Man With Down Syndrome Lives Bodybuilding Dream

Collin Clark trained for year, lost 60 pounds for first competition
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 6, 2015 12:16 PM CST

When Collin Clark first spotted bodybuilder Glenn Ubelhor prepping for a competition, the young man was working the desk at an Indiana gym. The next thing he knew, the two had become friends—and he was training alongside him, WFIE reports. Now, a year later, the 22-year-old Evansville man with Down syndrome is getting ready to enter his own bodybuilding contest: He'll be competing Nov. 13-14 at the Kentucky Muscle Bodybuilding Championships in Louisville, with a stage routine set to AC/DC's "Back in Black," per WDRB. "I'm so happy to be doing this," Clark says. "Bodybuilding is in my blood. … I always wanted to do this, ever since I was a kid." It wasn't an easy feat for Clark, who had to go on a strict diet and work out regularly to shed 60 pounds and get into trophy-worthy shape for the 60-second routine, WFIE notes.

But he kept his motivation up through his workouts with Ubelhor, telling the station, "I watch bodybuilders all around the world, and it inspires me to work harder and train harder." Ubelhor, for his part, expresses admiration for Clark's work ethic and dedication. "That's Collin, he's just hungry,” he says. "He's never nervous. He's just excited. … How many of us really get to live our dream? That's going to happen for Collin." Clark's pep talk for others who think they might be forever relegated to couch-potato status: "Never give up, never quit," he says. "Try harder, push harder." (Kayla Kosmalski, the newest model for the Gap, likely agrees with Clark's mantra.)

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