ANDERSON PUTTING MUSCLE INTO OLYMPIC PUSH
MEET the man tackling bodybuilding’s murky public image head on with the goal of one day having the sport accepted into the Olympics.
Luke Anderson has been in the competitive bodybuilding scene for two years and loves it.
What he doesn’t love, however, are the assumptions that his physique must be a result of steroid use.
“Yeah I get it all the time,” said the 22-year-old.
“People say that you can’t get this big without steroids but you can, it just takes time but at the end of the day it’s a lot healthier, a better lifestyle and lasts longer.”
Last weekend he appeared at the Mudgeeraba Show to promote a healthy lifestyle involved with the sport and hopes to play a role in shifting perceptions.
“We’re trying to push for this steroid-free, no drug sort of lifestyle where you can create an amazing physique through hard work, dedication and training,” he said.
“What makes me keep going back to bodybuilding is how great you feel through the comp prep (competition preparation) and how much you learn about yourself.
“And just having a goal at the end of the day and reaching it and feeling great.”
Anderson has prided himself on training, nutrition and visualisation to underpin his success so far – most recently at the Pro/Am World Championships this month in Italy where he took wins in open and junior (under-23s) divisions.
The former Palm Beach Currumbin State High School student was subsequently offered a pro card but declined – for now – given his job in the army as an electronics technician.
But he does have intentions to eventually switch to become a full-time athlete and dreams of even competing at the Olympics.
“That would be a huge goal of mine,” Anderson said.
“It’s definitely down the track – a long way down the track – but it is something that should be achievable, especially natural bodybuilding being tested all the time.
“I think it’s slowly going on the path that way.”