How a passionate DO became a bodybuilding champion

My lifelong pursuit of health and fitness reached a high point in early November 2024. Nearly 50 years of exercise and nutrition experience went into my preparation for the 2024 International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA)-Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) Pinnacle Natural Olympia at the Golden Nugget casino in Las Vegas. The INBA-PNBA is the top leader of natural bodybuilding, a sport that demands great discipline, health and athleticism—without the use of performance enhancers. Competitors from 30 countries and six continents participated. I was honored to be a part of Team USA.

The competition lasts two days. Amateurs compete on day one and professionals on day two. Because of the association’s rules, I could compete as an amateur on the first day and then as a professional the following day.

In my first international bodybuilding competition ever, I won the amateur Grand Master (ages 50-59) category just days before my 60th birthday. The feelings of success, satisfaction and joy were incredible, especially while the U.S. national anthem played and the American flag waved on the gigantic screen behind me during the award ceremony. The second day, I placed fourth in the world in the professional Grand Master category with two natural bodybuilding hall of famers just ahead of me (Australian Bryce Greely and American Philip Ricardo). To be there with the best natural professional bodybuilders in the world was an achievement all its own.

My motivation

The journey to become a world champion began as a child. My parents encouraged my brother Mark and I to participate in sports. My father, Don Sr., taught us the technical skills while my mother, Joyce, a registered nurse, made sure we focused on the nutrition aspect. She would read the latest nutrition information, a habit she continues to this day. Weight lifting was part of preparation for the many sports in which I participated. During my childhood, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno were our role models. Jack Lalane was another. He stressed the importance of exercise and eating healthily. I once heard him talk about why he exercises.

He said “We eat. We sleep. We breathe. We exercise. It’s part of what we do every day to live.” Following a successful high school sport career, I went on to play football for Mercyhurst University. I was a four-year starter and an All-American linebacker as a senior. Weight lifting was an integral part of that success.

With my acceptance into the A.T. Still University—Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM), I continued my training. In 1988, during my second year of medical school, I participated in my first bodybuilding competition at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Jr. Iowa championship. I won both the novice and open categories. I was the state champion. I wanted to compete at the professional level, but to be competitive would require the use of anabolic steroids. The risk to my health and longevity was not worth it. This would be the last year I competed in bodybuilding until 2023. However, I always prioritized exercise and physical activity throughout my life.

Training preparation

Following my emergency medicine residency, I shifted my focus to endurance events such as triathlons, adventure races and marathons. Though my weight training lessened, swimming and cycling helped me maintain my upper and lower body musculature. Ironman triathlon training in 2017 and 2018 took a toll on my body. The 20-plus hours of training weekly caused me to lose muscle mass. After the 2018 Mont-Tremblant Ironman triathlon, I reincorporated weight training into my regimen.

I found that training in the mornings worked best for my schedule as a physician. Whether it was triathlon training or weight lifting, completing it before work ensured it would be done and made the rest of the day easier. Prior to my retirement in 2022, weekday training sessions lasted 45 minutes to an hour. I did longer training sessions on weekends.

Being time-crunched in medical school, I developed a weightlifting program that could be completed in 45 minutes. I continue to use it, although now it lasts an hour. It is very different than the normal exercise routine of performing a set and resting 2-3 minutes before doing the next set. I use a combination of super sets (training unrelated or opposing muscle groups during the rest period of the first group of muscles exercised), descending sets (removing 5-10 pounds each set and then immediately performing another set) or rest-pause sets (resting only 10-20 seconds in between sets). 

I weight lift four days per week (usually Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday). Legs and abdomen are trained on Monday and Thursday. Chest, shoulders, back and arms are trained on Tuesday and Friday. When I am not preparing for a bodybuilding competition, a short 20-30 minute aerobic exercise is performed after weight training. During contest preparation, it increases to 60-80 minutes.

I do easy aerobic training or recreational activities on off days. However, during the final 8-10 weeks of contest preparation, I do some kind of easy aerobic activity for 1-2 hours on off days. During contest preparation I average about 2 hours of training every day.

Staying active through every stage

My mixed triathlon and weight training continued until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of events and closure of my YMCA. 

Without a pool to train in and no events, I found myself spending a larger amount of my training time weight lifting in my home gym. My muscularity was returning without the long endurance segments. My bodybuilding competitive spirit also revived. I began to wonder if I could be competitive in my age group category (Grand Master 50-plus). I looked at the Natural Olympia competition photographs and thought that I could be near the top. Not telling anyone of my new aspirations, I began my secret training.

I adjusted my weight lifting routine to focus on hypertrophy and nutrition to maximize lean muscle growth. Training in one’s late 50s is much different than in one’s 20s. You can’t go as heavy due to the risk of injury, and you need more recovery time. While your mind may be telling you one thing, your body will quickly tell you another.

Preparing to compete

In early 2023 it was time to prepare for my first qualifying event in April. I informed my family and close friends of my desire. I needed their support and understanding, especially when I was dieting to reduce my body fat, which is important for bodybuilding. Irritability was a side effect of the dieting. But my family and friends were behind me 100%. I followed a high protein, low carbohydrate Mediterranean-Paleo type whole food diet. I ate two meals daily, one at 11 a.m. and the other at 6 p.m. I found that this worked best for me at this time. Remember that the best diet is the one that works for you.

I had continued my cycling training during this entire time (though greatly reduced), but now I increased it by 50%. My walking volume also increased. I was averaging more than 15,000 steps per day. I hit my goal weight and percent body fat for the contest. I won the Grand Master category and qualified for the 2023 Natural Olympia. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend that year due to a vacation in Germany for Oktoberfest.

I resumed my training with my goal of winning the amateur Grand Masters category in 2024. I prioritized correcting my weaknesses from the April 2023 competition. In the qualifying competition of April 2024 I won the Open, Masters (40-plus) and Grand Masters categories. This qualified me to compete as a professional. The next six months passed by quickly in anticipation for the 2024 Natural Olympia. At the time of the competition, I was leaner than when I competed in 1988. In some ways I am better now than I was then. Mentally, I was going to own the stage.

Why this path?

I chose natural organizations because I was not going to use performance enhancers or anabolic steroids. The risks are too great, and I want to set an example for others. As physicians, we need to be an example of health. While one does not need to go to an extreme, we should walk the walk and talk the talk. Aerobic conditioning and resistance training should be part of our weekly routine. Sarcopenia in aging is an avoidable detriment.

At age 60 I am building muscle—I’m proof that it is never too late to start. In fact, I most recently competed in the Natural Olympia XXVIII in Las Vegas in early November 2025, and won the bronze medal in the professional Ultra Masters (60+) category, finishing third in the world.

Our muscles are a vital organ. They produce beneficial hormones such as irisin, myonectin, Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF21) and others that help regulate metabolism, insulin sensitivity, inflammation and tissue repair. They also act as a repository for blood glucose.

Our longevity and health-spans depend on us taking care of ourselves. While I choose to devote more time to exercise and physical activity, you don’t have to train for triathlons or bodybuilding competitions to reap the benefits of basic strength training and regular physical activity. Stay strong.

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