CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE March/April 2020 | Page 67

THOMAS GLEN
I’ve been active my entire life. Hiking,
bird-watching and tree climbing to
check nests builds strong arms and
legs. When you’re climbing a tree,
out in the wild (and repeating that,
weekend after weekend, year upon
year) it has an effect.
I was actually lifting a bit in high school
and then when I entered Mount Hood
Community College.
I became more consistent with weight
training in 1980 when I participating
in Karate as well. Both began to be
too much for me, so I had to make a
decision. I chose to focus my training
on bodybuilding.
I participated in my first contest in
1988, at the Novice level, and received
last place. I decided that I should quit
bodybuilding. When I spoke with the
head judge, he encouraged me to stay
with it.
I competed again in 1989. With the
guidance of the gym owner I placed
first in the Novice Division and 4th in
the Open category.
I competed again in 1999, and won
1st place in the Masters Division.
Athough I was the only competitor in
my class the judge told me I should
be competing in the Open Category. I
was in the best shape of my life, even
at the age of 44. I looked awesome. I
empahasize that fact because people
should know they can look great at any
age.
In 2015, in Red Deer, I won the Grand
Masters title at the Southern Alberta
Bodybuilding Championships
. I
trained 5 hours a day for that show, the
longest I had in my entire life.
Next, I did the Canadian Nationals
twice, receiving 4th and 5th places.
Finally, I competed in Toronto at the
Canadian National Bodybuilding
Championships in 2019. There, I won
1st place in the Super Grand Masters
Division.
For most of my bodybuilding journey
I trained twice a day; 1 hour in the
morning and 1 hour at night.
For the Super Grand Masters, I was
training 2 hours each day.
When I was younger I used to aim for
the greatest weight. Now I’m older and
wiser, I don’t do that any more. I’m still
able to achieve excellent results with
lighter weights.
The best advice I can give is believe in
yourself and your ability to reach your
goal. Be very consistent. When you
come to the gym, mentally prepare
yourself for one hour of focused
intense training.
Get your mind into the muscle group
you are training. Don’t get distracted
by other people in the gym. Focus
on what you have to do. When you
get to the gym, don’t allow anyone or
anything to pull you away.
Read. Learn. Read. Learn. Knowledge
is powerful. I read Muscle and Fitness
as well as Muscular Development
every month.
Slow, slow, slow is the only way to go
when you are trying to lose weight.
The faster you lose it, the higher your
chances of getting it back. Go slow.
Think long term. Little changes make a
big difference in the long run.
Find a mentor. Someone to emulate,to
motivate you. Mine is Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
Remember what you eat will affect
your Bodybuilding. 1983 Olympia
champion Samir Bannout stated
nutrition represents 90% of his
success.
In my years of Bodybuilding I have tried
very hard to cut two things: Alcohol
and White Sugar. Alcohol was starting
to become a problem for me. You can’t
go drinking Friday night, then go to
the gym Saturday morning and expect
to squat heavy on a hangover. It does
not work. I tried it many times. When
I stopped drinking, that’s when my
bodybuilding training began to take
off.
White Sugar: White Death. White sugar
is an accelerant to cancer. It’s like
pouring gasoline on a fire. White Sugar
destroys teeth and as far as I have
read heavy consumption of sugar can
speed up the aging process. My belief;
white Sugar is a body destroyer, not a
body builder.
Finally, follow your dream, believe in
yourself, and don’t let anyone tell you it
can’t be done.
"WE DON'T STOP EXERCISING BECAUSE WE GROW OLD - WE GROW OLD BECAUSE WE STOP EXERCISING"
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