Mens_Fitness_South_Africa_JulyAugust_2017

Talking points
Game Changers ●
Marco
Araujo
USN Elite Athlete and WBFF Pro Fitness
Model Marco Araujo shares his journey
into the fitness industry. We discuss
who inspires him, why he loves training
legs, and what are some of his favourite
supplements.
BY CHARELLE JOHNSON
hen did your fitness journey
begin and what got you into
W
competing? I started at the
age of 20 with weight training after I
had picked up a serious injury playing
soccer. The injury ended my soccer
career which led me to weight training.
I needed to do something to keep my
health and fitness going. In 2011 I did
my first show, completely off the books
and not planned. I walked into the
gym the one day and one of the guys
in the gym, Juan Botha, approached
me and asked me if I’d be standing in
three weeks. I had no idea what he was
talking about, so he explained it all and
asked me if I was keen on a challenge,
and I accepted. I successfully won my
first show - Mr and Miss Body Beautiful
SA 2011.
What would you say has been the most
rewarding part of your career in fitness?
I’d say it’s the number of people, brands
and companies who believe in me. Being
offered sponsorships, or asked to be the
face of a brand is a really rewarding and
satisfy feeling. We all work so hard, so
to be rewarded with that is an amazing
feeling.
Which industry athlete has been the
most inspirational for you throughout
your career? That’s going to be Jaco de
Bruyn. I met him at my first show and
we both landed up winning our line-ups
and look where he is today.
What is your favourite muscle group
to train and why? My favourite muscle
group to train is definitely legs. There
is no better feeling than completing
a killer leg workout - the adrenaline
and the endorphins. The amount of
testosterone your body releases is way
more than any other muscle group. And
come on, we all want serious legs.
There’s been rapid growth in the
South African fitness industry; do you
think this adds pressure on current
athletes to continuously grow and better
themselves? It most definitely does. The
truth is, there will always be someone
better than you. The trick is to always be
one step ahead, think outside the box,
try new things, use every opportunity
given to you, and help others to help you.
Market yourself in a way that suits you,
build your own brand and allow people
to know the real you.
What has been the most difficult
part of competing in the South African
fitness industry? Fitness and competing
isn’t nearly as big in SA as it is overseas,
so it can be costly preparing for a show.
Also, choosing which federation to get
into and which one will benefit you
best and help build your career is a
challenging decision to make.
What has been the most memorable
moment for you throughout your
career? The most memorable for me
is definitely the night of WBFF South
Africa 2015; when I received my PRO
status. That feeling is indescribable. It
feels surreal, like a dream. There are
so many emotions, relief, satisfaction,
gratitude and a whole lot more.
As a certified trainer you see many
people fall off the wagon. What would
you say is the number one contributor
to people not following through with
their goal to be fit? People are often very
impatient and want immediate results
within their first few weeks. They forget
what a shock it is to their body when you
have a complete lifestyle change. I also think
friends and family play a big role in this process
as people are often shy or scared that people
might judge them.
What’s your personal take on nutrition and
dieting? I take my nutrition and dieting very
seriously. I am a firm believer in feeding the
body key nutrients at the right time of day. This
has helped me reach my best fitness levels.
Many people sell themselves short because
they don’t think diet is that important. I believe
maximum results are based on 80% nutrition
and 20% training.
Athletes Choice
1) USN L-Carnicut
L-Carnitine taps into your fat supply and may
provide support to burn it as fuel, resulting in
increased energy. Without L-Carnitine, these
fats cannot be burned for energy and are instead
shunted to store body fat.
2) USN BlueLab Whey Protein
Supplement consumers have spoken, and USN
have listened. That means that in addition to the
basic flavours (chocolate, vanilla & strawberry),
USN BLUELAB 100% Whey Protein is now also
available in Caramel Popcorn Flavour, Chocolate
Peanut Butter, Wheytella and Double Chocolate
Rocky Road flavours. USN BlueLab Whey offers
optimal muscle support and recovery, optimal
nitrogen retention and amino acid conversion
and is an easy to digest whey protein isolate,
hydrolysate and concentrate blend.
3) USN Pure Vitargo
USN’s Pure Vitargo is a superior formulation
that fuels performance and recovery. It has
shown to increase muscle glycogen stores and
heighten insulin response. Used as an intraworkout
supplement, USN Pure Vitargo fuels both
performance during exercise and recovery.
4) USN Amino Stim
USN Amino Stim has been developed as an intraworkout
supplement to support performance
levels throughout activity, as well as muscle
development and recovery. Amino Stim is a
scientific blend of mostly essential and semiessential
amino acids, including the Branched
Chain Amino Acids and Glutamine, potent energy
stimulants and green tea actives.
JULY / AUGUST 2017 MEN’S FITNESS 45