Oleg Nazarov’s way as an armwrestler started when he went to a camp and met three friend and beat them; the fourth one won. That could be explained by by his age at the time and the opponent’s level. But to Nazarov, his loss became a challenge. He’s made a decision never to lose again.

When I came back home from that camp, I started to look for an armwrestling club in Minsk – recalls Oleg. – I’ve met a young sportsman, Artem Smirnov, who suggested I come to Snow, where there was an armwrestling club. So I went to fight with those guys. I was shown my mistakes and various techniques; was taught specialist exercises. That’s when I knew that armwrestling was my thing.

His first workout were almost useless, in his opinion. He worked with no plan or idea. I’ve found many useful exercises in the internet – recalls Oleg. – Especially Voevoda’s and Tsyplenkov’s stuff was very useful. After a dose of knowledge like that, all that was left was run to the gym.

Son he started competing in tournaments. He took 2^nd place in a university tournament, then he went to a national competition as a junior; there he qualified to the first ten. He analyzed his errors, gained experience and kept fighting.

If I could go back in time, I would make a few changes in my sports career – says Oleg. – I’d focus more on the basic and specialist exercises, concentrating on what works best for me.

Diet is an important question that is talked about way too little. Oleg thinks that nutrition is the key to success.

No matter what sports you do, you need to take care of your diet – says Oleg. – In armwrestling, joints and tendons take a lot of punishment, so you need to supplement them. Gelatin, nuts, parsley are very good for you, they contain loads of microelements. Let’s also not forget supplementation. Creatine, amino acids and collagen are the most important, in my opinion. Creatine keeps you hydrated, amino acids help regenerate.

In 2013 Oleg started in the World Championships. He met many famous fighters there and gained experience, which pushed him to work even harder.

I watch every fight of Khadzimurat Zoloev and Evgenyi Shashkov – says Oleg. – I’ve met the latter at the WC. I’m glad they’ve won. I value such fighters as Denis Tsyplenkov, Alexey Voevoda, John Brzenk and Armen Liliev, who’s been forgotten a bit lately. I also like the bodybuilder Rollie Vinklar, his huge arms are a dream to every fighter.

It’s no accident that one of Oleg’s favorites is a bodybuilder. Oleg’s been recently considering going into bodybuilding, but he couldn’t decide. Until he visited the bodybuilding contest in Minsk. That’s where he met Alisa Rodionova and Sergey Starinskyi, who inspired Oleg by their looks. They told him that they saw potential in him, and that they could help him. That’s how armwrestling’s lost one of its best fighters. I work out every day, sometimes twice a day – says Oleg. – One workout takes about two hours, about eight exercises. I come to the gym and all my problems disappear. I only have this one ideal in my head, to work on myself, to the last drop of blood and sweat. In bodybuilding tendons and forearms matter the least, in armwrestling – they are the most important. Armwrestlers don’t do legs, as they only add weight, bodybuilders do, to stay symmetrical. Oleg hasn’t quit armwrestling completely, though.

I remember Alexey Voevoda saying that armwrestling is like a sect that you can never quit.

Despite difficulties in combining two very different disciplines, Oleg keeps on fighting. I want to fight in the Belarussian championships, in juniors – says Oleg. – At the same time, I want to start in the Belarussian bodybuilding championships, in autumn. If I’m in shape, I’ll go to the Moscow bodybuilding championships. My goal is to enter the international arena. Armwrestling is still important to me, as a hobby.

Oleg realizes that with each step forward in bodybuilding he takes a step back in armwrestling. But it’s his choice. There is no formula to combine what cannot be combined. But let’s stay positive – at least we’ve got “our” guy on “their” team.

Artur Grigorian