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Hidetada Yamagishi

Hidetada Yamagushi is the first Japanese IFBB Pro and bodybuilder to appear in the Mr. Olympia show. After earning his Pro Card in 2001, he’s quickly built a reputation as one of Asia’s greatest bodybuilders.

However, he began his fitness journey as a skinny teenager, weighing 130lbs – originally aiming to gain strength and size to improve his sporting talent.

This is his story:

“People always want to hear that there is a secret to being in shape but sorry I think the secret is no secret.”

Athlete Statistics

Full Name: Hidetada Yamagishi
Weight	Height		Age		Date of Birth
215 - 225lbs (93.0 - 102.1kg)	5'7" (170cm)		50		June 30, 1973

Nationality		Profession		Alias
Japanese		Professional Bodybuilder		The Ultimate Warrior, The Dragon

Era
2000, 2010

Weight	215 - 225lbs (93.0 - 102.1kg)
Height	5'7" (170cm)
Age	50
Date of Birth	June 30, 1973
Nationality	Japanese
Profession	Professional Bodybuilder
Alias	The Ultimate Warrior, The Dragon
Era	2000, 2010

“I’m a very goal oriented person. I need that adrenaline rush of challenges and working towards a goal.”

Accomplishments

Qualifications

Sports Nutrition Science Degree – Waseda University
NSCA-Japan National Certification
National Certification in Japan for Acupuncture Therapy

Films

2013 Generation Iron

Competition History

1998

JBBF Japan Nationals, Middleweight -2nd

1999

IFBB Asian Amateur Championships, Light Middleweight – 2nd

2000

JBBF Mr. Japan – 3rd
IFBB World Amateur Championships, Welterweight – 6th

2001

IFBB Asian Amateur Championships, Light Middleweight – 1st
JBBF Mr. Japan – 2nd
JBBF Japan Nationals – 1st
World Games, Middleweight – 5th

2002

Asian Games, Light Middleweight – 4th
JBBF Mr. Japan – 3rd
JBBF Japan Nationals, Middleweight – 1st
IFBB World Amateur Championships, Welterweight – 10th

2005

IFBB Iron Man Pro

2006

IFBB Grand Prix Austria – 12th
IFBB Grand Prix Holland – 4th
IFBB Grand Prix Romania – 6th
IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational – Unplaced
IFBB San Francisco Pro Invitational – 11th
IFBB Santa Susanna Pro – 12th

2007

IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational – 7th
IFBB Arnold Classic – 13th
IFBB Atlantic City Pro – 9th
IFBB Olympia – 13th
IFBB Grand Prix Australia – 5th
IFBB Sacramento Pro Championships – 3rd

2008

IFBB Atlantic City Pro – 9th

2009

IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational – 4th
IFBB Europa Show of Champions – 2nd
IFBB Olympia – 9th

2010

IFBB Olympia – 10th
Arnold Classic – IFBB, 8th
New York Pro Championships – IFBB, Open, 2nd
Europa show of Champions – IFBB, open, 1st place
Orlando Show of Champions – IFBB, Open, 10th place
Phoenix Pro – IFBB, Open, 2nd

2011

IFBB Phoenix Pro – 2nd
IFBB Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships (a.k.a. Tampa Pro) – 2nd
IFBB Mr. Olympia – 10th

2012

NPC Lansing Grand Prix – NP
IFBB PBW Tampa Pro – 3rd
IFBB Dallas Europa Supershow – 2nd
IFBB Olympia Weekend – 15th
IFBB Arnold Classic Europe – 12th
IFBB British Grand Prix – 8th

2013

IFBB Arnold Classic – 5th

2014

IFBB Arnold Classic 212 category – 4th

2015

IFBB Arnold Classic 212 category – 2nd

2016

IFBB Arnold Classic 212 category – 1st
IFBB Mr. Olympia – 6th

2017

IFBB Arnold Classic 212 category – 6th

“I played rugby in my teens. I wanted to gain weight to enhance my performance. At the time, I only weighed around 130 lbs.”

Biography

Early Years

Born and raised in the heart of Tokyo (Japan), Hidetada grew up with an interest in fitness; participating in baseball, soccer, gymnastics, and shorin kung fu from a very early age . He began playing rugby during his teenage years, and managed to represent his school at the highest level.

However, as he progressed in the physical sport, Hidetada realized that he needed to pack on muscle mass – in order to continue competing with bigger athletes.

Start of Fitness Journey

As a result, Hidetada joined his local gym and began lifting weights. At this point, he only weighed 130lbs and was very skinny for his age.

But through hard work and determination, the future IFBB Pro managed to gain 50lbs by the time he graduated from high school. Hidetada became very proud of his achievement – this was the motivation for setting his focus on bodybuilding, leaving rugby behind.

Bodybuilding

After graduating from high school, Hidetada enrolled at Waseda University; he chose to study a degree in Sports Nutrition, in order to further his knowledge in fitness. His family encouraged him to concentrate of his studies, but the youngster had only one goal in mind – to become a professional bodybuilder.

Consequently, Hidetada made serious progress on his physique, building the foundations for a powerful, shredded figure.

By his second year of college, at 19-years-old, the youngster had already won his first bodybuilding show (the national college championships). He successfully managed to defend this title in his senior year – making a name for himself as a rising star in Japan.

First Official Competition

At the age of 25, Hidetada entered his first official competition – the 1998 JBBF Japan Nationals. Impressively, Hidetada placed 2nd in the middleweight division.

This gave him the drive he needed to pursue a career as a bodybuilder.

Pro Card

Over the next 3 years, Hidetada appeared in a further 8 shows – gaining more experience as an athlete. He managed to place in the top 3 numerous times, however, his greatest achievement came in 2001.

That year, Hidetada earned the IFBB Asian Amateur Championships trophy after placing 1st. But that wasn’t all he took home – by winning this competition, Hidetada had earned his Pro Card, becoming the first Japanese IFBB Pro.

Mr. Olympia

In 2007, Hidetada qualified for the Mr. Olympia show after placing 3rd in the IFBB Sacramento Pro Championships that year. In doing so, he became the first Japanese man to appear in the Mr. Olympia in the history of the sport.

“It’s always an “all or nothing” mentality. There is no such thing as ‘impossible’. We train hard everyday; and even harder the next day!”

Training

Hidetada pushes himself every day, always trying to train harder than before. The man from Japan only trains one muscle group per session, resting once per week on Sundays.

During the build up to a competition, Hidetada increases his training frequency to twice per day.

Workout Routine

Here’s Hidetada’s weekly training plan:

Monday – Legs
Tuesday – Chest (morning), Hamstrings and calves (night)
Wednesday – Delts
Thursday – Back
Friday – Arms
Saturday – Back
Sunday – Rest

“I write down everything I eat. That way I know exactly how much protein, carbs and fat I consume everyday to monitor my progress and condition.”

Nutrition

Hidetada tracks his diet on a food journal at all times – to analyze his exact protein, carbs and fat intake. This allows him to examine his physical progress in correlation to his eating habits.

The Ultimate Warrior aims to consume 700g of carbs and 400g protein on a daily basis.

Diet Plan

Hidetada’s day of eating looks like this:

6:00am	Fat Burner
7:00am	Meal 1: 1 bagel, 5 whole egg, water
10:00am	Mea l2: Oatmeal, whey protein shake
12:00pm	Pre workout drink BCAAs during workout
2:30pm	Post workout drink
3:30pm	Meal 3: Rice, Steak, water
6:30pm	Meal 4: Rice, Chicken, water
8:00pm	Whey protein shake
10:00pm	Meal 5: Rice, Fish, water
0:00am	Whey protein shake

Supplements Stack

In terms of supplements, Hidetada uses:

Fat Burners
Whey Protein
BCAAs
Pre Workouts

“There’s a lot you can learn by trial and error, so write down every training and meals to find out what works or doesn’t work for you.”

Idols and Influences

Hidetada has many idols in bodybuilding, as he believed the best way to progress is to learn from others. He specifically names these athletes as his influences:

“Always ask judges for constructive criticism on how you can improve for the next show.”

What We Can Learn From Hidetada Yamagishi

Hidetada comes from a country where bodybuilding is still seen mostly as an amateur sport – Japan. This is part of the reason why there aren’t many Japanese athletes on the world stage.

However, Hidetada refused to listen to others, who told him he wouldn’t find success as a bodybuilder; he proved them wrong by becoming the first Japanese IFBB Pro and athlete to appear in the prestigious Mr. Olympia show.

Hidetata has shown us that if you don’t give up and work hard, you’ll eventually realize your dreams.