Claude Groulx is a retired IFBB Pro bodybuilder from Montreal, Canada. Groulx competed in the 1990s and 2000s era of bodybuilding and was known for his well-proportioned physique. This article explores his biography, competition history, workout and diet as well as statistics.
Claude Groulx
Born: June 24, 1962
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Residence: Miami, Florida, USA
Height: 5′ 8″ (175 cm)
Off-Season Weight: 250 lbs (114 kg)
Competition Weight: 227 lbs (103 kg)
Arms: 20″ (51 cm)
Chest: 48″ (122 cm)
Waist: 29″ (74 cm)
Thighs: 28″ (71 cm)
Calves: 20″ (51 cm)
Claude Groulx Biography
Early Life
Claude Groulx was born on June 24, 1962, in Montreal, Canada. Growing up, he was involved in sports like hockey, skiing, judo and karate. Groulx was particularly attracted to individual sports like martial arts and bodybuilding which, according to him, help build confidence.
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Groulx initially attempted to get into bodybuilding when he was 16 and bought a Joe Weider weight set and training program. His goal was to gain weight and add muscle but he quickly lost interest in it.
Claude Groulx was re-introduced to the world of bodybuilding by a fitness enthusiast friend when he was 20. For the first few years, Groulx trained to get fit and strong. Competing professionally in bodybuilding was never his agenda.
“I didn’t expect my career to push that far. I was just doing it for myself for the first, maybe, five years. I was just training three-four times a week. It was not serious.”
But looking at Groulx’s quick progression, one of the coaches in his gym suggested that he could become a successful bodybuilder if he approached training and diet the right way. Under his guidance, Groulx started training seriously and eventually built a physique that was worthy of competing on a global bodybuilding stage.
Early Career
Groulx made his amateur bodybuilding debut at the 1987 Mr. Montreal and walked away with a runner-up finish. He returned at the same show in 1988 and emerged victoriously this time. He participated in several amateur bodybuilding shows in the following years and won a vast majority of them, absolutely dominating the competition.
At the 1992 Canadian National Championships, Claude Groulx became the overall champion. While he could have started his professional bodybuilding journey with this win, Groulx, who was a middleweight at the time, decided to take some time to add more muscle to his frame.
Groulx wanted to be competitive against the elite professional bodybuilders and after adding more size, he won the 1994 Canadian National Championships in the light heavyweight division and also became the overall winner to earn the IFBB Pro Card.
Professional Bodybuilding Career
Claude Groulx made his professional bodybuilding debut at the 1995 Night of Champions and walked away with an 11th-place finish. He continued to participate in bodybuilding competitions for the next decade and retired after a 19th-place finish at the 2004 Mr. Olympia. He placed in the top five in several reputed bodybuilding competitions and also won the 2003 Masters Olympia.
Competition History
- 1995 Niagra Falls Pro Cup, 11th place
- 1995 Canada Pro Cup, 4th place
- 1995 Night of Champions, 11th place
- 1996 San Jose Invitational, 11th place
- 1996 Ironman Pro Invitational, 11th place
- 1997 Night of Champions, 6th place
- 1997 Canada Pro Cup, 4th place
- 1998 Finland Grand Prix, 7th place
- 1998 German Grand Prix, 7th place
- 1998 Mr. Olympia, 16th place
- 1998 Night of Champions, 8th place
- 1998 Canada Pro Cup, 5th place
- 1998 San Francisco Pro, 4th place
- 1999 Night of Champions, 11th place
- 1999 Toronto Pro Cup, 4th place
- 2000 Canada Pro Cup, 4th place
- 2000 Hungarian Grand Prix, 5th place
- 2000 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic, 9th place
- 2000 Ironman Pro Invitational, 7th place
- 2001 New Zeland Grand Prix, 3rd place
- 2001 British Grand Prix, 13th place
- 2001 Mr. Olympia, 20th place
- 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix, 5th place
- 2001 San Francisco Cup, 5th place
- 2002 Amsterdam Grand Prix, 5th place
- 2002 British Grand Prix, 5th place
- 2002 Mr. Olympia, 16th place
- 2003 Masters Olympia, 1st place
- 2003 Show of Strength, 15th place
- 2003 Amsterdam Grand Prix, 9th place
- 2003 Russian Grand Prix, 8th place
- 2003 British Grand Prix, 8th place
- 2003 Mr. Olympia, 14th place
- 2003 Rome Grand Prix, 4th place
- 2003 Australian Grand Prix, 5th place
- 2003 San Francisco Grand Prix, 8th place
- 2004 Show of Strength Pro Championship, 11th place
- 2004 Mr. Olympia, 19th place
Claude Groulx Workout
Claude Groulx follows an intense training routine that includes compound and isolation exercises for all muscle groups.
Over the years, Groulx learned that training too hard closer to the show was draining him of the energy and he looked flat on stage as compared to a few weeks before. Realizing this mistake, he started training light during the last phase of competition prep, which helped him get better results.
During the off-season, Groulx did not push his body too much and tried to stay close to his competition weight. Typically, Groulx trained twice a day for the most part when he was 10 to 12 weeks out of the show. He trained for 30 to 35 minutes in each session during competition prep. His training sessions were longer and more extensive during the off-season and he trained only once a day.
The same pattern followed for cardio as well. Groulx reduced the length of cardio sessions to 30 minutes for the last few weeks before the competition date from the usual 1-hour routine he followed during the off-season.
A combination of these crucial changes in training routine helped Groulx to be more energized and fresh on stage and he could pose better while being more aware of his surroundings.
“You need a lot of energy… For posing, the prejudging stage is really hard. If you’re not in your top condition, you’re not at your best, if you’re tired from your workout, you’re not going to do well on stage. Everything you did before is going to be a waste.”
Claude Groulx trained every body part twice a week. Legs, however, were an exception and Groulx trained them only once.
Following are the exercises for some of the muscle groups that Groulx liked to perform.
Back
Shoulders and Traps
- Dumbbell Shrugs
- Machine Shoulder Press
- Machine Lateral Raises
- Cable Front Raises
- Cable Rear Delt Flyes
- Reverse Pec Deck Flyes
Chest
Arms
- Dumbbell Curls
- Preacher Curls
- Hammer Curls
- Wrist Curls variations (Barbell, Dumbbell, Cable reverse-grip)
Claude Groulx Diet
Claude Groulx followed a typical bodybuilder’s diet that was high in protein with moderate carbohydrates and low-fat content.
Fish, chicken, and red meat were Claude Groulx’s preferred sources of dietary protein. However, he consumed red meat in relatively lesser quantities – approximately three meals per week.
Groulx reduced the carbohydrate intake as he got closer to the show (preferably from three weeks out). He tried to do the opposite at the 2001 Olympia and increased his carbohydrate intake considerably on someone’s advice.
However, his body started retaining a lot of water, which had a significant negative impact on his performance. As a result, Groulx never repeated the same mistake.
In terms of daily caloric intake, Claude Groulx varied it from 2800 to 3500 calories and kept gradually decreasing and increasing it every week.
“Like this, I kepy my metabolism high. I tried going under 3000 calories for long periods of time and my metabolism was just shutting down.”
Fish was Groulx’s favorite food source during his competitive years not only for protein but for other benefits as well. According to Groulx, the oils in fish gave him a lot of energy. He came to this conclusion after experiencing extreme fatigue when he stopped consuming fish.
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