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Brandon Hendrickson

Brandon Hendrickson is a professional Men’s Physique competitor. He’s been climbing up the IFBB ladder, ever since he won his Pro Card in 2013.

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Brandon was interested in modeling as a child. By the time he enrolled in college, he became part of a local modeling organization. His hobby on the side was going to the gym, and training with weights. Brandon says he loved the feeling of the ‘pump‘ after a good workout.

Over the years, fitness became much more than just a hobby for Brandon. In fact, he began chasing it as a full-time job, taking part in his first Men’s Physique competition in July 2012.

After he got hold of his Pro Card in 2013, Brandon began competing on the elite IFBB stages around the world. Including the Men’s Physique Mr. Olympia, and the Arnold Classic 2016, where he was proclaimed the champion.

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“Adversity builds character. It’s less about what you’re going through and more about how you’re going to get through it. Just fix it.”

Athlete Statistics

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“The one thing they couldn’t do was stop me.”

Accomplishments

Education

• Degree in Healthcare Management

Competitions

2016 

• Arnold Classic Men’s Physique Champion
• Men’s Physique Mr. Olympia, 4th place

2015 

• IFBB Western Cup – 8th place
• IFBB New York Pro – 7th place
• IFBB Denver Pro – 4th place
• IFBB Tampa Pro – 1st place
• IFBB Mr. Olympia – 5th place

2014

• IFBB Denver Pro – 7th place
• IFBB Tampa Pro – 6th place

Before Pro Card

2013 

• NPC Rockford – Overall winner
• NPC Junior Nationals – 7th place
• NPC Ironman – 2nd place
• NPC Grand Prix – 2nd place
• NPC Nationals – 1st place (earned pro card)

2012 

• NPC Chicago Wings of Strength – 2nd place
• NPC Grand Prix – 2nd place

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“Y’all don’t even know how many people told me I couldn’t do it, even the amount of people that didn’t want to see me do it. So, I had to show how it will be done! Not for them, for myself.”

Training

Brandon’s week of training corresponds to his physique goals. In other words, if Brandon wants to lose fat for a competition, he’ll train more times per week, and have longer sessions.

However, when he wants to add mass to his frame, he’ll shorten his workouts, and perhaps even cut out cardio altogether.

Detailed Shoulder Workout

One of Brandon’s favorite body parts to train are his shoulders. Usually, he trains in the gym for no more than one and a half hour, but when training shoulders – he might spend two or more hours working them out. Here’s how his shoulder routine looks like;

Here’s how his shoulder routine looks like;

• Front Plate Raises – When doing this one, Brandon doesn’t pay too much attention to his form. Instead, he focuses on time under tension; believing it plays a crucial role in this exercise. Brandon tries to do a lot of reps, combined with a fairly heavy weight. He goes all the way up, and half-way down when doing the movement.
• Front Olympic Bar Raises – This is a modification of a front raise exercise. Here, Brandon has his hands placed as if he was to do a dumbbell curl, but, instead of curling his elbows, he raises his shoulder joints up -thus working his front deltoids.
• Incline Bench Dumbbell Press – This exercise focuses mostly on Brandon’s middle delts, along with some minor front delt activation.
• Machine Shoulder Press – Same as with Incline Bench Dumbbell Press.
• Barbell Upright Rows – Brandon doesn’t like to go too heavy here, he aims at doing many reps with correct form to fully activate his middle delts.
• Seated Lateral Raises – This is a light-weight finisher workout for Brandon’s middle delts, after which he proceeds to rear delts.
• Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises – Same as with the majority of his shoulder exercises, Brandon goes light here; focusing on squeezing his rear deltoids.

Brandon Hendrickson’s Chest Routine

• Incline Bench Press, 3 sets of 12 reps
• Bench Press, 3 sets of 12 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Flys, 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Weighted Dips, 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Cable Crossovers, 4 sets of 10-12 reps, last set drop set

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Nutrition

To stay at the top of his game, Brandon has to have a perfect diet  This means, no junk food, no sugars, and no alcohol are allowed when he’s preparing for the show.

Even in the off-season, Brandon eats fairly clean. His day-to-day meal plan consists of foods like tilapia, broccoli, chicken, lean fish, cottage cheese, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and other healthy foods.

By the end of the day, if Brandon has some free room, he’ll eat something palatable – such as a slice of pizza, chocolate, or a lasagna.

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Supplements

• BCCAAs
• Protein
• Multivitamin
• L-Carnitine
• Glutamine
• Creatine (off-season)

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“Not everyone will agree or understand what you’re doing, but are you doing it for them? Doubt it. Be patient, take advantage of your time because you don’t get it back, and work like it is your lifeline. It was never easy, but the light at the end of the tunnel is worth the struggle.”

What we can learn from Brandon Hendrickson

With his awesome physique and an undeniable work ethic, Brandon Hendrickson has proved to be a threat for other top IFBB Men’s Physique contestants.

His dedication to the sport of bodybuilding, along with his winner mindset, allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks since he began competing in 2012.

If nothing else, Brandon taught us that in order to master your craft, you have to spend years going through ups and downs on your journey. But, if you can keep at it, then it’s only a matter of time before you realize your conceived goals – just like Brandon Hendrickson.