Nelson Lopes

At 13 years of age, Crazy Bulk athlete Nelson Lopes first set foot in the gym with his father. 

He was hooked and over the years, Nelson flourished into an IFBB Pro Arnold Classic champ.

“Bodybuilding is a marathon, not a sprint,” he says. “You must learn to be patient. It takes time and dedication until you get close to where you want to be. But with the right diet and supplementation, anything can be achieved.

“I like to beat my achievements. I strive to be better all of the time,” says Nelson. 

“Bodybuilding is a lifestyle, and I seek perfection. It can take up all of your time trying to achieve more balance, better proportions and more definition. It’s never ending, but I love it!”

Nelson’s Diet
“I usually consume 5 main meals a day, plus maybe 2 or 3 snacks, like pancakes,” says 

Nelson. “I also eat homemade protein bars or a little fruit. I play around with macros 

depending on whether I’m bulking or cutting. I tend to choose fish and white meats for 

protein. I get my carbs from rice, sweet potatoes or quinoa.”

Nelson’s typical daily diet looks like this

Meal 1

Smoked salmon, spinach and eggs
Almond butter and rice cakes
Mixed berry smoothie

Meal 2

Rice, grilled salmon, asparagus and mixed veggies

Meal 3

Sweet potatoes, grilled chicken and mixed veggies

Meal 4

Quinoa, minced turkey and mixed veggies

Meal 5

Tilapia, rice, mixed veggies and avocado

Snacks:

Protein bar or protein shake
Fruit
Mixed nuts
Protein pancakes

Nelson’s Supplement Intake
“Supplementation is a fundamental part of maintenance and growth,” says Nelson. “I use CrazyBulk supplements for both cutting and bulking. I am safe in the knowledge I’m not damaging my body and if I don’t want to take a break, I don’t have to. If you want to take your body to the next level, always opt for the safest method and only use products that come with proven results.”

Nelson’s Exercise Programme 

Nelson trains pretty much every day, only taking rest when his body tells him to. When he’s not shredding with CrazyBulk, he performs the following routine:

Body Parts

• Hamstrings 2 x a week
• Quads 1 x a week
• Adductors 1 x a week
• Calves 2-3 x a week
• Shoulders ½ a session 1 x a week (A couple of exercises to simply activate the deltoids- not a full workout)
• Biceps 2 x a week
• Triceps 2 x a week 
• Back 1 x a week
• Chest 1 x a week
• Abs 2 x a week
• 2 x weekly cardio sessions- mixing high intensity with low impact exercise

Note: cut here to make workout program a free download for lead gen

Warm Up

5 minutes cardio 
5 minutes stretching, plus foam roller to aid blood circulation
2 minutes joint warm up (shoulders, elbows, knees, etc)

Exercises:

7 supersets (mixing two muscle groups), increasing the weight on each set:
Fast reps: 50/40/30
Slow and squeeze: 20/10/8/6
Rests between sets (seconds): 30/45/60/75/90/105/120

One free weight exercise (stimulates balance and core):
3-4 super sets (one muscle, or sometimes mixing two muscle groups) of 10 slow reps, keeping the same weight on each set with only 45 seconds rest between each set.

One machine exercise (this gives more stability for heavy lifting), of 10/8/6 reps with 45 seconds rest between sets- increasing weight on each set.

One cable exercise (substitute for another free weight exercise on leg day)

Three super sets (mixing two muscle groups) of 15 to 20 reps each set, 30 to 60 seconds rest between sets.

Drop set on a machine (for total muscle depletion).

Reps: 10/10/20/50

Nelson’s cardio sessions consist of boxing on the bag, or pad work with a training partner. He performs 5 to 7 rounds of 3 minutes (1 minute rest between rounds).

His abs sessions vary, from weighted exercises with rest and non/minimum rest sessions.

Monday

Quads/Hams/Calves

Super Set
Leg extension
Leg curls
7 sets 50/40/30/20/10/8/6

Barbell Squats
4 x 20/15/12/10

Super Set
Leg press machine
Calves on leg press
3 x 10/8/6

Super Set
Dumbbells stiff legged dead lift
Seated calves press
3 x 15

Drop Set
Leg press machine
Calves on leg press machine
1 x 10/10/20/50

Tuesday

Back/Biceps/Triceps

Super Set
Lat pull down machine
Triceps dips machine
Biceps preacher curl machine
7 sets 50/40/30/20/10/8/6

T-bar row
4 x 20/15/12/10

Super Set
Seated machine- upper back row
Machine single arm hammer grip
3 x 10/8/6

Super Set
Single dumbbells, bent over row
Weighted triceps dips
Dumbbells biceps curls
3 x 15

Drop Set
Machine close grip lat pulls
Cables, triceps push down
Cables biceps straight bar curls
1 x 10/10/20/50

COOLDOWN
Boxing bag work or pads
5 rounds 3 minutes 1 minute rest

Wednesday

Shoulders & Calves

Super Set
Smith machine behind the neck press
Seated calves
7 sets 50/40/30/20/10/8/6

Dumbbell lateral raises
4 x 20/15/12/10

Super Set
Cable Shoulders straight bar front raises
Cables shoulders rope rear delts
Seated calf press
3 x 10/8/6

Super Set
Dumbbell alternate front raises
Dumbbell inverted flys
3 x 15

Drop Set
Smith machine shoulders front press
Calf press on leg press machine
1 x 10/10/20/50

Thursday

Hamstrings & Abs

Super Set
Lying leg curl machine
Abs machine
7 sets 50/40/30/20/10/8/6

Dead lift
4 x 20/15/12/10

Super Set
Seated leg curls
Abs Plank
3 x 10/8/6 

Super Set
Smith machine lunges
Ab crunches
3 x 15

Drop Set
Single leg, lying leg curl machine
Weighted abs on cable machine
1 x 10/10/20/50

Cooldown
Boxing bag work or pads
5 rounds 3 minutes 1 minute rest

Friday

Biceps & Triceps

Super Set
Tricep dip machine
Bicep curl machine
7 sets 50/40/30/20/10/8/6

Triceps single dumbbell overhead press
Seated dumbbell biceps on incline bench
4 x 20/15/12/10

Super Set
Triceps overhead- easy curl bar
Bicep spider curl- easy curl bar
3 x 10/8/6

Super Set
Lying triceps skull crushes
Standing inverted grip biceps- easy curl bar
3 x 15

Drop Set
Cable triceps push down
Cable rope biceps hammer
1 x 10/10/20/50

Saturday

Shoulders & Calves

Super Set
Machine shoulder press
Seated calves
7 sets 50/40/30/20/10/8/6

Dumbbells Arnold press
4 x 20/15/12/10

Super Set
Cable shoulder shrugs
Cable upright row
Seated calf press
3 x 10/8/6

Super Set
Dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell bent over rear delts
3 x 15

Drop Set
Smith machine shoulders front press
Calf press on leg press machine
1 x 10/10/20/50

Sunday

Boxing & Abs   (x3 rounds) 

Boxing
Pads or bag work
10 round 3 minutes on 1 minute rest

Abs
Plank- hold for 60 seconds
Side plank- 30 seconds each side
Bicycles- 30 reps
Leg raises- 30 reps
Side crunches- 20 reps each side
Straight crunches- 30 reps
Superman plank- 60 seconds
Sit ups- 20 reps