By Neto Baptiste
Bodybuilder Bernard Percival Jr, who became the country’s first IFBB Elite Pro back in 2018, has hinted he could leave the professional circuit.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo sports show, Percival said he is not sure how much more his body can take given the enormous amount of prep time required for less than a handful of shows.
“I don’t intend to compete ever again. If you see me on a stage at some point in the future don’t be too surprised, but as of right now I don’t intend to compete again.
“It’s a multitude of things, one being that my body is kind of tired with prep. Most times I have to do 20 and sometimes 22 weeks’ prep, so taking that long period of time to prepare for a show — and especially for me where classic physique competitions are very limited and are mostly over on that side of the world in Spain — so I can’t get up and say I am going to do four, five or six shows. I can only do one or maybe two, so all that preparations for one show or two shows, it’s a bit much,” he said.
The classic physique competitor added that he will take the time to concentrate on his career as a personal trainer.
“The work that I do as a personal trainer, when I am away competing there is no revenue coming in but monies are being spent so it makes it’s a little difficult for me as well to want to justify it. I love competing, I love the process of meeting new people overseas, meeting all the athletes, the camaraderie and I’ve really enjoyed that aspect of it, but apart from that it’s not worthwhile for me realistically,” the athlete said.
Percival appeared at only two professional shows this year, competing at the Roger Boyce Classic in Barbados in June where he placed third, and then at the Diamond Cup Prague in Czech Republic in September where he finished sixth.