Human existence in the universe, as we know it, is on Earth. The dominant source of life.
In the world of bodybuilding, there is Mr. Universe, the elite competition among amateurs and professionals. In Musclemania, Mr. Universe is the top.
Last Friday and Saturday in Miami, Dolores amateur bodybuilder Rob Robson competed in Mr. Universe for the first time against more than 700 bodybuilders worldwide representing 48 countries on a live ESPN 3 webcast at Miamis Hyatt Regency Hotel and Convention Center.
Robson, a certified personal trainer and nutritionist at the Ute Mountain Recreation Center in Towaoc, represented Colorado and the rest of the United States well by placing fourth at the 2011 Mr. Universe competition. He weighed in at 189 pounds and competed in the masters division.
Robson was one of two Americans to place top-five and said he was nervous during judges decisions about whether he would place or not.
Prejudging came and went. I didnt know. I wasnt sure at all, he said.
When Robsons name was called for fourth place, it was a universal sign of relief.
A competition that draws that many competitors, fourth place is nothing to sneeze at, he said.
Rob was accompanied by his wife, and travel and motivational coach Deina Robson. He was sponsored by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and by Hair Affair, located at 326 W. Montezuma Ave.
Hair Affair and the tribe really helped me out. The community was real good about it, Rob Robson said.
Robson trained three months for Mr. Universe. Training included a daily 1,500 calorie diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates, and lifting weights for 60 to 90 minutes six days a week and doing cardiovascular endurance exercise for at least two hours a day.
A week prior to competition, in which the 42-year-old refers to as hell week, Robson eliminated his carb intake for four days while doing his exercise routine, which made it more difficult to complete because his energy level was heavily depleted without carbs. The final three days, Robson carb loaded without exercising to increase his muscular frame for competition. Despite the increase in carbs, his energy level remained low.
You think, Well, Im carb loading now, so Ill have energy. But its not like that. Youre just so drained. You dont even want to get out of your car or out of bed, he said.
Deina was a major psychological influence on Rob in Miami.
She kept me on my diet. Theres times I wanted to cheat and not train, Rob said about Deinas coaching. Shes just there to kick me in the butt and tell me to Go do it. Its all worth it. She tells me that every time because she has to. If you got a good backer behind you, you can do anything. If I didnt have her, it would be hard.
During the last days before Mr. Universe, Robson practiced his posing routine for 30 to 60 minutes a day, which he said can be exhausting but is extremely important in competition.
Youre flexing with everything you got up there to just try to win, he said. You aint got no energy. You come off there (the stage), and all you want to do is eat and go to sleep. Youre just running on empty.
With all the dieting and exorcise for three months, Robson etched himself among the best bodybuilders in the world, which is plenty worth it.
Theres a science to it to do it right, and I got rewarded for it. I looked good, he said. It was fun. Im real happy with it.
Robson has won the American and National Power Lifting championships and feels this is his greatest accomplishment in bodybuilding.
I went the highest I could go in power lifting. I took fourth in the biggest bodybuilding (competition) that I could be in. Im pretty happy with myself right now, he said.
Now the father of five will take some time off to heal up his aching knees, elbows, hips and shoulders, and to spend time with his family.
Robson is leaning toward training for the 2011 Musclemania Mr. America contest in Las Vegas in November. He took third in the competition last year to qualify for Mr. Universe, but he is hungry to win this time.
That first place just keeps alluding me. I just cant get it, he said about winning Mr. America. One day, maybe Ill get it and retire. Or maybe I wont (retire).
Robson has trained and competed for Musclemania, which is an all natural bodybuilding competition, meaning competitors are tested for drugs for three years. He was previously a member of Muscle Beach, Calif., (MBC) for 20 years.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at [email protected].
