{"id":2045,"date":"2026-01-03T19:24:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T19:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2045"},"modified":"2026-01-03T19:24:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T19:24:49","slug":"whanganui-bodybuilders-sweep-national-competition-with-two-time-mr-new-zealand-as-their-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2045","title":{"rendered":"Whanganui bodybuilders sweep national competition with two-time Mr New Zealand as their coach"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHe was amazing, that kid. He\u2019s got a huge future,\u201d Lacy said.<\/p>\n

Jeremy Fernandez won the Classic Novice category. <\/p>\n

Devon Smith was second in Classic Bodybuilding and Open Bodybuilding. <\/p>\n

Geoff Maxim placed third in Bodybuilding and Classic Bodybuilding. <\/p>\n

Richard Orchard, the oldest competitor in the Whanganui team, was third in Bodybuilding over-45 and won the Classic over-45, \u201cwhich is a really hard category\u201d, Lacy said.<\/p>\n

Lacy helped the first-time bodybuilders prepare for the event over the past 16 weeks through strict training and diet plans, with some dropping up to 12kg. They learned how to pose, a key element of the competition, practising for two months.<\/p>\n

In the two weeks before the event, athletes began to cut additional weight, following a regimented diet and water intake plan to achieve emphasised muscles or a \u201cdry look\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a mind game … it\u2019s not even a sport, it\u2019s a lifestyle,\u201d Lacy said.<\/p>\n

Lacy has been retired from competitive bodybuilding for two years and found coaching to be a new way to give back and stay involved.<\/p>\n

As a personal trainer at City Fitness, he was already experienced in coaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved [coaching], but I\u2019ve still got the urge to jump on, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was first named Mr New Zealand<\/a> in 2021 after winning his age group and then the overall competition. He was named Mr New Zealand over-50 in 2023, at 51. <\/p>\n

He announced his retirement from competitive bodybuilding after the national competition in 2023, after a decade of competing as an amateur.<\/p>\n

He said the thing he loved most about the sport was the positive impact it could have on athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t just grow physically, it\u2019s confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust seeing the change in them from 12\u201316 weeks out to the night \u2026 all that hard work pays off and smiling and just really enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lacy began competitive bodybuilding while undergoing rehabilitation for a neck injury he suffered when a rugby scrum collapsed on top of him. It became his new challenge and was especially difficult as a type-2 diabetic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt keeps you young, you know, healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a coach, it was rewarding to watch the impact it had on his athletes and their confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the thing that I love about it, you know, it changes their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bodybuilding had not been particularly popular in recent years in Whanganui, he said. <\/p>\n

In 2023, he was the only Whanganui competitor at the NABBA event. <\/p>\n

After this year\u2019s competition, he has more athletes, including females, wanting to get involved in the sport and train with him for next year\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to think it\u2019s a new era for bodybuilding [in Whanganui].\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHe was amazing, that kid. He\u2019s got a huge future,\u201d Lacy said. Jeremy Fernandez won the Classic Novice category. Devon Smith was second in Classic Bodybuilding and Open Bodybuilding. Geoff Maxim placed third in Bodybuilding and Classic Bodybuilding. Richard Orchard, the oldest competitor in the Whanganui team, was third in Bodybuilding over-45 and won the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":2046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[270],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2045","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-international-news"},"yoast_head":"\nWhanganui bodybuilders sweep national competition with two-time Mr New Zealand as their coach - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2045\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Whanganui bodybuilders sweep national competition with two-time Mr New Zealand as their coach - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cHe was amazing, that kid. 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