Mr Victor Alley, a 49-year-old Highway Gardens bodybuilder believes there is no slowing down in enjoying his sport.
Mr Alley recently competed in and won Mr Natal, a provincial qualifier for the Mr South Africa bodybuilding competition.
Mr Alley said he did not expect to win the competition, which was held earlier this year, as he had not been focusing on competitions as much in recent years.
He is 10 years older than most of the competitors in the event and his win came as quite a shock.
“Winning the competition gave me a boost of confidence. I have since decided that I want to compete in the Mr Universe bodybuilding competition next year,” said Mr Alley.
The local bodybuilder, who has won a number of international and national bodybuilding titles, said he began the sport when he was 15 years old and started doing powerlifting to get bigger for rugby.
Some of the titles Mr Alley has won include:
* Mr SA hosted by the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness, (IFBB).
* Mr SA hosted by the National Amateurs Bodybuilding Association, (NABA).
* The Champs of Champs hosted by IFBB.
* Mr Universe hosted by NABA nine times.
Mr Alley, who is also a tattoo artist, enjoys expressing himself creatively whenever he gets a chance.
“I have always liked art and after studying graphic design at a college I did work in advertising,” said Mr Alley.
Mr Alley said although he enjoyed working creatively, it began interfering with his bodybuilding schedule and he decided to go into bodybuilding full-time
Despite being kept busy by bodybuilding, Mr Alley said he needed a creative outlet from the stress of bodybuilding and decided to re-ignite his creative side.
To do this, he completed a tattoo course and now also runs a tattoo shop at the same location as his gym.
“Although I am busy, I enjoy doing any art when I get an opportunity,” said Mr Alley.
“Bodybuilding has given me everything – it is such a big part of my life,” said Mr Alley.
He enjoys bodybuilding because of the good altitude among the competitors.
“Everyone gets along more in the older category. There are no bad vibes,” said Mr Alley.
Another aspect of the sport that Mr Alley thoroughly enjoys is the opportunity to train with some of the younger bodybuilders in his gym.
Mr Alley said the youngsters sometimes give him a push to carry on and to improve himself.
“It is a two-way street. I have the knowledge to share with them and their passion for the sport often flows over to me,” said Mr Alley.
Like all sports, Mr Alley said if people want to be the best and grow they must put 100 percent into the sport and give it their all.
