By By EDWIN MODLIN II
Staff Writer
Chris Lewellen is a real-estate broker by profession, but he’s also among the elite bodybuilders in North Carolina, having placed first in two separate rounds of competition.
Recently, he competed in the Stewart Bodybuilding Championships in Lexington, S.C. The event is sponsored by professional bodybuilder Johnny Stewart and MetRx. He lead the way in the bantamweight (143 pounds and under) and junior lightweight classes (165 pounds and under for first-time competitors).
Lewellen placed first in each round, and he placed second in the overall competition that included competitors from the lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight divisions in which judges grade competitors on muscular size and symmetry.
“As a first-time competitor, it was kind of scary competing against guys who were 50 pounds my superior,” Lewellen said. “You live and you learn, and in the end it was worth it. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
Athletes who train for bodybuilding competitions adhere to a strict diet — one low in carbohydrates — and a workout regimen that includes several months of early morning workouts and several hours on the treadmill. Lewellen started training in January. He dropped from 198 pounds to 137 pounds for his competition. He ate every two to three hours and trained for four hours per day.
“I know without my wife it wouldn’t have been possible, as well as the help and guidance I received from friends and family and fellow bodybuilders, Mayhew Cox and Herman Gaskins III. They helped me out tremendously,” he said.
Lewellen said he did not expect to take first-place honors at his first competition.
“I was just shooting for the top five, but, luckily, I placed first in my weight class and the junior lightweight round,” he said, an accomplishment that makes Lewellen a nationally qualified bodybuilder.
The national competitions will be conducted in October and November. If he competes and wins at the level, he could possibly turn professional. For now, Lewellen said, he just wants to enjoy life for a while.
“There’s a certain point when you start feeling really good,” he said. “But when your body fat drops below 8 and 7 percent, you start losing a lot of energy and your strength goes down. Your whole demeanor and your attitude changes, drastically.”
Lewellen said he was able to relieve some of the strain of training while watching TV as he used the cardiovascular equipment at Fitness Unlimited in Washington.
Lewellen received a lot of support from family and friends while training for the competition, but he said it wasn’t all fun and games.
“They tried to talk me out of it, but once they saw it was something I was determined to do and something I wanted to achieve, they were behind me 100 percent,” he said. “My mom always said I can do whatever I wanted, as long as I set my mind to it. But whoever you live with, the diet’s affecting them the most.”
Lewellen recalled, with a bit of humor, that he and his wife, Christina, would go out to eat dinner while he was in the training stages, how he would order a salad and she would order the steak.
“We used to laugh about it because she said it was weird she was getting the ‘guy’ meal and I was always getting the ‘girl’ meal,” he said with a laugh. “I know without my wife it wouldn’t have been possible. She’s my rock, my salvation and my strong point in life.”
“I really couldn’t have done it without her,” he said of his recent success. “Without her, none of this would’ve been possible.”
Lewellen, who works for The Rich Company, said he may compete in another competition.
He recommends that anyone who wants to compete as a bodybuilder make sure he or she has the time that such a lifestyle requires and to research that lifestyle to understand its demands.
“It is a complete lifestyle change, and it will take its toll on you and your family,” he said. “It changes the way you think, the way you act and the way you feel — all the time. It’s 100-percent dedication by all means.”