Exclusive Interview with Rene Kari on THE PERFORMANCE NETWORK.

[RENE_KARI]

Rene Kari - Mr World Physique 2009, An Artist and Work of Art in One!

Name: RENE KARI
Height: 176cm
Weight: At these photos it is 60kg, right now it's 63kg
Age: Still 59 - at autumn I will be 60
Birthplace: Riga - since there was my mother's home before the marriage...but I have lived all my life in Tallinn, in Estonia
Current Residence: Tallinn, Estonia, European Union

Training For: To look aesthetic and youthful. To be an encouraging example for others. To be a proof for the fact that such kind of result is possible to achieve easily... To let everybody know - IF I DID THIS then YOU CAN DO THIS TOO.
Favorite Sports: It changes. Our population is less than 1,5 million. So - as a patriot of my country I'm interested in those sports where Estonians are the best. For example - when we won at Winter Olympic Games in Toronto 3 Gold medals in skiing I liked to watch skiing from TV. When we took Olympic Golds in decathlon or discus-throwing etc. - then I was interested in those sports. But always I like to watch football - in spite of the fact that unfortunately we haven't good football-players. Myself I'm not in active sports.

Other Hobbies: I'm a freelance - a professional artist (a painter). It means that my work is also my hobby. What else? - I would like to travel - but I can't. I would like to dance - but there aren't much chances for that. I would like to love a woman - but I'm alone. - Still stays a music, movies and politics. And of course - I love the beach - taking the sun is my hobby.

Achievements: Just look the fallowing Introduction - about 35 years ago I made some very important bets which influenced all my following life - I won these bets!

In February 2009 I won the title of "Mr. World Physique" - by competing with athletes 30 years younger me! - In spite of my age I was respected as a person who deserves to become a winner.

Introduction:

One night, about 35 years ago I made the decision to become an artist. To make sure I would go through with it, I made a bet with my friend. It took some years to win the bet.
* One of my paintings is exposed in the residence of the Estonian President.
* I am the author of the color standard of Estonian tricolor (blue-black-white).

At around the same time I made another decision that also found assertion in a bet: that by the age of 57 I will have shaped my body to look like an antique sculpture...my body will have sculpted into a piece of art, resembling antique ideals of beauty - an imaginary Achilles, not Heracles. To achieve this goal I set up for myself a device "A better body with every passing year".

And today, at the age of 59, I can declare, that thanks to my commitment and decades of devotion, I am in the best shape of my life. My body is more attractive, stronger and healthier than ever before!

So - when I was young fellow my appearance was just an ordinary - and now, 40 years later I receive compliments and positive acknowledgment that I have become an encouraging example to both males and females beginning from 18-years-old and finishing with demonstrations of support from septuagenarians from all over the world.
I'm not a bodybuilder, I'm not a sportsman - I'm an artist. It isn't a sports for me - it's my ART PROJECT.

It was my exhibition "Miami Beach" (2004) where in addition to my body-conscious, erotically charged surrealistic paintings (erotic landscapes) I also presented photos of my body as a sculpture in progress - declaring myself to be a sculptor, whose work to be sculpted is my own body and whose material to be sculpted my own flesh. This exhibition meant turning my life-long dedication of shaping my body into a presentable art project.

PN: What is your motivating factor in getting involved with working out?
Rene: Shortly: If you love BEAUTY - you aren't allowed to be ugly by yourself.
With more words: As an artist, I am inspired by craving for beauty. It appears that although I myself have been destined to shape the male body, I feel the perfection of beauty is embodied in female body shapes. And this ethereal utmost beauty is what I am trying to reproduce in my paintings. It means that it is not only my wish but also my professional need to experience visual delights, to enjoy the beauty of female body, to perceive its closeness.
Because of that I was driven to set a goal based on the notion that if you are dreaming about being surrounded by beauty, being therefore "a little bit" exacting about the appearance of the people around you - then you yourself cannot be unattractive, you can't be like a "monster" among beauties, but must try to change also your own appearance more aesthetic. It means that this decision influencing all my following life was based on aestheticism. It was an ethical decision dictated by my aestheticism.
By this way I have been motivated through decades...but at last 10 years there has added something new :

Now it has become like a MISSION for me to prove that it's really possible to extend youth and avoid aging...
Yes - it’s my goal to prove that just as wine gets better with age, a person’s body can also become better looking with the passing of time!
Yes - I would like to show to the whole world what kind a MIRACLE a MAN can do with his/her look!!!

PN: If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of training advice for the first day you ever stepped into a gym, what would it be?

Rene: Just for making more exact - I haven't trained myself at gym. I have made my exercises at home.
I would say: Start shaping yourself - and NEVER GIVE UP! But TAKE IT EASY - cause if you take it too hardly you can lose, you can kill your enthusiasm... So - DON'T MAKE IT LIKE A HARD LABOR FOR YOURSELF... Let it be a LIFE-LONG DEDICATION for you!
- By this way it always has been for me.

PN: How long have you been in training for?
Rene: Around about 40 years.

PN: What does your current training routine look like?
Rene: Look - here are my photos. - In my case this result has been achieved easily, painlessly, without renouncement or restricting myself with discipline or diet. In other words, in the only possible way for me - without sacrificing my own easy life. Being a painter, I am more of a gentle bohemian type than an "iron man" with an iron will and high endurance.
I am an artist, not a sportsman - it means that any kind of restrictions, uncomfortableness or discipline aren't acceptable for my nature.

Yes, of course - I have had always a wish to train four time in week. But it almost never has succeeded. I was even satisfied if I had trained two times in week, cause time by time there happened to be one or even two week pauses. It was OK - wasn't a big problem. As I already said - my rule is: TAKE IT EASY but NEVER GIVE UP!

Length of session - at an average it has been 1,5 - 2 hours.

By this way it has been before, through decades - but not now!

After that when I had exposed my photos at my exhibition, after that when I had declared publicly about my dedication to shape my body into a work of art - the things have changed. Last six years I have been much more conscientious in one's training. - Mostly I have succeeded to do my exercises four time in week and the length of sessions has risen to 2 - 3 hours.

PN: What is your personal approach to nutrition?
Rene: There haven't been nothing special in my nutrition - just ordinary food. I have never used diet - too tedious and too full of torment for my nature. If there has been problems with fat - then I just have tried to eat less and made more exercises.

In my case there can't be problems of obesity at present time cause my food is too simple and poor. On the other hand - because of my age there has reached the time to gain some more muscle mass - and that's why there is a serious need to eat more and better.

PN: What do you think is the biggest issue with people today in regards to getting involved in fitness?
Rene: Everyone want's to look fit. The problem is that mostly people just don't believe that they could manage with it. They find any kind of reasons and excuses to justify for themselves why they can't take care for their physique. In most cases they say that they haven't time for exercises. That's not the truth! Sure - to go to GYM - it takes time. But you can always make your exercises at home...you don't even need much means for that. Just remember - every half an hour of training is good for your look.

PN: What is your favorite body part to train and why?
Rene: There isn't some kind of special body parts which I would love more to train. The whole body needs exercises. To fall in love with some parts of body isn't reasonable. - It looks very ugly if somebody has only biceps and chest!

PN: Have you competed in a contest/sporting event? Can you tell the readers about that experience?
Rene: I do not compete. - Too shy for stage I just don't like to take those bodybuilder's poses and I never stretch muscles for exposing. Maybe some kind of beach-body competition would be O.K. for me?

PN: Do you have any role models?
Rene: Of course - there are people which I admire...but there are nobody to be as a role model for me.

PN: What is your long term goal?
Rene: I have no doubt that my device "a better body with every passing year", which has followed me almost 40 years is still with me and will stay with me for a years - as a life-long goal. Obviously there haven't much chances for very "long term" goals in my age any more... But I still have a new one in addition to my life-long goal. So - I have made a decision: my body's look will become one of the most youthful and most aesthetic among older men.

About "a better body with every passing year" check out from http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/RE...section=progre... There is my body's "history" - Progress Pictures through 45 years - from 1964 to 2009.

PN: Is there anything you would like to plug or add?
Rene: Thank you Yes, there is something I would like to add.
I will be 60 at autumn...and looks like the opportunities of improving one's appearance do not diminish that rapidly! There appears to be enough room for improvement, as well as ample time to achieve perfection. - And year by year the contrariness between my look and my age will grow larger! - It changes more spectacular with every passing year... Yes - it seems that there could be a real chance to become a living example for aspirations to remain youthful - to become an encouraging model for others to follow...

Unfortunately the truth is that maybe this kind of achievement can't become a reality - cause maybe there can't be "a better body with every passing year" any more at all! - Just because of this economical crisis, just because of the absence of money for living! Sure - these challenges which I have set for myself to achieve could realize only in case if I will survive myself!
Sounds crazy - but yes, it's my only chance - for surviving over those hard times, for saving my ART PROJECT I need somebody to support me financially...I need a MAECENAS (patron, sponsor).
If there is somebody who cares - please, let me know - any kind of support is welcome...

PN: Thank you so much for taking the time out to talk to us and share your lifestyle with The Performance Network members.

Rene: It was my pleasure