Antoine Vaillant shared that there are “no blockages” in his heart.
Antoine Vaillant has been off the stage this season and now we know why. The Men’s Open competitor has been dealing with a heart issue that has kept him out of bodybuilding competition. In a recent YouTube video, Vaillant shared an update on his health and expressed his interest to continue training.
Vaillant competed at the 2020 Olympia and finished in 14th place. At this event, he showed off a physique that dubbed him as one of the up-and-comers in the division. Last year, Vaillant shared that he had a heart condition and was undergoing tests to see what the problem was.
Vaillant was examined by many doctors over the last year. He underwent a Calcium Score test, which is a heart exam that checks coronary arteries. During this exam, doctors explained that Vaillant is in the one percentile.
Antoine Vaillant Remains Committed To Bodybuilding
There has been a recent string of deaths in bodybuilding that has hit the sport hard. This has caused many competitors to focus on their health and begin consulting different medical professionals. Despite his condition, Antoine Vaillant remains committed to bodybuilding and will return to training while getting healthier.
READ MORE: Bodybuilders Are Dying: An Investigation Into Modern Bodybuilding, Health, & PED Use
“Of course, I’m healthy. The damage that was done to it from the past and the causes, a combination of things, but for sure a long time having high blood pressure was probably like the main cause…When I did all the party drugs with the problems I had in the past, that didn’t help but yeah, I’m doing blood work every four weeks and everything is stabilized and checked out and if something is like what happen with the blood work, I make choices.”
Antoine Vaillant reported that there were no blockages in his heart but there was minor plaque found in his arteries. Vaillant is now focused on getting back in the gym and ultimately on the bodybuilding stage.
“I never said I would stop bodybuilding or training. If they watch my whole videos, actually playing that I did further testing, there’s no blockages so there is a little plaque but at my age, it happens.”
Vaillant decided to get his health checked out and is hoping that others will follow his lead. This has become an issue in bodybuilding surrounding PEDs and it could benefit all other competitors.
“I checked my health and I said ‘look, I found something and you guys should check it too.’ I’ve had my own problems with addiction that I could not tell anyone online and do it on my own with my support here but I wanted to tell people. Why? To help people.
We’re all going to die someday. A lot of friends got checked out because of me. Everybody can hate all they want, I’m doing good. I’m good with that. Everything is cool. If something wasn’t, I’d be the first to accept and make the right decision.”
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.