If you watch an athlete over the course of his career, you can see how he changes not only physically but also mentally. Andre Ferguson says that if you saw him at his first contest and told him he would eventually place in the top five at the Men’s Physique Olympia, he would have been surprised. “The Olympia is the biggest stage in the sport,” Ferguson says. “So to be in the top five, I’d have said you were crazy.”
Fast-forward to the 2016 Olympia Weekend, where that exact scenario would happen. His thought process revealed how he had evolved as a competitor: “I was happy, but I was looking at those guys and immediately thinking about how I need to improve, because now I know I can win this.”
In 2017, Andre climbed the ranks even more, earning a 2nd place spot at the Men’s Physique Olympia. “I need to be a little better conditioned and come in drier,” Ferguson says. “I think I have the muscle and individual body parts, but conditioning is where he (Jeremy Buendia) got me. I plan on handling that, and if I do, I believe I can win it.”
That’s a belief that is shared by his coach, Omar Ventura, who he feels has been a big help. “He really believes in me and knows everything about my body since I started, so we work great together,” Ferguson says. “If you’re thinking about competing, don’t hire the local gym guy. Hire a pro who has worked with others with good results. They get paid for a reason, and it’s worth the investment.”
Ian Spanier
LATERAL RAISE
“I normally do them standing, but the seated version is cool, too, because your legs can’t be involved. When I get to the top I twist the pinkies up to hit the insertion of the side head. I stop a little before parallel to keep the traps out of it.”
Ian Spanier
ALTERNATING FRONT RAISE
“Alternating allows me to focus on each side. I’m just trying to feel these on the way up. I want to feel the front delts contract.”
Ian Spanier
REAR LATERAL RAISE
“Pinkies out here just like the lateral raise. I come up until I feel the rear delts work, and I immediately go back down.”
Ian SpanierIan Spanier
CONFUSING CONFIDENCE FOR COCKINESS
While some people who’ve heard him and read his quotes feel he might be cocky, talking to Ferguson directly shows that he’s simply confident in his ability to compete like any other athlete: “What am I supposed to say when someone asks me about this, that I want to be second? I compete to win just like them. Why should I not be confident in my abilities? There were those who thought I was all talk when I started, but now that they’ve seen me do well, they just say, ‘Well, he knew all along, didn’t he?’ ”
