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A MR. Olympia champ has revealed that he used to weigh 265lbs and was uncomfortable taking off his shirt in front of people.
Erin Banks won Men’s Physique at Mr. Olympia and an Arnold in 2022 and is now headed to defend his title at the Arnold Classic again.
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But he confessed that he had his share of struggles with weight gain about 5 1/2 years ago.
While training at a privately-owned gym in Fresno, California, The Iron Office, the doubled-titled champion explained the weight gain kept adding up, yet he would have no motivation to change it.
“I’ve been a three-sport athlete all my life, and then I kind of got out of it, you know?” Banks told Your Central Valley on February 21.
“Next thing you know, I started gaining weight, gaining weight, didn’t do anything about it, kept gaining weight.”
Now, Banks has successfully made a 360-degree transformation into number one in the world and is unrecognizable from when he was overweight.
“I still try to wake up every morning and say, ‘Man, I can’t believe that I’m No. 1 in the world,’” Banks added.
Aside from once being overweight, the fitness pro’s grades got him kicked off the Clovis East football team as a high school freshman.
Mr. Olympia sees his past as what made him into who he is today and he’s thankful for it, rather than regretting it.
“Really, it made me who I am today because I never gave up,” he said.
“If I would have given up, I never would have gotten back on that football field.
“I never would have been one of the best outside linebackers that California has ever seen.”
Banks also won $50,000 at Mr. Olympia 2022.
The Arnold Classic is a professional bodybuilding event that was created by Arnold Schwarzenegger and it has been going on yearly since 1989.
This year marks the 35th annual Arnold Classic, which will be held March 2-5 in Columbus, Ohio, its home since inception.
The event is expected to bring in $15.6million and attract up to 100,000 visitors from all 50 states and more than 80 countries.
There are an estimated 12,000 athletes competing in the entire festival.
It includes an array of different events, Arnold EXP, IFBB Pro League/Arnold Amateur Competitions, Scottish Highland Games, ROGUE Record Breakers, Youth DanceSport, Medieval Fighting, Arnold Foosball Championships, and even Pole Fitness, Ohio.org reported.
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