Shawn Blackburn proudly displays two photos in the hairdressing salon he owns with his wife, Vizions Artwear and Salon, at 644 Santa Cruz Ave. in Menlo Park.
It would be hard to find two photos that seem more out of place in a salon: Both depict Mr. Blackburn, 61, flexing his muscles at the national amateur bodybuilding competition that he won in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 22, hosted by the National Physique Committee (NPC).
According to Mr. Blackburn, the fact that he entered the contest at all may be even more improbable than the presence of photos of ripped muscles and a shaved head in a store that specializes in hair.
He hadn’t even considered bodybuilding as a vocation until he hit the half-century mark. He was lifting weights at the Pacific Athletic Club in Redwood City one day in 1995 when a trainer approached him and asked if he had ever entered a competition.
The question took Mr. Blackburn by surprise; he had only been lifting weights for five or six years, and had never considered himself to have a bodybuilder’s physique.
Nevertheless, he entered a competition in San Jose and took second place in his age division. He claimed the California state championship for 50-and-up in 1996 before various projects, including a home renovation, took him away from the sport for a decade.
When he turned 60, Mr. Blackburn decided to try again and promptly won a California state title in his new age group in his first competition back.
“I lift heavily for about two hours, five to six days a week, and diet (leading up to competitions),” Mr. Blackburn said. “People don’t realize how hard it is.”
He said that knowing he has an upcoming competition helps motivate him to train and diet. He decided to enter the NPC contest a year in advance, and waited anxiously for the date that he could officially sign up to add a sense of urgency to his workouts.
His victory in the tournament means that he will not be allowed to compete in it again: The winner of the amateur contest is automatically bumped up to professional status.
Next year, he plans to enter a competition in New York with a friend who works as a trainer.
