Interview with Jakub Enzl about his competitive ambitions in classic physique

In today's interview we will interview a very well-known face of the fitness scene, Jakub Enžl. He is not only successful in power triathlon and among amateur strongmen, but he would also like to visit the podium of bodybuilding competitions. And in this article, we'll see if Kuba is serious about competing in bodybuilding competitions and what category we might see him in if he were to take to the competition boards!

Hi Kuba, you recently posted a post on Instagram saying that you've been training for ten years and that you'd like to step on the competition boards next year, is that really the case?

It really is, and with that post I wanted to kind of sign up to actually get there already. The idea has been in the back of my mind for a while now, so I decided to go for it, to try and see what such training entails, to see purely in muscle, without fat and water, what I'm creating here at all and most importantly it's another challenge I want to get a firm grip on. It will be my first competition, so of course I can make a lot of mistakes that I will learn from, but by being more followed already, something is expected of me, so I don't want to underestimate it, it's not so much about placing as it is about going there with a clear conscience that I gave my best.

Why do you want to race now? Weren't you tempted before?

As I mentioned; the idea has been there for a while but I'm very self-critical about my physique and I wanted to come in there with the best form possible, I'm still not satisfied of course but I still have less than a year to fine tune my weaknesses, which for me are my arms, hamstrings and back definition, but who knows, I have an estimated 10-12% fat right now, maybe the definition and depth of my back is just hiding underneath it all.

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A post shared by JAKUB ENŽL (@jakubenzl)

Have you picked a contest yet?

I'd definitely like something bigger like EVLS. If I'm going to do it, I want to stand on a proper stage with an audience and enjoy the atmosphere. One of the best things about competitions is the audience and the overall atmosphere.

Are you going to prepare yourself or are you going to put yourself in the hands of a coach?

I will definitely have a coach, I don't have that much experience in bodybuilding preparation, I don't prepare any competitors myself and as I said; I don't want to underestimate anything. I was thinking about someone from abroad.

You wrote that you would like to try the classic physique division, why did you choose this category and not another?

I like it the most, today's bodybuilding is more about size as such, but classic physique has its own charm thanks to the aesthetics that the competitors have perfected, see this year's edition. Besides, I'm pretty tall, which means I'd have to be at least 140kg in the off season for classic bodybuilding.

How much do you currently weigh and what weight would you like to get to?

I'm currently 130kg, and that's a well sustainable weight for me, I wouldn't want more than that at the moment, it's already impractical enough for everyday life and I'm trying to be functional as well, I want to still manage things like muscle ups etc. But we'll see, if I ever get into full strongman training, I might get to 140kg, anyway I'm burning off so fast, so I'd have to literally eat it up and especially cut back on my workouts, I'm currently doing 6 workouts a week.

Do you have any strongman competitions or powerlifting competitions planned for next year?

Maybe in the beginning of the year while I still have normal workouts like I have been doing, if I focus more on bodybuilding and hypertrophy workouts there won't be room for that, but I think there will be some competitions, I enjoy it.

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A post shared by JAKUB ENŽL (@jakubenzl)

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A post shared by JAKUB ENŽL (@jakubenzl)

Do you think you can combine strongman and classic physique?

Not at the pro level. Strongman training "deforms" the figure, so it is not so aesthetic, for example, the waist gets wider, which is a key aspect in bodybuilding, the trapezius gets rapidly bigger, which in turn visually narrows the shoulders, the forearms grow, but there is not so much room for arm training. So if you want to be really pro, you have to focus on one thing. I like to try new things, take on new challenges, but I don't aspire to be Mr. Olympia or Worlds Strongest Man, I just enjoy it and try to do it as best I can.

What are your plans for the rest of this year.

For this year, just classic content creation, working out, eating, I have some projects that are still under wraps but I don't want to start those until next year.

Thank you so much for the interview Kuba. Have a great day.

I thank you, have a great day.