\n<\/p>\n
Petar Celik is a legendary bodybuilder from Serbia. Celik is revered as one of the pioneers of the Serbian bodybuilding scene. He is credited for spreading awareness about bodybuilding in Eastern Europe and erstwhile Yugoslavia by being a successful competitor, entrepreneur, author, publisher, and president of several bodybuilding federations. This is his complete profile, biography, competition history, and statistics.<\/span><\/p>\n Petar \u010celik (Bodybuilder)<\/strong><\/p>\n Born:<\/strong> December 25, 1949 https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BwNLaNaBq8w\/<\/p>\n Level Up Your Fitness: Join our \ud83d\udcaa strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Petar Celik was born on December 25, 1949, in Belgrade, former Yugoslavia. His family moved to Backa Palanka when he was young where he completed his high school education. Celik started learning music after school and eventually turned towards bodybuilding.<\/span><\/p>\n In Yugoslavia, bodybuilding had no recognition as a sport or there was no way one could make a living or a good career as a bodybuilder. As a result, there was no guidance, study material, or books that were available in the country that could help someone get started in bodybuilding.<\/span><\/p>\n However, one of Celik\u2019s friends, who was of German descent, received bodybuilding and fitness magazines from West Germany. This served as the only study material that Celik could use to learn and understand bodybuilding.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOf course, that wasn\u2019t enough, but it was \u201csomething.\u201d Along with that, I watched foreign movies like Hercules with American actor Steve Reeves in the main role and Reg Park too. They had developed bodybuilding figures which inspired us here.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Celik used these modest means to start his bodybuilding journey and worked hard to achieve the physique he desired. According to him, Steve Reeves\u2019 physique was something he looked up to while growing up. But with time, Celik was more interested in building a physique like Frank Zane and Arnold Schwarzenegger.<\/span><\/p>\n With time, Celik gained more knowledge and realized that he could not blindly try to achieve a physique that looked like someone else\u2019s. He decided to follow his path and understand his body better to know what he could achieve with it.<\/span><\/p>\n By 1969, Celik had dedicated his life to bodybuilding and traveled to Germany to become a certified trainer. This helped Celik advance in his career. Petar Celik started the first bodybuilding federation in Yugoslavia in 1971, which contributed tremendously to the growth of the sport in the region. He is also credited for opening a gym in Blanca Palanka, which was the first of its kind in Yugoslavia.<\/span><\/p>\n In 1972, Celik started publishing the Herkules magazine, which was Yugoslavia\u2019s first magazine for health and fitness. The magazine steadily grew in popularity over the years and started selling as many as 57,000 copies. The magazine has sold over 700,000 copies and is in circulation with the Republic of Macedonia today.<\/span><\/p>\n Petar Celik made huge progress in the fitness industry in the following years and also started a factory that made protein supplements. This was happening at the same time when his bodybuilding career was also shaping up.<\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/COnNbsjBSSc\/<\/p>\n Petar Celik started competing fairly early and won his first bodybuilding competition when he took home the 1975 Yugoslavian Championships trophy. The following year, he won the 1976 Slovenian championships. Celik was the most successful and the most popular bodybuilder in Yugoslavia at the time, a country where the sport was still in its nascent stages.<\/span><\/p>\n In 1980, Celik captured the Serbian Championships and also the DBBV European Championships organized by the German Bodybuilding and Fitness Association. Petar Celik won the competition in the middleweight division and also became the overall winner. In doing so, he defeated the likes of two-time European champion Janko Rudman and 1978 NABBA Mr. Universe Salvador Ruiz. Celik regards this as the biggest and most valuable victory of his career because of the competition he defeated.<\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CIQpuL1hw5i\/<\/p>\n In 2003, Petar Celik won the first of his 10 World Championships and continued to dominate the scene for the next decade. He retired from competition after winning the 2012 IFBB World Championships in the 60+ category.<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout his career, Petar Celik won the Mr. Yugoslavia competition in all the bodybuilding federations active in the erstwhile nation at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most prominent bodybuilders to come out of Serbia, Celik believes that there have been instances of prejudice against Eastern European bodybuilders in the Western bodybuilding scene. However, he also believes that if you are better than the competition, no one can deny you success if you stay committed to your craft.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe one who is persistent and doesn\u2019t give up after the first few losses, that person will have a successful career over time. Of course, for that, you need enough years of appearances at competitions.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Apart from being a competitive bodybuilder, Celik played a major role in running the bodybuilding federation in Yugoslavia. He was the IFBB and NABBA President for Yugoslavia and organized the 1984 NABBA Mr. World competition in Belgrade.<\/span><\/p>\n Petar Celik also served as the President of the Federation for Weightlifting of Yugoslavia and as a delegate in the Olympic Committee of Yugoslavia.<\/span><\/p>\n After reducing his activity level in competitions, Petar Celik became an associate professor of bodybuilding at the Higher School for Sports Coaches in Belgrade, Serbia.<\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BuTGBkfhmot\/<\/p>\n Level Up Your Fitness: Join our \ud83d\udcaa strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Birthplace:<\/strong> Belgrade, SERBIA
Residence:<\/strong> Novi Sad, SERBIA
Nickname:<\/strong> Pera
Height:<\/strong> 5\u2032 8\u2033 (175 cm)
Weight:<\/strong> 213 lbs (97 kg)
Arms:<\/strong> 19\u2033 (48 cm)
Waist:<\/strong> 34\u2033 (86 cm)
Chest:<\/strong> 50\u2033 (128 cm)
Thighs:<\/strong> 26\u2033 (66 cm)
Calves:<\/strong> 18,5\u2033 (47 cm)<\/p>\nGet Fitter, Faster<\/em><\/h3>\n
Petar Celik Biography<\/b><\/h2>\n
Early Life<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
Role models and inspirations<\/b><\/h3>\n
Business ventures<\/b><\/h3>\n
Bodybuilding Career<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
Career outside competitive bodybuilding<\/b><\/h3>\n
Get Fitter, Faster<\/em><\/h3>\n
Competition History<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n