Neil Stallbaum

So I guess I will start from the begining. So myself and my family immigrated to Australia in 1984 from South Africa.

I was 5 years old and from day one was very interested in Aussie Rules. Since it was a game I had never seen I was attracted to the fast pace and enjoyed the contact element. Growing up in South Africa I was used to soccer and cricket.

My father played as a professional in the national league and my mother was a representative for her provence for gymnastics and hockey. They felt that the move to Australia would only benefit myself and my brothers to be able to get better chance to pesure our dreams.

Before we left appartied was still strong and my parents believed our opportunities as athletes would be weak. Through primary school I was  involved in many competitive sports athletics, cross country , soccer football and was involved at club level and school sports.

At the age of 11 my talent as a sportsmen was very evident , representing my state in athletics and soccer playing competing and participating in sport took up most of my time. I was always training or competing, my parents were fantastic support and would take us were ever we needed to go , come to every comp while both had full time jobs , mum being a nurse and my dad a project manager for construction company.

I also played aussie rules but the work load of all sports burnt me out physically, so after special thought I choose to continue with only soccer and athletics.  At the age of 14 I represented my country in soccer for the very first time I played in the u/16 world cup in Japan and was also the first time I was scouted by an international club.

After the world cup I stayed in Japan and started trialling with a club in Kobe. Japan had just launched a brand new professional national league and was keen to sign young Aussie talents. The whole thing happened so fast before I knew it I was playing professional soccer in another country away from my family and friends.

This experience would be instrumental in my love affair with bodybuilding. Playing professional sport was very simular - you had to breathe it , eat it and live you're craft perfect it , and repeatedly practise and practise until you got it one hundred percent.

Your physical condition had to be spot on although a totally different athlete a soccer player had to have speed have power and strength good tone throughout so as you could see the same fundamentals and basic principles still apply. After about two years abroad I became extremely home sick being away from home was hard and it effected my ability to play at my best , so I transferred back to the NSL in australia and stayed on loan to Melbourne Hellas which at the time felt right.

I continued to play at melbourne for another 5 seasons and basically just became a number complacent and properly at the peak of my career I decided to retire and play in the state leagues.

The money was allot less so I decided I needed a new goal and direction and persued a degree in sports science which I studied at the Australian Institute of Sport. During this time I became fascinated by the way the science of the human body contributed to so much of our daily tasks. I studied movement and did thesis on the way food and our body's fuelled our performances on the sporting fields

I researched different theories on muscle growth weight loss weight gain , conditioning our bodies to be versatile and durable to be able to adapt to vigorous excersice. I eventually majored in sports nutrition.

Over the next three years I spent a lot of time with bodybuilders and understanding there diets and lifestyle. I started training at an old bodybuilders gym in Melbourne called Victory.

It was really old and had been in the original building since 1978 and still had all the original equipment. This is were I would be educated over the next two years.

I trained with many different guys, most were in there late 40s and a couple of young guys who had brothers who had trained them. My life changed immediately! I found I became hooked - addicted maybe. All I could think of was training - eating - watching bodybuilding shows and videos, and after a few months my body was changing very quickly.

I was really enjoying it family and friends were noticing it gave me confidence and it was not too long after that I got the urge to compete. The lifestyle of bodybuilding was so attractive it was healthy all round it made you feel good and I felt really in control of me for the first time.

I had the power to change my body with nutrition and good old fashioned weight training the sense of achievement was exciting and it made me feel proud that I was able to feel good about myself because I did the work .

Within about 3 years I trained consistently very hard and was dedicated. I gave myself a goal I would compete in October 2009. In that time I met so many different people. I trained at various gyms in Melbourne and Queensland and took in as much information I could. Along with my own expertise combined I implemented different nutirtion plans and training programs I felt would assist in greater muscle growth alot faster.

In October 2009 I competed in the INBA Victorian Championships as a Novice and placed 6th the experience was something I will never forget and was what hooked me to competitive bodybuilding.

In 2010 I competed in the Melbourne Naturals ANB as an Intermediate and won!

Later that year competed in Asia Pacific in u90kg men's ANB - I placed forth. Then went on to Vics and won u90kgs men's bodybuilding.

2011 has been good so far - Winning Melbourne Mania u90ks ANB and overall this years ANB Asia Pacific Ii was awarded 2nd in my class. I'm currently taking a couple of weeks off to prepare for the nationals and worlds.

Bodybuilding has become a big part of my life. Its a representation of my character, its a healthy and rewarding sport and I feel very lucky to be apart of the lifestyle.

I love everything it stands for commitment and passion. It's one of the purist forms of art in my opinion.

It helps me appreciate what I've been given the control to be able to improve constantly not just physically but also mentally but most of all I love bodybuilding because it forces me to push myself, constantly trialing and tweaking and listening learning new techniques, this stimulates my mind and keeps me feeling motivated and happy.

The best possible advise I could give other bodybuilders or anyone thinking about competing or just wanting to get fit is that bodybuilding takes time. Consistency it takes great motivation its a lifestyle choice, that comes with great health benefits create realistic goals, and set out to achieve them bodybuilding is a great foundation to being organised.

If you apply these basic principles to everyday life I guarantee you will see success and you're life will have good balance.