Kai Greene: training, nutrition and achievements

The beginning of the way

Kai Greene was born in 1975 in Brooklyn, not the most prosperous area of ​​New York. The family of the future athlete was also not distinguished by good morals: at the age of six, the boy was placed under the care of the state and changed orphanages several times. From a young age, Kai was distinguished by his entrepreneurial spirit and talents: he loved painting and dreamed of becoming an artist. However, his character left much to be desired: guardians and teachers considered Green uncontrollable.

Training in the gym helped Kai keep himself within limits. He later noted that it was there that he felt the perfect balance of body and brain, enjoying the opportunity to control himself and constantly test his own body for strength. Teachers noticed the young man’s efforts and began sending him to competitions. Strict sports discipline balanced Kai's explosive nature, channeling his energy into a peaceful direction.

Biography [edit | edit code ]

Early years [edit | edit code ]

Kai Greene was born on July 12, 1975 in Brooklyn, New York. As a child, due to the problematic situation in his family, he was placed under the care of the state [1]. Due to frequent moves, his adoptive parents constantly changed. To get rid of the oppressive environment, Kai began bodybuilding [1].

The school noticed his good physique, and the teachers decided to send Kai to the competition [1].

Bodybuilder's career [edit | edit code ]

In 1997, Kai tried to obtain professional status in the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB). He found out that he needed to undergo training through the amateur organization "NPC" (English National Physique Committee). Kai decided to acquire professional status through the Amateur World Championship. In 1999, Kai Green was invited to the World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia. [1] Upon learning that he had finished fourth at the championship, Kai took a break from his career for four years.

First achievements

Kai felt the taste of victory back in school, taking first places in various amateur tournaments. However, after a couple of years, he realized that he did not have enough muscle volume to truly succeed, and took a break from competition, focusing on improving his athletic form. The aspiring athlete found a professional gym and began serious training, improving his nutrition program and listening to the advice of experienced trainers.

By the age of 18, Greene had won the Team Universe title, but failed to qualify for the professional bodybuilding federation on his first try. Kai seriously decided to give up his dream of sports and focus on his career as an artist. However, chance helped him return to big bodybuilding.

In 2004, the talented athlete was invited to another tournament, victory in which could become a ticket to the professional category. Green was not on stage for 5 years, but was able to become a prize-winner and received the coveted title of IFBB professional.

Leg exercises

Videos of Kai Greene's training are extremely easy to find on the Internet. During lower extremity exercises, Kai usually performs the following exercises:

• Squats;
• Leg extension in the simulator;
• Jefferson squats (a rare exercise that is practically not used by modern athletes);
• Bench platform press;
• Hack squats;
• Deadlift;
• Leg bending in the simulator;
• Calf raises in different positions.

Any changes can be made to this program, because, as mentioned above, in bodybuilding Kai Greene is not a supporter of boring classical training. And the same goes for working out other muscle groups. Just watch this athlete's training video to understand how he performs isolation exercises. Kai Greene's data suggests that we will soon see a new Mr. Olympia.

Victory time

Green's career was uneven: he was not one of the athletes who soared onto the podium from his first performances. For a long time, Kai could not even get into the top twenty, then suddenly he took prizes and again fell back a few points. He received first place only in 2007, at the Colorado Pro tournament.

After this breakthrough in Green's career, a series of victories began:

• In 2008, he became a medalist at the New York Pro, and in the next two years he won two victories in a row at the Arnold Classic tournament.
• At the same time, Kai became the winner of the Australian Grand Prix.
• In 2010, he took first place at the New York Pro.
• In 2013 he celebrated his victory in Prague Pro.
• Between 2012 and 2014, Green competed in several more tournaments, consistently finishing second to his eternal rival Phil Heath. Kai became a silver medalist at Mr. Olympia three times.

There were rumors that the judges unofficially recognized Green as the best, and he took second place because of his semi-criminal past.

Diet

Green's impressive size must be maintained with a super nutritious diet. However, no one managed to find out the exact diet of the athlete: he was in no hurry to reveal all the secrets of his diet.

It is known that it is built on a huge amount of protein: at the beginning of his career, Green consumed unlimited amounts of beef and eggs, supplementing them with protein shakes. They said that he could eat up to 200 eggs or 30 chicken breasts a day, but the athlete himself does not confirm these rumors.

Unlike many bodybuilders, Kai does not deny himself “good” cholesterol and carbohydrates: he loves egg yolks and actively consumes oatmeal and potato dishes. In preparation for competitions, he cuts down on carbohydrates and leans heavily on proteins: he eats at least 6-8 times a day. After the competition, the protein proportion is reduced to 250 g - this helps maintain shape and reduces the load on the kidneys.

A mandatory addition to the diet is sports nutrition. During the competition, Green preferred products from Muscle Meds, which is his sponsor. An athlete's favorite supplement is meat protein concentrate.

As for pharmacology, no one has been able to find out the exact amount of drugs that an athlete consumes. However, doctors and rivals are unanimous: it is impossible to gain and maintain such mass without the use of steroids and other drugs. The question is moderation: Green probably knows the norm, which should not be crossed.

Workout

During his sports career, Green changed several gyms, but his favorite was the Power House Gym, which is distinguished by its special “Kachkovsky” atmosphere. Kai's neighbors in the hall were Dorian Yates, Flex Wheeler and eternal rival Phil Heath. Next to such athletes, you need to give your all, which is what Kai did in every training session.

Early in his career, Green preferred to train in the afternoon, like most bodybuilders. Later he switched to morning training. Before noon, the hall is relatively free and nothing prevents you from concentrating on your classes.

The athlete works out 5 days a week, devoting each day to a specific muscle group: chest and legs, forearms, back, legs and arms. Kai developed the technique independently, taking into account the opinions of trainers and the characteristics of his own body. To avoid injury while lifting heavy weights, he performed a series of pull-ups between sets. Green assured that it is this combination that best develops the muscles and allows you to fully experience their work.

Working on his back, Kai performs a French bench press, a standing press, and a seated pull-down. A set contains 8–12 repetitions, each exercise is performed in 3–4 approaches. The maximum bench weight reaches 228 kg.

When training the legs, the athlete pays special attention to the quadriceps and hamstrings, performing several sets of Jefferson rows. This exercise perfectly works the buttocks, making them especially sculpted and chiseled.

Kai’s own technique helps him avoid overloads, with an emphasis on isolated work of each muscle group. He tries to avoid jerks and partial amplitudes. The athlete is not interested in superweights beyond the limits of the possible; he does not break records in the gym, leaving his strength for the podium.

Kai Greene's workouts

Many athletes have changed several gyms during their career. And this is right, because everyone wants a change of scenery, new equipment and new faces. Kai was no exception in this regard. At the same time, all athletes, sooner or later, gather in one hall, which becomes a legend for them. Kai Green himself trained in such a gym, next to such famous bodybuilders as Phil Heath, Dorian Yates, Flex Wheeler and other famous bodybuilders. This hall has always maintained a real Kachkovsky atmosphere and the name of this hall is Power House Gim.

At first, the athlete trained from 3 pm to 7 pm, like most athletes, but then switched to a different regime and began to devote morning time to training until noon. As the athlete himself said, this helps to concentrate properly, since during this period there are not many people in the hall, compared to the evening period. Thanks to this, only fruitful training sessions are always obtained.

Kai Greene worked out his muscles using his own method. He didn't lift extreme weights. Naturally, when performing complex compound movements such as deadlifts, bent-over barbell presses and T-bar raises, all the muscles of the back are used. But under high loads, it is not possible to concentrate on the work of individual muscle groups. In this case, all attention is focused on the lifting of the projectile itself. In addition, lifting heavy weights often leads to injury. Therefore, this approach was not welcomed by the athlete. Often, this athlete used a different method to concentrate on working individual muscle groups: he simply did pull-ups between sets. Basically, this approach to the training process is associated with not only working out all muscle groups, but also maintaining the “brain-muscle” connection at the proper level. When Kai really felt the work of his muscles, he began to apply this philosophy to other movements related to working the back muscles, including such a complex exercise as the deadlift.

While training his leg muscles, Kai Green performed a rather interesting exercise that few people do in modern gyms - the “Jefferson squat” or “Jefferson row.”

This exercise has a strong effect on the buttocks, including the hamstrings and quadriceps. Thanks to this exercise, Kai managed to work out his buttocks as if they were chiseled.

Some athletes try to find ways to make the task easier by lifting weights and not really thinking about the consequences. Kai Greene is not this type of athlete. On the contrary, he always tries to complicate the exercises, and not stupidly lift weights. If you carefully study the video featuring Kai Greene’s training, you can clearly see that this athlete does not work with exorbitant weights, does not use jerking techniques and partial amplitude. He prefers to work in isolation on each muscle group, working individual areas, and this does not require excessive loads.

Green's chips

Kai Greene is famous not only for his athleticism and muscle mass. He is considered one of the most artistic bodybuilders and hates the traditional "monument poses" that show off a mountain of muscle.

Green turns every performance into a real performance. He takes non-standard poses that show off his body in an advantageous way, and loves to surprise with unusual techniques such as sharp lunges or headstands.

The highlight of the athlete’s appearance is complemented by braids, which refer to the image of ancient warriors and do not in any way diminish the brutality. Thanks to this accent, Green does not get lost among his opponents and constantly gets into the photo lenses. Perhaps that is why he was nicknamed the Predator.

However, popularity also has a downside. Kai does not at all want to be the object of paparazzi attention in his private life. When he goes out, he puts on baggy clothes and dark glasses, trying to blend in with the crowd as much as possible. The disguise is not always successful, but onlookers are afraid to show increased attention to the athlete.

Features of Kai Greene

Kai Greene is considered the most artistic bodybuilder of all time. Every appearance on stage, every show of his muscles is not just stony poses, but real artistry. He always stood out noticeably from the entire crowd of athletes. His random posing especially attracted attention. He could do a headstand, do various flips and get into an unusual position. Therefore, we can safely say that this is not just an athlete, but also an athlete with the talent of an actor. His braids are not just a desire to stand out, but a desire to prove to everyone that he is not an ordinary athlete, but a talented athlete, especially since the braids were not superfluous. In addition, Kai Green noted that he does not like to stand out, especially on the street and especially in the area in which he lives. Since the area is not entirely prosperous, the athlete, even in the summer, walks almost completely wrapped in clothes so that no one recognizes him.

How does Green live today?

Now the life of a bodybuilder includes both the usual training and a hobby - painting. Greene is especially good at portraits; a few years ago he even organized his own exhibition. The bodybuilder also has several small roles in films. In two films, Kai played himself.

In 2020, the athlete launched his own line of sports nutrition. He publishes information about new products on his own blog on Instagram, along with training reports. Judging by frequent reports, Greene manages to maintain excellent shape and not give up his athletic positions.