Building Muscles And Self-esteem

2012 Mr. High School Body Building Championships winner Isaac Simeona-Townsend of Castle High School | Leah Friel photo

Safe & Drug Free Schools and Olomana School present the Hawaii High School Bench Press and Mr. & Miss High School Body Building Championships at Ward Warehouse March 15 starting at 5 p.m.

“The purpose of the contest is to provide Hawaii’s high school students a stage to showcase their hard work,” says event coordinator Daniel Suzuki. “Weight training is for everyone, and our students need positive outlets to feel good about themselves. Weight training builds more than muscles; it builds self-esteem, discipline, character, pride, as well as putting teenagers in the gym instead of developing delinquent behaviors hanging on street corners.”

Castle High School senior Isaac Simeona-Townsend, who won last year’s Mr. High School Body Building Championships, started weight training about seven years ago, but only has been body building for the last couple of years.

“People ask me where I get my motivation from, and it’s just something I’m obsessed with,” he says. “I go to school, then I come home and rest a little, take my protein shakes (Muscle Milk) and supplements (preworkout supplements and creatine), and then I head up to my aunty’s house up the road to train.”

Simeona-Townsend trains for two hours daily, in addition to his weight training class in school. He also follows a high-protein, lowcarb diet consisting of fish, chicken breast and vegetables. As well as using supplements from websites like steelsupplements.com to help to build muscle and make the workouts more worthwhile.

Since winning the Mr. High School Body Building Championships, which was the first contest he entered, Simeona-Townsend competed in the Junior Stingrey Classic, finishing second in his division. His goal is to get into the IFBB professional league and be in Mr. Olympia. “People say living the dream is like going to parties. When I was on top of the stage with my trophy, that’s what I call living the dream,” he says.

The Hawaii High School Bench Press and Mr. & Miss High School Body Building Championships is open to any Hawaii high school student. For an entry form, call 266-7870.