Just ask IFBB classic physique
pro George Peterson. If you follow
the sport, you know he finished
an impressive third place at the
2017 Olympia in September. Back
up a year or so earlier, and a top
five finish on the sport’s biggest
stage was as far off his radar as it
could possibly be. Makes sense,
seeing as he was essentially
retired at the time.
FLEX |
it really wasn’t. Peterson was
an aspiring pro bodybuilder for
years, placing well in local and
regional shows (e.g., a third-place
finish in the heavyweight division
at the NPC Eastern USAs in 2013),
but then watched his standing
drop once he hit Nationals (16th
place the same year).
“I wasn’t doing well as a
heavyweight bodybuilder,” he
says. “I was just done. I wasn’t
going to step on any stage. I was
still working out, but nothing to the
level where you have to compete
and get ready for a show.”
Ready to call it quits for good
but with some competitive juice
still left in him, Peterson tested
the classic physique waters in late
2016. He won the Eastern USAs,
then surprised himself by winning
the Nationals shortly thereafter.
“Wow,” he thought to himself, “I
guess I found my home here.”
And just like that, he was out of
retirement. The key for Peterson
was finding his ideal “fit”—he’s a
bodybuilder at heart, but not one
who wants to play the size game
necessary to compete at the
highest level.
“That was one of the reasons
I walked away from open
A lot can
happen
in a year.