“Everyone said that I won’t succeed”: how an immigrant from Belarus became a famous bodybuilder in the USA

Anton Antipov is a well-known bodybuilder and fitness model, co-founder and co-owner of the Gee Gym fitness club in Miami. He came to the United States from Belarus as a teenager and soon received a contract to work in the modeling business. However, after many years of working as a model, Anton decided to devote himself to his favorite hobby - bodybuilding.

Photo: video frame VOA

“It wasn’t like one day I suddenly decided to go in for sports,” says Anton Voice of America. — My father did gymnastics, dance, played football and was always in very good shape. At the age of 7-8, I already asked him how to make “cubes” on my stomach. And he showed me how to do pull-ups, how to do crunches, how to do push-ups. I started with this very early and am still doing it. That’s how my career turned out.”

Anton Antipov is a professional athlete. Here is his story first hand.

I'm from Bobruisk, Belarus. My little sister, mom, dad and grandma all moved to New York in 1996. Then only we had cassette players and neighbors brought cassettes with “Terminator”, “Rimbaud” and some other films with Arnold, which I constantly watched. Sports was all I knew. I didn’t know the language: I studied French at school. He walked along my street, looked at where the children lived, knocked on them, showed them a hockey stick and said: “Huh?”

I was 20 years old when I walked around Manhattan, agents approached me, looking for talent, new models, new faces. I thought so: maybe there is something in this? They told me then, they say, we like the way you look now. I was constantly sent to the salon to dye my hair, to maintain this image: typically American, as in the Abercrombie & Fitch ad. I wanted to be more brutal, I wanted to grow a beard, shave my head ...

Photo: video frame VOA

I was told that in the fitness area there is no money and you can only earn in fashion. There were shootings where in an hour I
I earned 3 thousand dollars, there were those who made 15 thousand per day. But I spent them just as quickly: once - and no. This led to problems with alcohol, I drank a lot. Everything was in a fog, and there was little meaning in my life. I didn't feel very good and didn't understand why I was acting this way.

Somehow my parents went to rest in the Dominican Republic and called me with them. They went about their business there, and for a couple of days I left everyone, found a small part of the island and spent time near the water, watched the sun go down over the ocean and decided to think how I could become better, to understand my life more, myself as a person ...

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Photo: video frame VOA

After some time, I was a bartender and worked in clubs, while at the same time I was in a fitness agency. One day an agent told me that there was an organization that was developing a new direction, “Beach Bodybuilding.” This was in 2011. I was told to put on shorts and go on stage - without preparing, I took 4th place. After that, I decided to prepare and I got all the first places. I worked as a bartender, but I couldn't miss work. I put on makeup, went to work in makeup, and then straight to the tournament. People looked strange: when you are wearing makeup, only your eyes and teeth are visible in the dark. There was no money for a hotel, I slept in the park: covered in makeup and oil after the competition, then I waited for the finals and received awards. So I won four first places before I went to the national tournament.

Photo: video frame VOA

There are 4 tournaments per year where you can become a professional. To become one, you need to win first place in your category at these tournaments. There were 50 people in my category at that time. And the last time I competed at a national tournament, I not only took first place in my category, but also won the entire tournament in the Beach Bodybuilding category.

Photo: video frame VOA

Photo: video frame VOA

Immediately after the tournament with my award, I went back to work, again applying oil and makeup. I put my cup on the bar counter - and no one looked strange anymore. There I earned money for the next week, and on Saturday evening I finally went home and slept.

Photo: video frame VOA

When I competed at the Arnold Classic in Ohio, I took 3rd place. Arnold is depicted on the bronze medal. And here I am standing with a medal after the tournament, and then Arnold himself walks by and says: “It’s me!” He shook my hand and we took a photo. It felt like a dream had come true.

Photo: video frame VOA

I didn't know how sponsors work. I wrote to these companies and said: “I want to work with you, give me vitamins, sports nutrition and the like.” They always answered me, they say, we don’t know you, if something becomes available, we will write to you. It was good because I was looking to build my resume, win tournaments, pitch in and raise money for organizations simply because it helped someone else. I was able to sign a contract with Nutrex Research, with whom I have been with for 7 years.

In accordance with my contract, I must participate in 6 international events, where I meet with fans. The manufacturing company of dietary supplements organizes a stand where my photos are and where I sign autographs, where people can come and meet with me. Then I have to post, so I use my social networks to promote the product. The company looks at who you are and how you can be useful.

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I also have a second contract, which I signed 4 years ago, with monthly payments. I work for them as a model, and I do the same thing - I promote the company on my Instagram and Facebook. The company produces sports items.

Photo: video frame VOA

Now, without an alarm, I calmly get up at 6 in the morning. The first thing I do is go to the gym: I walk on the track, work out the press and do cardio to sweat and burn a couple of calories. Then the first meal, then I reply to emails.

My first meal looks like this: 12 whites and 2 whole eggs. People look: here's breakfast. And I look: carbohydrates, fats, proteins. For me, this is no longer food, but just calories. When I travel, and I travel a lot, I order ready-to-eat meals from a friend of mine in Texas who delivers such meals. You just throw them in the microwave, 30-60 seconds and they're ready. I also have this approach to vitamins and minerals. There are vitamins that you can get from food, and there are those that you cannot get. With breakfast I take supplements for digestion, for the heart, to maintain muscle size.

At work, I find it more convenient to keep a can of protein on hand instead of carrying chicken or meat, as well as simple carbohydrates like rice cakes. When I don’t even have time to heat up food, I very quickly make myself porridge with baby rice and sweet potatoes. I mix two different carbs and add some protein.

Photo: video frame VOA

It reminds me of porridge from the Soviet Union. My daughter, by the way, doesn’t eat such mixtures, my mother breastfeeds her.

My life has changed: I have a daughter, I have my own business. It all happened in the last 5 months. My bride’s name is Nastya, and my daughter’s name is Ava.

“We communicated through Instagram and it turned out that we have a lot of common interests. So we began to communicate more, more often, and communicated with the child,” says Anton’s fiancee Anastasia Skachkova with a smile.

Photo: video frame VOA

In 2012, a month before my first competition, a big injury occurred,” continues Anton. I was working out and two of my spinal discs slipped during an exercise. I couldn't get out of bed for 2-3 weeks. Everyone said that he had already left the race, his back would never go away. But I still went on stage and took 4th place. Over time, the condition began to improve. I try a lot and give myself a month: if it works, I continue, if it doesn’t work, I stop. If I do these things consistently, I feel good.

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Photo: video frame VOA

I have this approach to everything, which in English sounds like: “Mind over matter.” Basically, I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it. If I'm lying in bed and can't get up, I force myself to get up: I know that I will get up, go, that I can do it.

I always wanted to open a gym. I always wanted to have something of my own, to teach people, I wanted a place where I could feel comfortable and train. And right before my daughter was born, my friends wrote to me - they found out that I also wanted to open a gym, just like them.

“Initially, the idea was to create a specialized gym for performing athletes,” says Elena Panina, co-owner of Gee Gym. — We set up a stage so that we could prepare for the competition. We have 24/7 access to the hall, special light for photo sessions. We tried to create a family environment so that every client feels at home.”

Photo: video frame VOA

Our concept is this: a person signs and we must be here to sign him,” continues Anton. After that, as members of the club, they don’t need us. A person comes to the gym, he has his own key, they train at any time and do whatever they want here. People say they have never seen anything like it. There are already more clients than we expected.

“Most of the clients became members of our club because Anton is a famous person in the sports world, he has many fans,” says Elena. “There are those who came only because they are Anton’s fans.”

Photo: video frame VOA

My clients see how I train, and this already half solves the issue of their motivation,” continues Anton. I give them the push they need. I create an idea on how to promote the hall, negotiate with photographers, write to clients, think about how to advertise and with whom.

When I started, I wanted my name to bring me money, not a career. We want to do the same with the audience. So that the name of the hall makes us money. So far we have been open for a month and are only thinking about what ideas can still be invested here to make a good profit.

Photo: video frame VOA

They told me that I wouldn't be able to become a professional, that I wouldn't be on the cover of a magazine, that I wouldn't sit here and make money from it. Everything that came true for me, they told me it wouldn’t work out. I just put on my headphones and didn't listen to anyone. Even my parents said that it would be better if I became a lawyer. Now my mother is the very first person who goes to the store, buys a cover with me, comes to work and says: “This is my son.”

You only need to listen to yourself - that’s all.

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