OCB Central Eastern Seaboard States

June 11, 2005 - Newark, DE

Men's Open Overall Champion

B. J. Barnes
Sr. Land Mobile Radio Technician
Reamstown, PA
DOB: 5/31/79
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 185 off-season; 155 on-season
Training since: 1991

Contest History:
05.12.01 - NABBA Keystone - Donegal, PA, 1st Men's Juniors & 1st Men's Lightweight
08.25.01 - NABBA Junior Nationals -Philadelphia, PA, 1st Men's Juniors & 2nd Men's Medium-Short
05.11.02 - NABBA Keystone - Donegal, PA, 1st Men's Juniors & 3rd Men's Lightweight
05.03.03 - NABBA Maryland Cup - Baltimore, MD, 1st Men's Lightweight
05.14.05 - NABBA Keystone - Elizabethtown, PA, 1st Men's Short

Future Goals:
I want to continue to do the best in everything I do. Hard work is always rewarded in one way or another. I plan to become even more knowledgeable with nutrition and training and continue to improve my physique naturally. There is always room for improvement. I also hope to start promoting shows in the upcoming years. I have a lot of thoughts and ideas to help get more beginners involved in the great sport of bodybuilding.

Brian's Tips:
Set your goals and stick to them. Once you have reached one of your goals, set a new, higher goal. Seven years ago, I had a goal to compete in Bodybuilding. After my first show, I did very well and decided it was time to set a new goal. I wanted to win an “Overall” title. Now that that goal has been reached it is once again time to set a new, higher goal. Never settle; always strive to be better.

When it comes to weight training, try to make every workout more intense than the previous one. If you want to see results, you need to be intense when you train. Always try and grab that last rep, always push for the extra movement and never quit before you originally planned on stopping.

As for the diet, do your research. There are hundreds of articles, books, etc. out there to help you understand nutrition. Nutrition is one of the biggest factors of Bodybuilding. Once you understand how it affects your body, you will have a big advantage over the competition. Also, be true to your diet. Remember, every time you cheat, you are going against what you have been working so hard achieve.

Finally, learn YOUR body. Every singe person is different from the next. Different work out programs and diet plans work differently for each individual. Use “trial and error” to find out what your body responds to or doesn’t respond to. The better you know your body, the easier it will be to transform it into the sculpted machine that you want it to look like.

Additional Comments:
Bodybuilding is mainly portrayed as an individual sport. However, when you really look at it, there are so many more people involved than the one on stage at that particular time. I would like to extend my thanks to my family, friends, and team members of the Ephrata Rec Center in Ephrata, PA. The support family, friends, and a team really helps to keep you focused on the end goal and what has to be done to get there.

I would also like to extend an extra special thanks to my fiancée, Mary Bauder, who placed second in this same show. Mary’s hard work and dedication was an inspiration to me throughout the entire six months leading up to the show. Her nutritional knowledge was also what helped me exceed any limitations that I had previously encountered. Mary is an incredible athlete and an even better partner in life. She is the real reason for my success as well as her own. We will be married in October of 2005.