Bevan puts his body on the line at champs

A veteran Masterton bodybuilder has qualified for a national event in Auckland ahead of several upcoming bids for regional glory.

Bevan Mackenzie competed for the first time in the masters class of the National Amateur Body Builders Association (NABBA) Wellington championships last weekend.

Mackenzie has been on a brutal competition diet and training regime for the past 18 weeks and chiselled more than 20kg from his 125kg frame.

And on Saturday, he came away with the NABBA Wellington Masters and overall championship titles and qualified for the NABBA national finals to be held in Auckland on October 14.

He was already down to compete in several other contests this month, including the New Zealand International Federation of Bodybuilding (NZIFBB) Wellington championships this weekend in Kilbirnie and the National Amateur Body Building Association World Fitness Federation (NABBA/WFF) championships in Kelburn a week later.

Mackenzie last took to the competitive stage in 2010 in the 100kg-plus open class but had become frustrated with being the only bodybuilder competing in that weight range.

"It's great to be in the Masters and have somebody up there to compete with now."

The next two Wellington regional championships could also see Mackenzie qualify for national finals for the NZIFBB in Auckland on September 29 and NABBA/WFF also in Auckland on October 6.

He said after last weekend's victory he had spoken to wife Rachel, a past title-holding bodybuilder in her own right, and would extend his contest regime to include the NABBA nationals next month. "I can't get bigger but I can get better - lower my body fat and improve my condition. I want to be proud to be 40 and I'm in the best shape of my life," he said.