An Estevan bodybuilder won a bronze medal at the Canadian Physique Alliance’s National Pro Qualifier in Toronto on Oct. 19.
Chad Kerr competed in the over-40 masters heavyweight division and earned a bronze medal for his showing. Kerr said a lot of people, including judges and pros who were there, told him he should have won, but he also pointed out that bodybuilding is a subjective sport.
Kerr received praise for his level of conditioning.
“Even backstage, when we were going out on stage, guys in my class were saying ‘I don’t know how you’re not going to win.’ The level of conditioning was over and above everybody. As far as the other criteria that they judge you on, it’s obviously a symmetry and it has to be proportionate.”
Fifteen men were entered in his class from across Canada, and it was a highly competitive field.
“When I saw the list of guys, I thought this was fairly competitive. Once I got backstage and we started eyeing each other up, I know that I was going to be up there.”
Kerr became eligible to compete at nationals after he won the Mr. Saskatchewan title back in 2006. The winners of that event earned a lifetime bye to compete at this national event, but a change in the rules meant that the exemption is finished after this year. If Kerr didn’t finish in the top three at nationals in 2019, he would have had to go back to a regional show and requalify for next year.
But his bronze medal this year punched his ticket for a return to Toronto, and he plans to attend.
He started competing in bodybuilding in 1999, and this was his sixth time at nationals, although just his second time in the masters division. When he turned 40 in 2016, he attended nationals and finished ninth, which is where he believes he should have finished.
After the tournament three years ago, Kerr and his wife opened Studio C 24-Hour Fitness in 2017, a project that took up a lot of time.
“We spent an entire year getting the gym ready,” said Kerr. “We did pretty much everything ourselves from scratch.”
His wife was still competing in 2018, and so he took time away from competitive bodybuilding to focus on the gym and to allow her to keep competing.
Bodybuilding requires tremendous discipline with the training, the cardiovascular activity and the diet.
“You’re constantly watching what you eat all day long from the time you get up to the time you go to bed. You’re watching your rest.”
Everything he eats affects how he looks.
“I prepped for 22 weeks for this show. I’ve been missing out on a lot of food and going out here and there to get ready for a show,” said Kerr.
But it’s what he’s been doing for the last 20 years of his life. He loves the challenge and the disciple associated with the sport, and he likes to work out, too.
Once he returned from Toronto, he had a week of down time before starting over with his workout routine.
And he’s not giving up. Turning professional is still his goal, and it’s the reason he keeps returning to the national stage.
“I’ll be better next year than I was this year,” he said.
