Petar Čelik – Complete Profile: Height, Workout And Diet

Petar Celik is a legendary bodybuilder from Serbia. Celik is revered as one of the pioneers of the Serbian bodybuilding scene. He is credited for spreading awareness about bodybuilding in Eastern Europe and erstwhile Yugoslavia by being a successful competitor, entrepreneur, author, publisher, and president of several bodybuilding federations. This is his complete profile, biography, competition history, and statistics.

Petar Čelik (Bodybuilder)

Born: December 25, 1949
Birthplace: Belgrade, SERBIA
Residence: Novi Sad, SERBIA
Nickname: Pera
Height: 5′ 8″ (175 cm)
Weight: 213 lbs (97 kg)
Arms: 19″ (48 cm)
Waist: 34″ (86 cm)
Chest: 50″ (128 cm)
Thighs: 26″ (66 cm)
Calves: 18,5″ (47 cm)

Petar Celik Biography

Early Life

Petar Celik was born on December 25, 1949, in Belgrade, former Yugoslavia. His family moved to Backa Palanka when he was young where he completed his high school education. Celik started learning music after school and eventually turned towards bodybuilding.

In Yugoslavia, bodybuilding had no recognition as a sport or there was no way one could make a living or a good career as a bodybuilder. As a result, there was no guidance, study material, or books that were available in the country that could help someone get started in bodybuilding.

However, one of Celik’s friends, who was of German descent, received bodybuilding and fitness magazines from West Germany. This served as the only study material that Celik could use to learn and understand bodybuilding.

“Of course, that wasn’t enough, but it was “something.” Along with that, I watched foreign movies like Hercules with American actor Steve Reeves in the main role and Reg Park too. They had developed bodybuilding figures which inspired us here.”

Role models and inspirations

Celik used these modest means to start his bodybuilding journey and worked hard to achieve the physique he desired. According to him, Steve Reeves’ physique was something he looked up to while growing up. But with time, Celik was more interested in building a physique like Frank Zane and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

With time, Celik gained more knowledge and realized that he could not blindly try to achieve a physique that looked like someone else’s. He decided to follow his path and understand his body better to know what he could achieve with it.

Business ventures

By 1969, Celik had dedicated his life to bodybuilding and traveled to Germany to become a certified trainer. This helped Celik advance in his career. Petar Celik started the first bodybuilding federation in Yugoslavia in 1971, which contributed tremendously to the growth of the sport in the region. He is also credited for opening a gym in Blanca Palanka, which was the first of its kind in Yugoslavia.

In 1972, Celik started publishing the Herkules magazine, which was Yugoslavia’s first magazine for health and fitness. The magazine steadily grew in popularity over the years and started selling as many as 57,000 copies. The magazine has sold over 700,000 copies and is in circulation with the Republic of Macedonia today.

Petar Celik made huge progress in the fitness industry in the following years and also started a factory that made protein supplements. This was happening at the same time when his bodybuilding career was also shaping up.

Bodybuilding Career

Petar Celik started competing fairly early and won his first bodybuilding competition when he took home the 1975 Yugoslavian Championships trophy. The following year, he won the 1976 Slovenian championships. Celik was the most successful and the most popular bodybuilder in Yugoslavia at the time, a country where the sport was still in its nascent stages.

In 1980, Celik captured the Serbian Championships and also the DBBV European Championships organized by the German Bodybuilding and Fitness Association. Petar Celik won the competition in the middleweight division and also became the overall winner. In doing so, he defeated the likes of two-time European champion Janko Rudman and 1978 NABBA Mr. Universe Salvador Ruiz. Celik regards this as the biggest and most valuable victory of his career because of the competition he defeated.

In 2003, Petar Celik won the first of his 10 World Championships and continued to dominate the scene for the next decade. He retired from competition after winning the 2012 IFBB World Championships in the 60+ category.

Throughout his career, Petar Celik won the Mr. Yugoslavia competition in all the bodybuilding federations active in the erstwhile nation at the time.

One of the most prominent bodybuilders to come out of Serbia, Celik believes that there have been instances of prejudice against Eastern European bodybuilders in the Western bodybuilding scene. However, he also believes that if you are better than the competition, no one can deny you success if you stay committed to your craft.

“The one who is persistent and doesn’t give up after the first few losses, that person will have a successful career over time. Of course, for that, you need enough years of appearances at competitions.”

Career outside competitive bodybuilding

Apart from being a competitive bodybuilder, Celik played a major role in running the bodybuilding federation in Yugoslavia. He was the IFBB and NABBA President for Yugoslavia and organized the 1984 NABBA Mr. World competition in Belgrade.

Petar Celik also served as the President of the Federation for Weightlifting of Yugoslavia and as a delegate in the Olympic Committee of Yugoslavia.

After reducing his activity level in competitions, Petar Celik became an associate professor of bodybuilding at the Higher School for Sports Coaches in Belgrade, Serbia.

Competition History

• 1975 – Yugoslavian Championships
• 1976 – Slovenian Championships
• 1980 – Serbian Championships
• 1980 – DBBV European Championships
• 1994 – Yugoslavian Championships
• 2003 – WFF European Championships
• 2003 – WFF World Championships
• 2004 – IBFA World Championships
• 2004 – Regional Championship (HeavyWeight)
• 2004 – Regional Championship (Seniors)
• 2004 – Cupa Vasile Balmos Masters
• 2010 – NABBA National Championships
• 2010 – IFBB National Championships
• 2010 – IFBB World Cup
• 2010 – WFF Mr. Universe
• 2011 – WFF World Championships
• 2011 – IFBB World Championships
• 2012 – IFBB World Championships 50+
• 2012 – IFBB World Championships 60+

Petar Celik Workout

Petar Celik has always maintained a stance that bodybuilding, physical activity, and involvement in sports are not just a matter of personal well-being but an issue of national interest.

Celik believes that everyone needs to participate in physical activities, be it as a part of the job or an activity for fitness purposes.

Despite crossing on the wrong side of 70, Petar Celik maintains a hardcore training routine and his muscular physique stands testimony to that. Speaking about the secret of his good health in the 70s, Celik once said:

“The secret to my fit physique is that I do not just prepare for a competition. I am always in shape, and I focus more on my diet before a competition. Also, I always pay attention to my line and never stop training.”

Petar Celik Diet

Petar Celik firmly believes that 80 percent of the success in bodybuilding depends upon what and how you eat. While many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts tend to believe that training hard will nullify all the negative aspects of their dietary practices, Celik cautions that it is a big mistake and that building a great physique without a proper diet is next to impossible.

According to Celik, understanding diet from the point of view of performance as well as long-term health is equally important. If performance is the sole focus, it could yield negative results in the long run when you start getting older.

Celik has always been critical of steroids and other substances used in the bodybuilding world today. He claims that PEDs are a particularly Western phenomenon where the means of reaching the goal are not valued:

“They say about Americans that in the first half of their life they sell their health for money then, if they succeed in that, in the second half of their life they want to buy their health back with that money. But it doesn’t work. Health is to be taken care of while you still have it and sports should contribute to that and not harm your health.”

Celik relies on an organic, whole-food diet for nutrition and stays away from chemically loaded and ultra-processed foods. He believes that human beings have been disconnected from nature as civilization has advanced and thinks that following a healthy and natural diet is the first and most important step to reconnecting with nature.

Personal Life

Petar Celik has five children. He coaches in the local health institute in Backa Palanka and works as an associate professor at the University of Belgrade. Celik is still active in the competitive bodybuilding sphere today and helps young bodybuilders prepare for bodybuilding shows.

To Conclude…

Petar Celik’s life story shows that even a single individual can make a significant impact on history. Not only did Celik become a popular and successful bodybuilder, but he created opportunities and an environment for younger generations to be able to pursue bodybuilding and fitness. His contribution to the sport goes far beyond the trophies or titles he won.

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