I
was born on January
7th,
1957
in
Navarrenx,
which is in the Pyrenees Mountains next to the Atlantic
Ocean. I spent almost 4 years of my childhood at Laos. My
father was in the Army. I attended high school and
afterwards, being really good at drawing, I studied fine arts
in Pau for one year.
I
joined the Army as a parachutist for 18 months and I served
the Tchad for 6 months. When
I left the army, I won some contests for a job as a swimming
trainer and I worked in various spots for some time. In
1977, when I was 20, I attended a 6-month course at the Police
Academy
and I got the qualification as a security guard in CRS.
In
the following four years I got the qualification as a
swimming trainer and a lifeguard. In 1981 I won a contest
for a job as a security guard at the CEA
(Atomic Energy Commissariat). I have been improving my
job position constantly. To date I am a foreman. If there
are no problems, I will be able to retire in 6 years. I
got married in 1979. I have two children - Caroline
and Franck.
They are respectively 23 and 15 years old. I got a divorce 7
years ago. I have always been into sports:
running, swimming, handball, rugby (when I was 15), martial
arts, diving.
I
do love the sun and the sea. Unfortunately, I live in Dijon
which is quite far from the seaside. My dream is moving to
the South of France in 6 years. I discovered bodybuilding by
chance and very late in my life... After I had quit rugby, I
felt the need to exercise. A friend of mine had just
subscribed a gym membership.
He
asked me to go there with him and I did. I didn't quite like
the idea to go to a gym. However that was my
first time in a gym.
I was 33 years old. My weight was 85 kilos (187 lbs.) and my
height was
183 cm
(
6 feet). Believe me, I have never been really skinny. I must
admit I was not very much impressed by the gym. I thought it
was stupid to struggle with a barbell and two 10-kilo (22
lbs.) plates on the sides. I am honest. I kept on for
several months.
Eventually,
I bought a gym-set to work out in my basement. Lonesome and
in my basement - that was the very starting of my career as
a bodybuilder. I had no knowledge. I didn't read
bodybuilding magazines. I had been training insanely for
three years. I had not been following any special training
program. My only goal was to acquire a noticeable size.
Later
on I started to read bodybuilding magazines and got
interested into any bodybuilding champion. I subscribed to a
brand new gym in Dijon. It was the Athletic
Gym
and the owner was Jacky
Biondi.
The ambiance and the people were wonderful. There I started
to work out hard and to diet properly.
One
year later, Jacky began to talk me into entering for a
regional competition. The idea had never crossed my mind
before that day! He pressured me so much that he got me
persuaded. So I got it started! Thanks to his advice I won
my first
competition at Macon
in 1994.
I was 37 years old! My height was always
183 cm
(
6 feet
) but now my weight was 83 kilos (183 lbs.)!
Today I can barely realize what I was able to do and the
results I got…
