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From chunk to hunk
Five years ago, Edwin Thia would have laughed out loud if you had told him he would go on to become a bodybuilder one day.
So would you, if you knew him back then. Standing at 1.64m and weighing a chubby 68 kg at the age of 14, bespectacled Edwin considered himself short and overweight and preferred keeping to himself. To him, bulging muscles were disgusting.
Fate has a weird sense of humour. Today, Edwin, 19, stands proud – a bodybuilder with trophies that are a testimony to his grit, passion and determination.
Edwin clinched second place in both the 47th National Bodybuilding Competition Juniors “Under 60kg” category and the “Up to 170 cm” category of the Muscle and Fitness War 2009 held earlier this year.
Edwin’s inspiring journey from fat to fit began when he became convinced he needed to lose
some weight.
“I was at the Toa Payoh Swimming Complex with a few friends, and we were walking past the gym, and something just drew me in,” says the final-year Banking and Financial Services student. From then on, Edwin was hooked. “Once I began working out and started noticing my muscle growth, I didn’t want to stop,” he says.
Bodybuilding has given Edwin more than just muscles. He thinks that regular exercise has given him the energy to improve his grades. His cumulative grade point average is a healthy 3.58 now.
“I believe due to the high nutrition intake I get from my special diet, I find myself absorbing much more from lessons than I did before, and I definitely stay awake more often too,” says Edwin with a laugh.
The new Edwin also admits that he is more sociable now.
“I would say bodybuilding forced me to become more outgoing, because it can be quite daunting to go up on stage in front of a crowd and pose if you are shy.”
Edwin also spends a good portion of his day working on enhancing his muscles. With a hectic school schedule as well, his social activities have taken a backseat.
“At one point, I was going to the gym very often and things got really bad. My friends just stopped asking me out altogether because of my constant rejection. That was a very, very lonely period for me.”
He adds, “That was when I first started managing my time properly, making sure I fit different aspects of my life, like my friends and family, into my timetable
“Once I began working out and started noticing my muscle growth, I didn’t want to stop,”- Edwin Thia, 19, Final-year Banking & Financial Services Student
As for his bodybuilding plans, Edwin says with a look of conviction, “I plan to continue bodybuilding for as long as I can.”
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