RECENTLY
MUSCLE
MEMORY
HAD A
CHANCE
TO SIT
DOWN AND
CHAT WITH
ADOLPH TO
LEARN A
LITTLE BIT
ABOUT HAS
PAST AND
FUTURE
GOALS.
MM: IN 2017 YOU WON YOUR IFBB PRO CARD,
AFTER FINISHING FIRST PLACE IN THE LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION AND SECOND OVERALL
AT THE CBBF CANADIAN NATIONALS. CAN YOU
TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR
JOURNEY UNTIL THAT POINT?
ADOLPH: I think the biggest highlight came
in January 2011. I had just started working
out and I was in a very dark place. For me go-
ing to the gym was kind of like therapy after
everything I’d been through. I knew nothing
about bodybuilding. I was 28 years old and it
helped me take my mind off my problems. It
made me feel stronger and more confident.
After a few weeks of workouts I was at the
gym and someone I didn’t know asked if I was
a bodybuilder. I replied “No” and he said I
should train to be a professional bodybuilder
because I have an amazing physique. At the
time I didn’t really take him seriously and
laughed at the idea but then other people
started telling me the same thing. A few
months later I met Fedel Clarke who is an
IFBB Pro bodybuilder. He told me about the
OPA Natural Provincial show coming up and
he thought I should compete in it. He volun-
teered to help prep me and that September I
won the overall.
MM: YOU RECENTLY MADE YOUR PRO DEBUT
AT THE 2018 TORONTO PRO SUPERSHOW IFBB
CHAMPIONSHIPS WHERE YOU PLACED 5TH.WERE
YOU SATISFIED WITH YOUR PLACING? AND ALSO
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR CONTEST PREP.
ADOLPH: No I wasn’t happy at all. I was
very disappointed. I’m not used to finishing
out of the top three. I felt like I was going to
win the show and I still think I was one of
the best bodybuilders on stage but the judges
had a different opinion. I really felt that I
deserved to be in the top three. As for my
prep and dieting, I don’t prep long. A lot of
people say that’s not possible. I usually prep
for six weeks. The average bodybuilder preps
for at least 16 weeks. My fat percentage in the
off-season is very low. I’m always ready to
compete. I have good genetics. When I prep
too long, I lose muscle.
MM: WHEN YOU FINALLY MADE IT TO NORTH
AMERICA YOU ARRIVED AND LIVED IN CHICAGO.
TELL US ABOUT SOME OF YOUR EARLY EXPERI-
ENCES AND THE CHALLENGES OF ACCLIMATING TO
AMERICAN CUSTOMS AND CULTURE.
ADOLPH: My oldest brother was sponsored
by his wife to travel to the US. Later through
a study program he sponsored me to come to
the United States. I arrived at JFK airport
where my brother and his wife picked me
up. When I got off the plane and saw the
city I felt like I was dreaming. It was so
different than Africa. Everything seemed
abundant. My first meal was a McDon-
ald’s cheeseburger, fries and a coke. It
was the best food I had ever tasted in my
life. The following week I traveled to my
campus in Chicago. I’d been staying at
the campus residence until Thanksgiving
when I met a special couple, Ron and Joe
Gilley. After sharing one meal with them
they invited me to stay with them at their
home and for two years treated me like
their own son.
After high school, I was accepted into
St. Mary’s University in Minnesota where
I graduated with a degree in IT. The most
challenging thing about being a refugee
was money. I didn’t have any. I had to
work two jobs while attending university.
I worked as a home health aide and as a
courier.
MM: AFTER YOU GRADUATED FROM UNIVER-
SITY YOU DECIDED TO MOVE TO CANADA AND
LIVE IN TORONTO. WHY TORONTO?
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