Bodybuilders Prepare for Regional Championship in Mexico

It’s been over two decades since Belize last had representation in the Central American and Caribbean Fitness Championships organized by the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness. But the Belize Body Building and Fitness Federation is this year fielding three athletes to participate in the international tournament to be held in Mexico City from September twenty-seventy to October second. Today, a News Five team caught up with the team as they trained at the Body 2000 Fitness Gym on Coney Drive in Belize City.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Clayton Greenidge, Oyinkro Akpobodor and Abu Sesay are no stranger to the bodybuilding and weightlifting sports. The trio has competed locally and internationally in several competitions and they are considered to be among the best in the disciplines in Belize. The athletes have been chosen by the B.B.B.F.F. to put Belize back on the map in the international arena for bodybuilding.

Mirna Paul-Greenidge

Mirna Paul-Greenidge, President, B.B.B.F.F.

“The last time we were there, I believe it was 1994 and Belize placed in the first fifteen and then placing in the first tenth with Rochelle Bevans. So we are hoping that we will at least gonna place in the first top six.”

Guy Neal

Guy Neal, National Team Manager

“We had several vetting and it boil down to three and as the team manager, I got to make sure that the guys put in the work. Every now and again you have a look at them and see how they are progressing. But they’ve been working diligently for the past three months. I think we have a very good team; we have very good presentations.”

Today at the Body 2000 Bodybuilding and Fitness Gym on Coney Drive, we caught up with the trio doing what they do best – pumping weights and doing reps – a clear demonstration of what it takes going into competition mode.

Akpobodor, who actively began pursuing bodybuilding three years ago, says that he is in top shape to win in the muscular physique category.

Forty-seven-year-old Clayton Greenidge, who has captured the title in middleweight and masters category for several years , will take on those divisions and the Classic Bodybuilding category is where Sesay will compete.

Abu Sesay

Abu Sesay, Bodybuilder

“I’ve been doing bodybuilding since I came to Belize about six to seven years now. I decided to do bodybuilding because I really love the sport. If it take a day that I didn’t work out, it would be something real happened to me. It’s the love. It takes a lot…a lot of discipline. I stress the word discipline because to get into competition, we have to be dieting and we have to be digging very deep to get that classic body, to get that toned body, to get that symmetry that you want to get into a competition.”

Clayton Greenidge, Bodybuilder

“I expect to do well. I always think number one so number one…no one is better—that’s how I think.”

Duane Moody

“The preparation going into it…”

Clayton Greenidge

Clayton Greenidge

“Well it took me three months for this stage. I only got like two more weeks. Next week, I’ll be drying out. I’ll be getting shredded, really dry so you are going to see the best of Clayton Greenidge at Mister Caribbean. I ensure that I am in peak condition. When you are in peak condition, there is a good chance of you placing in the top six. Sometimes there can be twenty-five, thirty people so when you are in tip top condition, for your weight, it is easier for you to place higher. So you want to get your body fat as low as possible, you wanna get your muscles to look full; that small waistline. You know balance; you must have a balance physique.”

Oyinkro Akpobodor

Oyinkro Akpobodor, Bodybuilder

“I have been getting prepared for this for over three months now. I’ve been doing all the work I need to; eating properly…correct supplement and I think I am more than ready to get the first place on this show; that’s for sure. I’ll be doing the muscular men’s physique; it’s much more bigger than the regular men’s physique because in Central America, the men’s physique guys are much more smaller when I compete in Miami; those guys are much more bigger than us down here. So they added a new category and that is what I will be doing. My preparation for this is basically the same workout I have been doing ever so long—nice and slow; forms really good and I get the full squeeze out of everything so that it triggers all your muscles at once.”

Interestingly, no female bodybuilding athlete has made the cut this time around and Federation President Mirna Paul-Greenidge says that they are trying to engage more women in the sport.

Mirna Greenidge

“This has been a challenge for not only this federation but for many others. We have had Annlyn participate last year December in Costa Rica where she participated in one of her events, in her category, bikini. But we only can encourage. We have tried but at this time, I am putting it out there again, we are trying to encourage anyone who is into health and fitness. Bodybuilding is not just about muscles; they have various categories and we can educate them about it.”

Duane Moody for News Five.