Hi,
My name is Nigel Barton. I am 62 years old, competing in men’s over 60 natural bodybuilding. This is my second year of competing and the whole journey has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride.

The attached pictures show how the journey into bodybuilding started for me. I have played competitive tennis all my life from a junior until my 50’s when I basically had worn away all the Cartlidge in my knees and had to stop.

I had always stayed in reasonable shape, training as part of my tennis preparation. Speaking with the surgeon and doctor, they advised to continue with weight training as the muscle would help to stabilise the knee joints.

I continued in my late 50s with training and in September 2021 my wife convinced me to do a photo shoot as she said I didn’t look too bad for an old man 😊. A couple of photos from this shoot are attached.

From this my wife pushed me to compete in a natural bodybuilding contest. In her words “please compete just once for me, then if you don’t enjoy it, I won’t asked you again”.

I dieted and took part in a UKDFBA novice event in May 2022. I had no idea how I would compare to other bodybuilders and all I could think was I hope I don’t look stupid on stage. At this show I didn’t win but got an invite to the UKDFBA Britain final. I was amazed by this and couldn’t stop smiling.

I went on to compete in a few more regional shows before the UKDFBA Britain final in October 2022. This led me to represent the UK as part of the UKDFBA team at the European championships in Budapest. I was also part of the UK team at the INBA/PNBA World Championships in June this year in Manchester. I now have an opportunity to represent the UK and Europe at the Natural Olympia – Las Vegas in November.
It all seems a bit unreal, but I am enjoying the experience and will keep pushing myself to improve.

What do I enjoy about competing – The people you meet in this sport. You share experiences and can appreciate the sacrifice and commitment people are making to get stage ready.

What do I least enjoy about competing – Without doubt the dieting! I work in an office where the fridge is always loaded with cakes and biscuits, or we are working late, and Pizzas are brought in. I have to bypass these to get to the microwave for my egg whites! People think I’m a robot, but I enjoy junk food just as much as the next person.

Finally, a few thankyous:

To the European Elite Tour for helping to make the Natural Olympia possible.

To Lee and Amy at the UKDFBA for their organisational support and guidance.

To my sponsor Wockhardt UK in helping me to achieve my goals of competing across Britain, Europe and America.

And finally, but not least my wife for pushing me to compete and sharing the rollercoaster journey with me.