Who is Brandon Hendrickson?
Professional Men’s Physique competition Brandon Hendrickson. Since receiving his Pro Card in 2013, he has been moving up the IFBB ladder.
Short Career of Brandon Hendrickson
Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Brandon Hendrickson had a fascination with modeling. By the time he started college, he had joined a nearby modeling agency.
He had a secondary passion for going to the gym and lifting weights. Brandon claims to have enjoyed the “pump” sensation following a challenging workout.
Over time, exercise for Brandon evolved into much more than just a pastime. He even started pursuing it as a full-time career, competing in his first Men’s Physique contest in July 2012.
After obtaining his Pro Card in 2013, Brandon started competing in the most prestigious IFBB venues worldwide. Including the Arnold Classic 2016, where he was crowned the winner, and the Men’s Physique Mr. Olympia.
“Adversity builds character. It’s less about what you’re going through and more about how you’re going to get through it. Just fix it.”
Body Measurements of Brandon Hendrickson
| Full Name: Brandon Hendrickson |
| YEAR OF BIRTH: 1987 |
| ERA: 2010 |
| PROFESSION: Men’s Physique Professional Bodybuilder |
| NATIONALITY: American |
| WEIGHT: 185 – 195lbs (83.9 – 88.5kg) |
| HEIGHT: 5’8″ (172.5cm) |
“The one thing they couldn’t do was stop me.”
Accomplishments
Education
- Degree in Healthcare Management
Competitions
2016
- Arnold Classic Men’s Physique Champion
- Men’s Physique Mr. Olympia, 4th place
2015
- IFBB Western Cup – 8th place
- IFBB New York Pro – 7th place
- IFBB Denver Pro – 4th place
- IFBB Tampa Pro – 1st place
- IFBB Mr. Olympia – 5th place
2014
- IFBB Denver Pro – 7th place
- IFBB Tampa Pro – 6th place
Before Pro Card
2013
- NPC Rockford – Overall winner
- NPC Junior Nationals – 7th place
- NPC Ironman – 2nd place
- NPC Grand Prix – 2nd place
- NPC Nationals – 1st place (earned pro card)
2012
- NPC Chicago Wings of Strength – 2nd place
- NPC Grand Prix – 2nd place
“Y’all don’t even know how many people told me I couldn’t do it, even the amount of people that didn’t want to see me do it. So, I had to show how it will be done! Not for them, for myself.”
Training
Brandon’s training week is in line with his physical fitness objectives. In other words, Brandon will train more frequently and for longer periods if he needs to shed weight for a competition.
When he wants to bulk up, though, he will cut back on cardio totally and abbreviate his sessions.
Comprehensive Shoulder Exercise
Brandon enjoys working out his shoulders more than any other body area.
He rarely works out in the gym for longer than an hour and a half, but when working on his shoulders, he may work out for two or more hours. Here is a picture of his shoulder routine;
Here is a picture of his shoulder routine;
- Front Plate Raises – When doing this one, Brandon doesn’t pay too much attention to his form. Instead, he focuses on time under tension; believing it plays a crucial role in this exercise. Brandon tries to do a lot of reps, combined with a fairly heavy weight. He goes all the way up, and halfway down when doing the movement.
- Front Olympic Bar Raises – This is a modification of a front raise exercise. Here, Brandon has his hands placed as if he was to do a dumbbell curl, but, instead of curling his elbows, he raises his shoulder joints -thus working his front deltoids.
- Incline Bench Dumbbell Press – This exercise focuses mostly on Brandon’s middle delts, along with some minor front delt activation.
- Machine Shoulder Press – Same as with Incline Bench Dumbbell Press.
- Barbell Upright Rows – Brandon doesn’t like to go too heavy here, he aims at doing many reps with correct form to fully activate his middle delts.
- Seated Lateral Raises – This is a lightweight finisher workout for Brandon’s middle delts, after which he proceeds to rear delts.
- Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises – Same as with the majority of his shoulder exercises, Brandon goes light here; focusing on squeezing his rear deltoids.
Brandon Hendrickson’s Chest Routine
- Incline Bench Press, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Bench Press, 3 sets of 12 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Flys, 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Weighted Dips, 3 sets of 8-10 reps
- Cable Crossovers, 4 sets of 10-12 reps, last set drop set
Nutrition
Brandon Hendrickson needs to follow a strict nutrition plan to stay at the top of his game. This implies that while he is getting ready for the show, he cannot consume any junk food, carbohydrates, or alcohol.
Brandon eats reasonably well even during the off-season. Tilapia, broccoli, poultry, lean fish, cottage cheese, whole grains, almonds, and other nutritious items are included in his daily meal plan.
If Brandon still has room at the end of the day, he’ll eat something tasty, like a pizza slice, some chocolate, or some lasagna.
Supplements
Protein Multivitamin L-Carnitine Glutamine Creatine BCCAAs (off-season)
Even though not everyone will support or comprehend your actions, are you doing it for them? Suspect it.
Be patient, make the most of your time because it won’t come back to you, and treat your job like it’s your lifeline. Although it was never simple, the reward for the effort is the light at the end of the tunnel.
How can Brandon Hendrickson teach us something?
Brandon Hendrickson has established himself as a danger to other top IFBB Men’s Physique competitors with his incredible physique and unwavering work ethic.
Since he started competing in 2012, his commitment to the sport of bodybuilding and winning attitude has enabled him to advance fast through the ranks.
Brandon, if nothing else, showed us that you need to spend years honing your trade while experiencing ups and downs along the way. But if you can persevere, it won’t be long before you achieve your intended objectives, just like Brandon Hendrickson.