbling very quickly because weights that seem easy during standing curls suddenly feel much heavier once cheating is removed from the movement.
One thing I’ve learned with arm training is that chasing heavier weight endlessly often hurts progress more than it helps. Biceps respond very well to controlled execution, full range of motion, and consistent tension.
I also think patience is important with arms specifically because people tend to expect dramatic changes very quickly. In reality, arm development usually takes much longer than newer lifters expect, especially once beginner progress slows down.
Over time, I’ve found that simple exercises performed well repeatedly almost always outperform constantly searching for flashy “secret” movements online.
