The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL bodybuilding champion Jimmy Norius will be heading to Joe Weider’s Mr Olympia Amateur South America this weekend, but he will be testing his skills in the men’s physique.

Norius, the lone Bahamian to compete in the prestigious event, left town yesterday and will be in action on Saturday as he makes his Mr Olympia Amateur debut.

“To tone down from a bodybuilder to a men’s physique is kind of tricky because I had to downsize my muscles and taper my waist and come more conditioned,” said Norius, who has participated in bodybuilding in the Arnold Classic.

“They are not looking for bulky muscles. They are looking more for muscles with athletic synthetics.  My weight is still up, but my dimension on my body had to change a little.”

After going through a hectic month of December, Norius said he spent the past month as the new year rolled in trying to focus on his conditioning for the competition.

“Mentally I feel good because some of the guys who I beat in the Arnold Classic two years ago, I will be competing against them,” Norius stated. “But I could convert between bodybuilding and men’s physique.

“I’ve been looking at the photos they posted in Facebook and Instagram and I feel like I’m right up there with them, in terms of my conditioning, but I need to just nail the last two days before the competition.

“The last two days is more consumed with water conversation, so I have to decrease my water intake and increase my food intake. So it’s very, very sensitive because I don’t want my muscles to flatten out. I don’t want to be bulky, but I don’t want to be flat out.”

The bottom line, according to Norius, is that he needs to ensure that his waistline is small.

“It’s like you almost have to be a rocket scientist to deal with men’s physique,” he said.

“Bodybuilding, you just have to be big and symmetrical. But physique, I don’t know what they are looking for, so I just have to give them the best me and hopefully my symmetry will allow the judges to take another look at me.”

In preparation for the tournament, Norius said he’s been working with Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation President Joel Stubbs and Wellington ‘Cat’ Sears.

He said he feels very good in making the transition from bodybuilding to Mr Physique.

“I feel I’ve reached my peak in bodybuilding,” said Norius, who is a five-time Central American and Caribbean Championship medallist, having won a pair of gold last year; a three-time national champion; three-time Mr Northern Bahamas champion and male bodybuilder of the year five times. “I just want to try something different to challenge myself. So it’s more of a challenge. I still like bodybuilding, but I want to see how the international judges will look at me competing in physique.”

In bodybuilding, competitors wear the very small swim trucks and they are judged based on their muscles, especially their legs and shoulders. In men’s physique, competitors wear shorts about an inch above the knee and they are not as bulky in their physique.

“I’ve been working on my mid- section and my conditioning a lot, a lot of mid-section conditioning and dieting,” Norius stressed. “Bodybuilding you have to be as full as possible, but men’s physique, if you are too full, you will lose points and if you are too flat, you will lose points as well.”

By the time he gets to Colombia, Norius said he intends to be in tip-top shape so that he can put his best foot forward when he competes on Saturday. He won’t know exactly what class he will compete in until he goes through the weigh-in where he will be placed based on his height.

As he leaves, Norius expressed his gratitude to Olympic quarter-miler Andretti Bain for his assistance in providing some vitamins in preparation for the tournament from his store - ‘Da Bahamian Dream’ Sports & Lifestyle Nutrition.

When he travels, he is expected to be accompanied by Sears and three test judges from the federation.