CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE March/April 2020 | Page 38

WRITTEN: JUAN ROJAS
PHOTO SOURCE: ZOOM IMAGE PROS
carl
kai
cheung
learning from a w
Flex Wheeler, Dorian Yates and Lee Priest. Around the
world, these legends have inspired people to work harder
in their own journeys. Carl Cheung was consumed by
bodybuilding from a young age. Posters on the walls and
copying the legends routines were a part of Carl's daily life.
If you have ever been to an OPA show, or now CPA show,
chances are you have had the privilege of meeting Carl
Cheung. At the judge's table, on stage hitting exceptional
poses or attending as a fan, Carl is always involved.
Carl is known for his kindness, fantastic physique and
his epic posing routines. Carl has evolved throughout
the years in his bodybuilding journey. Carl started as a
competitor and now is one of the most well-known judges
in the CPA. Carl has started the “Judges Corner” series
on Instagram. Carl makes pointed and concise videos in
this series and gives advice to competitors in all classes.
Advising competitors on posing, their physiques and small
mistakes he often sees. These tips are of great help to any
competitor.
Apart from this fantastic series, you can also catch Carl
squatting plate upon plate on his Instagram page. He not
only talks the talk, but walks the walk putting in the work
necessary to improve his own physique. Carl is a huge
inspiration to many people, including myself as he is
always open to helping others be their absolute best. I had
the huge privilege to interview Carl and learn more about
his own journey in this beautiful sport.
Juan: Thank you very much for chatting with us today Carl.
Tell us about yourself, what got you into training and what
attracted you to the world of bodybuilding?
Carl: I’ve participated in martial arts from a very young
age and it turned into a competitive journey as well. Over
time, my body had enough and I remained involved in the
sport as an instructor. I still had the desire to compete in
something. I’ve always been very fascinated with muscle
gains. Inspired, like many others, by watching movies
with guys like Arnold, Stallone and even Van Dam. In high
school I was lucky enough to have a good weight lifting
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teacher who taught me the basics and led me to consider
weight lifting as a career. I became obsessed with it and
all I wanted to do was train. I admired all the IFBB Pro
bodybuilders at that time, Flex Wheeler, Dorian Yates, Lee
Priest, Vince Taylor, Kevin Levrone and many more. After
high school, I joined Gold’s Gym Mississauga in 1998 and
still today train at the same gym 6 days a week. Here I met
many of my great mentors of the sport like Canadian IFBB
Pros Henderson Thorne, Bob Weatherill, and Mike Asiedu.
It was because of these three highly respected pro athletes
who took me under their wing that I am where I am today.
They passed on all their knowledge which led to a solid
foundation that I’ve earned.
With their guidance, I was able to enter competitions like
the OPA Championships from 2006-2010. In 2006 in
Brantford I came in fourth. 2007 in Mississauga I came in
sixth. I then competed in Stratford and came in eleventh
place. In 2008 in London I came in sixth, ten years ago, in
Mississauga, I came in third place and in 2010, I was able
to claim first place in London. Since then, I’ve participated
in the CBBF Nationals, in Edmonton, Alberta where I came
in twelfth place. Two years later in Quebec, I came in third.
Then, three years later in Edmonton again I came in eighth
place. That same year, I competed in the 2017 Ben Weider
Classic in Toronto and came in fourth place.
I still have the desire to be an IFBB Pro one day and because
I am already 41, I will most likely be pursuing the master’s
class. Currently, I am in the building phase with the goal
of adding more size to be a competitive heavyweight.
Regardless, Pro card or not, I love training and competing.
Deep down, I know I will never stop until my time is done on
this planet.
What an amazing and motivating story Carl. How did you
begin judging shows?
Carl: After winning my weight class at the 2010 OPA
Ontario Provincial Championship and losing the overall
title to Zane Watson, the OPA committee asked if I would
like to become a regional judge. Since I was already