From homework... to home workouts
SCHOOLBOY TOMMY TRANSFORMED INTO BODYBUILDING CHAMP DURING PANDEMIC
A TEENAGE student snubbed Playstation and junk food during the Covid lockdown to transform himself into a national bodybuilding champion. Leaving Cert pupil Tommy O’Brien always had a healthy interest in sport and his physique.
But the 17-year- old Co Donegal student took things to extremes when he used every spare moment to research and perfect his look. All the hard work paid off last week when the Glenswilly lad was crowned the U19 National Champion at the Natural Bodybuilding Federation of Ireland.
Tommy said: “I always liked to keep fit and deep down from an early age I always liked the idea of body-building and seeing how much I could push myself and to see my body transform.
“We all had plenty of time with the lockdowns and my family were very supportive when I started doing it seriously,” he said.
Seeing Tommy in the grey uniform of St Eunans, you would never guess that beneath the tailored shirt and jumper in English class was the sculpted physique that brought him first place in his chosen sport.
He admits that there was no secret sauce to becoming a bodybuilder but simply hours, hour and more hours of hard work — both c a r d io and weights. Encouraged by his parents Mary and Robert, Tommy first started lifting weights when the country went into lockdown in March 2020.
Gym
After his home gym he went to Adam Speer’s gym in Bomany outside Letterkenny before becoming a regular at the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny.
Daily workouts consisted of 6.30am starts on the exercise bike at home before school and then to either Speers or the Aura after he had finished his homework.
And when it came to food bills, let’s just say that he might owe his parents a little when he finally choose a career and gets a job.
His ‘ bulking’ period saw him consume an average of 3,500 calories daily.
Those meals were all high in protein and carbs with lots of rice, chicken, fish, pasta and mince.
Breakfast was usually eggs, lots of toast and cheese and his school lunchbox at St Eunans College in Letterkenny usually contained at least three ham rolls.
For most of us unfamiliar with the world of bodybuilding, there’s an awful lot more to the sport than just bulking up and lifting weights.
Posing is a huge part of the sport and that doesn’t just mean flexing as hard as you can until you nearly burst a blood vessel.
Tommy is thankful to his ‘posing’ mentor Shane Cullen from Monasterevin in Co Kildare who helped him choreograph his routine for the national finals.
Despite the fake tan and the completely body transformation, Tommy said that his classmates and those at St Eunans have been nothing but supportive.
“People have been very kind and really encouraging and nothing but supportive.
“A lot of my schoolfriends have been asking me lots of questions about bodybuilding which is nice.
“I’m just delighted to be able to answer them and let them know about it.
“It’s such a great sport and I would be delighted to help anybody to get into it.
“The bodybuilding community is a small one but people in it are very close and so many people have been so good to me,” added Tommy.
Nailing a college place down is next on the agenda for Tommy who still hasn’t decided exactly on what course or career to choose.
In the meantime he’s happy to continue juggling exercise and study with the unwavering support of his family, friends and mentor.