"In the end, I would rather be an ordinary person with a clear head" says Filip Grznár (Interview)

Filip Grznár. He is an athlete who needs no introduction. Although his performance may seem controversial to many of you, he has spread the wordthe general public not only about bodybuilding, but also about the abuse of doping substances in sport. If you're wondering how Filip's behavior is affected by the camera, a possible return to competition and his motivations after so many years on the scene, get ready to read today's interview!

1. Hi Filip. Although you are of course one of the dominant icons of the Czech fitness scene, this interview may reach someone who doesn't know you very well. So how would you introduce yourself in one or two sentences?

AHOJ! I am first and foremost an athlete who takes on the biggest challenges and tries to fight not only himself, but also people who don't believe in him and don't understand him. And last but not least, I am the most experienced fitness trainer in the country.

2. On social media, you've made a name for yourself as a bodybuilder, but before that you were doing martial arts, which you've come back to. So what are you currently doing?

I'm currently preparing for my next MMA fight under the XFN federation, which will take place on 6.10.2018 in Pilsen. Otherwise, I'm mainly doing business and working as an online and personal trainer...

3. When you're in front of the camera, you look sovereign and often aggressive. But what are you like when you're not shooting videos? Does the camera influence your behaviour or are you always like that? In some videos, for example "Motivation and Life", you seemed like a completely different person.

Yes, the camera influences my behaviour a lot, because I imagine the mass of people behind it. The masses that either give me money or they're just bullshitting and getting away with it. Basically, I try to help people because the Czech fitness scene lacks experienced professionals and information. Of course, some people misunderstand my behaviour and can interpret it in their own way. But people who know me have a good time with the videos and pick up information that moves them further in their dreams and is worth gold to them. I'm one of those people for whom the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" is 100,000% true! But that's the Czech way of life, the Czechs don't read between the lines and are lazy to look into things in depth...

4. You said in the above mentioned video that you first saw bodybuilders on TV when you were 5 years old. You decided to pursue a competitive career ten years later. Did you ever lose motivation during such a long journey?

Of course I did. I mean, I took a five-year break from racing. But even during that time, I was still training hard and after the break I came back almost ready to go pro. You know, the word motivation is an abstract term that has a very overrated meaning. I just did what I enjoyed and something in my subconscious drove me forward.

5. What keeps you going after all these years?

I'm driven forward by the work I'm doing, I always finish things! I'm driven forward by the aforementioned subconscious that is constantly telling you that you areand you can't give up yet because you haven't finished this or that. As far as bodybuilding goes, I had bad genetics and so I had a smaller but realistic goal. Getting my pro card. I did that, and I was able to retire from the scene. I had met my expectations and satisfied my subconscious. Anyway, it's still possible that I'll return to the boards and wipe my ass with a few genetic talents like I always have. :-)

TIP: What effect does smoking have on exercise?

6. What qualities do you think a person should have to become a good bodybuilder or a good athlete in general?

He must love the sport, he must be willing to sacrifice everything for it, he must be smart, persistent and he must know why he is doing it!

7. In your opinion, is it more difficult to train a bodybuilder or to train a fighter? What about preparing for competitions (fight) in these two sports?

Training a fighter is definitely much more demanding than training a bodybuilder! But if we talk about the demandingness of preparing for a competition or a fight, then thanks to diet and bulking, preparing for a bodybuilding competition is more demanding. Actually since I've been doing MMA I've been in a resting phase mentally, I lived bodybuilding all day for almost 20 years and I was already exhausted. You can get used to hard training, but you can't get used to dieting, repetitive routines and sprinkling...

8. When you "switched" from bodybuilding to MMA, after a few days of training you got into the cage with the much more experienced Charles Andrade. Did you believe you could win? Or did you have a completely different reason to fight this very good fighter?

I'd be a good asshole if I believed I could beat a fighter with 200 fights without training. But this challenge was another dream come true, to face someone like that in a pro fight! You just can't turn that down, even if the consequences can be disastrous.

9. Are you planning to return to bodybuilding again?

As I wrote above, maybe I'll decide to show the modern pumps (this disgusting new dimension of lazy people) how it's done.the old school way and that even after injuries that few would ever undo, I'm still able to make a physique that's worthless to compete with. Because the old school is always one step ahead! With my experience, it's a piece of cake. I've even won Bohemia in the past after five weeks of preparation, and I wasn't nearly as far along as I am now.

10. Quite often I read in the comments under your videos on social media that your fanswho was aggressive, threw dumbbells and insulted everyone." Is this change of presentation related to the change of sport, or have you just reached a stage where you don't want to be seen that way anymore?

Look, I'm still the old Grznár, the one who works harder than the others, I've just undergone a kind of evolution (understandably related to a change of sport) that made me realize that these "psychostats" are no longer necessary. Still, I sometimes get carried away and am able to stir up a lot of water.

11. The training videos with Pavel Beran were absolutely legendary. Are you planning to film something else together in the future?

You know, we're each doing our own thing now. He got tired of being in my shadow all the time, plus now we're each doing a different sport. Anyway, as I've changed, so has Pavel, and we don't really want to do it anymore. But we are still friends and see each other almost every day.

12. Do you feel more like a bodybuilder or an MMA fighter?

I feel like a Grznar, a personality that is outside the average of both sports. I don't favor anything, I just work on myself and create memories that not just anyone has and do what I enjoy...

13. Is there anything you haven't achieved yet but still aspire to?

I guess not. Right now I want to win a few fights, but otherwise I've accomplished everything and exceeded my personal expectations in many ways.

14. How does your family feel about your theatrical video appearances? And do you have enough time for your family, or do you have to cut back a bit because of the sport?

My family is somewhat skeptical of my YouTube work and I don't blame them. But as it says in the Bible: "Judge not thy neighbour, lest thou also suffer the greater condemnation," so I try toand ignore the bullshit from outsiders who don't know me. Except for my father, I've never had a good relationship with him. But fortunately, as a lawyer, he is among a group of people who rather understand and admire me. That's probably what annoys him the most, and I'm very happy about it. :-) I'm very, very sorry that I don't have as much time for my children as they deserve...

15. I think a lot of young and aspiring athletes dream of one day being where you are. So could you at least briefly outline what a day in your life looks like?

None of them have any idea how hard my life is and I have to be very strong to make it through and most of them aren't. You could say (and I'm glad for it) that every day in my life is different. Either I'm overly perceptive, or that's the case. But more or less it's a constant carousel of work, training and rest. Not many people today can imagine what it's like to be a controversial athlete who takes on things that others can't. Ultimately, I'd rather be in their shoes, a regular person with a clear head. But so it doesn't look like I'm crying about how hard it is, I chose this life and I would never do it any other way, because this is me, Filip Grznar, and this is my life, and I enjoy it...

Filip Grznár squats 200kg 7 months after tearing his quadriceps and 6 weeks after achilles surgery

16. Is there anything you would like to say not only to your fans, but also to the readers of our website or your haters?

I think I've already shared enough messages for all sorts of people, so I'll say one thing: Human life is a constant evolution, it never stops and man is always evolving into a better being. But woe betide those for whom this is not the case. They are in fact long dead...

In conclusion, we would like to thank Filip for the whole interview and in the future, on behalf of the entire MyFitnessio team, we wish him every success and as few injuries as possible. If you liked this interview, feel free to share it among your friends or write your opinion in the comments.

Second video interview on our YouTube channel:

More interviews with interesting personalities:

• Pavel Beran [interview].
• Jirka Vacek [interview].
• Václav Češka [interview]: "A Ferrari that doesn't run is useless"
• Vlastimil Kužel [interview]: "If you focus on everything, you can't be the best at one thing"
• Jiří Orság [interview]: "Motivation for me is the belief that I can be even better than ever before"