Bodybuilder wins big at the Arnold Classic Africa

Mark van Biljon (52) recently participated in the Arnold Classic Africa bodybuilding competition. This man, fit and light on his feet and looking barely over 30, chuckled and said: “I think when you live healthily, eat well and work out daily you’ll always look good.”

He jokingly added “… I found the fountain of youth.”

Now, 52 isn’t old by any means, but you usually don’t expect someone over 50 to look like he could lift a car and barely lose his breath.

Mark’s lifestyle has always been centred on fitness. While attending Hoërskool Bekker as a kid, he competed in sprinting competitions, and even played for the first rugby team for a few years. After school, he went on to work for the Police, but felt that he needed to move on after three years. So, for the next 26 years, he worked for Absa.

His love for the gym started in 1990.

“I weighed about 67kg until I contracted jaundice. I dropped down to 59kg and people kept saying ‘Wow, you look so skinny’, which pushed me to start working out.” Mark joined the very gym he owns today, working out with a friend from the police at the time. Here he later did his first in-house bodybuilding competition. At one event he placed second, but later took home the gold. From then on, he said, he was hooked.

“It’s a question of changing your lifestyle. Some people think you can diet for a few months, lose weight and then be fine, but you have to keep going and always live healthily.” Mark noted that he’s not big on using supplements while working out. He eats a lot of clean and lean foods that are easily digestible but provide a lot of nutrients and protein. At most, he’ll use some creatine, multidextrose and a protein shake.

Building up to a large bodybuilding competition like the Arnold Classic, most competitors will try to cut down on their body fat as much as possible and tighten their skin by drinking very small quantities of liquid, and cutting out salt and most carbs. Mark went in a completely opposite direction for this one, keeping his water intake the same, even on the day of the event, and eating as though nothing was any different. Two hours before he had to appear on stage, he was eating salt straight out of the packet.

“People thought I was crazy. I was eating cheesecake two hours before going on stage.”

Well, people didn’t think he was crazy when he walked away with the trophy for the over-50 division. He also had to appear on stage with different weight classes (over and under 80kg) and different age groups, so that the judges could better evaluate each person’s physique. In this, although he doesn’t know what the end score was precisely, he believes he ended in the top three.

The Arnold Classic is, along with the international Mr Olympia, one of the most prestigious events in the world. From here, Mark will compete in the provincial bodybuilding competition, which will allow him to participate in the SA bodybuilding competition, which might lead to an invitation to compete in the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness’ World Championship.

In the mean time, he’ll keep working out, run the New Dimensions Gym and train those aspiring bodybuilders who work out under his professional guidance.