With his mother’s pink bucket filled to the brim with water and a sturdy coffee table as his makeshift gym, a then grade 9 pupil had no idea that these humble beginnings would lead him to the pinnacle of South African bodybuilding.
Fast forward and 27-year-old Atlas Security senior armed response officer Daniel Neal, from Sidwell, stands tall as a South African novice bodybuilding champion.
Earlier in September, Neal competed in The Physical Culture Association (PCA) South African Championships at Corpus Christi in Cape Town, where he clinched a gold medal and two bronze medals which earned him a coveted spot at the PCA World Championships in Amsterdam this November.
Neal recalls the pivotal moment when he joined the George Loots Gym in Sidwell.
“My first weight was a big pink bucket of water with a blue handle.
“I trained on my mother’s little coffee table. She wasn’t too happy about it because she was scared that I would break it,” he said, chuckling.
He said it was his priest, Bruce van Rensburg, who first saw his potential and encouraged him to join the gym.
“He was a bodybuilder himself and helped me set up my workouts and diet.
“In grade 10 [while at Lawson Brown High School], I joined the gym, and I never looked back.”
He said his path to the bodybuilding stage was fuelled by a desire to channel his frustration and anger into something positive.
With the support of his friend, Brendon Diedericks, who had previously competed in the PCA Championship, Neal began to take his training seriously.
“When I realised that I was ready to compete, everything fell into place,” he said.
His first competition, the regional leg of the PCA, saw him qualify for the national competition, where he not only won the title of South African novice bodybuilder but also bagged bronze medals in the best routine and under-80kg categories.
With the PCA World Championships in Amsterdam on the horizon, he said he was excited and determined.
“I don’t know how much it will cost yet, but I have a few contacts that could help me financially.
“I am continuing with my training, diet, and nutrition.
“I can’t believe that my first opportunity on stage yielded these results. I feel proud, nervous, and it seems unreal.”
He said he was one step closer to his dream of becoming a pro bodybuilder and representing companies.
“I just want to better myself.
“There is a saying on a wall in the gym: ‘Be better today than you were yesterday.’
“I read that every day and evening when I am at the gym,” he said.
Grateful for the support of his colleagues at Atlas, his family, and everyone at the George Loots Gym, he said he was ready to take on the world.
John Whiteley, owner of the George Loots Gym, praised Neal for his dedication and focus on his goals.
“He is excellent. He is a well-mannered person, and it helps with the discipline.
“His performance in the championship is an indication of the type of person he is.”
HeraldLIVE
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