Perseverance and Determination Turned Machris Delfin into a Top Caliber Bodybuilder
When you dream, dream big. But don’t just dream, pursue it and work hard to turn it into reality. That, in essence, is how Machris Delfin breathed life into his dream of becoming a bodybuilding champion.
More than 15 years after first trying his hand into bodybuilding, Machris has piled up numerous accolades and achievements as a top caliber Filipino bodybuilder.
It was in 2018 when Machris got the windfall of the fruits of his labor as a bodybuilding enthusiast as he ruled the Dumaguete Bodybuilding Competition as the first and overall champion. He placed 3rd in the 75 kg under category of the Mutant Bodybuilding Showdown, and also won the same honor in the same category during the Mr. Pasay bodybuilding tilt.
He also made it to the Top 10 classic physique during the Amateur Olympia held in Kuwait in 2018 and followed it up by landing in the Top 10 classic physique and bodybuilding in the Kuwait Classic in the same country in the same year. Machris is an OFW in Kuwait but he takes time off from work to participate in local bodybuilding competition whenever an opportunity presents itself.
If not for the pandemic, which grinded most bodybuilding events to a halt due to health and social distancing constraints last year, Machris could have added more accomplishments and awards to his bodybuilding trophy cabinet.
Looking back to his humble beginnings in bodybuilding, Machris narrates: “I started going into bodybuilding in 2003 in a small gym in our place. At first it was not that serious. I go to the gym just to gain a bit of muscle because I was skinny at that time. I was just trying to be a hunk.”
“As I went into physical conditioning later on, I read from a magazine about this Pinoy bodybuilder who was very skinny before and became a bodybuilding world champion. I was inspired by his development and success. So I started to get serious with my training,” he added.
“My source of training and nutrition at that time was only through magazines and also watching bodybuilding regimen videos from YouTube. There was also someone who encouraged me to be a bodybuilder. He was my first coach who guided me on my first competition and I could not be more satisfied with where I am now as a bodybuilder,” Machris enthused.
In pursuing his bodybuilding dreams, Machris also had to overcome many challenges, especially with his financial constraints while he was preparing for competition. “The sport is so expensive when it comes to preparing for a contest, especially if you have a family to feed. Thank God I am fortunate to work abroad and pursue my goals in bodybuilding while taking care of my family at the same time,” he recounted.
Machris said that bodybuilding helped him to become more patient, determined, and staying focused in achieving his goals.
He also looked up to several role models in the sport including Dyriel Fanki, Gerald Alexander Pangan, John Andrew Cifraand, and Ariel Guong, who are top Filipino bodybuilders. “These guys are very humble champions whom I’ve met and they all became my friends as well,” he beamed.
For professional role model, Machris says it’s Dexter Jackson because the international bodybuilder’s conditioning is always on point every time he steps on the stage to compete. “He is totally shredded,” says Machris.
In preparing for competition, Machris usually begins about 14 weeks ahead of the event. He does training one body part per day and add cardio either in the morning on an empty stomach or during the night after his work. Six weeks prior to the competition, he only does split training until the last week so as not to burn himself.
He has also learned to condition his mind for the competition. “I stay focus on my goal and that is to have a better condition than the last time I stepped on the stage. More than looking at my competitors in the event, I actually compete against myself,” he pointed out.
He always does his best that is why whenever his name is called and awarded as one of the winners or the top competitors in the competition, he feels fulfilled. He becomes extremely satisfied and considers the recognition as reward from the hard work and sacrifices he has done during the preparation phase for the event.
As one who has a great story to tell about his bodybuilding dream, Machris has now become an inspiration to aspiring bodybuilders. “I motivate young athletes, especially those who really want to succeed in this sport. That is why there’s Team Machris, I coaches them so that they can go places in this sport. I also organize bodybuilding competitions in order to promote the sport that has changed my life.”
As to his future as a bodybuilder, Machris says he entrusts everything to God. He hopes to get a pro card in the next three to five years, saying that is every bodybuilder’s dream. He is also looking to putting up his own gym business in order to help and inspire future bodybuilders and also those who simply want to be physically fit and healthy.
Having gone through his experience in bodybuilding since he forayed into the sport, Machris advises bodybuilding enthusiasts who dream to become a top and champion bodybuilder someday: “Stay focused and determined on your goal. Do not mind those who doubt you. Make them your motivation to reach your goal. But most of all, be patient; you cannot achieve everything overnight.”
Machris has all the authority to make the advice as it was exactly the same path he took to become one of the country’s top bodybuilders today.
Philippine Bodybuilding 