Gayer than a big WHOOP WHOOP!!!!!
gayer than
Hans Hopstaken is a inspiring man!
After training for 29 years & competing in 80 shows he finaly was given a pro card!
Talk about passion for the crazy sport of bodybuilding!
For me it all began with a E-mail from the man telling me what a inspiring site I had!
This started a conversation betwen us by E-mailing back & fourth..
Hans is so much more than the ordinary pro...Here is a man who has been thru alot in life..
He show us all that everything can be done ..
& that only the sky is the limit if you got the guts do dig deep down into yourself & gut it through!
Well lets Rock & roll baby!!
ZONE:Dont realy know what the people in sweden knows abot you except
that you placed in the top 4 at the masters Olympia!?
Tell us abit about yourself.
HANS: Ok...Age: 44
Weight: 250 lbs offseason, 240 lbs competition....
Im very rarely far out of shape...at my age it doesn't work to put on too much weight,
it tends to give a false impression of what is muscle and what is not.
Yes you can lift more weight when you are heavier, BUT,
as soon as you come down you lose the strength again.
ZONE:And loosing strenght means loosing mass huh?!
If so how long after strenght is lost does muscle loss follow?
HANS:In my opinion, it follows soon after, parhaps 10 -15 days.
So what would be the point in bulking up?
It is also devastating mentally to get weaker and smaller.
CAN YOU IMAGINE, GETTING STRONGER, MORE CUT UP,
BUT STAYING ABOUT THE SAME SIZE COMMING INTO A COMPETITION ?! ! !
As your competitors shrink around you ?!
ZONE:Mmm....Ok..move on..
HANS: Ok Im 5' 10" [ i think 178 cm]
Not married, but living with
Lisa [ my girlfriend],& Madison
[her 5 year old daughter, and my adopted child....SHE IS A JOY TO ME]* TRAINING SINCE 1971 [ that's 30 YEARS !!]
* COMPETING SINCE 1976
* STARTING WEIGHT in 1971 i weighed 119 lbs [ 54 kgs, at a height of 5' 8'', approx 171 cm?]
* WEIGHT OF 1st COMPETITION 160 LBS [ 73 approx kgs, at a height, same as today, 5' 10"]
* HOME USA, MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA...
.55-60 kilometers from " THE MECA,..GOLDS GYM",
[ I train there once a week just before shows, you'd be surprised Zone,
a lot of these guys DONT TRAIN HARD!
not like you'd imagine, it was one of my first disapiontments,
the look so good, but train like frail old women!
Some are worthy of note, but when it comes to training not many.]
* GYM "FOOTHILL GYM" its my home gym,
I've been there for 11 years, [ i even owned it for three and a half of those eleven years]
ZONE:When do ya train?...In the morning or evening?
HANS: Zone you are gonna love this! But I dont tell lies... 3:30 am in the morning!
I get up at 2:00 am every morning, revise diets for clients, work on computer, pay bills etc.
Train at 3:30 am till 4:30 am, have breakfast, start my first client at 5:00 am,
I then train one client every hour untill 11:00 am, then go home, have lunch.
Then sleep for 1 - 2 hours, more work on computer, back to gym by 3:30 pm
for three to four hours of more clients, back home, play with Maddie half hour,
dinner, half hour of T V with Lisa, and to bed.
I do this five and a half days a week.
I ALLWAYS TAKE SATURDAY OFF TO SPEND WITH LISA [ we call it sacared Saturday].
I think I could be a better bodybuilder if I got mor rest, but i have other ambitions in life,
and responsibilities that require money.
* ZONE:What are your goals?
HANS:My short time goals is to place second or third in this years masters mr olympia..
& the long time goal is to win it ... even if I have to wait till I'm fifty to win the over fifty section.
But my general goal is to represent the masters bodybuilders everywhere!
[ over forties], to show people that age need not be a limiting factor.
ZONE:So what are you doing for a living more than bodybuilding?
HANS: As I said earlyer I work as a personal trainer.
ZONE:Hobbies?
HANS:Stock market, travel [ I love going to different countries],
art [I was a sculptor once, and if time ever permits i would like to be again],
writing, movies.
ZONE: Favourite food?
HANS: Sushi! & my favourie dessert is Hagendaas vanilla ice cream, with fresh strawberries!
ZONE: Favourite bodybuilder?
HANS:Dorian Yates!
But I realy admire Milos Sarcev, King Kamali, Melvin Anthony, Bill Pearl, Dave Draper,
Vince Gioronda & the late Andreas Muntzer.
ZONE:I remember seing you for the first time myself at the cover of
the late Dan Duchaines book "Body-opus" in incredibly condition!
Whats the story about that one?
HANS: I feel very fortunate to have been choosen for that cover, Dan wanted a very shreded look,
but did not wanted a "name" bodybuilder.
He saw a photo of me in a magazine, contacted me , & the rest is history.
I weighted 204 lbs, it was in 1993.
I am both humbled and flattered by that event !
ZONE:You seems to be a world citizen..You was born in Holland then migrated to Australia & later to Usa.
You worked in Alaska and lived on the sea for awhile right?
So where is "home" for ya now?..USA?
HANS:USA ..
ZONE:You told me that it took you 29 years to earn your pro card!
How many contests did you compete in before getting that damned card?
HANS: 80 AMATUER COMPETITIONS !!
[ I have competed in all of the six weight classes as an amatuer,
some in Australia 1976 -1987,....1987 -1992 no comps,1992 -1999 amatuer in the USA,
2000 - 2001 pro in USA.
........................
..Talk about DEDICATION!........................
It is 22 years between these pix!
ZONE:Damned this is freaky stuff!
How many years of training do you have under your belt?
HANS:30 YEARS!
ZONE: Damned you realy gotta love this sport!
Where did you get your motivation from when the times where hard?
HANS:Well.. Tom Platz once said, "- It is more than love for this sport, I NEED THIS SPORT"
Zone, i'd like to answer this question in a more detailed manner...
ZONE:Sure go for it!
HANS:Well...it all comes down to some very personal perspectives i have on life,
and my philosophy for living that life. Everyone deals with life in their own way.
Life is to me a series of various experiences, ranging from joy to sorrow.
When you are up, bodybuilding can enhance that feeling tremendously.
When you are down it serves as a great stabilizer,
THERE IS NO PROBLEM IN LIFE THAT IS NOT A
LITTLE BIT SMALLER STRAIGHT AFTER A HARD WORKOUT.
My personal philosophy about the bodybuilding lifestyle has gone beyond the muscles,
the coat of muscles is allmost secondary to the mental benifit that the intense exurtion,
structured lifestyle, & stable base that bodybuilding provides me.
In a world where self esteem is the most common human dilema,
bodybuilding is my tool to deal with life.
Also the personal joy of achieving a particular goal in the competitive
side of things is a greater high than anything else i've ever experienced. My example would be having trained brutally hard for a full year [1999],
suffering, sacraficing, being fueled by success' & failures in the past.
To finally be declared winner of the overall masters nationals of the USA.
& in the process earning my pro card!
It was a feeling of self worth that is impossible for me to put into words.
ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT IT LASTED ABOUT 1 1/2 DAYS,
& I DIDN'T CARE THAT IT TOOK 29 YEARS TO EXPERIENCE IT ONCE.
Most people will never know that feeling. Zone, please forgive me if i got a little carried away.
ZONE:No realy I love it!
HANS: I seriously considered skipping this question,
because it shows a very private side of me
ZONE: So your secret to getting to the top in this sport is "never giving up" & just hang in there?
..or anything else? What can you teach the rest of us who is striving to keep on improving?
HANS: BASICALY, KEEP IT FUN, TAKE JOY IN THE LIFESTYLE.
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSSITIVE PEOPLE.
I'm doing it right now, I'm enjoying the corrospondence with you.
I can draw possitive energy from a great bodybuilder that obviously loves the lifestyle.
Your whole site gives a feeling of a man that loves what he does.
As a competitor I get the feeling that you are hungry for improvement....
This i think is a key element, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE HUNGER.
Also the ability to open our minds up to different ideas, try them , and objectively analyse them.
ZONE: You competed both at the Ironman and the Sanfransisco pro invitational
& placed 17 & 15...How does it feel to have reached the standard of being compared
to the absolutely top in the world?
HANS:I am humbled, the thing i want most is to have the respect of my peers,
& to be taken seriously.
Sometimes i dont feel worthy, but the other side of me
[ likes youself] likes a chalange and a good fight!
ZONE:I personaly e-mailed back & fourth abit with new controversal pro King Kamali
& found him to be both humble ,sincere and nice!
What do you say about the media hype in this sport?
HANS: I think it is actually good for the sport.
Controversy creates interest especially in the general public.
Privately, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of it was "created"
just to highten interest in our sport, you know good guys v bad guys.
ZONE:Its pretty ironic that after checking your site out I found a pic with first
you & Kamali & then you & Titus side by side!
HANS: IT IS NOT MY PLACE TO MAKE JUDGEMENTS
ZONE: So Hans...What is your next "target"?
The masters again?
HANS: Yes the MASTERS MR OLYMPIA 2001.
.....there is 10 1/2 weeks to go... I 'll do my very best...
ZONE:We wish ya all the best Hans!
You are a true insiration to us all!!
HANS: Till next time Zone, take care,
give my best to your lady & your friends!
