Neil Andrews: From heart surgery to IFBB Pro in three Years
UK bodybuilder Neil Andrews completes remarkable comeback from life-threatening heart surgery to earn IFBB Pro status at the European Masters
By Gary Chappell
IN 2022 Neil Andrews was told he could die from heart surgery. On Saturday, November 15, 2025 he became an IFBB Pro bodybuilder.
A routine scale and polish three years ago turned into a nightmare for Andrews. Bacteria entered his bloodstream from a small cut in his gum and subsequently devoured his heart valve.
It left him needing life-saving surgery and requires a £14,000 mechanical valve that now keeps him alive.
Since that time Andrews has returned to the stage not only to win a PCA Pro card but now the coveted IFBB Pro League card, after winning the European Masters Over 40 in Milan.
Writing on social media, Andrews said: "I have achieved something I have been chasing for years. I became an IFBB Pro.
"This one hits different because of everything that goes on behind the scenes that most people never see. Balancing multiple businesses. Being a father to a 12-month old. Being a present partner. Running a big coaching team. And still showing up every day with relentless intent to be better.
"There were days I questioned if I could keep all the plates spinning but moments like this remind me exactly why I never stopped.
"Thank you to every single person who sent messages. The amount of love and support that came through my phone was unreal and I appreciate every single one of you."
Andrews was not the only one to enjoy success at the European Masters.
Perhaps regarded as often the bridesmaid and never the bride, Matt Tofton also secured IFBB Pro status when winning the Over 35 class.
He said: "What a day! A day that many people have said has been a long time coming. Now, I don’t know about that but I do know this day wouldn’t have come at all if it wasn’t for the people that surround me.
"I have the most incredible family and friends that support me, encourage, inspire and motivate me. That pick me up when needed but also kick my ass when needed.
"I'm also very fortunate to have some incredible sponsors. The best supplement company in the world @strom_sports_nutrition and all of the Strom family. I can’t thank Rich enough for what he has done and continues to do for me. I love the man to bits and he also well and truly comes under friends and family.
"As do @youth.revisited, a company that has supported me since they began. The reason I am able to stay on top of my bloodwork so well and keep me as healthy as possible in this game called bodybuilding.
"Thirdly @thoroughbredlabs7, who have recently taken me on to their team and helped me out in a big way in such a short space of time. Also a special mention to the ones I don’t know that still take the time to message me words of support. It means so much. Thank you."
Lewis Breed: “I wouldn’t be the bodybuilder I am today without my wife”
IFBB Pro bodybuilder Lewis Breed opened up in an exclusive FrontDouble interview about his training, mindset and the support system behind his career.
By Gary Chappell
LEWIS BREED might be facing a "slow road to recovery" after being injured in a head-on car crash but he certainly had all his cards aligned prior to the setback.
Two weeks before the smash, Breed had given an exclusive interview to frontdouble.com, in which he discussed his competitive plans as he targeted Mr Olympia qualification. The China and Portugal Open both featured heavily. Breed revealed how he needed to "pick shows with the right judges". He also spoke about how he is not the bodybuilder he is today without the support of his wife, Holly.
It remains to be seen how the season pans out for Breed, who suffered a fractured hand, internal bleeding and who required an operation on his coccyx. But he was certainly on course to deliver a new standard of physique this year, as he explained his massive caloric needs, his method of slowing down his metabolism during prep and his bid to mobilise his physique more in order to open up his chest and back during posing.
This week he published a heartfelt message to fans on social media in the wake of his crash. He said: "I have had hundreds messages from you guys wishing me well through what has been a rough few days. There was a head-on collision, both cars are written off, both drivers are injured but we will both make a full recovery.
"I have fractured my hand in a couple of places. And there is some internal bleeding which still needs to be resolved. So I have a CT scan for that. And I'm most likely going to have an operation on my coccyx, another issue that has arisen through the trauma of the crash.
"So once I get that out of the way, fingers crossed I can then start the slow road to recovery. It's not just been tough physically the last few days but definitely mentally. Knowing my plans have changed in terms of competing. Knowing I'm not going to be able to train in the way that I normally would. So I've got to shift my mindset now to just focusing on rest and recovery and recovering as quickly and efficiently but as safely as possible.
"A big thank you to all you guys in the bodybuilding and fitness community. That's why I love it so much because times like this I've had so many messages from fans, fellow athletes, friends all around the world wishing me their best. And that's what I love about this community. In times of need those messages have really meant a lot. I hope they'll continue to keep me focused and keep me driven and keep me positive for what's going to be a slow road to recovery. But I will try and document it and keep you guys informed as I move forward. But I wanted to just say thank you to each and every one of you that has reached out."
Lewis Breed on training and progress
As mentioned, two weeks prior to this crash, Breed had given an exclusive interview to frontdouble.com about his plans for the new season. He had posted on social media an incredible five-year transformation picture. It showed how he had added 40lbs to his 5ft 6in frame. Catching up at the opening 2Bros show of the season, the Condition Coaches Cup, Breed said: "It [the transformation] was kind of since turning pro.
"When you're in the amateur league and you're sort of the top end, when you jump from being an amateur to a pro, it's a whole different ball game. I stepped on stage for my pro debut and knew where I was, but knew where I needed to be. And I'm a man that's like, I don't miss a meal, I don't miss a workout. Haven't done for about 15 years. I'm that sort of old-school, chicken and rice, train hard, chicken and rice, train hard person.
"The biggest difference is that extra one per cent. Everything else in between, which I've never really delved into. Making sure I'm optimising my recovery, making sure my health is at its absolute best. Because if the body's healthy, the body's going to respond, the body's going to recover better, the body's going to work better. So all those little things, making sure my health is on point, making sure my recovery is on point, making sure my sleep is adequate, all those things. I've always trained well and I've always trained very fucking hard. Sometimes I would train so hard but then not recover enough. And I can't not train that way. I'm not going to do a deload, or take it easy, only training 70 per cent. That's not me and that's not what I enjoy.
"So if I'm training at 100 per cent every single workout, I need to go, 'right, hold on a minute, what am I doing in between that to make sure my body's rested, make sure my body's recovered'?"
Breed went on to explain how he only trains for a short time but the intensity remains high. He explained: "I only train for an hour and I train for two days then take a rest day. I'm not in the gym five, six days a week. And I'm not in the gym for two, three hours at a time. But the intensity in which I train at, you couldn't train longer than an hour. Anybody who says they train for two to three hours, the intensity's not there, sorry.
"And in this day and age, because we have the powers of social media and the powers of all these sort of influencers, they're so obsessed with being optimal. But they forget about the most important thing, which is effort and intensity. That's got to be number one. And my effort and intensity has always been at the top level. But if I'm honest, it's in between where I lacked. Making sure I was resting enough, making sure I was doing enough to make sure I'm recovered for my next session. And that's the biggest difference in the last five years and why I've managed to put on that amount of muscle in that time."
And with Breed's crazy metabolism, that is no easy task. He notoriously diets on 6,000 calories. And the off-season would be almost double that, which presents a whole host of issues. He said: "In an off season, it's not unusual for me to hit 10,000 calories. The thing is, I have a lot of issues with my gut. I am lactose intolerant. I don't get on well with wheat. So I don't get on well with gluten. I have to be very specific in my nutrition, so it is very basic. It's gluten-free oats, jasmine rice and then I have chicken, steak. And you can make up your calories through things like carb drinks, cyclic dextrin, nut butters, olive oils. But we're at the stage now where I've needed to consume so much food in order to grow, that one of the downsides is midsection control.
"When you're consuming vast amounts of food, naturally you get bloated. And if you do that consistently, the midsection is going to expand. So we put on a lot of muscle. I'm five foot six and I sit about 250 on stage. But a thing that we've got to be aware of now is, because I've got a lot of muscle on my frame and I eat a vast amount of food, my midsection control. So for example, when I dieted last year for a competition, my calories were no lower than 6,000, right the way up to a show.
"So in prep we actually do the opposite [of everyone else]. What we try to do is almost slow my metabolism. We don't want to have to eat so much food. When you get into a prep, people start utilising things like T3, T4, all those things. We keep that out for as long as possible because as soon as we do that, my body goes into overdrive. Then I need more food, which most people think is great. But when you're trying to control your midsection, we don't want more food. So I'm sort of an exception to the rule.
"Don't get me wrong, I still need a lot of food. But we actually try to force my metabolism to slow down to make it a little less stressful on my GI, less stressful on my gut so I can control my midsection better. I can pose better. So that's quite unusual. It's a bit against the grain, but my metabolism is just on fire 24-7.
"People think you're lucky you get to diet on 6,000 calories – but I'm still in the deficit, aren't I? I'm still hungry at that level. I have a big appetite, but even on 6,000 calories, I'm in a deficit. You're still down to sub five per cent body fat, so naturally you're fatigued, you're tired. But it's trying to balance food consumption alongside the training performance, alongside the conditioning. And I've worked with Martin Winston, my coach, for quite some time."
Support and personal life
Winston is not the only person to have valuable input. Breed's wife, Holly, is a huge influence and Breed paid tribute to the role she plays in his bodybuilding career.
My wife has a massive input," he said. "She's more invested in the sport than I am. She invests all of her time, all of her effort, researching everything that I need to be done. I am the bodybuilder I am today – I have gone from amateur, to pro, to top 10, to top six, to top three, because of my wife. Because she's so invested. Every single time I'm on stage, she analyses it. She speaks to the judges and says, 'they said this, this and this'. And we'll spend hours going, 'right, you need to do this, this is how we do it, this is how you apply this etc'. She books all my appointments, she books all my treatments. She tells me where I'm going, what I'm doing.
"My sponsors are enough to support both of us. She does do a little bit of work. She's also a photographer and does some bits on the side. But she hasn't got to commit to a nine to five. When I'm away, she has to also juggle the kids – and between us, we have six. So she does do a bit of work, but thankfully she hasn't got to juggle a nine to five and the kids and me – because we're just big babies as bodybuilders at the end of the day."
As a family man too, Breed admits time away from the kids while competing can be tough. But again it is his wife who steps up to the plate. Breed said: "I struggle massively with being away from family. It's my wife that reassures me. She's like, 'if you were in the forces, if you were in the Navy, you'd be away for months on end'. But kids are resilient. Whether you're away for a week or a month, they don't really understand. You give them a PlayStation or a chocolate bar and they don't care where dad is. So they're quite resilient. We miss them more than they will miss us. And that's what my wife reiterates to me.
"And we also understand that you have a shelf life in this sport. I want to be one of the best in this sport and I do know that I've only got so many years to apply myself. I'm 36 now. But I always said once I hit 40, then I've got to look at, 'okay, am I going to retire'?
"So I need to make a statement now, not just for my own personal goals, but for the future. If I can make a statement and build a name within the sport now, when I do retire, I can still use that name to take it into different avenues within the sport. So that's why I'm applying myself now. Being away from the children for a couple of weeks here or there is all to benefit us as a family. Not just achieving my own personal goals but being able to support them."
Breed had not long started prep when this interview was held. He discussed his plans for two shows in his bid to qualify for the Mr Olympia – the China Open and one in Portugal. Following his car crash, these plans are now in disarray and will depend largely on how quickly he manages to recover.
But he offered an interesting insight into his thought process coming into this competitive season.
Breed said: "We've done the American shows the last couple of years and I do well at those. I'm always placed inside that top five. But we're going to be a little bit more tactical because, once you get to that level, you've got to pick your show. Especially in open bodybuilding. There are only 19 qualifications for the Olympia. Men's physique and Classic, there's like 50. So only 19 people a year are going to qualify for the open Olympia. So you've got to think, 'right, who's going to be at that show'? If you've got two top six Olympians at one show, you're not going to do that one. So you've got to be a little bit more strategic in the shows you pick.
"And not only that, with the judging panel as well, because different judges prefer a different look. I know the look I bring, I have that sort of gnarly, muscular, grainy sort of look. I am not blessed with amazing structure and symmetry. I'm just raw muscle with good condition. And certain judges like that, certain judges don't. So again you have to look at the judging panel. I've got a couple of judges, who I know have placed me well. And you look at the other shows they do, they place guys with similar types of physique well. So you know they like that look. You've got to pick the shows that will suit your physique."
What’s next for Lewis Breed
Breed was also asked what he believes will be the main difference between the bodybuilder who stepped on stage last season and this one. He explained: "We all take feedback from the judges in order to improve. There are areas I need to work on physique wise. But a lot of the issue with me is actually mobility and opening up. So in my back, specifically my back double bicep. I've got a lot of muscle in my back, but I can't quite showcase it well. Same with my chest. I'm sort of very tight to my chest. I can't open up the shots.
"So what I have is my physical therapist and my yoga instructor who has a background in biomechanics. We work together as a three to develop a program that allows me to stretch, mobilise and open up the muscle. I need a little bit more back width. And I'm not quite able to open everything up because I'm so tight through the mid-back.
"I know I can show more. Because even when I hit the pose, I'm like, there's more, but I'm just not able to quite show it. So that's why all the mobility work, all the stretching, really emphasising on my posing. I do this with my wife, alongside the mobility work to really open up and showcase everything that I have. It's just a case of showcasing it to the best of my ability to give me that edge, to take me from third or fourth, which I got last year, into first."
Frontdouble.com wishes Lewis Breed a speedy recovery.
BPA apologise after IFBB Pro Card confusion at Super Show
Last-minute rule changes at the BPA Super Show left some athletes choosing not to compete, while others faced confusion over IFBB Pro Card eligibility
By Gary Chappell
The British Physique Alliance has apologised after last-minute rule changes at the BPA Super Show caused confusion over IFBB Pro Card eligibility, leaving some athletes unable to compete.
Changes at the 11th hour meant some athletes were prevented from competing at the BPA Super Show. And some did not step on stage at all as planned at the IFBB Pro Night of Champions.
Some competitors had planned to compete for the last time as amateurs at the BPA Super Show. The event was a double-header with the IFBB Pro federation, combining the Night of Champions event in the evening.
The IFBB Pro Night of Champions was advertised as a 'try before you buy' event. At the time of announcing the news in June, BPA President Helen O'Reilly had said: "It's a try before you buy sort of thing. You've won it [invitation to compete as a pro ], try it, continue as a pro or go back to amateur. Then within the year decide to be a pro or continue as an amateur."
Registration for the show was set for between 4pm and 7pm the day before at the venue in Heathrow. It left many competitors battling up to four-hour delays due to rush-hour traffic. Upon arrival, some were informed that anyone who had been offered an invitation to apply for an IFBB Pro Card at the BPA British Finals in September would now not be able to compete in the Super Show. This despite the fact some had not registered their pro card with the IFBB and so were still amateurs.
It is understood the late change came from sponsor Dr Vic. He did not want those who had already gained an invitation to turn professional preventing others from doing the same. However, this question had already been put to the BPA weeks in advance of the competition. Frontdouble.com was assured this would not be the case. In fact, frontdouble.com were told that IFBB Pro Cards could be awarded to those who were of that standard, regardless of their placing.
Within the rules but within the spirit of competition?
To add to the confusion, another competitor who won their invitation for an IFBB Pro Card at the UKBFF British Finals was allowed to compete in the Super Show.
The reason they were allowed to do this is because the UKBFF/IFBB had cancelled that invitation for an IFBB Pro Card after they chose to compete at the NABBA England.
Some confusion in the rules remains, however. The competitor won a NABBA Pro Card in that event and will compete in the Pro Mr Universe on Sunday, November 3.
Despite this, the competitor was still considered an amateur by the BPA and were allowed to compete at the BPA Super Show to have a chance of re-winning their IFBB Pro Card. They did this by winning the class and subsequently competed in the IFBB Pro Night of Champions on Saturday.
However, they will now cancel that IFBB Pro card in order to compete as a NABBA Pro on Sunday.
This is clearly within the rules, however confusing they might be.
Try before you buy offered to some but not others
The confusion did not end there. At registration, some were also told that the IFBB Pro federation had just informed the BPA that the "try before you buy" option to compete at the Night of Champions was no longer on the table. They said in order to compete in that show athletes must fork out €250 to register their pro cards.
Frontdouble.com has since been told, however, that some competitors were asked to pay €180 rather than €250. And some were told they did not have to pay anything at all. Some were later even offered the "try before you buy" option that others were told was no longer available.
One person, having been told they could not compete in the Super Show but must pay €250 for the pro show, decided not to compete at all. It is understood they did not have the funds to pay the €250, especially after being told it was "try before you buy". They later travelled home only to discover the following day that others had indeed been offered the "try before you buy" option.
"The BPA can only apologise for the issues"
O'Reilly sympathises with those caught up in the miscommunication. She believes the root cause was because of the BPA dealing with a new federation for the first time.
She said: "The IFBB Pro head judge wanted bodybuilders to compete [and not be offered try before you buy] because there were only three [originally] registered. He then offered everyone either an opportunity to compete in the show and return to amateur, or go full pro and pay the €250.
"With regard to the Super Show and the British, IFBB Pro Cards were given in order to allow competitors to compete in the Night of Champions. After putting on prize money, Dr Vic said he didn't want anyone who had been awarded the card to compete at the Super Show. He said this would stop others gaining that opportunity.
"The person who won his pro card with UKBFF had it taken from them by that federation. This is because he had then competed with NABBA. We [the BPA] gave him the chance to win it [IFBB Pro Card] back. But the provision was he couldn't win prize money in the amateur show. He agreed to compete under that provision.
"A female competitor was allowed to compete as an amateur [despite winning her Pro Card at the BPA British Finals]. This is because there wasn't a route to the pro in the evening for her.
"BPA can only apologise for the issues. But the IFBB Pro is a new federation we were dealing with and there was obviously miscommunication."
IFBB Pro vs IFBB Pro League: Why bodybuilders are getting confused
As IFBB Pro cards are awarded in the UK, confusion with the Pro League has sparked backlash across bodybuilding
COMMENT from the Editor
ONE aspect of competitive bodybuilding that always strikes me is the mutual respect competitors have for one another.
It makes bodybuilding stand alone from other sports. It flies in the face of what many perceive as the 'stereotypical' meat-head bodybuilder.
Sadly, however, one aspect of bodybuilding has become abundantly clear over the past 48 hours; an undercurrent of nastiness remains.
On Sunday, the British Physique Alliance awarded seven IFBB Pro cards to overall champions of different categories. The BPA did this following an agreement that was put in place between their federation and IFBB Pro president Rafael Santonja.
It is a similar agreement with which the UKBFF have been awarding IFBB Pro cards for years.
Only this time, there was uproar.
What is the difference between IFBB Pro and IFBB Pro League?
People were claiming that two pro cards being offered under the banner of 'IFBB' was confusing. This, despite the fact the same has been going on for the past seven years.
And this from the same people who purport to "loving this shit" whenever they refer to bodybuilding. I would suggest that if someone loved their sport so much, they would consume as much information as they could lay their hands on. Information, let's not forget, that has been in the public domain for seven years.
Still, let's go through it once more; a brief history for those who remain confused. We have reported this before, republishing an excellent piece from the website Evolution of Bodybuilding. In fact, we linked to this story in our preview of the BPA British Finals, which we published on Saturday evening.
'IFBB Pro' – as it is now called – is the original IFBB federation founded by Joe and Ben Weider in 1946. This is the federation that was, until recently, called IFBB Elite Pro.
The IFBB Pro League, on the other hand, was born in 2005. This is the 'federation' that still has rights to the Olympia.
Ben Weider empowered Jim Manion to run the Pro League under the banner of the IFBB. When Ben Weider retired, he handed over the overall IFBB presidency to Rafael Santonja (above).
In 2017, however, Manion informed Santonja that the NPC and the Pro League were leaving the IFBB and starting their own organisation. But Manion decided to keep the name 'IFBB', despite having no affiliation with that federation. If this is where the confusion reigns, then point the finger at Manion and no one else, for it is he who insists on using the IFBB name.
In response, Dr Santonja created a new pro division for the IFBB called the IFBB Elite Pro. This was, however, recently rebranded to the IFBB Pro.
Manion went on to expand the NPC and continued to run the IFBB Professional League. This includes the Mr Olympia and other pro events.
To reiterate, as it stands there is a federation called 'IFBB Pro' – the original IFBB created by Joe and Ben Weider.
FATHERS OF FITNESS: Ben Weider (left) and Joe Weider
Then there is what is still called – rightly or wrongly – the IFBB Pro League. One would imagine that, sooner or later, the Manions will rename this the 'NPC Pro League' or such like.
As mentioned, Manion's IFBB Pro League offers access to a number of pro shows and includes the biggest one of them all, the Mr Olympia.
Santonja's IFBB Pro remains the original bodybuilding federation set up by the Weider brothers and offers competitions such as the following:
IFBB Pro Arnold Classic, the IFBB Pro Night of Champions, IFBB Pro Mr Universe and the IFBB Pro World Championships.
This seems fairly clear. But still the vitriol on social media over the past few days has been baffling.
"Just to clarify, this [being an IFBB Pro after winning an IFBB Pro card] is not the same as being an IFBB Pro," cried one.
Read that again; 'being an IFBB Pro is not the same as being an IFBB Pro'...
"They [IFBB Pro cards] are pretend pro cards," bleated another, peppering this well-researched reply with as many crying-with-laughter emojis as they could. "They can’t get the Olympia therefore not real Pros."
What incredible logic. 'If you cannot try to qualify for the Olympia, you are not a real professional'.
Does this count for those other federations who offer pro status? NABBA, PCA, FitX, GBO?
Many bodybuilding purists would argue that being a pro with the federation started by Joe and Ben Weider – men who effectively created bodybuilding as a sport – is worth an order of magnitude more than those four mentioned above.
Not so, according to another, who claimed that competing as a professional with the federation started by the Weider brothers was "just the same as being a pro with the PCA or GBO".
When challenged on this point, this person then claimed they did not know where they were trying to devalue people's achievements. They signed off with one of those crying-with-laughter emojis. And in an instant, it was clear this was a deliberate attempt to belittle fellow bodybuilders. In a nutshell they were saying, 'you know what, you are really not as good as you think you are". Classy.
And as soon as that emoji dropped, this publication knew that its time was better spent doing anything else on the planet rather than engage further.
And even more tried to denigrate the IFBB Pro by labelling their pro cards as 'pretend', littering replies with those belittling crying-with-laughter emojis. This is a direct attempt to devalue the achievement. If everyone is entitled to their opinion, then those people, if they have competed before, should know better.
This week, frontdouble.com has also been accused of spreading "false advertising".
One person suggested we were "giving out false advertisement to con people to compete at this show [BPA British Finals] and leave athletes very disappointed when they soon realise they can’t compete at a Olympia qualifier!!!"
Is it a fact that they are disappointed? Or is this you projecting what your own feelings might be? Maybe they realise the tiny chance anyone has of actually qualifying for an Olympia. Maybe, just maybe, they knew the history of the sport they love and wanted to gain pro status with the federation founded by Joe and Ben Weider.
The accusation is also highly defamatory. The story regarding the BPA was published late on Saturday – three days after registration for their British Finals had closed. How we could possibly 'con' people from this point is beyond me. And that is not to mention the fact that we would never do such an absurd thing.
IFBB Pro card for a federation called IFBB Pro, not IFBB Pro League
We were quite explicit in our description of the pro card being offered too: tt was an IFBB Pro card. You know, to compete in the federation which is called 'IFBB Pro'.
We did not say there was a route into the IFBB Pro League. Nor did we say this particular card was a route to the Olympia. We did not mention the NPC's 'IFBB' Pro League because, if you know anything about the history of bodybuilding, you will already know that it is a separate federation. In fact, it is not a federation at all. It is a business. But that's another story. And is explained in the piece we linked to. As we now know how easily people are confused, you can read that story by clicking here.
We also explained how the IFBB Pro recently removed the word 'Elite' from its name.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this opinion piece, bodybuilding stands apart from other sports because of the widespread respect and camaraderie shown between rivals.
It is a shame that so many have shown this week that they all too keen to belittle, ridicule and laugh at those who they feel are beneath them. That's right, bodybuilders laughed at the achievements of their fellow bodybuilders. All because of the name IFBB.
What would Joe or Ben Weider think if you told them the pro card they were offering was 'pretend' or was 'not the same as being an IFBB Pro'?
Let's not 'pretend'. Those people do not share the true spirit of bodybuilding.
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