Ott Kiivikas: The Nordics’ best takes the stage

By the age of 28, Ott Kiivikas was already a name you could not ignore in Estonian bodybuilding. Drawing on an interview with Body, this article traces his journey from Viljandi to the Fitness-Expo stage in Finland, explains why he was considered one of the strongest men in the Nordic countries, and looks at his training and nutrition at the time.

Ott Kiivikas and the background to this story

Ott Kiivikas made a guest appearance at Finland’s Fitness-Expo. Body magazine interviewed one of Estonia’s best-known bodybuilders at a time when his competition condition and work ethic had already made a strong impression on Estonia’s northern neighbors.

His profile at the time was impressive. Name: Ott Kiivikas. Age: 28. Weight: off-season 100-102 kg, competition weight 90-93 kg. Hobbies: music, films and various sports. Relationship status: girlfriend, now wife, Natalia Nazarenko, Ukrainian fitness champion. A daughter, Cristin-Amani, from a previous relationship.

When the conversation turned to Estonia and Estonian bodybuilding, Olev Annus was the name that immediately came to mind for many. He was the man who took the young, promising Ott Kiivikas under his wing. Before that, Ott’s coach had been Indrek Otsus. Both men have earned their place in the history of Estonian bodybuilding; their names are no mere window dressing.

Ott had won the Estonian Championships 13 times, taking the overall title on six of those occasions. He also set his sights on victory at the Estonian Championships in November, and duly won. That says a lot: he did more than talk eloquently about motivation—he put it into practice on stage.

How did Ott Kiivikas get started?

Ott’s sporting journey began early. His brother Mikk is 2 years older than him. His mother’s name is Kristiina. He finished school in Viljandi in 1996. His first notable win came at just 6 years old, in the 1983 race around Lake Paala. He won the same race in the following two years as well.

His move into bodybuilding did not happen overnight. He admired muscular men, and after basketball training, when everyone else went home, he stayed behind to do push-ups and other exercises. He began training with weights regularly at 15. The simple truth: the habit came before the reputation.

He said the best nutrition advice he received came at the European Championships in Ukraine in 2004. Olev Annus, one of Estonia’s most legendary bodybuilders, had already lived in Finland for 20 years and became Ott’s coach in 1999. From that point on, Ott had not lost a single competition in Estonia.

Estonia’s bodybuilding media was still taking shape at the time. Ott mentioned that there were already publications devoted to bodybuilding, as well as the Fitness.ee website, where you could find high-quality photos. The photographs were the work of the EBFF’s official photographer, Arnold Tokko.

Competition, training and progress

The idea of competing came largely from others. Experienced gym-goers at his gym in Viljandi, a town of 25,000 people, asked why he did not compete. Only then did Ott begin to give it serious thought. Intensive training began 3 months later. He was 16, and the year was 1993.

His first competition was in Narva. He competed in the youth category (-67.5 kg), was 16-18 years old, weighed 66.5 kg on stage and placed fourth out of five competitors. It was no great triumph, but the experience mattered. Many start out this way: a little nervous, a little raw, but coming away wiser.

His training changed considerably over the years. Ott said he focused more on feeling the muscle work than on how much he could lift. If the muscle is not working, a heavy weight does little good. He tried different types of exercises and stressed the need for change: if you want to progress, your training has to evolve too.

He trained in phases. The first three weeks focused on strength. The next 3 weeks were devoted to building muscle mass. These were followed by another three-week cycle of exercises for competition preparation. Above all, he valued the mind-muscle connection. In his view, you cannot develop rounded, well-shaped muscles without feeling them work.

His competition schedule was busy. In early 2004, he competed in 15 different competitions. By that point, he had competed 40 times in total. He could compete so often because he maintained his competition condition: between competitions, he was only 5-7 kilograms above his competition weight.

When preparing for several competitions, he felt the most important thing was to keep body weight from rising too much. For a 100-kilogram bodybuilder, for example, he considered 107 kg the ideal body weight during a mass-gaining phase. Keeping the gap that small makes it much easier to get back into competition condition.

Ott Kiivikas: food, supplements and daily routine

Ott said he did not find dieting difficult because he had a fast metabolism and could eat fairly ordinary food. A few weeks before a competition, he made small changes to his diet. He did not eat junk food; healthy food choices were his norm, with portion sizes being the main thing that changed around competition time.

Discussing supplements, he named Tai Kane products, which he had been using for the past six years. Whey Drink Glutamine Peptide ( WDGP ) contained creatine, glutamine peptide, L-carnitine, vitamins, minerals and hydrolyzed proteins. He used it before and after training. For the past 4 years, he had also used Protein No1, which contained collagen. Given his knee problems, he credited it with helping him perform heavy squats.

Ott’s food choices

• Breakfast 07:00: 3 eggs, 5 egg whites, 100-150 g oatmeal, 150 g cottage cheese or quark, tomato, cucumber, 1 dl plain yogurt, pineapple or grapefruit, 2 slices of bread with 10% fat cheese, vitamins, minerals, chromium and zinc.
• Lunch 11:00: 250 g chicken or red meat, 125 g brown rice, 250 g vegetables, 10 g olive oil and ketchup to taste.
• 14:00: 250 g chicken or red meat, 125 g brown rice, 250 g vegetables, 10 g olive oil and ketchup to taste.
• 16:30 before training: A Fat Burner drink mixed with 60g WDGP, plus 30 g Protein No1 and the same vitamins and minerals as at breakfast.
• 22:30 before bed: 5 egg whites, 2 egg yolks, 150 g quark or cottage cheese, tomato, cucumber, plain yogurt, 2 slices of bread, 30 g 10% fat cheese, 30g sliced ham and a cup of green tea.

Achievements and the standard of Estonian bodybuilding

Ott’s best results at the time make it clear why the interview focused on his standing in the Nordic region. In 2002, he placed 8th at the European Championships. In 2003, he finished 7th at the World Championships. In 2004, he placed 5th at the World Championships. In 2005, he finished 2nd at the European Championships and 10th at the World Championships. He also took a win in 2005.

He had won the Estonian Championships 13 times, taking the overall title on six of those occasions (1999-2004). He was a four-time overall winner of the Estonian Cup and an Estonian champion in four different sports: basketball, handball, powerlifting and bodybuilding.

Speaking about Estonian bodybuilding, Ott said the sport had gained greater recognition over the past 40 years. He mentioned Olev Annus, Indrek Otsus, Ain Paavo and Inna Uit. Every competition had at least 30 participants, and that number was growing. He singled out Arnold Tokko for his work at the federation.

He was frank about testing. After the last competition, 4 competitors had been tested, and all tests were negative. He himself had been tested 10 times over the previous four years, with every result negative. He was well known in Estonia and had placed tenth in the athlete of the year voting.

Finland, Fitness-Expo and future plans

Ott followed Finnish bodybuilding closely and kept up to date through friends. He knew many Finnish bodybuilders, having competed at 11 major competitions. When traveling alone, he often sought out the Finns first: his neighbors were familiar faces, and he spoke Finnish. Languages were a strength of his in general: English, Finnish, Russian, Italian and Estonian.

Among the Finns, he mentioned Reijo Pasanen, Ari Kokkonen, Boogie Mustonen, Pappa Heikkinen, Jerry Ossi, Vellu Niskanen, Juha Hakala and Kimmo Salo. At his last competition, he had met Heidi Sorsa and Marjo Krish. He also had a good relationship with Tapani Valkonen. Among the delegation representatives, he knew Jukka Kankala, Matti Halonen and K.P. Ourama.

His appearance at Fitness Expo marked his first visit to the event. He had heard plenty of positive things about it and prepared for his stage appearance as he would for a competition, aiming to look in the best possible shape. The venue was sold out, and the audience made it clear that they liked what they saw.

His goal for the future was clear: to win the amateur world championships. The Estonian Championships were six weeks away (13.11), and he would be aiming for his seventh overall title. Two weeks after the Estonian competition, the amateur world championships would take place in Shanghai, China. His aim was to reach the final and perhaps even win a medal in the under-90-kilogram category.

FAQ: Ott Kiivikas

What was Ott Kiivikas’s main training principle?

He emphasized feeling the muscle work. For him, a heavy weight was only useful if the muscle was actually doing the work and the exercise led to progress.

How often did Ott do aerobic training?

He did aerobic training 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes at a time. Before each workout, he warmed up for 10 minutes, and afterward he stretched for about 20-30 minutes.

What did Ott’s training week look like?

Monday was back, Tuesday chest, Wednesday legs, Thursday biceps and wrists, and Friday shoulders and triceps. Saturday and Sunday were rest days. During his mass-gaining phase, he did not train his abs at all.

Author: Rosin

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