2006 competitor has sights set on this year's Mr. Ball State crown
Date: 19-04-2007
Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamUnited States |
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Like most image conscious males, Ball State junior Brian Watters had specific plans for his body before spring break his senior year in high school.
The Yorktown graduate weighed about 150 pounds at the time, but knew when he trained for track that he could drop weight pretty easy and show off his six-pack abs.
So instead of bulking up for the trip to Clearwater, Fla., with his buddies, he kept the weight off and kept the abs. He's still got abs, but he's up to 170 pounds, and one of the favorites to win the Mr. and Ms. Ball State bodybuilding competition tonight at Emens Auditorium.
"I was always a pretty skinny kid, and before break some people were telling me that I was pretty big for my size," said Watters, who stands 5-foot, 5-inches tall. "I didn't want to start training and gaining weight because I didn't want to have a gut or whatever on the beach. But when I got back, I just started eating and training."
Eat up
Last year's first runner-up in the medium division of the Mr. Ball State competition, Watters now eats an average of 4,000 calories per day to keep his weight and muscle size up. Watters said there are times when he might eat 7,000 or more calories in a day, but maintains a body fat level around 4.5 percent.
"It's pretty easy for me to lose and gain weight if I tweak my diet," said Watters, who has "dialed in" his diet to around 2,000 calories per day leading up to the competition. "I like to keep my size on by eating a lot of red meat, potatoes and pasta. I still eat Wendy's, Taco Bell or whatever, but not like a normal college kid. Maybe like three or five times per week."
Watters said one of the major drawbacks to training for a high-level competition like Mr. and Ms. Ball State is the blandness and repetitiveness of the food as the competition nears. During the weeks leading up to the show, he often eats grilled chicken and sweet potatoes every few hours without any condiments.
He added that the diet hurts his social life a little bit. Watters, who has a girlfriend and lives with two buddies near campus, has to pass on many trips to the local fast-food joints.
"Sometimes they just want to get something to eat, and I have to say 'I'll go, but I've got to bring my Tupperware dish,'" Watters said.
The sacrifices have paid off as Watters enters the competitions as one of the favorites to win the overall crown.
'We pushed each other'
Watters spent August through February training with a former competitor, Benjamin Wheat. Wheat, who competed as a bigger athlete, said that he and Watters just clicked as training partners.
"We pushed each other really hard," said Wheat, who competed twice in the competition. "He's a go-getter, and when the two of us got in the gym, we got things done. I think we both made big gains."
The 2005 Ball State graduate now owns an auto sales and leasing business in Carmel, Ind., and said he still lifts on a daily basis but doesn't have the time to compete.
Watters said Wheat's encouragement in the gym helped him reach new goals. Despite a notion that many people have, Watters said he's not as concerned with the amount of weight he lifts, but the form he maintains during the lifts.
The 175-pound Watters can bench press 315 pounds six to eight times and can squat 495 pounds with proper form up to four times.
"It's very important to do the exercises right," Watters said. "That's why you don't need to be in the gym all day."
Watters said he usually spends about an hour per day, five days per week, working out. He said that if you take short breaks, while working out at high intensity, you can get enough accomplished in about an hour.
While there is no money attached to the competition, Watters said he would love to win to show everybody what he's been doing the last three years.
Wheat said it's nearly a forgone conclusion.
"Honestly, I think he should make room for his trophy right now," Wheat said about a week before the competition. "I saw him recently and he looked really good, and I can't imagine what he will look like (for the show). He's really put his all into in, and deserves the credit he will get."
