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25
Jan
‘I started bodybuilding at 42, now I’m a champion’
Bodybuilding requires a level of discipline and effort that not many possess.
Because of the sheer intensity of training, the average bodybuilder peaks in his late twenties to mid-thirties.
Not in Oscar’s case.
Oscar Ginoves-Febles, 46, was born in Tenerife and now lives in Harrogate.
At 42 years old, he started bodybuilding. Now he’s preparing to compete in the world championships.
The Stray Ferret spoke to Oscar about his journey to the top of the game.
Oscar’s journey
Oscar practised various martial arts from the age of five. He was a second dan black belt in aikido and competed in Thai boxing.
But when he was 27, he suffered a slipped disc and was forced to quit.
He said:
It took me a good three to four months to recover after surgery, and a year to get back into sport. I tried to come back to martial arts a few times, but every time I trained, I had a lot of pain in my back. It would take me a full week to recover because of the pain.
A few years later, having given up martial arts, Oscar started to focus on weight training. But it was only light – at 35, he was only 62 kilograms.
When he moved to England in 2013, he started to take it more seriously and put on more weight.
After covid in 2021, Oscar started to train at David Steca’s gym – Harrogate’s bodybuilding barber.
Oscar said that David encouraged him to get into bodybuilding. Thirteen weeks later, he started competing.
Since then, Oscar has won the Independent Bodybuilding Fitness Association (IBFA) Cumbria and NAC UK competitions.
He has also placed third in the international Mr Universe and Mr Europe competitions.
But how has he managed to do it at such a late age?
Oscar poses with two of his trophies.
A monster diet
To maintain his incredible physique, Oscar has an extremely regimented diet and training plan.
He also eats a lot – between 4,100 and 4,600 calories a day, to be precise.
Oscar explained what his six meals a day usually look like:
Oats or cream of rice in the morning with protein [powder] or eggs, berries, peanut butter, dark chocolate and things like that. Then I have chicken and rice with lettuce or spinach and tomato.
After my workout, I’ll have choco-krispies with honey, protein and a banana. In the off-season, I have a lot of steak or salmon with potatoes. Sometimes I’ll have granary toast with serrano ham and tomato.
Before bed, I have an omelette with two eggs and five whites, an apple and toast with peanut butter.
However, he does allow himself some cheat meals when he’s on holiday, because he has a fast metabolism which allows him to.
He will only have five meals per day instead of six to accommodate this.
To consume so much and stay fit, Oscar has to train a lot. In the off-season, he trains four to five times a week for just less than an hour. This is with heavy weights and high intensity.
When he’s preparing for a competition, he trains five or six times a week on weights with an extra session reserved for cardio or abs.
When asked how he manages to keep so motivated, he said:
Everyone has hobbies: some people like to go out with friends, go to the pub, watch football. This is mine.
Oscar after his win at the IBFA championships in Cumbria.
Ambitions
Oscar is now preparing for the NAC World Championships in June.
He said that the experience will be amazing, and while he is not expecting to place in the top three, he hopes that he will.
At 46, though, does Oscar feel like he can keep going? He said:
I always say to myself, ‘As long as I keep improving, I’m going to keep competing.’ I’m 46 now, so I can’t reach my full potential, but I think I can still improve until I’m 52 to 55. Every year I’ve put on one or two kilograms but been leaner than the year before.
I’m not a trophy hunter. If I win, nice – my kids are happy with a big trophy. But if I don’t win, I don’t win. I’m always just competing against myself. If I see photos from the year before and think, ‘Look, I’m better,’ then I’m happy.
As he prepares for the world championships, Oscar’s story shows that it’s never too late to start.
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