Bodybuilder mum:
Jayne Tingle’s son Blaize started weight training when he was just five to copy his mum and brother – now he can lift double his body weight
“My son works out more than me – he’s Britain’s most ripped eight year old”
At just eight years old, Blaize Tingle gets up at 5.30 every morning, raring to get going on his weight training.
Under the expert eye of his personal trainer mum, 40 year old Jayne, he spends an hour lifting weights of up to a staggering 60kg (almost 9.5st) – double his body weight – before most people have even woken up. The rest of his day is then packed with a further two hours of bodybuilding activities. Before lockdown he would train for up to three hours a day, after school and at weekends. But now he’s doing even more. As well as his morning weight training, he’ll complete five hours of schoolwork and then go for a seven-mile run with his older brother Kail, 17, then move on to abs and shoulder work with his mum before bed. He also practises martial arts and keeps up with his football training.
EXPERT
Single mum Jayne, who’s a professional bodybuilder and lives in Manchester, says, “I wake up early, but Blaize is always up before me. In fact, he calls me out of bed because he’s desperate for me to help with his deadlifts or squats. He works out more than me – his dedication is amazing!
“I have received a backlash, epecially from other mums, who have said it’s ridiculous that he’s so muscled and say
I’m pushing him too hard.
But I don’t – he loves it.
“I’m an expert and I know exactly what and how much he can lift safely. I have several personal training qualifications. I have also done courses in children’s strength conditioning and circuit training. I make sure he doesn’t overdo it and that his technique is correct so he won’t damage himself. He’s fit and healthy. I can’t see anything wrong with what he does.”
Jayne has always been into exercise.
She loved sports at school and even studied the subject at university before starting work in a fitness centre.
And when she was pregnant with Kail, she was inspired to start bodybuilding.
She says, “I was watching some videos on female bodybuilders with
my then partner and I said that I could do better than them. He laughed at me and said there was no way. That was all the challenge I needed!
“I’d worked out throughout my pregnancy anyway, and six months after I gave birth, I began training properly for a bodybuilding competition.
“I started winning and loved it. I’ve competed all over the world and I have no plans to stop.”
ORGANIC FOOD
Jayne’s routine is rigid – she eats seven small meals a day and, due to seeing her personal training clients and doing her own work-outs, she’s exercising for most of the day. She says it’s only natural that Blaize would follow in her footsteps.
She says, “The gym is like a second home to Blaize. As
I’m a single mum, he’s always had to come with me to my client appointments. Some gyms don’t allow children in, but mine was relaxed as he was no trouble, just keen to watch.
“And Kail is very into exercise too, doing wrestling and martial arts. As soon as
Blaize could walk he’d copy both of us, practising wrestling moves on the mats at the side of the gym, trying to be like his big brother.
“When he was five, he started begging me to train him in weights. I let him start using his own body weight, doing press-ups and pull-ups. But he soon progressed to proper weights. He’s naturally really strong. I am very cautious he doesn’t take on to much, and he listens exactly to what I tell him. He’s my best pupil!”
Jayne insists that it’s all driven by Blaize. She says, “I admit
I’d struggle if I had a child who wanted to be a couch potato.
But the amount he does is definitely down to Blaize. He is super competitive and driven. If I’m doing 50 stomach crunches, he wants to do 60.”
At 4st 7lbs, Blaize weighs about 7lbs more than the average eight year old. He eats roughly the same as his mum, usually consuming around 1,700 calories a day, including protein shakes and bars, and up to eight egg whites, which help build muscle. His food costs £100 a week.
HE’S SUPER COMPETITIVE – IF I’M DOING 50 STOMACH CRUNCHES, HE’LL DO 60
CRITICAL
Jayne says, “It’s worth it – I’m sure he’s the most ripped eight year old in Britain. People are critical of what I do, but he loves exercising. I can’t see anything wrong with that.”
Blaize says, “I love working out with my mum. I can’t wait to show my friends how muscly I’ve got when we go back to school.”
By Mel Fallowfield and
Alley Einstein