2004 - 2008

It's now May 2008 and a lot has happened since I came back from the US at the end of 2004. First I took a 3 month holiday, bought a surfboard and a tent and just enjoyed life while still keeping up some sort of training regime. It was nice to have some freedom and unwind. The plan was to rest up, recover and take some time to enjoy the things I'd restricted myself from doing the years previous while chasing my dreams.

At the end of the 3 months I was fully rested and ready to go again, time to capitalise on all the hard work setting myself up to take things to the next step. I'd built somewhat of a profile and it was time to use that to my advantage. First step was to rebuild my personal training business, which with all the recent success was much easier than in previous years. Using magazine covers coupled with the extra experience/knowledge worked great and in no time I was back running a successful personal training business. It was also time to strengthen my contacts within the industry and make new ones using my covers and new found profile so that when the time was right I could call on all these contacts to help promote some future projects I was about to start working on. Namely an instructional training dvd and an online personal training business.

Now bodybuilding can be a fickle world. If you're not hardcore, you're not respected and I'm sure in some circles being a successful cover model was looked upon as something only 'pretty boys' do. I started training hard again with the goal of not only getting more magazine covers to boost my profile further but to win some respect within the bodybuilding circuit and prove myself, and gain the respect I knew I deserved. I knew I could then go ahead and do anything within the fitness industry and people would stand up and take notice!!!

The first competition was the heavyweights at the 2006 IFBB Queensland titles (a show I'd set as a goal to win the same time I set a Muscle and Fitness cover as a goal, aged 14) followed by the IFBB Australian titles one week later. I killed myself for this one but things didn't go my way. This was going to be my last year competing so I had to go out on top. Everything was going really well and I was on target to come in looking the best I'd ever looked. Then a few weeks out from the show I caught a virus from one of my clients who came in very sick. Man did it run me down but when you're that close, you just keep plugging away. I thought I'd be ok but came in a bit smooth and flat, I just couldn't hold my food down which in the last week leading into the show is when you really need to be getting it down. I came in fourth place, I was very disappointed, embarrassed even. The guys ahead of me were very deserving in their places, I won't take that away from them.

The Australian titles were 6 days later, I knew I could improve and set out a plan to at least try and redeem myself. I did make improvements but not enough coming in third at the Australians. I was happy though, I'd gained 1.5kg and came in tighter. Which made a huge difference to how I looked up there. I was prepared to retire from competing now but still had a feeling in the back of my mind of what if!! Also did a cover shoot with Australian Ironman 6 days after the show. It went really well but I still felt unfinished somehow.

Didn't take long for me to make the decision that 2006 wasn't good enough to retire on so back to training for the 2007 IFBB Queensland and Australian heavyweight titles and no matter what these had to be my last competitions. It is a tough lifestyle when in serious competition mode, I do love it but the urge to have more freedom in my life and focus on other things was getting stronger. This time nothing was going to stop me. I came in at my absolute best ever, won the IFBB Queensland heavyweights and placed a close second at the Australian titles. Sure I was aiming for first but it was really close and it's not like most other sports where there's a definite finish line. It is judged by people who all have different ideals of what a winner should look like, I was cool with that. I felt I'd finally proven myself as a serious bodybuilder. I was now content!!! Once again I shot with an American publication, this time the day after the competition which suited me fine, it meant I didn't have to play around with my carbs, sodium and fluids, just had to hold my condition for another day. Even went out and had a nice meal at a restaurant.

The shoot was with REPS magazine and the photographer was the legendary Alex Ardenti. Alex is great to work with, it was the third time we'd worked together. Alex and Wil, the art director, had flown out to Australia from the US to shoot me and any other bodybuilders that caught their eye at the Australian IFBB championships. Wil told me a cover wasn't guaranteed but if a winning shot turned out I might get it. Then he informed me I was in competition with Mike O'hearn for the cover. I had looked up to Mike for many years, I considered him the most successful cover model as I was growing up and he was the Captain of the American Gladiators. I thought they'd for sure go with Mike but was honoured to be in that position with him. Well, I got the cover, very proud of this one.

I'm now in the final stages of editing a training DVD, a dream I have had for some 10 years or more. I always wanted to make a DVD that was as educational as possible. Most bodybuilding training DVD's are just a fly on the wall type DVD where you watch the bodybuilder training with no instruction. I've always wanted to change that and make a DVD that would give the beginner, novice and even advanced trainer a complete A-Z guide guide to training and nutrition. A DVD that gives the trainer everything they need to know to get the results they want and provide them with every tool needed with nothing left out. They would now be in complete control of their training and where they would take it. I also have plans for more DVD's, books and other products to follow this DVD.

My training right now is quite different to normal. I'm combining bodybuilding training with triathlon training. I've always loved fitness events, it feels great to be fit but I don't want a triathlete build. Finding that happy medium is a struggle but so far so good. I've completed a season of triathlons, man they are hard, especially when carrying so much size in comparison to the other athletes but I'm getting better and better and loving it. Combining fitness with strength feels great!!!

So that's where it's at for now. Out there enjoying my training. Working on business ventures. And just trying to make the most of all the work I've put in getting to where I'm currently at.

I am only a few weeks away from the end of a 20 year journey and it feels amazing, quite surreal. I'm sure once the completely finished DVD lands in my hand I'll be very emotional. It will be overwhelming to finally reach the place I've been working towards for a massive 20 years, really looking forward to it. Then it's the start of a new chapter, hopefully not as hard lol Keep living that dream. Go out there and take it on with everything you have!!!