The Bodybuilding + Racing Connection
On the surface bodybuilding and race car driving might seem like two sports without any connection to one another; yet I love and practice both.
For a long time I have been intensely focused on the sport of bodybuilding, as I have with racing — although not quite as long, but I realized some of my followers and supporters might not know the connection between the two for me.
I have been an athlete for as long as I can remember; playing football, wrestling and racing since I was a little kid. But I grew up the scrawny, short kid on the block and was overlooked countless times by teammates, coaches and nearly everyone in between because of it. It constantly felt like people weren’t taking me seriously.
When I was in the eight grade though, that started to change when my uncle Travis — who was an incredible football player and wrestler in his own right — built a home gym. My good buddy Willis Benyshek and I started working out at Uncle Travis’s place 3-4x per week and then all summer long once school let out. We loved it and before long we were the hardest working kids in school by a long shot, constantly improving our minds and skills. Getting bigger. Getting stronger.
The difference didn’t go unnoticed when school was back in session either. By our senior year Willis and I were both bench pressing more than the lineman on our football team! About this time I was noticing changes on the race track, too. My reflexes were faster than ever and I didn’t tire out from muscle or cardiovascular fatigue nearly as quick. It was like night and day.
When I started racing in bigger cars at the age of 12, I didn’t yet weigh 100 lbs. soaking wet and it wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I was able to break that number.
After high school I didn’t only continue to train, but Willis and I went after it even harder when we found out that we had both been invited to play on one of the four USA football teams in Australia for the following summer. We were training like madmen; eating 1 lbs. steaks several nights per week and pounding protein shakes.
My first full-time job after school was pouring concrete for 10-12 hours everyday, after which I would hit the gym for another 2 hours and try to get some time on the field for football training. Needless to say those were busy days. We were also doing some motocross at the time, so I had to squeeze in any time I could working on the bike and practicing at the local OHV park. I raced the bike until I left for Australia.
When I returned to the US, it was back to the grind working a full time job while I slowly got back into racing. I never quit going to gym though because I knew how much better I felt when I was in my best shape.
Another good friend of mine — who is now a competitive bodybuilder chasing his pro card — started training with me and together we began really studying the sport of bodybuilding. We were training 2-3 hours per day and learning everything we could as fast we could; completely consuming it.
During that time I saw some of the best gains I have since I started bodybuilding. I knew I wasn’t going to compete in the sport, but what I was able to do was adapt what I was learning into my daily regime to become a better race car driver. I learned proper training technique and how to eat right to sculpt my physique. I take a lot of pride in my physique and constantly getting stronger and staying healthy.
I know it’s not exactly the traditional route a race car driver takes, but this path has made me stronger in and out of the car and for that I am extremely grateful I found the sport of bodybuilding.
I also know that it allows me to bring an extra aspect to my marketable as a driver and athlete. Instead of just being fast in the car, I am well-rooted in the fitness industry and can offer my experience and reach in that genre as a piece of my racing program.
I continue to follow my passions in both racing and bodybuilding and can’t wait to keep pounding away!
- Sincerely, the TAR Family
