Hidehiro Yamagishi was the first Japanese IFBB professional bodybuilder to appear in the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Competition, and he quickly became an Asian bodybuilder icon after receiving a professional fitness card in 2001. Recently, the IFBB pro bodybuilder and 212-pound contender, Hidehiro Yamagishi, announced his retirement, spanning 17 years in a bodybuilding career.
First, Hidehiro Yamagishi, an iconic Asian bodybuilder, announced his retirement
Hidehiro Yamagishi's entire bodybuilding career spanned 17 long years, starting his fitness journey with a skinny teenager weighing just 130 pounds (59 kilograms) with the initial goal of increasing strength and changing body shape, making his debut at the Ironman Pro in 2005 and last competing in a professional bodybuilding competition at the 2020 Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Contest. Hidehiro Yamagishi and his lover, 10-time Lady Olympia champion Iris Kyle, revealed their retirement during a visit.
When host Dennis James asked Hidehiro Yamagishi if he had retired, Yamagi replied, "Yeah, I'm retired." I've done everything I wanted to do. The last time I participated in the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Contest was in 2020... Yes, I'm glad I did, but I know my physique doesn't belong there. I don't think many athletes can say after all these years that they're happy with everything. I just want to say thank you to all the fans who supported me, I don't want to go on like this anymore..."
Second, Hidehiro Yamagishi's bodybuilding career spanned 17 years
Hidehiro Yamagishi, born on June 30, 1973 in Hokkaido, Japan, has been interested in fitness since childhood, he has participated in various sports such as baseball, football, gymnastics and martial arts, he began playing rugby as a teenager, as he progressed in sports, Hidehiro Yamagishi realized that he needed to increase muscle mass in order to compete with bigger athletes.
So Hidehiro Yamagishi entered the local gym and began weight training day after day. At the time, at the age of 15, he weighed only 59 kilograms, which was very thin for his age, but through hard training, he gained 23 kilograms when he graduated from high school.
After graduating from high school, 18-year-old Hidehiro Yamagishi was admitted to Waseda University, where he chose to pursue a degree in sports nutrition to further expand his knowledge of fitness. Hidehiro Yamagishi's efforts in bodybuilding have allowed him to make great progress in physique, and by the second year of college, the young man has won his first bodybuilding competition (national collegiate championship). He successfully defended the title in his third year of college and became a rising star in the Japanese bodybuilding world.
At the age of 25, Hidehiro Yamagishi competed in his first official competition, the 1998 JBBF Japan Nationals, where he finished second in the middleweights, which gave him the motivation he needed to pursue professional bodybuilding.
Over the next 3 years, Hidehiro Yamagishi competed in 8 more bodybuilding competitions, successfully finishing in the top three several times, with his greatest achievement in 2001.
That year, Hidehiro Yamagishi won the IFBB Asian Amateur Championship and won his IFBB pro card, becoming Japan's first ever IFBB professional bodybuilder.
In 2007, Hidehiro Yamagishi finished third at the Sacramento Pro Championship and qualified for the Mr. Olympia competition for the first time, becoming the first Japanese to appear in the Mr. Olympia competition.
The Japan Men's Open 212-pounder has won five professional races and made 10 appearances at Olympia in his 16-year career, with a best result of finishing 6th with Mr. Olympia in 2016 and also finishing first in the Arnold Classic 212 pounds in the same year.
For Hidehiro Yamagishi, who has given everything he has for bodybuilding, he pushes himself every day, always trying to train harder than before, and in order to maintain his physique, he consumes 700 grams of carbs and 400 grams of protein a day, he said: "I am a very purposeful person. I needed the adrenaline rush that the challenge brought and work towards a goal. It's always a 'have it all or nothing' mentality, there's no such thing as "impossible."" We train hard every day, and if you don't give up, you'll eventually achieve your dreams. ”