It is only fitting that this story is released on Easter of all days…a day to celebrate new life and new beginnings. Danny Kovarkizi is a shining example of celebrating new beginnings. Often we focus on things we wish we could change; but, we feel we have little or no control over. So what do you do to get past that? Do what Danny Kovarkizi does. First, take stock of your blessings. We have blessing on top of blessing that are often overlooked. Once you realize and appreciate these blessings you will find the impetus to push and make changes that may have before seemed impossible.
So why should you do what Danny Kovarkizi does? You should consider Danny’s approach because he’s a man doing the impossible and living his dream. In short time Danny has pushed from being a religious refugee in Iran to winning 1st Place in only his second NPC Men’s Physique show. This wasn’t an overnight trip by any means; but, it is a fascinating journey and one in which is really just now getting underway.
How did it all begin? Danny grew up in Iran and was raised as a Christian. He was in the religious minority and found his views held him back in the social and political arena in his country. This occurred on more than one occasion. One of the early and life shaping instances of this was in his Basketball days. Danny is a great basketball player. He is good enough actually that he played professionally in the Dokaanyat League (Iranian Professional Basketball League) and was called up for the National Team. This was a huge honor as Danny was the youngest player to be called in for the National Team. It wasn’t long though until this option was pulled because of his religious beliefs. This was a major eye opener and when Danny decided to make some serious changes in his life.
Soon after, he found himself on a flight to the United States. As fate would have it while in the air on September 11th 2001 his flight was sent back to Europe midflight because of all that was happening in the air that day. His arrival to NY was delayed for obvious reasons. When all was said and done with the detours and layovers etcetera it took 15 days to fly to America. Most importantly he made it here safely.
He ended up in California with some relatives for a bit and found his feet when he began managing a carwash. He continued to work hard and then decided he wanted to work for himself. That’s when he decided to get into the restaurant game. He operated a restaurant for four years. This venture taught him not only how to cook, it reinforced all of the great options here in our country that we are blessed to have.
Though Danny enjoyed the restaurant business, he then remembered a valuable thought from his Pro-Basketball coach in Iran. “Coach” was wise enough to push Danny into using his physique in a manner of business beyond just trying to make a few bucks on the court. It was his coach that first gave him the idea that he could get into the fitness magazines and modeling. This idea, though tucked away for a bit, has emerged stronger than ever and Danny is on his way to becoming a very recognizable physique here in The States. After competing two times in the NPC’s relatively new division of Men’s Physique, Danny found himself in the top five on each occasion. As a matter of fact, he took 1st in his class in his most recent competition. Danny plans to use the notoriety from the competitions as a springboard to success in the fitness world.
You’re probably wondering what kind of training Danny does in preparation for the contests. He performs old school weight training most of the year in a standard split fashion:
Standard Split:
Monday: Chest, Traps
Tuesday: Back, Lower Back
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Arms
Friday: Shoulders
Also, he trains abs most days. He plays basketball for cardio occasionally. Then a few weeks out from the completion he switches his lifting split to an upper body day and a lower body day. He performs three exercises per muscle using lighter weight and reps of 20-25 reps for 3-4 sets. Once the competition is over, it’s back to the old school training.
Pre-Contest Training:
Sample Upper Body:
Fly 4x25
Bench Press 4x25
Incline Bench Press 4x25
Lat Pull down (overhand) 4x25
Lat Pull down (underhand) 4x25)
Cable Row 4x25
Shoulder Press 3x25
Side Raise 3x25
Bicep Curl 4x25
Triceps Pushdown 4x25
Sample Lower Body:
Squats 4x25
Leg Press 4x25
Leg Curl 4x25
Leg Extension 4x25
Calf Raises 4x25
Seated Calf Raises 4x25
Danny has surmounted trial after trial. There have been many obstacles along the way. Most of these are considerable enough that many would have given up. Danny on the other hand sees challenges for what they are…just challenges to be overcome. He has worked his way into being one of the top physiques in the NPC Men’s Physique division and plans to keep pushing to be considered The Best Physique. What’s more, Danny even has a Reality TV show in the making. Celebrity Fitness training is a hot market and Danny is in a prime position to make a go at that as well with this show. The tools and desire are there for great success. Keep up the great work Danny!
-Ian Lauer CSCS
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