The Pec'ing Order

One of the Most Popular Bodybuilders in Ifbb History Is Older, Wiser—and Still a Force in the Pro Ranks. Here, Dominican Dominator Victor Martinez Takes on Chest Training While Revealing His Competitive Plans for 2017.

- Michael Berg, N.S.C.A.-C.P.T.

There was a time when Victor Martinez was considered the heir apparent to Ronnie Coleman’s eight-time Olympia reign, and rightfully so. He had the symmetry and proportion of a Dexter Jackson, yet with enough mass to compete with the likes of Coleman and Jay Cutler. His physique was a wonder, and 2007 was the year it all came together.

First, he roared to victory at the Arnold Classic in the spring, setting up a showdown at the Olympia against Cutler—who had dethroned Coleman the prior year—and the rest of a particularly loaded lineup, a who’s who of the era’s best. Yet, on that fateful night of Sept. 29, it was not to be, as Cutler edged him in a controversial decision by four points, all told. Victor would never come that close again.

Yet, for those who figured Martinez was finished as a force on the pro circuit, the Dominican Dominator had a surprise for the doubters. Facing down some intense, soul-crushing personal dramas—including the horrific murder of his sister in 2009, a seven-month immigration-related jail stint in 2011 in which his fate hung in the balance as to whether he could remain in the U.S., and the ongoing challenges of raising two autistic children—he continued to do the one thing he could control: He lifted.

After falling all the way to eighth at the 2010 O, he roared back to third at the 2011 Arnold Classic. He also earned his first win since ’07 by taking the Arnold Classic Europe and finished fourth at the Olympia. In 2013, he added a Toronto Pro championship, and in 2014, the Tampa Pro title.