Special to GSPN

Fifty-six year old State Farm Agent Curtis Rich placed 2nd in the 50 and above men’s bodybuilding title at the  Battle of the Bay competition in Corpus Christi Texas over the weekend.  Rich, the oldest contestant in the competition  credits his success to his  trainer/nutritionist wife Mona whom he met on a blind date  in 2012. They married 5 months later and immediately started a bodybuilding lifestyle.  Rich had been suffering from high blood pressure and obesity and dropped his weight from 258 lbs at his highest to his current 187 lbs. He now boasts a 33 inch waist and is off all his medication.

Curtis Rich takes 2nd place in the 50+ division of the Battle of the Bay Bodybuilding Competition. (courtesy photo)

Rich’s  57 year old wife,  a native of Guam, formerly Mona Roberts, is a natural bodybuilder and fitness guru.  A 1980’s NPC lightweight winner in both the Hawaii International and IFBB Asian Championships, 3rd place National Fitness , former fitness model for Muscle Magazine, Muscle and Fitness and Flex Magazines, beauty pageant  title holder, and National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer joked that ” It was cheaper to marry me than hire me. Who would have guessed that a guy from Bishop Texas would meet a girl from Guam, get married, and fulfill a lifelong dream in his mid-50’s”, Rich said. She oversaw all aspects of his training, eating and supplements and adhered to a truly natural approach to bodybuilding.

His contest diet started April 8 and consisted of 16 egg whites daily, plain sweet potato, Ezekiel toast, fresh or steamed veggies, quinoa, Alaskan salmon, ground turkey breast, chicken breasts, flank steak, fresh Tuna steak and cod. Mrs. Rich prepared every bit of his food from scratch and carefully weighed and measured his portions. She made sure he trained once daily using heavy weights and did no cardiovascular exercises. She wanted to preserve all his muscle. “At his age, his fat burning enzymes were lacking so better to build muscle and reduce fat with proper eating, than to attempt to burn fat with cardio exercises.  I didn’t want to chance his burning some muscle” she said. Further, she was careful to make sure that she protected his joints because as an older new bodybuilder, age related skeletal and joint issues had to be addressed.

One side-effect of the new healthier lifestyle is that Mr. Rich had to donate his entire wardrobe and buy a new much smaller one. “I look in the mirror and can’t believe it’s me”, he said. “Unbelievable. There is no way that I could have hired anyone to have given me the daily detailed attention to my specific needs that my wife did.  New wife, healthier life and thicker wallet. This new lifestyle has its benefits indeed”!

For more information email monarguam123@yahoo.com or call  210-531-6399.