When you meet Maurizio Barattieri at the Tippness gym in Shibuya where he trains and works, you quickly realize that a diet is the last thing he needs.

“Well,” he chuckles, “a Japanese doctor I once saw told me I needed one: I’m 165 centimeters tall and weigh 78 kilograms, and somehow he overlooked my muscles and reached the conclusion that I was overweight,” says Barattieri.

If there is one thing the 2007 75-kilogram and 2010 80-kilogram IFBB Italian Champion is very careful about, it is keeping his form year-round.

“In a sense I’m always on a diet. Apart from the weekends, when I eat whatever I want, I follow a strict diet based on fish, chicken and a lot of eggs,” says Barattieri.

“Many people, especially the youngsters, think that you only need to start getting into shape three months before a competition, but for me that’s too late," says Barattieri.

"I lift weights for about one hour and a half every morning, Monday through Friday, usually devoting one or two days to each part of my body. Just before a tournament I add cardio to my routine,” he explains.

“Only the weekends are off. When I don’t have to teach or work as an interpreter I spend the time with my wife and son, draw manga and go hunting for metal robots or chogokin,” he adds.

Ask the Italian teacher and personal trainer about his love for body building and he will tell you about his childhood, and martial arts.

“I used to study karate with a Japanese teacher. I particularly admired Bruce Lee for his body,” says Barattieri.

“When I was 18, I chanced upon a body-building magazine and was deeply impressed by a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even now, after so many years, I never tire of watching his movie Pumping Iron. As for my role-models, I particularly like Steve Reeves and Lou Ferrigno,” he says.


Italy at the time was also experiencing an invasion of Japanese pop culture.

“Around 1978 Japanese anime became very famous in Italy, starting with UFO Robot Goldrake and Mazinger Z.”

Inspired by anime and his love for drawing, Barattieri studied at the European Institute of Design in Milan, his hometown.

He then started working as a freelance illustrator and began to study Japanese language after a visit to Tokyo that reinforced his love for the country and its culture.

“The next natural step for me was to spend one year in Tokyo in order to improve my language skills. It was at that time that I was offered a job as a teacher, so I decided to stay. That was in 2001. I’ve lived here since,” Barattieri says.
Making a living as a body builder

When it comes to body building, Barattieri is quick to point out the differences between the United States, Italy and Japan.

“Both in Japan and Italy there is no money for body building. Especially in my home country the sport’s image is a little negative,” Barattieri says.

“Forget being sponsored by a protein or supplement company, like in the United States. In Italy all the people who are active in this discipline are gym owners or make a living some other way," he explains.

"Actually being a body builder costs you money. When the national team travels abroad to take part in the European or Mediterranean Championships, we have to pay our own expenses,” he adds.

Even in Japan the most famous body builder, Hidetada Yamagishi, had to move to the United States in order to live as a professional.

Barattieri has won tournaments both in Italy and abroad. The ISSA-certified personal trainer thinks that Japan is still lagging behind other countries.

“In Italy the average level is higher. In Japan at any given tournament there is a huge difference between the two-three best people and the rest. The other contenders would never make the top 10 in Italy,” Barattieri explains.

Barattieri has a slightly different approach to training, compared to most Japanese body builders: “I’m careful not to use too heavy weights. I usually bench 120 kilograms max,” he says.

“For me form and feeling are more important than raw strength. It is important to develop a well-balanced body. I sometimes see people squat 200 kilograms but it is clear they are dangerously going over their limit,” Barattieri says.

Only on particular occasions does Barattieri seek someone else’s help.

“Last year in order to get ready for the big tournaments I hired American Dave Palumbo as a personal trainer. As he lives in America we did everything via e-mail, but it was worth it, and I used this experience to win the Italian Championships this year,” he says.

Barattieri’s next challenge will be this year’s IFBB Pro World Master Championships taking place on December 10, 2011 at Eden Rock, Miami, Florida.