Featured Athlete: Filip Dropulic – Thriving as an athlete and coach.
Filip Dropulic is Evolutionofbodybuilding.net‘s latest Featured Athlete. Filip is not only a great athlete, but he has established himself as one of Europe’s top coaches.
Born on January 16, 1995, Filip is 28 years old. Being a Capricorn at birth, Filip admits he is stubborn in pursuing his goals attributing this to his zodiac sign.
Filip explained to Evolutionofbodybuilding.net that bodybuilding was a chance encounter for him, as he had no idea what it was initially. However, the natural course of events led him to discover a tremendous passion and love for it.
Filip has been involved in sports since he was six years old. Filip explained that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Commando” and Jean Claude Van Damme’s “Hard Target” were the inspiration behind his desire to pursue karate as a child.
Filip practiced karate for seven years and won his first medals in fighting disciplines. Even though kata (forms) were not unfamiliar to him, it may explain his sense of posing in bodybuilding. Filip explains that children develop their motor skills best at a young age through sports, but his understanding of the human body and posing in bodybuilding is primarily attributed to the talent he was born with.
After karate, Filip played football seriously for seven years. Unfortunately, he suffered from a “slater’s knee” injury, which still causes him problems today, as well as a distortion of his other knee. Thanks to bodybuilding, Filip’s knees are stronger and more stable than ever before.
Filip explains that during adolescence, most boys yearn for more self-confidence, which is closely tied to physical fitness and appearance. They turn to exercise and weight training. Filip felt the need to do push-ups and pull-ups every day, and later, his friend encouraged him to join a gym. At the time, Filip had prejudices and hesitations about entering that world.
On September 20, 2011, Filip started training at the gym and immediately noticed that he progressed faster than his friends. The mentality instilled in him by my parents, the work ethic he developed through the sports he participated in, and his persistence, determination, and vision, have all contributed to the success he can proudly boast of today.
The desire to succeed
What set Filip apart from his colleagues or competitors at the time was that even when he didn’t have the necessary facilities, such as a gym, he created them for himself with the help of his family.
Filip explained that he built a gym out of wood, water pipes, and concrete. You can find a video about it on YouTube called “Iskoristi priliku”.
Finally, in 2014, Filip competed in his first bodybuilding competition in the Musclemania Federation and won his first title.
In 2017, after completing his studies, Filip moved to the capital city of Croatia for a better life. Due to his success in bodybuilding, Filip started competing in the only recognized bodybuilding federation in the world, the IFBB. The passion for the sport of bodybuilding increased with his move to the IFBB, and Filip immediately had new goals for his future.
Filip explained that he competed in various categories, including Men’s Physique, Classic Bodybuilding, Mixed Pairs, and Classic Physique, where he found his true calling. Filip achieved remarkable success in each of these categories, from junior to senior levels. Filip admits that he does not like to go into detail about his achievements because he always believes they are only as significant as the people he compares them to.
Filip is a multiple national champion in Croatia, the Pepa Grand Prix champion in Men’s Physique, and the double vice-champion in Classic Physique. In his IFBB international debut in 2017, as a junior, at the European Championships, Filip finished in sixth place.
In 2018, also at the IFBB European Championships, Filip placed third (Bronze Medal) in Classic Bodybuilding. In 2020, at the IFBB European Championships, Filip placed third (Bronze Medal) in classic physique. Additionally, Filip has reached the finals in every World Championship event he has participated in, achieving two fifth-place finishes (Classic Physique) in Fujairah, and Mixed Pairs in Bratislava in 2019. In 2020, Filip placed fourth in Classic Physique and finally sixth place in Men’s Physique in 2017 in Romania.
The title that means the most to Filip is Mr. Golden Era 2019, where over 50,000 people from around the world voted, and he won with a significant advantage. Filip admits that this will always be a great achievement etched in his memory. The Golden Era will always be the best period of bodybuilding for Filip because it represents the bodybuilding that he envisions and wants to see. Passion, emotion, unity, aesthetics, and finally, the beauty of the movement of the human body.
The responsibilities of being a coach
At the end of 2019, significant problems arose in the Croatian bodybuilding federation, and unfortunately, Filip’s competitive career came to a halt in 2020, due to various unfortunate circumstances related to these issues.
Filip then decided to focus on coaching, which he had been doing at a lesser extent until then. Filip also became involved in all aspects of bodybuilding, including practicing judging at major competitions, organizing workshops and seminars on posing, and working with people from various parts of Europe. Filip was also heavily involved in resolving the problems that affected the Croatian bodybuilding community.
Filip explains that he believes everything happens for a reason, and that every negative experience can lead to something positive. Filip believes that it’s up to us to extract the best from any negative moment and become better and more efficient.
Over the past three years, Filip has gained a wealth of experience, connections, and success with other competitors. Filip managed to solve the problem of Croatian athletes not being able to compete in 2023, and with a lot of effort and dedication, he managed to help them participate in the European Championships. Filip is extremely proud of this great achievement, and he will never hide his love for his homeland.
Filip explains that If anyone ever wonders why he does all this for others “without gaining anything from it,” the answer is love and passion. Filip simply wants his country to realize its potential in sports and become better collectively.
Finally in mid-2023, Filip managed to end the long-standing conflict within the federation that had been causing a lot of suffering for the athletes for a long time. Filip’s next goal is to further develop the bodybuilding federation, create more competitions in Croatia, and build a strong national team.
As the coach of the Croatian National Bodybuilding Team, Filip explains he will always strive, as he has done so far, to channel his love for bodybuilding through others and this sports community. Filip makes it a point to mention the fact that whoever has achieved any results in life, has never achieved it completely alone. Filip quotes Arnold Schwarzenegger: “We need other people. The ambition of an individual is not enough. Therefore, I would like to thank everyone who has helped me in any way throughout my career, as well as those who have hindered me, as they have made me even better.”
Training and Diet
Biomechanics and exercise science are also a huge passion for Filip. Filip explains that he is deeply involved in it, because longevity is very important in bodybuilding, and he is always striving to achieve maximum results with minimal risk. In a few words, Filip explains his training philosophy: Train smart, train intensely, and most importantly, train enough but not excessively.
Filip shares his training split, most of the time it’s the so-called “Bro Split”.
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Arms
Saturday & Sunday: Rest
After a three-year break, Filip is preparing to step on the competitive stage again. In order to experience the stage and enjoy competing without pressure and expectations, his training routine is slightly different:
Monday: Chest & Back
Tuesday: Posing
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Arms
Saturday & Sunday: Rest
In his previous preparations, Filip’s standard training split was as follows:
Monday: Chest+Back
Tuesday: Legs
Wednesday: Shoulders+ArmsȚ
Thursday: Rest
Repeat the above, which makes it six weight training sessions per week.
During his current prep, Filip is constantly working with clients, helping them with their posing and explaining how to train correctly. Filip does not do any specific cardio because he has enough activity throughout the day, but he enjoys taking a half-hour walk with his wife in the evening before bed.
Posing
Filip turns the subject to the importance of posing. The best cardio is posing, and Filip insists, it’s serious cardio! Filip continues to explain that the muscles will definitely benefit more from intense contractions than from aerobic training.
Regular posing will improve the athlete’s endurance for stage presence, posing, muscle details, and enhance the athlete’s mind-muscle connection, which will increase their efficiency in weight training and, of course, burn calories. Cardio should only be done for cardiovascular health, as it is intended.
Diet
Filip’s diet is very simple, which annoys his wife because as she says, “I don’t enjoy it as much as I should”, but Filip admits, he might be lazy when it comes to cooking, so his menu is as follows: oats, whey, meat, rice, olive oil, eggs, fish, vegetables, and nuts & fruits occasionaly. Filip believes in “keeping it simple”. Filip’s favorite cheat meals are sushi, burgers with fries, and for dessert, of course, the bodybuilder’s favorite, ice cream
Filip’s current diet:
1. Instant oats and whey shake, with rice crackers and a little almond butter on the side.
2. Lean white meat, rice, vegetables, and olive oil as needed.
3. Lean white meat, rice, vegetables, and olive oil as needed.
4. Salmon fillet or beef sirloin with vegetables.
During training, Filip uses a number of supplements, such as EAA, glutamine, creatine, alpha-lipoic acid, leucine, and maltodextrin as needed. After training, Filip will consume whey protein and maltodextrin.
Future Plans and Hobbies
Filip’s plans for the future are to ultimately improve bodybuilding in Croatia, although there is a possibility of disappointment because not everything depends on him, he will give it a chance and do as much as possible.
Filip also wants to continue working and progressing as a fitness and bodybuilding trainer, posing coach, and coach for all aspects of competitor and recreational development. The most important goal for Filip is to continue improving the quality of his marriage and God willing have a child with his dear wife Anamarija, who is also a bikini fitness competitor. A dream for Filip would also be to eventually own his own fitness studio and posing hall.
During his spare time, Filip enjoys studying history, is interested in politics, and enjoys football.
Filip Dropulic’s Social Media
Instagram: @filipdropulic
Documentary movie about the Croatian national team at the European championships:
Posing and coaching YouTube shorts:
Evolutionofbodybuilding.net would like to thank Filip for taking the time to share the story of his life, and his passion for bodybuilding and fitness.
