Strike a pose

By LS Rachel Irving

Flexing for the cameras were winners and contestants from the ADF Natural Body Building Championships held at HMAS Cerberus. Clockwise from far left: PO Todd Melrose, centre CPO Kerwyn Ballico, the winning women from left, CAPT Elizabeth Stephens, CPL Eve Kawana, SIG Kelly Gambling and CPL Heather Benyen, and centre CPL Brad Landouw.

Photos: LSPH Philip ‘Rex’ Hunt.

HMAS Albatross’ POA Todd Melrose has taken out the overall men’s title at the 2004 ADF Natural Bodybuilding and Figure championships held at HMAS Cerberus last week.

PO Melrose, who also took out the men’s short category, has spent the past 12 months training hard after competing for the first time at last year’s competition.

Training each day for two hours, PO Melrose increased his training workload to three hours each day in the two months leading up to the 2004 championships.

“I would do an hour of weights each lunch time and two 45 minute cardio sessions each day where I would walk around the base,” PO Melrose said.

He complemented this regime with a strict diet balancing protein and carbohydrates, and little to no fat.

In the 12 weeks prior to the competition, a typical day’s diet for PO Melrose would consist of oats in water with protein powder for breakfast, a six-eggwhite omelette for morning tea, 150g white rice and 150g chicken breast for lunch, 250g chicken breast with green leafy vegetables for dinner and a protein shake with water before bed.

“Diet is the hard part. It’s easy to train hard in the gym but the key difference between competitors is the self-discipline with their diet,” he said “People always look for an easy way to achieve results, to find the secret to getting what they want.

But the secret is there is no secret.

Bodybuilding is all about hard work and determination.”

PO Melrose will spend the next 12 months working hard to retain his winning physique.

“I’ll be back to defend my title next year and will compete in the NSW state titles in October next year,” he said.

The first three placegetters at the state titles will go on to compete at the national titles. Meanwhile, HMAS Albatross’ CPO Kerwyn Ballico took out the men’s tall category at the ADF championships while the medium title and second place overall went to Air Force’s SGT Tristan Gallagher.

The senior title went to WO2 Spike Preisig and the novice went to SGT Scott Dawson. The women’s overall championship title went to last year’s winner, Army’s CPL Eve Kawana.

Army also took out the inter-service team trophy.

The championships, held for the fifth year at HMAS Cerberus, attracted a field of 20 competitors from across the Services.

Organiser CPO Mick Short said he was impressed by the standard of competition.

“The International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA) judges commented that the level of the 2004 competition was outstanding, the best so far,” CPO Short said.

The sixth annual competition will be held at HMAS Cerberus next year.

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