NEW PCA Junior Bodybuilding and First Timers Overall champion Tom Rhodes says he is heading straight back into battle for Sunday's Saxon Classic before taking two years off to "do some more damage".
The 23-year-old stole the show at the Hull Bonus Arena, dominating his class before tearing up the stage to secure the overall title.
Standing 6ft 2inches, Rhodes displayed razor-sharp conditioning, together with a decent amount of mass and pleasing aesthetics, proving he is definitely one to watch.
He told frontdouble.com: "It was a bloody hard prep. My first ever time prepping for a show. I've done multiple mini cuts just on lower cals to tidy up in the past, but never actually took it to the dark places which prep involves.
"Mentally and physically it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, from the rough nights to the struggles of working a 9-5 full-time job throughout the whole of prep. Thankfully I booked peak week off!"
Despite his standout physique, Rhodes revealed that he only recently found the confidence to compete, believing he would not "fit in" on a bodybuilding stage.
He said: "I chose to compete because I absolutely love the sport and I’m fully dedicated to it and everything that comes with it.
"I’ve always wanted to compete but never really had the confidence or drive in me to think I’d fit in on stage. Little did I know it’s where I belong.
"I absolutely loved competing, being up there, showing my hard work. Coming off with the result makes me want to push myself now more than ever."
In fact, he enjoyed being in the limelight so much that he plans to compete again this Sunday, despite prep being more difficult than he imagined.
He said: "My plans moving forward are to compete in the PCA Saxon Classic on Sunday. I absolutely smoked the Juniors at the First Timers show – I made most of them look tiny to be honest.
"So I’ll be competing in the Saxon tall men’s classic with the big dogs. Then after that I’ll be going into a two-year year growing phase, with the aim of putting on a lot of mass. I want to come back and hopefully do some damage in the men’s classic scene in 2026."
The classic division has been warned... watch this space.
Great one to watch this young man, very nice lines with plenty of time to fill out 💪🏽👌🏽
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