Name: Javier Martinez
Place of birth: Havana, Cuba
Nationality: Canadian Citizen
Height: 5'5"
Offseason Weight: 190
Contest Weight: 175

Javier was born in Havana, Cuba, the birthplace of Bodybuilding Legend Sergio Oliva. He was introduced to athletics at 5 years old when he started with gymnastics. When he was nine he tried powerlifting in a local gym and has been training with weights ever since.

He continued working out at home with makeshift weights. Reading about Sergio Oliva and Charles Atlas in bodybuilding magazines he was inspired to become more serious with his training. Back then there weren't any bodybuilding competitions in Cuba, so for him it was only about building and improving his physique.

In 1990 he immigrated to Canada and began working at a Nautilus gym in North Bay, Ontario. A personal training friend convinced him to train for bodybuilding competitions. In 1991, he entered his first show and placed 5th. He was hooked.

He loves everything about bodybuilding but two things stand out. 1) It challenges you to learn your body, how it responds to diet and training, and what is needed to achieve results. And 2) as a bodybuilder you are also an artist balancing size, symmetry, and aesthetics to create the best physique. Love for bodybuilding brings him back to the gym day in and day out.

Javier learned how to train and eat for bodybuilding. Instead of doing total body workouts, he adopted a split routine to focus on specific body parts in each work out. He began making smarter choices about food; eating everything doesn't help you get results.

"When it comes to bodybuilding there is no such thing as hard or easy, only what is necessary."

Today he trains with heavy weights and high intensity. Things don't change much from off-season to contest prep. In the off season eats clean, but tries to eat as much as he can to make gains. He follows a strict, consistent pre-contest diet with optimum levels of protein, carbs and fats.

Time Training: 20 years
Strongest body parts/best lifts: Best body part: back, Best Lift: squats 585
Most stubborn body parts: Calves
Years competing: 18 years
Present occupation: IFBB Pro, Personal Trainer
Academic background: Trained as a Meteorologist in Cuba
Hobbies: Watching Kids Baseball games and movies, eating out
Goals in life: to compete at Mr. Olympia
Favorite films: Movies based on true stories
Favorite colors: Red
Favorite Magazines : Muscle Magazines (Flex, MD, Muscle and Fitness, etc.)
Favorite foods : Steak, apple pie
Least favorite foods: depends on how long I've been dieting