What do a painter, a soccer coach, a Sunday school teacher, and a personal trainer have in common? They’re all the same guy. David Hull, 46, is all these things, plus an International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA) competitor.
Hull’s affiliation with the sport began when he started lifting weights in junior high school. Way back then, it was about getting in shape. In high school, he was a track and football athlete, which put him in the gym more often.
“I’ve always wanted to do it, I’ve just never thought I was big enough to do it,” Hull said of bodybuilding.
That was until his wife suggested they support friends who were competing in an INBA competition, which Hull noticed was a different sort of competition.
“You look at it and go, ‘I could do that,’” Hull said. “He’s not all steroided out, and he’s not a huge person. He looks like a normal person on the street.”
Hull had been bodybuilding since 2004, but not with a competition mindset. After watching his friends and realizing he didn’t have to become a ’roid-monkey to have a shot, he returned home set on competing.
“The workout time didn’t change; what I was doing as far as workout, I just needed to watch my diet, mainly, to get the results that I wanted,” he explained.
At INBA competitions, judges are looking for symmetry and body proportion. It’s not about sheer muscle mass. Proper dieting helps a competitor shed body fat so he or she is defined.
“It’s not easy, because you have a lot of temptations out there, especially when you are trying to diet right and you have Halloween and you have to go to church and there’s all the soups and all the brownies and the cakes and the cookies and you have to go, ‘Nope,’” he said. “You have to stick to your tuna and your quarter cup brown rice and pureed zucchini … mmmmm.”
Hull has competed in three bodybuilding competitions, and each has been a learning experience for him. They shed light on areas he needs to work on for the next competition. At a Nov. 4 INBA event in Hollywood, he took fourth place in the men’s masters category, third in the novice men’s short category, and second in the open men’s medium/tall category.
This devoted husband and father of four has a levelheaded outlook on what he does.
“It’s like any other sport,” he said. “You still have to be able to have your life outside.”
For Hull, it’s about going out, having a little bit of fun, and seeing how he can come out against others. Winning isn’t what is important, which is probably why he can get away with it.
“Wife does not like it. Mother-in-law doesn’t like it. My sister was a little shocked the first time I told her I was doing it. The kids are OK with it,” he said, laughing.
Hull looks forward to being able to compete in the Olympiad when he’s in his 50s. It shouldn’t be shocking: There are INBA athletes who are 80.
—Michael McCone
This article appears in Nov 17-24, 2011.
