We all wish that we could be ripped studs who work with sexy cover girls and have women everywhere chasing after us. However, many of us may never get the chance to be like this. But fortunately bodybuilder Sagi Kalev, who’s appeared on countless covers of Muscle & Fitness, Iron Man, and other magazines, can tell us what it’s like!
George Spellwin: What’s very interesting about you as a bodybuilder is that you served four years in the Israeli military and were in Desert Storm as well. The majority of bodybuilding athletes never do something like this. What was your experience like during this time?
Sagi Kalev: It’s the type of experience that takes you from a boy to a man. I was able to get lucky in my military experience as I had the opportunity to work with good people in my unit. I really didn’t have a whole lot of time to workout my first year though because I had to do a lot of training like basic training and weapons training.
George Spellwin: What’s very interesting about you as a bodybuilder is that you served four years in the Israeli military and were in Desert Storm as well. The majority of bodybuilding athletes never do something like this. What was your experience like during this time?
Sagi Kalev: It’s the type of experience that takes you from a boy to a man. I was able to get lucky in my military experience as I had the opportunity to work with good people in my unit. I really didn’t have a whole lot of time to workout my first year though because I had to do a lot of training like basic training and weapons training.
In my second year, I got a lot more time to do so. I remember we had this military bodybuilding contest and that was the first time I had to take my shirt off in front of everybody and then people noticed my physique.
I got lucky that the people above me saw what I was doing. Military food is not the greatest but I had the privilege of eating better and getting to do some training.
George Spellwin: Wow - impressive - I hate leg day! With your military and bodybuilding background, I know that you are pretty big on a person being able to discipline himself. Is there any advice that you could give our members for how they could find self discipline when they feel themselves slipping in training or dieting?
Sagi Kalev: If a person feels like they are slipping with their training or dieting, they need to rethink their goals. Take a week off every 3-5 months to rest and think about those goals. And sometimes you have to look in the mirror and say, ‘Is this really what I want? Is this what makes me happy?’
Now I don’t really have an off-season. I have short-term goals and I have long-term goals. But I also like to take some time off every now and then to have fun. And when I want to get back into my training and get motivated, I go onto YouTube and watch other bodybuilders workout and then get motivated. I also Google the names of people and get motivated by looking at what they’re doing.
George Spellwin: How much easier does it make things when working with a veteran fitness photographer like Alex Ardenti?
Sagi Kalev: Working with Alex is a quite an experience. Like I said, he’s a legend in this industry and he knows lighting, angles... just pretty much everything. You know, 20 years in photography, that’s a while. It’s just a great experience working with him. He also knows a lot about bodybuilding as he was a Mr. Italy.
I owe a lot of thanks to Alex for helping me as well. Thanks to him I got on the cover of Reps (Magazine).
He’s a very special person... he’s a family man, he’s got a great work ethic. When he says after a shoot, ‘You looked great’, to me... that’s like, that’s like winning a trophy or getting first place. I hope to work with him many, many more times.
