Canadian bodybuilder Frank McGrath has an inspirational story, unlike any other competitor in the sport. Although he stepped away from professional competition years ago, he maintains a high level of personal fitness and stays engaged with the community online. In a recent episode of IFBB AMA, McGrath shared tips on how to be a bodybuilder on dialysis.
Frank McGrath found his passion for fitness after coming across legendary bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger in his teenage years. He was a relatively smaller kid and started weight training to pack on the pounds. While studying at university, McGrath won his debut contest in 2000. He participated in other regional shows before securing his Pro card by handily dispatching the competition at the CBBF Canadian Championships in 2003.
During his days of competing on stage, McGrath gained attention for his unreal arm/forearm muscle development with insane vascularity, muscle detail, and proportions. Besides his competitive career, McGrath made a name for himself as a fitness model gracing several magazine covers, including Muscle and Fitness, Flex magazine, and Sports Illustrated. His celebrity skyrocketed after he signed a deal with Universal Nutrition for the Animal Training Series brand. His work with the company helped him break into the mainstream beyond bodybuilding.
McGrath showed a lot of potential from the start. He turned in a strong performance at the 2011 Tampa Bay Pro where he took bronze and followed up with a fourth-place finish at the 2011 Toronto Pro Invitational. He earned an invite to the Mr. Olympia competition and finished on the periphery of the top 15 in his maiden showing.
The 44-year-old was forced to the sidelines due to multiple injuries and a car crash. He managed to make a comeback but eventually moved on from competition after a final outing at the 2015 IFBB Ferrigno Legacy.
In Aug. 2018, Frank McGrath collaborated with iconic bodybuilder Flex Lewis for an intense lower-body workout. The seven-time Men’s 212 Olympia champion blasted his legs with McGrath in preparation for his final win at the 2018 Mr. Olympia show. The duo appeared to get along well and regrouped for another brutal arms workout in honor of the late Dallas McCarver.
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McGrath teamed up with fitness sensation Tristyn Lee for a sleeve-busting arms training session in Dec. 2021. He guided the youngster through the challenging workout targeting the biceps, triceps, and forearms. Lee lauded McGrath’s stellar arms and revealed he got to cross one item off his bucket list.
Frank McGrath shares how to be a bodybuilder on dialysis
In a recent YouTube video, Frank McGrath shared some of his best tips on how to be a bodybuilder on dialysis.
He recommended focusing on recovering properly and not overdoing things in the gym.
“I was born with one kidney, never really had any problems my entire life. I still continue to do bodybuilding even though I knew the risks and I was very lucky that I didn’t have any serious problems until I got a little bit older,” said McGrath. “You can still be a bodybuilder, still do all that stuff but you have to take time off and that’s hard for a lot of people to do. Come off gear, you’re going to get smaller, weaker, not as strong, not going to feel as good but that’s part of the game. You’ve got to give your body a break, time to recover, and not overdo it. That’s one of my biggest tips.”
McGrath cautioned against eating too much junk food.
“Also, your diet. I’m known for eating a lot of junk food and junk food isn’t always the best for your organs. Don’t go crazy with that stuff and you still enjoy your food.”
He stressed the importance of not overexerting your body and suggested training three to four times a week with adequate rest.
“Understanding that to continue doing what you love to do you need to adapt to new situations. You can’t stay the same person forever so I’ve learned to train less and save my energy for the days that I can’t train. There’s times when I train seven days a week. Now, I probably train three to four times a week and I’ve still been able to maintain 245 pounds. Dorian Yates used only trained three to four times a week and Mike Mentzer. You can do the same workouts just more condensed and more time to rest. I realize too there’s times that I can train and the best thing for me to do is just to back off let my body rest, get the energy back, and hit the gym when you feel good again.
“It’s definitely been a struggle more mentally than anything knowing that you’ve got a machine that keeps you alive. It was a lot to do at first and didn’t talk about it to anybody for over a year. I don’t know if I felt embarrassed or ashamed or whatever but I was definitely afraid of how people would judge me. It was difficult.”
Frank McGrath’s latest offering will certainly provide a lot of value for those in a similar spot. He’s living proof that any hurdle can be overcome no matter what and his guidelines on how to train will likely inspire the next generation.
You can watch the full video below.
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