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Glenn Collymore has eyes on the Mr. Universe crown

At age 31 Barbados based Guyanese Glenn Evans Collymore is oft in observer mode sitting quietly in a corner but do not be fooled. For fashion his preference is a pair of extremely baggy jeans over the body hugging fad of current day. He’s eloquent but more of a soft spoken full of heart kind of guy that rocks a ponytail. Formerly of East Ruimveldt, he frequented UpScale Guyana restaurant for the poetry night experiences but several years ago he made the ‘island in the sun’ his home and at present his domicile is Simpson Lane, Saint Michael, Barbados.

There he’s on the daily grind as a forklift/tractor operator yet most would label him shy. He loves writing and could be found singing on you tube with the ‘dollar stain’ group. But one should not be fooled by his mostly quiet unassuming demeanor.

Peel away the baggy jeans and his choice of Timberlands and his way to large jersey and there lies his secret weapon. His is a chiseled statuesque built of bulging biceps, triceps and quadriceps defined by tributaries in every direction like a human machine with arms measuring 19 inches in width. Standing at 175cm with mostly braided hair he’s currently tipping the scale at 205lbs but there is not much fat in that body and neither is there any illegal substance either. He actually admits that he fell into bodybuilding and weight training by chance when one of his friends went away and left his home gym for me to take care of.

“I used to think it was hard at first but after a bit I got the hang of it however after I joined a gym it was a love hate relationship as i’d exercise on and off then I started reading books and seeing Arnold and the world class/rated bodybuilders while in Guyana.”

His motivation to compete came from friends in Barbados who saw his built getting better and better. “My friends used to tell me boy you should do a show and in my haste to get a master body I got to training and landed in hospital for three weeks with hernia”. This hospitalization was followed by doctors’ recommendation of bed rest for two months the first time he took the sport serious. His dreams were shattered as he could not do any major gym work for two years but this made him more determined to become a bodybuilder/weights lifter.

Then he picked up weights training again and disappointment was his to be had as the pains were more that he could bear and for another six months Collymore stayed away from his sport. His determination grew yet again and he took up the weights thereafter and despite the minor pains he perseveres two years and counting. He’s now in training to compete against the best of Barbados’ strong men in Novices competition. “As opposed to partying and eating junk I’m in the Gym most times six days a week working out eating healthy and loving it too,” he says. And he plans to win on April 26, 2014.

Working outdoors sometimes in the sometimes blistering sun he’d slip off the top of his work suit briefly and sure enough tongues are sure to get to talking about this married but separated guys physique. Reluctantly he admits that he becomes the unwarranted center of attention and distraction for the ladies and the envy of some guys. “I don’t think much of my body as yet but the ladies would literally stop and steer and then the compliments would follow…” But Collymore does not let this get to his head as his eyes are focused on the Prize of one day become Mr. Barbados, Mr. Guyana, CAC champion and ultimately Mr. Universe in that order. He says “when it comes to my body I’m nowhere close to where I need to be…I’m a work in progress.”

Another of his dreams is to get more young men to channel their energies positively into healthy living. While he would wish to be involved in the sport in Guyana he lives in Barbados and as such his coach is working towards having him make the Barbados National team. “What I would Like is to promote a schoolboys competition in Guyana to get the young men more interested in the sport so I’m gonna work towards that.” He says he knows that taking on the sport is not as lucrative in Guyana as it is in Barbados and as in any sport he has hurdles to climb over but he’s not giving up. His favorite pet is the Pit bull and at one time he owned six. The rest regarding him and music is still unwritten.