Duluth native prepares for bodybuilding competition

Duluth native Carl Sievert has been lifting weights since sixth grade.

At 24, the Duluth East graduate is preparing for the 2010 Bodybuilding Figure and X-treme Fit Invitational on Saturday in Bloomington, Minn.

Sievert has made great strides since working out on a Bowflex his parents bought nearly 13 years ago.

The competition will be only his second, but he has high expectations after placing second in the novice division of the 2009 Northern States National Classic Bodybuilding Contest.

He has been training since last summer with former bodybuilder and personal trainer Maria Santodonato at Duluth’s Snap Fitness Lakeside.

“I’ve always wanted to do bodybuilding, but didn’t know how to do it,” Sievert said. “(Before) I was lifting in the wrong ways and wouldn’t ever take a day off.”

In the past year, Sievert has learned better technique and form, how to work different muscle groups, and to alternate free weights with weight machines. He works out about three hours daily, six days a week, and takes Sunday off. He also does cardiovascular work three times a week, including running.

Snap member Al Johnson has witnessed Sievert’s workouts and been impressed.

“Carl is incredibly driven,” Johnson said. “He is not only physically committed to the quest for the ultimate body, but he is mentally committed. It’s inspiring to be working out around people who are highly motivated.”

Living with his parents has helped Sievert in a particularly critical element of the sport, keeping to a healthy diet, especially in the last 12 weeks before a competition.

“The diet is the hardest, I always enjoy the lifting. I’m starting to get used to all the food,” he said.

His breakfast is generally six egg whites, oatmeal, almonds and a protein shake. Among other favorites are tuna, salad and brown rice.

Bodybuilders, he says, face being stereotyped. Some outsiders think the sport is easy and others think it is riddled with steroids.

Sievert competes only in natural shows, meaning no anabolic steroids, testosterone, growth hormones and other performance-enhancing products. However, he does make use of tanning to get ready for competition.

Saturday’s event begins with morning pre-judging at Bloomington Jefferson High School. The finals are at 5 p.m.

“After the pre-judging, the judges basically know who the winner will be. The night show is more for the audience,” Sievert said.

The finals include a one-minute routine to music. Choreographer Lucas Rollo has helped Sievert put together some moves, including a moonwalk. There is also a freestyle pose-down. The winners of each division compete for a $3,500 first prize.

Sievert has advice for those wishing to succeed in the sport:

“It’s a slow process, so don’t get discouraged,” he said. “It took 23 years to get to where I am. You have to be dedicated and eat right. Eighty percent of it comes from eating right.”

Sievert, a senior in business management at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, hopes to work as a personal trainer and help others gain a more fit body.

Tags: carl sievert, duluth east high school, sports, bodybuilding