Body Building Passion

After two seasons as a casual worker, Connor Smith has now joined our Rangiora staff as a permanent team member. During the past two years we have noticed Connor’s interest in body building. He is aiming to enter the NZIFBB (New Zealand International Federation of Body Builders) South Island Champs in September this year. His passion for body building has stemmed from his love for sports and seeing his body change and adapt from training at the gym.

Connor was involved with team sports, such as touch rugby and rugby union from a young age, but realised that it wasn’t for him. Instead, he found solo sports, such as BMX racing and mountain biking, to be more enjoyable and a good way to help with his fitness and base strength.

Training to join the New Zealand Army was the next challenge for Connor and through this he found his love for body building. He really enjoyed seeing the changes in his body and began to work towards his dream physique every time he stepped into the gym.

Connor will compete in the Novice mens’ physique class at the South Island champs. This competition is focused around making your body as aesthetically pleasing as possible, without having too much muscle.
This also includes making sure your body is in proportion and equal on both sides. The Class entry is based around height, all competitors must be the same height, no matter their age or training experience. However, they must still come under the definition of novice in the rulebook.

Training and competing as a body builder is extremely physical and it means that the hard work doesn’t stop after a day at Luisetti Seeds. Connor trains with weights 1-2 hours every day and 2 times a day on Saturday and Sunday. Connor is a qualified personal trainer. He doesn’t follow a specific training regime, instead he uses his knowledge to target his weaker areas, bringing them up to the same strength as the other areas of his body.

Another extremely important area that goes hand in hand with his training is nutrition. No specific diet is needed for Connor in this stage of training but he will start to prepare special meals as the competition nears. Connor must ensure he is eating enough of the right foods throughout the day, to keep his muscles growing while burning fat at the same time. He will maintain a healthy diet leading up to the competition and says that the hardest part of the sport is staying on top of his diet and remaining disciplined, especially when people in the Luisetti smoko room are eating foods he enjoys but knows he can’t have!

In his spare time (outside of work and gym), Connor enjoys spending time with mates, driving his cars and occasionally getting back on his bikes, anything that allows him to be physically active. Watching Connor’s progress at the gym is exciting for the staff at Luisetti Seeds and we wish him well for his competition later this year.

In the mean time, Connor looks forward to loading your seed when you visit Luisetti Seeds, Rangiora!

Connor working out at the gym