When John Blatz first stepped on a bodybuilding stage in 2009, one year removed from an elbow injury that signaled the end of his college football days, a career in bodybuilding was far from his end game.
“I was just doing the show to see what it was like,” Blatz says. “I mean, you do a show to win, but I didn’t walk in there thinking I was going to beat everyone else.”
But that’s exactly what Blatz did, winning the Novice class and placing third in the Heavyweight division of the 2009 Panhandle Showdown at the age of 20.
Fast forward three years, and Blatz was back at the Panhandle Showdown on April 14, having added nearly 40 pounds of muscle to his frame. This time, he won more than the Novice division – he won the Super Heavyweight and Overall titles.
“When they announced my name, it was overwhelming feeling,” Blatz says. “It took a while to set in. I thought about where it all started, and it was definitely a great feeling.”
Next up, the Nationals in November, where Blatz knows he’ll once again be in a much bigger pond.
“It’s going to be hard, everyone else up there is a veteran and it’s my first year. I’m hoping to make improvements in next couple of months and come in anywhere between five and 10 pounds heavier and see what happens.”
AGE: 23
HEIGHT: 6’0
CONTEST WEIGHT: 237.5
LIVES:
Fort Walton, Florida
CONTEST HISTORY: 2009: Panhandle Showdown 1st Novice Heavyweight; 3rd Open Heavyweight; 2010: Excalibur, 2nd Heavyweight; 2012: Panhandle Showdown, 1st Super Heavyweight and Overall
ATHLETIC BACKGROUND: High school football and track, college football.
OCCUPATION: Personal Trainer
ROLE MODELS/INFLUENCES: Phil Heath and Evan Centopani. “I was able to meet Evan at the Olympia and I followed his Arnold Classic prep online. The fact that he’s married with a daughter, and I’m a younger bodybuilder trying to become pro who is married with two daughters – it makes me feel like it could be real, like it’s not just a dream”
PIECE OF EQUIPMENT MY GYM MUST HAVE: Lat pulldown. “Whenever I train back, I do every variation of a pulldown.”
FAVORITE MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE: “I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Nationals on November 9-10.
