Ep 357 - WNBF Champs Heitor Sousa and Adão Martins

Iron Culture presented by MASS

The MASS Crew

Sports & Recreation, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 827 Ratings

🗓️ 10 December 2025

⏱️ 102 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of Iron Culture, Eric Helms is joined by world champions Heitor Sousa and Adão Martins to discuss their journeys in natural bodybuilding. They reflect on their experiences at the WNBF Worlds, the importance of community and support, and the lessons learned from both victories and setbacks. The conversation highlights their friendship, resilience, and the significance of never giving up in the pursuit of excellence in bodybuilding. They reflect on their successful competition year, the art of bodybuilding, strategies for competing annually, the importance of health and longevity, and the supportive community within the sport. The discussion emphasizes the balance between on-season and off-season training, the significance of mental health, and the shared passion for bodybuilding that unites athletes across the globe.

If you're in the market for some lifting gear or apparel, be sure to check out EliteFTS.com (and use our code "MRR10" for a 10% discount)

Chapters
0:00 Introduction to Iron Culture and Competitors
02:52 The Journey of Heitor and Adao in Bodybuilding
05:58 First Competitive Experiences and Challenges
08:53 The Importance of Community and Support in Bodybuilding
12:06 Reflections on Early Competitions and Learning Experiences
15:04 The Growth and Evolution of Heitor and Adao
17:56 The Role of Feedback and Improvement in Competitions
21:00 The Significance of Perseverance in Bodybuilding
23:46 Looking Ahead: Future Goals and Aspirations
33:45 Celebrating Wins Together
36:42 Experiences from Major Competitions
39:42 Learning and Growth in Bodybuilding
42:07 The Journey to World Championships
46:12 Reflecting on 2024's Achievements
49:32 Competing Frequently and Its Impact
51:59 The Art of Bodybuilding and Continuous Improvement
57:04 Balancing Competition and Health
1:06:10 Body Composition and Individual Differences
1:08:04 Training and Nutrition Strategies for Competitors
1:10:56 The Importance of Off-Season Planning
1:13:57 Mental Approach to Training and Competition
1:17:59 Community and Relationships in Bodybuilding
1:26:57 Future Plans and Final Thoughts

Transcript

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0:00.0	everybody welcome back to another episode of iron culture uh i am not joined by the good
0:11.2	dr eric trexler today um but i am joined by two world champions uh w bf world champions
0:18.9	perennial competitors compadres lots of camaraderie.
0:24.6	And before I get into introducing them,
0:27.1	I just want to say thank you for listening into Iron Culture.
0:31.3	We are coming off the back of WNBF World.
0:33.9	So this will be a series of episodes in the next few weeks
0:37.2	where I touch base with some of the competitors who took it all the way to WBF World. So this will be a series of episodes in the next few weeks where I touch base with some of the competitors who took it all the way to WBF Worlds at the pro level competing at the highest levels who have unique insights so you can get a behind the curtain look and elite level natural bodybuilding. The people, the events, the experience, the practice, and also the community,
0:56.0	which I think is an amazing one.
0:58.5	And this will be the first of those series of episodes.
1:01.9	So if you appreciate, if you like this show, if you like this type of content, please
1:06.1	do give us a thumbs up, a subscribe, five stars, I don't know how the internet works. Whatever things that
1:12.2	send off bells and whistles that make Iron Culture do better, please, we need your help.
1:16.9	And if you want to be one of our top tier supporters, please do check out Mass Research
1:22.4	Review. For all you nerds who want to know how to capitalize on nutrition, training, psychology, health, and fitness.
1:29.7	This is Iron Culture supported by Mass, presented by the Mass Research Review, so definitely check that out.
1:36.0	And then finally, we want to give a big shout out to Elite FTS.
1:39.5	Dave Tate and Co, our friends there.
1:41.6	If you want any top quality lifting gear, definitely check out EliteFTS.com, and you can use
1:47.8	the mass research review discount code for 10% off.
1:50.8	That's MRRR10.
1:52.8	So anyway, without further ado, I want to welcome Haider Suza as well as Adau Martens to
	...

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