One extreme to the other

A former Pictou County resident placed first overall in a recent bodybuilding competition in Saskatoon, Sask.
Richard Dunbar, 38, grew up in Plymouth. He became interested in bodybuilding at the age of 15 when Cpl. Joe Dipersio, a family friend, encouraged Dunbar to train at the gym with him.
Dunbar said he was very skinny and was bullied in school because of it.
"I got tired of it."
He was also associating with people who "weren't too great" as he says, so Dipersio got him interested in more productive activities.
"He put me on the straight and narrow."
How does a scrawny 15-year-old put on weight?
"Eat, eat, eat," said Dunbar.
His mother, Connie MacDonald, remembers sending him off to school with three or four peanut butter sandwiches.
"A bag of food that would feed four people," she laughs.
She said Dunbar completely immersed himself in his new hobby.
"He went from one extreme to the other. He was a whole different person."
Her son had tried guitar and skating lessons but nothing seemed to interest him as much as bodybuilding.
"It was like the light came on."
MacDonald went to Saskatoon to attend Dunbar's recent competition. She said it was a huge surprise to see her son win.
"We were screaming and everything."
At 5'9", Dunbar is a solid 245 lbs. When he is competing he drops down to 197 lbs. His training consists of cardio and lots of different workouts with lots of different weights, the key to muscle growth, he said.
"You have to confuse the body to make it grow."
As important as the actual training is, Dunbar said what goes into the body is even more important. So he eats many large meals that are high in protein.
"Diet is everything."
A typical day for Dunbar starts at 4:30 a.m. He does his morning cardio and then goes to work until about 8:00 at night. After work he strength trains with weights. Then he goes to sleep and does it all over again the next day.
Working in Fort MacMurray, his shifts are long but Dunbar makes sure to stick to his routine.
"You just make the time. Plain and simple."
Dunbar plans to compete at the national level some time in the future, but for now he's just taking it easy.
"I'll see how it goes. If I'm ready, I'm ready. If I'm not, I'm not."