It was a long, dedicated and disciplined road to a Gay Games 9 gold medal for Paul Gembara, the Chicago resident who claimed first-place in bodybuilding ( age-range 40-49 ) in Cleveland.
"Bodybuilding competition preparation is very challenging and lengthy process," he said. "Not only does it take physical strength, but mental strength and discipline as well."
The journey truly kicked in with his initial phase of training this past January, when he was working to build more muscle and eating more calories ( around 2,500 ), so he could lift as heavy of weights as possible, and he performed no cardio.
Then 16 weeks out from the competition, in the end of April, he started cutting calories to 1,850 calories a day ( low carbs, low fat and higher protein ), which consisted of six meals a day of egg whites, chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, broccoli, protein shakes, brown rice and fats from olive oil, avocados or almond butters. And no cheat meals were allowed.
"I trained with an all-natural approach, meaning, no drug enhancements," he said. "I continued to lift weights five or six times a week for around 60 to 75 minutes, performed cardio three sessions a week from 30 to 60 minutes. I logged every food I ate and every exercise I performed to make sure I kept on track of my goals. I also started practicing the 10 mandatory poses and potential optional poses required for the competition two or three times a week, as it take practice and conditioning in order to flex every muscle in your body throughout the various poses, hold them for 15 seconds or more without shaking, and being able to smile in front of an audience wearing [only] a bikini brief."
His training endured obstacles, too. In February, for instance, he broke his wrist. Plus, he has a full-time job as a director of credit risk management and has to travel for work, and he has asthma.
"I did not let my broken wrist stop me; I worked with my trainer on alternative forms of exercise, such as incorporating resistance bands for upper body, weighted vests and weight machines for legs, and we had to get creative in order not to lose muscle," Gembara said. "When I would travel for work, I made sure to stay at a hotel with a fitness facility on site and packed all of my meals. Also, when my asthma would bother me, I would try to push myself through it within a reasonable comfort zone."
Gembara, 43, who lives in North Park, was born and raised in Chicago. His partner of 16 years, Ryan O'Connell, was also his cook of countless chicken breasts and sweet potatoes. The two are getting married on Sept. 4, which is the 10-year anniversary of their commitment ceremony.
This was his first Gay Games.
"I thought having the Gay Games in Cleveland was a great way to raise LGBT awareness in a smaller Midwest city," Gembara said. "This was such a great experience to meet other gay and lesbian athletes, learn about culture and diversity from others and be able to proudly share achievements in an open and accepting environment. What was great about the Gay Games is it is open to all physical abilities regardless of gender, race or orientation. The camaraderie among athletes was very positive and I created new friendships.
"The diversity in the bodybuilding competition alone was amazing. It was truly inspiring and I was so honored to compete with these amazing fellow participants."
Gembara had participated in two previous bodybuilding competitions before taking the stage in Cleveland and he was one of four competing in his age class.
"When I won, it felt surreal," Gembara said. "I was not expecting to get first-place, [especially since] being 5-foot-5 is challenging competing against others in your age-group who are 6-feet or taller.
"[The gold] meant that my hard work, determination and perseverance paid off—and it has nothing to do with your age, gender, sexual orientation, etc. If you focus on your goals and are determined, this is proof you can achieve them.
"I never lost focus of my fitness and diet goals; I stuck to my diet, determination, never gave up and I practiced a lot for the mandatory poses and my posing routine."
Gembara said he couldn't have done it without his trainer, Linda Heap, of Evolution Fitness, who got him interested in competing. He also praised Mike Salazar, owner of Evolution Fitness, who helped with his posing.
So where does Gembara's Gay Games gold rank?
"This is the first time I have come in first in any athletic type event," he said.
He celebrated afterwards—along with his parents, Ray and Karen Gembara, who were in Cleveland, and others—with a cheeseburger, French fries, onion rings and two beers.
"I have no plans for a bodybuilding event for the rest of the year," he said. "I will plan on other bodybuilding events next year and thereafter to keep building muscle and be ready for Gay Games Paris [in] 2018."
