Hugo Schreuder
My Story
My name is Hugo Schreuder, and I am a classic physique bodybuilder and personal trainer.
I began my bodybuilding journey in 2021 and competed in two local shows. I won my first competition, the IFBB/BBSA Western Cape champs, and placed second at the following show, the NPC Icandy classic Mother City.
In 2022, I participated in two more competitions. I won the overalls at NPC Icandy classic Mother City and placed fifth in my lineup at the NPC African Pro qualifier.
I started my personal training career in 2021 around the same time I began bodybuilding. Two years prior, I had already started giving fitness classes as a fitness instructor at the age of 18.
Hugo Schreuder Interview Q: What did Hugo Schreuder emphasize about nutrition in bodybuilding? A: Hugo Schreuder emphasized the importance of individuality in nutrition and recommended making the predominant protein source come from whole foods. Q: What are some examples of whole foods he mentioned for protein intake? A: He mentioned eggs, egg whites, and chicken as examples of whole foods for protein intake. Q: How does Hugo Schreuder view the use of protein powders in bodybuilding? A: Hugo Schreuder believes that whole foods are better than protein powders (bacause of their imporatant nutrients), but he mentioned adding things like whey protein and creatine. Q: What are the benefits of casein protein, according to Hugo Schreuder? A: Hugo Schreuder mentioned that casein protein has a long digestion time, which can be beneficial. Q: How does Hugo Schreuder recommend spacing out meals for optimal digestion? A: He advises against fasting for too long to prevent protein stores from depleting and mentioned that fasting during sleep is a good example of fasting. Hugo recommends spacing out meals to allow for good and comfortable digestion. Q: What did Hugo Schreuder mention about cortisol control and its relation to fat gain? A: He discussed that high stress levels (related to cortisol) can lead to fat gain and emphasized the importance of managing cortisol. Q: What are some tips Hugo Schreuder shared for improving sleep and sleep hygiene? A: Hugo Schreuder recommended improving sleep hygiene Q: How does Hugo Schreuder suggest manipulating insulin for bodybuilding purposes? A: He recommended eating after a workout to control insulin levels and mentioned an “anabolic window” after training when the body absorbs nutrients best. He mentioned that a fasted body is sensitive for activities like fasted cardio. Q: What advice did Hugo Schreuder give about persistently sticking to a diet for bodybuilding success? A: Hugo Schreuder emphasized the importance of persistence in sticking to a diet and understanding whether hunger is genuine or due to boredom. Q: What did Hugo Schreuder mention about calorie intake and its relationship to growth? A: He discussed the need for calories for growth and explained that a calorie deficit can lead to increased hunger. Q: What is BMR, and how did Hugo Schreuder recommend using it as a guide for calorie deficits? A: Hugo Schreuder explained that BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) should be used as a guide for calorie deficits, with a minimum deficit of 300 calories and a maximum of 600-800 calories off BMR. Q: How do you manage your cravings? A: Hugo said that if the cravings are specific like “I want chicken and rice”, then they are good cravings. You are supposed to be hungry. If he just feels like eating crap, then they are not good cravings and he suppresses them. Q: What is an easy way to track macros? A: Hugo suggest eating the same thing daily and making adjustments from there. Q: Do you do fasted Resistance Training (RT)? A: Hugo never trains fasted, he suggests getting carbs and protein in before a workout. He takes whey protein 20-30 minutes before his workout and then caffeine pre-workout about 15-30 minutes before his training session. Q: How does Hugo Schreuder suggest handling nutrition during the off-season and in-season for bodybuilders? A: He advised being reasonable and occasionally indulging in treats during the off-season, while in-season, he recommended cleaning up the diet and focusing on losing water weight. Q: According to Hugo Schreuder, why is digestion important for both losing weight and gaining muscle? A: Hugo Schreuder stressed the significance of digestion in the processes of losing weight and gaining muscle. Q: What did Hugo Schreuder mention about the types and quality of protein sources? A: He mentioned that homemade pan-fried chicken is better than fast-food options like KFC, emphasizing the quality of protein sources. Q: What are some nutritional recommendations for pre-workout nutrition according to Hugo Schreuder? A: Hugo Schreuder recommended consuming whey protein and caffeine as pre-workout nutrition. Q: What did Hugo Schreuder say about the importance of the first movements in a workout session? A: He emphasized the importance of the initial movements in a workout session, suggesting that focusing and putting in effort early on is crucial. Q: How does Hugo Schreuder view fasted cardio and its relation to fat loss? A: Hugo Schreuder believes that fasted cardio can aid in fat loss, especially when followed by a meal after the workout. Q: What are some advantages of doing ab workouts in a fasted state, according to Hugo Schreuder? A: He mentioned that doing ab workouts fasted allows for better muscle contraction without food in the stomach. Q: How does Hugo Schreuder recommend using insulin spikes for better digestion? A: He suggested using insulin spikes strategically to aid in food digestion. Q: What are some sleep-related tips Hugo Schreuder shared for bodybuilders? A: Hugo Schreuder recommended getting 8-9 hours of sleep, with a last meal (protein rich) one hour before bed, and mentioned the possible use of casein protein before bedtime. He goes to bed between 11 pm and 12am and then wakes up around 8 am or 9 am. Q: Casein a good option? A: Hugo suggests casein might be good – especially for bulking. Q: How does Hugo Schreuder explain the concept of fasting and its impact on energy systems in the body? A: Hugo Schreuder discussed how fasting depletes glucose stores and taps into glycogen stores, leading to a calorie deficit and the utilization of fat as an energy source. Q: What are the key factors to consider in the mind-muscle connection, according to Hugo Schreuder? A: Hugo Schreuder emphasized the mind-muscle connection as an underrated aspect of bodybuilding and recommended maintaining constant tension, going to failure, and focusing on every rep to establish this connection. He notes that sometimes the connection may go away towards the end of the set. Q: Can you explain the process of the body’s energy system? A: Hugo explains that fasting burns fat. Once the body’s glucose stores are depleted, the body uses glycogen stores from food, this is from a caloric deficit, once those stores are empty, then the body will tap into the fat stores, once those are tapped, the body will breakdown muscle for fuel. Q: What can you tell us about fats and carbs? A: Hugo explains how both are used for energy, but fat is used 7x slower than carbs, yet has 4x more energy! Q: Do you have anything to say about BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)? A: Hugo notes that BMR drops when you are cutting and it must be recalculated so you can keep the deficit or surplus depending on your goals. Q: What is more important? Burning fat or gaining muscle/ A: Hugo says that there is a goldilocks zone for burning fat and not muscle, and that it takes time! Q: How important is the mind muscle connection in bodybulding? A: Hugo says that the mind muscle connection is a huge aspect of muscle building. He says its severely underrated and says it’s as important as diet! Hugo does mind-muscle connection for every rep but it goes towards the end of the set. Q: Do you use constant tension? A: Hugo tries to retain constant tension throughout the set. Q: Do you go til failure? A: Hugo does often go to failure. Q: I struggle to get mind-muscle connection on quads – any advice? A: Hugo suggests doing leg extensions – this will lead to pre exhaustion of the quads, then still lift heavy on the squats. Q: Do you like to feel the connection in your muscle? A: Hugo likes feeling each rep especially earlier in the set. Q: What is a good quad exercise? A: Hugo likes the hack squat for quad growth. Q: What are your thoughts on squeezing the muscle? A: Hugo likes to squeeze the muscle as it helps with the mind muscle connection at the top of the rep (after the concentric part). Q: What are you opinions on isometric holds? A: Hugo uses a isometric hold on each rep, where he holds the weight still. Q: What is your range of motion? A: Hugo utilizes full range of motion until partial reps. Q: What is your rep timing? A: Hugo does a 1 second concentric, 1 second isometric hold, then 2-3 second eccentric. Q: Do you use partial or drop sets? A: Hugo uses both partial and drop sets in training Q: How many working sets do you do per exercise? A: Hugo Schreuder does 4 working sets per exercise and 2 of those are til complete failure Q: How do you determine number of reps per set? A: Hugo Schreuder estimates/predicts the number and tries to get as close as he can to it and then pushes past with partial reps until failure Q: How often do you train a muscle? A: Hugo Schreuder does 5 exercises per muscle group and trains 2 muslce groups per day Q:How often do you train a week? A: 6 times per week Q: What is your training split? A: A push, pull, legs variation: chest and biceps, shoulders and triceps, back and (sometimes biceps), legs Q: How many compound movements do you do per day? A: 1 compound a day – usually a squat, press, or RDL variation Q: Seated or lying hamstring curl? A: Hugo prefers seated hamstring curl over lying. Q: If you only had 10 exercises to maintain your muscle for the rest of your life, which would you choose? A: Leg extensions Seated hamstring curls Seated rows cable (for erectors) Cable raises all in one (to target front, back, and side delts) Rope tricep extensions with opening and hold (forearms must touch biceps) Cable preacher curls (single arm) Dumbbell incline press (45 degree incline) Standing calf raises (toes pointed forwards, straight legs) Glute kickback machine Lat pull downs (with a wide grip to target the teres major) Q: What rest interval do you use between sets? A: Hugo Schreuder rests 1-3 minutes between sets. Q: What music does Hugo listen to at gym? A: Hugo listens to phonk, pystrance, and hard rock at gym. |