AIM Feature Athlete:  Chad Bonk

 

Overall Winner, 2006 Northern Alberta Bodybuilding Championships

 

Born and raised in small-town Saskatchewan, Chad Bonk only dreamed of one day stepping on a bodybuilding stage.  When he was only 13, Chad discovered his love of the sport.  His parents had two bodybuilders working for them over the summer.  Chad was, in his words, "Totally awestruck – Mesmerized."  He spent the next two years begging his parents for a weight set.  Then finally, when he turned 15, they granted his wish.  Lifting hard and heavy, however, was not his forte.  He wasn't then ready to start what turned out to be his successful bodybuilding journey.

 

But boy, could he run.  And he did.  From the age of twelve until well into his University years, Chad competed in the 100m, 200m and long jump, securing Provincial championships in all three.  He went on to compete for the Canadian Junior and then Senior track teams.

 

You'd think that would consume most of his free time, but Chad somehow found the time to play football in his last two years of high school.  And he made quite an impression.  Enough so, in fact, that he was recruited to play with the Regina Rams, in the Prairie Junior Conference.  But, in 1991, realizing that he could not make a career as a professional track athlete, and that he wasn't willing to sacrifice his mind and body for the meager earnings of a CFL player, Chad was temporarily finished with athletics.  He packed it in and decided to go to University.

 

Moving to Edmonton in 1991, Chad studied Theology at the University of Alberta.  His then-career as a Pentecostal Pastor took him to the Vancouver area.  His focus was no longer that of an athletic nature, and his lithe track physique started to change.  In November of 2001, he'd had enough, and headed back into the gym.  He thought back to the times when his father would talk about Charles Atlas, and remembered the first time seeing the legend.  "I was overtaken by the old boys.  Joe Weider, Lou Ferrigno, Charles Atlas… I loved it all."

 

Fast forward to 2005.  Chad, living back in Edmonton, began training at Hardcore.  He made a lot of great friends there; friends who told him that he should compete in bodybuilding.  "I thought: 'What could I ever bring to a stage that anyone would want to see?  I'm a scrawny kid from Saskatchewan!"  (Editor's Note:  HELLO? Did you SEE that lat spread?!)  But, thankfully, Chad was then introduced to his inspiration to compete, Sam Betke.  Sam was no stranger to the sport, as he'd won the Provincial Overall titles in both 1993 and 2003.  "I was introduced to Sam in January of 2005.  He took me under his wing, and took me all the way to the show.  He asked me to trust him and I did.  And I'm really glad that I did."  And Chad's advice to beginners is just that.  "Find one or two people who have the knowledge.  People that you trust implicitly.  Listen to them.  And do what they say. From start to finish."

 

Sam then introduced Chad to Raejha Douziech (IFBB Pro) of Peak Fitness and Nutrition.  With Sam's training and Raejha's diet, Chad was ready to rock.  "My biggest competition fear was stepping on stage with chicken legs.  I was afraid that someone in the crowd would say 'Oh my… is that Kermit the Frog?'"  (Editor's note: Am I the ONLY one that saw those quad striations???) But Sam put those fears to rest.  Training legs early in the week, Sam would put Chad through intense workouts with a lot of core movements, drop sets, muscle stress training – you name it, they did it.  "I have to thank Sam for those KILLER leg days.  He pushed me far beyond what I thought I could do.  Every workout was insane.  Hard and heavy.  I always train heavy.  If you're gonna train light, go home."

 

And the diet?  "I felt great on Raejh'as diet until about six weeks out.  I went through some complications. They were very challenging.  I was very sick for two weeks. I felt like I was too sick to die!  I didn't think that a person could feel that bad.  So after that episode, I was behind schedule.  I spent the next two weeks dieting extremely hard.  Protein only days.  It was terrible."

 

But he pulled through and put on an AMAZING show.  He hit the stage with the confidence and relaxation of a Pro.  He didn't miss a beat.  Hitting every pose harder than the last, he awed the crowd with his phenomenal physique:  a perfect combination of size and shape, striation and symmetry.  The music was loud and hard – the perfect accompaniment to a bold and powerful routine.  He dropped to one knee and KILLED the rear lat spread.  The entire audience was blown away, wondering if the stage was wide enough for this man's back.

 

This guy can't be a rookie.  Whispers of 'Are you kidding me?' and 'He's a freak!' spread through the theater.  When Chad Bonk was on that stage, there were few people who didn't know who had already won the show. 

 

And that was his favorite part:  walking on stage for the first time.  "I was relaxed, excited… happy.  It was like a childhood dream had come true.  It was way better than I'd expected.  I didn't think that I'd be so relaxed. And I had no idea that I'd enjoy it so much.  The best part of the whole process before the actual competition was reaching personal goals in my training and seeing the changes in my physique.  I mean, even if I never stepped on stage, I had always had a personal goal of bench pressing 400 lbs.  When I was at 191 lbs. (Chad's stage weight was 182 lbs.; offseason, 208), I benched 405 lbs.  That was huge for me."

 

But, like anything else, there was a downside.  "The hardest part of the process was giving up my life for four months.  No eating out, no vacations, no meeting with friends.  It was difficult to put my life on hold."  Looking back, Chad has no regrets.  It was all worth it.

 

Self-described as passionate (Editor's note: I concur J), Chad has met a lot of people in the bodybuilding field, several of whom he admires greatly.  "Guys like Ron Partlow, Phil Driedger, Lyle Croft and of course Sam Betke; I really respect them and their attitudes.  They're very friendly and supportive. They're real, and down to earth.  Not a shred of arrogance.  Real sportsmen. Stand-up guys."

 

And these are only a few of the people who are pushing Chad to keep going.  "I plan to do Provincials in 2007.  And I want to win.  I also want to do Canadians, but I want to put on more size first."  Well, Mr. Bonk, I know I speak for a lot of people when I say we can't WAIT to see you up there again.

 

So, what does this guy do when he's NOT wowing us on stage?  Well, as far as hobbies go, there's nothing he loves more than jumping on his 2004 Harley Davidson Sportster and going for a long ride.  Add to that traveling (of which he'd like to do a lot more), hunting, backpacking and quadding.  He'll take pretty much anything outdoors in the warm climate.  However, he doesn't find himself with a whole lot of spare time. 

 

Chad is the Executive Director of a non-profit charity organization called Shiloh Youth Ranch (founded by Chad's father and another Edmonton Pastor).  His day-to-day responsibilities include administrating the entire operations of the ranch, which facilitates over 400 at-risk children and teens each July and August.  "I love what I do.  It's lots of hard work but I love what I do because I believe that our nation's most valuable resource – above all else – is our youth.  If we invest in them and equip them with the right tools NOW, we will be creating a better nation for years to come."

 

Chad would like to thank David Ford for being a great photographer and outstanding professional, his family and friends for their support, Raejha Douziech for the great diet, and Asha Menon (Editor's note: gee, thanks!) for this great interview.  But most of all, Chad wants to thank Sam Betke for his support encouragement and absolute KILLER leg workouts.

 

Well, Chad, congratulations on your accomplishments.    And good luck in all your future endeavors.  I know I'll be just one of many fans in the crowd watching you take yet another title in the near future. 

 

Bonk Facts:

- Favorite body parts to train:  "I love training everything, but I guess I'd have to say back and legs."

- Pet peeves:  "Bad drivers (laughs). Oh, and lazy people. "

- Favorite quote:  "Live life with no regrets."  And it seems he has.  Congratulations, Chad.