Simon to flex at Arnold Classic Africa

PROFESSIONAL bodybuilder Dexter Simon is making waves throughout the fraternity after having been officially invited to participate in the Arnold Classic Africa IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness) Elite Pro Bodybuilding competition.

The competition, considered a Mecca and homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger, will occur in South Africa from May 17-19 and consists of the world’s elite. Simon described the invite as an honour, as he’s the second male professional from TT ( Darrem Charles being the first) to garner one, which comes in the wake of his personal friend Candice Carr debuting last year in the female edition.

“This is a massive accomplishment for me. It’s like going to the Olympics. It’s the ultimate goal for pro athletes, and comes for me just after one year of being a pro,” beamed the 50 year-old, who is leaving Greece shortly after competing in the Men’s Physique Elite President’s Cup in Athens. Simon, a renowned instructor and trainer both at home and abroad, created history in 2017 when he won this country’s first ever gold medal at the 2017 Arnold Classic in Barcelona, Spain, but that was as an amateur. Now, as a professional, he’s been competing in the Open category, which includes Masters as well as young athletes too.

“It’s the ultimate goal. It took a lot of discipline, foresight, dedication and vision, as this is my 40th show in three years. I was at 36 shows in 36 months while some local guys do two shows for a year. But it’s all about a passion and love for bodybuilding, which has helped me to monetise it as I have over 300 clients. This is something the younger guys aren’t mature enough to understand,” he said.

Simon is currently the top-ranked Masters in the world, 14th in the Open category and has participated all over Europe as he eyed a call-up to the Arnold Classic. As for any scare factor with the younger performers, he dispelled such notions. “It’s hard to follow in my footsteps. And they have tremendous respect for me. I have no fear for them because I am the best at my age,” Simon clarified.

He will be back in the country on Wednesday and revealed his gruelling training schedule resumes Thursday morning as it’s all about longevity and consistency. Simon mentioned that posting to social media is also an intimidation tactic in the sport, so truly dedicated athletes have no days off. He said he’s been researching how to crack the top 10 over the last few months when he had down time and after this Greece trip, he knows what’s working for him and how to proceed for the next four weeks of preparation.

One of his charges, Brandon Francis, took the top spot in the 2nd annual Tobago Bodybuilding competition on the weekend, and Simon believes that with such a team, he can only get better. As for any messages for the opposition, he concluded, “It’s a mental and physical game, but at the end of the day the community is close-knit. The differences I saw in myself in Greece bore fruit. I know what I’m worth so I’ll give them sleepless nights to worry about.”