At the age of 14, all it took was one trip to the gym for kinesiology senior Blake Selby to get hooked on bodybuilding. As an out-of-shape teenager, he found the lifestyle the sport entailed gave him the confidence he’d been searching for.
“Seeing the progress of how my body changed gave me the feeling that I had a purpose,” he said. “I like to feel like I’m in good shape, and I like to be healthy.”
Selby, along with a few other MSU students, including economics sophomore Kilian Glish and civil engineering senior Aaron Chamberlain, enjoys what he calls the “lifestyle” of bodybuilding. Competitions, which focus on physique as well as strength, require months of rigorous training, a strict diet and healthy sleeping habits.
Many competitors also choose to go spray tanning, have body hair removed, practice posing in front of judges and even take yoga classes to improve their chances of being scored favorably on their overall muscle tone and poise.
Living the life
Selby began participating in local bodybuilding competitions when he was 16, and he made it to the National Physique Committee, or NPC, Teen National Championship in 2009. He currently is training for the NPC Collegiate National Championship in July.
Since he started bodybuilding, Selby, who also is a trainer at SNAP Fitness Center, 115 E. Grand River Ave., said he has changed his entire lifestyle by sticking to a nearly carbohydrate-free diet, getting at least eight hours of sleep every night and avoiding the party scene. He also works out for about 90 minutes five days a week along with his work schedule as a trainer.
“Being a college student has been a little different for me because of my regimented lifestyle, but it’s definitely helped me do better in school,” he said. “It’s kept me out of trouble and on the straight and narrow path where I can focus on what’s important in life.”
Grand Ledge, Mich., resident Susan Parker, who Selby began training in 2009 and now works out with regularly, said his passion for bodybuilding inspired her to get in shape and pursue the sport as well.
“He seems to love what he does,” she said.
All about strength
Glish’s obsession with bodybuilding began when he started following the World’s Strongest Man, an international tour where participants battle one another with strength, while he was training for his high school football season.
“It’s kind of silly, but I just wanted to be able to look at heavy stuff, being like, ‘I can pick that up,’” he said.
Because he does not compete in the physique category of bodybuilding competitions, Glish said he focuses less on diet and more on intense workouts at least twice a week.
Glish said his strength has given him a definite confidence boost.
“If people are running their mouth, I can ignore them easier,” he said. “I’m not really worried about what people think because I’m so much happier with what I’m doing.”
Human biology freshman Connor Francis, a good friend of Glish’s who also enjoys bodybuilding, said the sport relieves stress along with building confidence.
“It’s interesting to watch the progress,” he said. “When it becomes a part of your daily routine, you look forward to it, rather than a typical workout which some people would approach with no motivation.”
Although he has not competed religiously since high school, Glish plans to participate in a powerlifting competition this summer.
New to the game
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
For Chamberlain, bodybuilding began as a last resort to keep in shape after an injury left him unable to compete as a pole vaulter for MSU Track and Field.
“I was just looking for new hobbies,” he said. “I had a buddy who was a bodybuilder, so I went to one of his shows, and it’s been my life ever since.”
Although Chamberlain has been fully committed to the lifestyle for only nine months, he said he plans to compete sometime this spring. He said he has maintained a well-planned diet and works out nearly every day.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how I look after dieting and working out so much,” he said. “But I’m scared of getting laughed off stage for being as small as I am. I want to compete now to give me a starting point to work from.”
Chamberlain’s mother, Webberville, Mich., resident Teri Chamberlain, said her son’s perseverance is not surprising.
“He’s determined, and when he sets his mind to something, he always follows through,” she said. “It’s just his nature — it takes a lot to even get him to cheat a little on his diet. I wish I had that kind of perseverance.”
In the future, Chamberlain hopes to compete as a bodybuilder professionally and eventually involve modeling in his career.
