On the Challenge show, you just can’t seem to have any competition from a physical standpoint. But still, you were not the first in all tests. What is the most important thing in such a project, and what is the key to victory?
If the show only judged people based on their physical fitness, it would definitely be a bodybuilding show. “The challenge is a sports and intellectual game, there are tests of endurance, ingenuity, intelligence, including physical strength. Success is the totality of each participant having a variety of qualities and skills.
Despite your stern appearance, from the first issues you showed yourself as a fair participant with the right values and guidelines. Was it easy for you to put up with various intrigues, of which, as we see, there are many on the project?
I’m still inclined to believe that all the intrigues and conflicts that were on the project are an element of the show. The guys just got into the show.
But it’s not for me to judge them, of course. This is alien to me, I stayed away from all this. This behavior was unpleasant, but who am I to educate them? They have their own parents.
Did you manage to make real friends with anyone on the project? Was there anyone who really surprised you?
This is a very cool project that brought together interesting people. I was very surprised by all the smart guys. Each of them is just a human being!
Do you keep in touch with any of the participants after filming?
We continue to communicate with many people; we have very good memories.
Why would you, an athlete with such titles, participate in a show like “The Challenge”?
The answer is in the title of the show. This is a challenge to yourself. Before this I defied gravity, but in this show I defied different tests.
Many viewers, seeing you on the screen, say: “This is a real man.” What does it mean to you to be a real man? What qualities should he have?
I will repeat what Alexander Alexandrovich Karelin said. A real man is, first of all, strength and the ability to bear full responsibility for his loved ones, for his family. Strength is also a big responsibility, but that is what makes you a man.
In your opinion, how has the role of men in society, in sports, and on screen changed in recent years?
It hasn’t changed much yet, because the screens are still dominated by sweet and handsome boys. We have moved away from the image of strong, powerful men; even in the images of historical films that I watch, masculinity is not very present.
Therefore, so far I don’t see that young people have anywhere to take a guideline for a healthy life.
What is the one thing you can’t do without in your day? (This can be anything — from sports exercises to some kind of meditation, for example, or affirmations and trainings)
Not a single day is complete without a delicious and powerful breakfast, when I eat half a kilo of meat and lots and lots of carbohydrates. And I’m just happy about it.
How seriously do you take sports discipline and how often do you allow yourself to break the regime? And what are the consequences of violating the regime?
Now I don’t take my sports regime as seriously as I did when I was preparing for competitions. There is only 5% left of my former seriousness in this matter, but I deserve it. At least that’s how I justify it to myself. But even this 5% is my big chunk of life in sports, which is 10 times more than that of other athletes.
Many people are lazy to exercise regularly because they simply do not have the right motivation. What is the right motivation?
Motivation is your reflection in the mirror, your well-being. As Vladimir Turchinsky said, for a man there is nothing cooler than the feeling of muscle power. When I talk about muscle power, I don’t mean that a man should be a 200-pound pumped-up big man. There must be tone in the muscles.
And plus, when you have already endured 2–3 weeks of training and you can already see the result on the barbell, in the mirror, it is very difficult to get off of it. Sport is a legal drug that I would get everyone hooked on.
How did you get into powerlifting? How did your journey begin and do you remember your emotions when you achieved your first success?
I started powerlifting at the age of 15 and immediately went to my coach, who is still there to this day, the only one and irreplaceable. My journey began with my coach telling me: “Now there are a lot of people in the hall, leave here, come back sometime later”
This was the test I passed. I came back a day later and he signed me up. For me, the first success is a world record. Then I thought how much more I had ahead of me. So I live to this day with the awareness of how much more lies ahead of me.