In just two years, a Trail native has taken his natural bodybuilding dream from the gym to the world stage.
Chad Brandt is quickly moving up the ranks of the International Drug Free Athletics (IDFA) bodybuilding circuit. After placing first in the amateur Heavyweight Division and second overall at the Calgary Western Classic last month, Brandt received his Pro Athlete card and went on to compete in the IDFA World Championships and Pro Universe in Mississauga, Ont. last week.
“Last weekend at the World championships and Pro Universe was the best time of my life,” said Brandt. “I have to admit I was a little star struck for the first bit, but then I settled in nicely and had a stellar show.”
The 39 year old placed seventh in the Heavyweight division, a remarkable accomplishment for one who has been training for just two years, while other pros have been conditioning intensively for 15 to 20 years plus, added Brandt.
Turning pro was originally part of a five-year plan, but due to his rapid progress and commitment to training and diet, his plan was accelerated.
At the World Championship Brandt had the opportunity to compete on stage with his idol Erik Alstrup, who placed first in the event.
“I have a magazine clipping on my vision board of the 2010 World Championships - Alstrup placed second that year. I would look at this each day and marvel at the natural physiques, wondering if I could do that and wanting to be on that stage. Two years later it actually happened. Thoughts become things, believe it.”
The Rossland Secondary School grad now lives in Lethbridge where he is the coach, manager, and owner of Action Conditioning, a burgeoning gym that combines specialty fitness training and youth programs in addition to teaching nutrition and health.
“I am a huge believer in goal setting and walking the walk; being a coach that practices what he preaches.
“I want my clients to see that I practice the principles I teach and use them each day to create the lifestyle I want.”
Although a fitness expert, Brandt hires coaches, a nutrition and a bodybuilding coach, to keep him on task and motivated.
In competition, Brandt is required to perform a series of mandatory poses that are judged on muscularity, definition, proportion, symmetry and stage presence followed by a free-posing session in the evening round.
But the fundamental requirement of natural bodybuilding is to do it drug free, as laid out in the World Anti-Doping Code.
His dedication to a healthy drug-free program, diet, conditioning, and goal setting have sculpted not just his body but his character as well, and helped him on his successful journey to attaining professional bodybuilding status.
“Becoming a professional natural bodybuilder was probably the hardest goal I have done in my life, and the most rewarding,” says Brandt.
“It takes a ton of training, dedication, nutrition, and training knowledge, but I have found my passion. I only had to look back to what I loved as a teenager to see it.”
To find out more, go to Brandt’s website at www.actionconditioning.ca