Up Close and Personal with the Mr. Pasay 2018 Bodybuilding Overall Champion
Bodybuilding Enhances Quality of Life, Says Gerald Alexander Pangan
While others see bodybuilding as a way to develop muscles and maintain good physique, Gerald Alexander Pangan, a 17-year bodybuilding athlete and fitness coach at the same time, considers it as a way to enhance quality of life.
The overall champion of the Mr. Pasay 2018 bodybuilding competition organized and facilitated by Roger’s Fitness Center, Gerald says that bodybuilding develops him as a better person apart from constantly improving his physique.
“Bodybuilding enhances my mood and reduces stress levels especially when I am training for competition. It actually improves my quality of life. Being a bodybuilder makes a person more confident too,” states Gerard who is now based in Kuwait serving as a fitness trainer to many fitness and bodybuilding enthusiasts.
“Just like any craft that you want to be good at, bodybuilding is a continuous learning process. Learning never stops. I continue to learn how to develop and improve my physique by customizing daily training regimen and nutrition not only when there is a competition or show, but more importantly, to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” he explained.
Gerard also pointed out the evolution of bodybuilding from 10 years ago, citing that the science of the sports has made things easier for the new breed of bodybuilders. “Unlike 10 years ago when bodybuilders were groping as to what ideal supplementation they need to complement their bodybuilding regimen, there have been significant research results and products that make conditioning a bit easier for bodybuilders these days,” he points out.
“That goes to show that we bodybuilders also don’t stop learning,” says Gerard who is currently working for Oxygen Hardline Kuwait. Had he not gone into bodybuilding, Gerard sees himself serving the military most likely.
As Kuwait has become his second home next to the Philippines, Gerard has had numerous bodybuilding accomplishments in the Middle East country including running away as the open weight Champion in the 2006 Ironman Kuwait tournament and Champion in the 85-kg category during the 2012 Mr. Olympia Kuwait tilt. Gerard made a repeat of his conquest of the 85-kg category two years later when he went on to become a Champion during the Dubai Star competition in the United Arab Emirates.
Apart from the Middle East, Gerard has also taken his excellent bodybuilding act in the US. He ruled the middleweight as Champion and overall winner of the Musclemania Pro card during the 2010 Musclemania World competition held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2018 Mr. Pasay also placed 3rd in the 85-kg category in the highly competitive 2016 Arnold Classic held in Ohio. Prior to ruling the Mr. Pasay tournament, he also landed 3rd in the open category during the 2018 Mutant Championship.
Keeping in Shape and Training for Competition
Despite being a veteran of the sport, Gerald continues to keep in shape almost on a daily basis regardless whether he is preparing for a competition or just keeping in shape.
His daily training regimen consists of one muscle part a day during the off season, meaning not during tournament season. The regimen is for his legs on Monday, his chest on Tuesday, his back on Wednesday, takes a breather on Thursday, his shoulders on Friday, his arms on Saturday, then he rests on Sunday.
When he is preparing for a competition, he adds 30 to 45 minutes of cardio exercises on top of his daily strengthening regimen. He also goes to the gym twice a day when he is preparing for a contest.
He also sees the value of having a fitness or bodybuilding coach especially when training for competition. Gerard is now part of the Kuwait National Team and his prep coach is Mr. Ahmad Askar.
“Having a coach is very important. It makes your preparation easier. The coach will be responsible for which training and diet plans suit you. The coach’s expertise in bodybuilding contributed a lot to my improvement as a bodybuilder since day one of the time we started working together,” enthuses Gerard.
As a coach himself, Gerard also employs to his trainees practically the same strategy. He wants all of his trainees to simply enjoy the process to make their fitness journey memorable and exciting. He never forgets to impart to them the 3Ds of bodybuilding – determination, discipline, and dedication.
Gerard also believes that there is a potential career in bodybuilding but only a few become successful. “You can be an endorser or a model where you can earn easy money but don’t depend on it too much. It is still important to have a solid education leading to a stable career as a back-up to enable you to keep going with your passion,” he advises.
Still, Gerard says that he would keep on preaching and sharing his knowledge and passion for bodybuilding to others to give them all a chance for success.
As to his future plans, Gerard says that he is hoping to participate in few more shows and competition as long as he keeps himself from being injured. He recalled he had suffered injuries in the past that dampened his spirit on the sports a couple of times. “It actually made me think that it’s over. I just came from my worst injury last year when I got sidelined for 10 weeks while preparing for Kuwait Classic. It was a partial tear of my right hamstring. But I never gave up and found a solution to heal from the injury sooner,” he narrated.
Looking back to his colorful and excellent career as a bodybuilder, he can only offer words of wisdom to aspiring bodybuilders by saying: “You should not expect huge improvements overnight, but you will slowly develop over time if you are persistent. Bodybuilding requires patience so stick to your workouts and diet and what is best for you. Eventually the results will definitely show on your physique and your performance during shows and competitions.”
Philippine Bodybuilding 