Meet the Mr. Penn Bodybuilding champions
Speedos and tans are just the beginning…
Carl and Nick are best friends. They are in the same frat, spend most of their time at the gym, and share a love of bodybuilding.
However, there’s more to the sport than looking good. It requires strenuous workouts, strict diets, and extreme mental focus.
Nick (left) and Carl (right) practicing their stage poses
Carl compares bodybuilding to an art performance, while Nick sees bodybuilding as a form of expression.
Judges analyze body proportions and symmetry, like viewing a chiseled sculpture.
Although the the competitors are strong, the biggest challenge is competing against yourself.
They both agree: “Working out is the fun part, dieting is the hardest.”
Leading up to show, they’ve closely followed workout cycles with HIIT cardio sessions.
They’ve been gradually decreasing carb intake to “cut” for the show. The day before, they limit water consumption to increase their vascularity on stage.
Show day prep is essential. Dark tans and oiled bodies are to be expected.
Carl ordered his swim trunk from bodybuilding.com, while Nick brought back his from studying abroad in Italy.
They’ll hit a few exercises behind the curtain to “pump up” before strutting their routine on stage.
This year the competition was extremely fierce, but the duo stole the show.
Nick won first place, Carl won silver, and two others placed third.
When it comes to eating clean and training dirty, two is always better than one.