Hidetada Yamagishi  Share

• The Dragon Unleashed: Episode 4
• The Dragon Unleashed: Episode 3
• The Dragon Unleashed: Episode 2
• The Dragon Unleashed: Episode 1
• The Dragon Unleashed Intro.
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Goals set and reached for 2009
My main goal for 2009 was to make the top ten at the Mr. Olympia contest. I placed thirteenth the first time I competed there in 2007, and getting that close only made me want to break into the top ten that much more. I knew it was going to be a very tough lineup – everybody was saying this all year long! With Jay, Dexter, Heath, Kai, Victor, Branch, Toney, and so many other great competitors, I knew it would not be easy. But I felt very confident that if I worked as hard as I could and kept improving, I could do it. 2009 was the best season ever for me as a pro. I took top five in all four contests I did leading up to the Mr. Olympia. Placing second in Orlando and Atlantic City was really rewarding. Of course I wanted to win those shows, but for me to go from not being able to make top fifteen at smaller shows only three years ago to this was amazing. The New York Pro was also a good achievement even though I took fifth place there. Except for Silvio, all the guys who beat me there were 30-60 pounds heavier. Considering I was only eight pounds heavier than the 202 winner at the New York Pro, it felt good that I was able to compare with the really huge guys. But this was not a coincidence. 2009 was the first year I lived in the USA the whole time. I trained at two of the best bodybuilding gyms in the world, Gold's Gym in Venice, California and Koloseum Gym in Fullerton. And a few weeks before the Mr. Olympia, I signed on as an athlete with Gaspari Nutrition. The season ended perfectly when I got ninth place at the Mr. Olympia. There were a lot of guys I was able to beat there who had very impressive competitive records, and they had all beaten me before: Dennis James, Silvio Samuel, Markus Ruhl, Melvin Anthony, Gustavo Badell, Dennis Wolf, Troy Alves, and Darrem Charles. I wasn't supposed to beat any of them at the Mr. Olympia, but I did!

Most memorable appearance of the year
I've only been with Gaspari a short time, but I appreciate the opportunities I have already had to travel to different places. A couple weeks ago I visited Canada for the first time for an appearance in Vancouver. So cold there! I guess I would say the one I will remember the most was the Olympia expo. I was competing, so I could only spend a couple days every day at the Gaspari booth. But so many people came up to me to say hello and take pictures. I was really surprised at how many Asian fans told me how much they appreciate what I am doing to represent Asia in the IFBB. I am very proud to represent Japan and all of Asia in these contests, and I hope to inspire more men and women in Asia to start bodybuilding. There is a lot of potential over there. The people just need the right information and some good motivation. Hopefully Rich will send me over there next year so I can help get more of them involved.

Favorite new Gaspari Products of 2009
My favorite new product is definitely the new version of Size-On called Maximum Performance. I have been using the sample packets at every workout since the Mr. Olympia. Now it's just over two months later and I am 240 pounds. I have never weighed this much in my life, and I am still in pretty good condition too. PlasmaJet isn't really new, but I have to mention that it's my favorite Gaspari Nutrition product of all. I felt a real difference in my workout as soon as I started using it, and I wouldn't want to train without it now.

Looking forward
I just got the call from Jim Lorimer, so I will be competing in the Arnold Classic in a couple months. That was exciting, because it's an invitation-only contest and every pro wants to do it. After 2009, I know I can hold my condition all season long, so I will probably do every single IFBB show held in America this year: the Phoenix Pro, the Arnold, the Orlando show, the New York Pro, the Europa, and the Atlantic City before finishing up again at the Mr. Olympia. I have a lot more confidence going into the 2010 season than I ever have, because now I know I can be one of the best in the world even if I am not as big as a lot of the other guys. And now that I have the support of Gaspari Nutrition and their products, I feel like nothing can stop me!

Meal 1: Oatmeal/1cup, Egg white x12 , Halodrol x1cap
Meal 2: Rice/2cup, Chicken/200g, PlazmaJet x10cap
Pre-workout: Superpump250 x3scoop
During-workout: SizeOn x1scoop
Post-workout: RealMass
Meal 3: Potato/300g, Steak/200g, Halodrol x1cap
Meal 4: Potato/300g, Chicken/200g
Meal 5: Rice/2cup, Salmon/200g
Meal 6: IntraPro 2scoop
Before Bed: Novedex XT x2cap, Halodrol x1cap

Cardio45min the first thing in the morning with Mitotropin
Meal 1: Oatmeal/1cup, Egg white x12 , Halodrol x1cap
Meal 2: Rice/1cup, Chicken/200g, PlasmaJet x10cap
Pre-workout: Superpump250 x3scoop, Cytolean V2
During-workout: SizeOn x1 scoop
Post-workout: IntraPro 2 scoop
Meal 3: Potato/300g, Steak/200g, Halodrol x1cap
Meal 4: Chicken/200g
Meal 5: Salmon/200g
Meal 6: IntraPro 2scoop
Before Bed: Novedex XT x2cap, Halodrol x1cap

Quads: Leg Extension, Leg Press, Hack Squat, Squat
Chest: Incline Bench Press, Dumbbell Bench Press, Hummer strength Decline press, Cable Cross Over.
Back: Lat Pull Down, T-bar Row, Barbell Row, Cable Row
Ham and Calves: Leg Curl, Stiff leg Deadlift, Seated Leg Curl, Lunges, Standing Calf raise, Seated Calf raise.
Delts: Side raise, Front raise, Seated front press, Rear raise, Upright Row
Arms: Barbell Curl/Press down, Incline Dumbbell Curl/Skull Crusher, Scott Curl/Dumbbell French press(Super set)

Same as off-season. I don't change workout. I just add cardio in the morning and after woukout.