Who is Victor Richards?
Victor Richards, who was born in 1964 in Nigeria and now resides in America, is well-known throughout the world for possessing one of the most impressive bodybuilder physiques to have graced a stage in the 1990s.
Early Life of Victor
When Victor Richards was a youngster, he was drawn to bodybuilding and self-improvement because he wanted to boost his athletic prowess in high school football, wrestling, and track and field.
There was a lot of intrigue and ambiguity about Victor’s admission into the IFBB events, but he eventually won his Pro card in Nigeria. Despite this, he didn’t go on to compete in Mr. Olympia as many had anticipated he would.
Body Measurements of Victor Richards
| Full Name: Victor Lheanyi Richards |
| ALIAS: |
| ERA: 1980–1990 |
| PROFESSION: Bodybuilder |
| ARMS: 26″ |
| CHEST: 67″ |
| HEIGHT: 5’10 ” (177.5cm) |
| WEIGHT: Over 310lbs (140.6kg) |
| WAIST: 36″ |
| THIGHS: 35″ |
| CALVES: 24″ |
Accomplishments
- 1992 Nigerian Championships 1st
- 1989 Mr. Barbados 1st
- 1984 California Gold Cup Classic 1st
- 1983 Teen Los Angeles 1st
- 1982 American Cup 2nd
Biography of Victor Richards
Sports In High School
Victor Richards is renowned in the bodybuilding community for possessing one of the biggest and most muscular builds ever. With his 5’10” physique and 370 pounds of lean muscle, it is easy to understand why he has been dubbed a legend.
He was the ninth of ten children to be born, and at the young age of fifteen, when he already weighed a healthy 210 pounds, he began weight training. He participated in high school wrestling, football, and track.
Victor initially began weight training for reasons other than to pursue a career in bodybuilding; it just came naturally to Vic. Victor began exercising at the ripe age of 17 under the tutelage of the “Barbarian Brothers,” David and Peter Paul, in Gold’s Gym Venice Beach, California.
Victor acquired a variety of procedures here, which greatly increased his growth. Victor developed his enormous size and strong muscles thanks to the Barbarian Brothers’ utilization of powerlifting exercises in their regular bodybuilding routines.
Competition Background
Victor hit the weights hard, and after just 8 months of training, he had added 225 pounds of muscle to his frame.
He entered The American Cup, a bodybuilding competition, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, around this time. Victor finished second overall and first in the teen heavyweight division. That day, Rich Gaspari snatched the top spot.
Victor Richards reached 240 pounds when he turned 18 years old. He participated in the adolescent Los Angeles competition and took home the heavyweight and overall titles.
Victor entered “The Orange County Muscle Classic” just two weeks after the teen competition in Los Angeles. Surprisingly, Victor didn’t win the less well-known tournament as many had predicted.
He lost to a local competitor who had finished fourth to Victor at the Los Angeles Championship just two weeks previously.
Victor had his first encounter with the politics and corruption that have been known to infiltrate the bodybuilding industry here. However, Victor’s passion persisted, and this minor setback did not deter Vic from continuing in a sport that he cherished.
Realizing His Personal Goals
Victor, who was 19 years old and weighed 245 pounds, unintentionally made an entrance at the “California Gold Cup.” Victor, though, had his sights set on the open class division rather than the teen competition.
When Victor exited the stage, he had both the heavyweight and overall titles in his possession. He won the California Gold Cup at this point.
But Victor that day was troubled by a minor issue. His award broke as he reached the parking lot. Dissatisfied with what just occurred. Victor understood that the competition he should face came from within himself, not from a prize or a tournament.
Arriving first on the scene
In 1987, when Victor first started to feature in fitness magazines, he began to get attention. The biggest bodybuilder who ever lived was said to be him.
He weighed a whopping 300 pounds on his large strong 5,10′′ frame. He was only 21 years old, and it has been rumored that his thighs measured 35 inches.
My grandfather, a Nigerian, gave me an African name for my middle name, which means “With God, nothing is impossible.”
Philosophy of Victor
Victor Richards was more than just a heavyweight bodybuilder; he also attended the University of Southern California and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Human Behavioural Science.
Victor has given presentations and seminars on psychology, fitness, and nutrition all over the world thanks to his philosophy of life and the interrelationship between the mind, body, and soul.
Developing Healthy Nutrition
One question was posed to Victor repeatedly when he was on the road giving his well-known speeches all around the world. And that spoke to wholesome food.
He came to understand that the majority of corporate nutrition businesses were failing to deliver the high-quality products they had promised to include in their supplements.
Victor wanted to start supplying the fitness industry with state-of-the-art, cutting-edge supplements, so he did some studies and dedicated himself to identifying the appropriate kind of ingredients that go into high-quality products.
His main objective was to introduce goods devoid of the cheap components and fillers that so many businesses at the time frequently employed.
Victor successfully established and ran his own supplement business, offering his goods with a precise concept of fitness and health for sportsmen.
The IFBB Is Surrounded by Mystery
Because of Victor’s enormous size and adolescent performance, there was speculation that he may make a compelling Pro contender in the 1990s.
Victor wasn’t able to attend the NPC competitions and qualify as so many other people did at that time due to some mysteries and problems.
Victor decided to compete in the 1992 Nigerian Championships because he was a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria. There, he destroyed the opposition and gained his pro card.
Even though Victor had earned a professional license in Nigeria, the IFBB put up a lot of fights and wouldn’t let him compete there.
At the time, Joe Weider, who had a contract with Victor, would have done anything to enable Victor to participate in IFBB competitions.
The reasons that prevented Victor from competing in the IFBB during this period of the 1990s are still a mystery to this day.
More so since Wayne DeMilia, the IFBB’s then-president and a shrewd businessman would have supported Victor’s participation in the “Night of Champions” in New York because he knew that ticket sales would have skyrocketed.
Victor Richards was apprehensive about the IFBB, professional tournaments, and their regulatory bodies as a result of this. Here is Victor’s explanation of his decision to give up on winning the IFBB championship;
“I detest the kamikaze mentality of being ripped at all costs in modern bodybuilding. Bodybuilding isn’t something I love enough to give my life up for. I’d rather be viewed as foolish if these kamikaze men are considered to be brilliant.
At The FIBO, A Gate Crasher
Victor decided to enter the stage unexpectedly at the 1994 FIBO tournament to humiliate Dorian Yates, who was leading at the moment.
When Victor decided to give Francois Gay, a fellow contestant, specific instructions on what to say when he entered the stage, Mr. Yates was performing a guest pose at the same time.
Victor, a 320-pound athlete, was introduced to the crowd by Francois as “The natural uncrowned Mr. Olympia.”
A furious and agitated Bernd Beiderbecke, the German version of Muscle & Fitness, stormed on stage and took the microphone away from Francois just as Victor was posing for the crowd.
Don’t you want to see Victor cut and in competition just once? Beiderbecke yelled to the crowd.
Has this man had the guts to enter the Mr. Olympia competition? How would he look after losing weight? He currently has a water balloon-like appearance. He looks like a water tank, how can he call himself a natural?
Victor kept posing and attempted to unseat Yates on stage despite Beiderbecke’s criticism. Victor apologized to Yates later that evening for overshadowing him in the tournament.
Yates’ only amused response was “Oh, alright mate,” even though Victor was the only one who thought of himself as the champion that evening. Funny, ancient world, huh?
Indignant at the FIBO
Bernd Beiderbecke, who was enraged, remarked on his hasty entrance and statement. This was a result of Victor disrespectfully announcing himself on stage during the tournament without being invited.
This might have made it more difficult for Victor to compete professionally in the future. Beiderbecke continued that this was a self-centered action that endangered the reputations of Mr. Olympia’s competitors at the FIBO.
Bernd Beiderbecke was speaking on behalf of the entire neighborhood and was thrilled to see Victor flexing on stage in competition-ready shape.
Joe Weider, a different bodybuilder in the sports scene, wanted to see Victor stage-ready for competitions and not looking obese.
Victor was employed by Joe Weider, and he was aware that the only way to get him in shape was for him to enter a competition. Joe claimed that doing this is the only way to get in shape and be ready for any situation.
Victor, however, refused to change and remained overweight and obese for the majority of the time he was Joe’s employee. Victor’s contract was eventually terminated by Mr. Weider when he ran out of patience.
Why Didn’t Victor Compete?
Victor upset the FIBO when he unexpectedly entered the stage, but he also carried a significant amount of weight over the majority of his training seasons.
Some people were led to assume that Victor couldn’t become and stay slender enough for serious competition.
It may have been that he wasn’t prepared for the level of commitment and life that comes with competing in Mr. Olympia, or it could have been a fear of losing if he were to compete and discover that he couldn’t match the Pros at the time.
Victor never achieved his full potential in bodybuilding sport, and it is the only thing that has left. He couldn’t have been the best, but that question won’t be addressed. Victor was a great personality both on and off the stage, but that is one thing that cannot be taken away from him.
“While pursuing trophies, some bodybuilders have turned into trophies to the bodybuilding establishment.”
Training of Victor Richards
Strength Training
Victor didn’t gain his enormous physique by working out frequently with low weights. He developed both his physical appearance and a reputation for being able to lift a lot of weight.
Many other Pros at the time would have had difficulty using 550 pounds on the incline bench, but he claimed to be able to.
“I can press 200 pounds using a dumbbell. I’ve performed shoulder presses weighing around 450 pounds, approximately 900 pounds of squats, and 315 pounds of barbell curls. And I’ve never enjoyed wearing knee wraps or a belt.
Victor used a combination of powerlifting exercises with heavy weights and resistance training of the hypertrophy variety to develop his renowned size and strength.
Victor’s physique developed a deep and thick definition as a result of this. The only thing that can be said about his real training regimens is that they were rigorous and demanding.
“I think the first activity I do in the morning should be done on an empty stomach because a hungry man is an angry man. My workout is frequently fueled by my anger.
Nutrition
The visitor’s philosophies were unusual in both life and the gym. He frequently preferred to train first thing in the morning without eating.
Depending on the intensity of his workout that day, he would then eat a massive number of calories every day. Here is Victor discussing his diet and exercise regimen;
“I think the first activity I do in the morning should be done on an empty stomach because a hungry man is an angry man. My training is frequently fueled by my rage.
I’ll combine 16 ounces of unsweetened, pure apple sauce with Rebel Nutrition Ionic Whey to nourish my muscles after working out. After letting my food digest for an hour, I’ll take a snooze or siesta before attending to my other daily tasks.
Daily Calories: 30,000
Victor once could consume a whopping 30,00 calories in a single day, but this wasn’t his typical diet; instead, he was following a Caribbean diet, which may be exceptionally high in calories and was exaggerated by a prominent magazine editor at the time.
Here, Victor dispels the myth surrounding the 30,000-calorie diet;
“I have never claimed to eat 30,000 calories every day. The quackery editor of a large magazine who was trying to get notoriety by stirring up controversy took my remark out of context.
What are the most calories you’ve ever consumed in a day? was his original query.
I replied that I had once eaten food from the Caribbean and Africa that could have had as many as 30,000 calories. I’ve never asserted that I consume 30,000 calories every day.
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Influences and Idols
When Victor initially walked into Gold’s Gym, The Barbarians David and Peter Paul showed him how to lift hard and quickly increase his size. Victor was inspired by this, which caused him to dramatically increase in size.
Among Victor’s influences in life and bodybuilding were Sergio Olivia, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bertil Fox, Mohammed Benaziza, Franco Columbu, Dave Jones, and Lee Haney.
What Victor Richards can teach us?
By adopting some of the training methods that he learned from the Barbarian Brothers, Victor can show us how to do more than just work out hard, consume copious amounts of food, and get bigger than ever.
We can also take away the lesson that it takes a true champion to accept defeat and bow out when the going was tough.
Victor’s outlook on life and his conviction that training should be done for one’s accomplishment rather than for the approval of spectators or competition judges reminds us that the only acknowledgment we need is found within.
Achievements can be made and gained with effort, discipline, and devotion at any point in life. Victor will always have a strong desire to maintain his physical condition and self-respect.