jimbosmith316
MuscleChemistry
Up and comer!
The road that has taken Matthew Schmidt from the gym at Rock Fitness to the NPC USABodybuilding Championships in LasVegas started when he was 16 years old. Schmidt had dabbled in bodybuilding when he was 12 but did not get serious until four years later.
At the age of 21, Schmidt won his first bodybuilding competition in his first show. In the next few years, he has rolled off four consecutive victories including four overall titles with the latest coming three weeks ago at Battle on the Bay. He hopes that this week<FZ,1,7,5>end, when he steps on stage at the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall on the campus of UNLV, he will come home with the coveted IFBB Pro Card that has eluded him. On that night, 53 IFBB Pro Cards will be earned and Schmidt hopes to be part of that elite group.
"This competition is different than any other one I've done," Schmidt said. "I was reflecting back to my first bodybuilding show when I was 21, resulting in my first win. It wasn't the biggest show and I only won my weight class. I didn't even win the overall (title). Since that show, I've won four overalls and a top four placing at my first nationals.
"Nothing has compared to that feeling after my first show. With that being said, here I am 10 years later with a very realistic possibility that I could join the elite group of IFBB professional bodybuilders in less than a week. I've been trying to wrap my head around that but it's a little overwhelming to even think about right now. If God ever blesses me with that surreal achievement, I surmise it won't be until that moment or soon after that I could process such an accolade."
The road that has taken Matthew Schmidt from the gym at Rock Fitness to the NPC USABodybuilding Championships in LasVegas started when he was 16 years old. Schmidt had dabbled in bodybuilding when he was 12 but did not get serious until four years later.
At the age of 21, Schmidt won his first bodybuilding competition in his first show. In the next few years, he has rolled off four consecutive victories including four overall titles with the latest coming three weeks ago at Battle on the Bay. He hopes that this week<FZ,1,7,5>end, when he steps on stage at the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall on the campus of UNLV, he will come home with the coveted IFBB Pro Card that has eluded him. On that night, 53 IFBB Pro Cards will be earned and Schmidt hopes to be part of that elite group.
"This competition is different than any other one I've done," Schmidt said. "I was reflecting back to my first bodybuilding show when I was 21, resulting in my first win. It wasn't the biggest show and I only won my weight class. I didn't even win the overall (title). Since that show, I've won four overalls and a top four placing at my first nationals.
"Nothing has compared to that feeling after my first show. With that being said, here I am 10 years later with a very realistic possibility that I could join the elite group of IFBB professional bodybuilders in less than a week. I've been trying to wrap my head around that but it's a little overwhelming to even think about right now. If God ever blesses me with that surreal achievement, I surmise it won't be until that moment or soon after that I could process such an accolade."
