Rotorua bodybuilder Darryn Onekawa returning to Arnold Classic

Rotorua bodybuilder Darryn Onekawa will compete at the 2018 Arnold Classic Australia bodybuilding championships in Melbourne in March. Photo / Stephen Parker

Rotorua bodybuilder Darryn Onekawa likens himself working out at the gym to a dancer preparing for a ballet recital.

A strange parallel perhaps, but that is how he explains the sport to his 5-year-old daughter Aaliyah, a ballet dancer herself.

After a sixth-place finish at the 2017 Arnold Classic Australia bodybuilding championships, Onekawa has been selected to compete at the March event for a second time. While happy with sixth last year, he is eager to reach the podium this time.

A hulk of a man with a sensitive side, Onekawa's eyes light up when he talks about his daughter, who provides him with all the motivation he needs to constantly seek improvement.

"She understands what I do, she knows now and she comes to the gym with me sometimes while I'm training and she knows it's like her doing her ballet practice. She is the most important, I do it to make her proud.

"I'm aware of the fact that I'm up against the best in the world. Every time I compete I always strive to be better than I was before and it's no different this time. It's more about progress than perfection.

"At the end of the day you can't control what other people are doing. I feel I've had a productive off season, consistency in this game is the biggest thing. That includes all facets of the sport, not only training but nutrition, supplementation, right down to the amount of sleep you're getting. There's no point training if you're not getting enough rest."

Leading up to a competition he trains about seven times a week, but knows the importance of listening to his body and taking a day off when required.

When asked to describe how it feels to stand on the stage in a big event he said "terrifying".

"I never got into the sport for the posing side of things, getting up on stage. The part of the sport I enjoy the most is the training and the discipline, but I'm aware that bodybuilding encompasses getting on the stage and posing, it's part of what needs to be done.

"I get up there and present what I've got to the best of my ability. There's a lot more to it than people realise, there's a real process behind all of it - from the different poses all the way down to getting the tanning right so the lights highlight your conditioning."

He said his goal this year was to represent everyone who supported him, his friends, his family, his sponsor Xtreme Nutrition and the team at Rotorua's Profiles Gym where he trains.

"Bodybuilding still is, and will always be, a sport that's not really accepted in the mainstream. But all the people who support me, they are the reason I do this, as well as for my own satisfaction. It helps me on a therapeutic side of things, it's about having a balance in life."