A Classic Hunk, Aron Noble 09

Unlike many high schools where students would find it a chore going to art, health or PE class, we would imagine no student would dare miss these at a Hastings High School especially when they have a classic hunk like Aron Noble teaching them.

Coupled with his daily teaching, Aron also runs weight training classes for his students which no doubt has inspired future bodybuiliders in the making. And what an experienced competitor and teacher to inspire them!

Aron, 34, has competed since 1998 and achieved great success. With his great lines, classic proportions and always immaculate condition Aron has cemented himself as one of the best athletes for his height to weight ratio in NZ.

Perhaps Aron can teach us a thing or 2 about his philosophy on bodybuliding.
Let's find out!

Aron Noble
1st Classic Men
NZFBB Nats 09

Occupation:
Secondary school teacher: (Art, Health and Physical Education) Yr 11 Dean. Mentor for provisionally registered teachers.

Where do you live and train?
I live in Hastings, Hawkes Bay. For the last 2 years I have trained at school with the kids (I run weight training classes after school everyday). Have just recently joined a gym called Aspyre which I think is the best gym in Hastings.

Aron in 04

How did you get into bodybuilding in the first place and when?
I have always wanted to lift weights from the age of 5. I had to do with bodyweight exercises until my parents purchased a weight set for me and my brother when I was 11. I got a little more serious after I gave up rugby and rugby leage (I was 20 when I gave them up). I was training down in Palmerston North in 1998 (doing my teaching degree) and Jim Pitt (NABBA President) suggested I enter a show. Also Johannah my wonderful wife encouraged me to do it also!

Contest achievements;

1998 1^st Athletic Open men short Auckland champs (NABBA)

1998 2nd Athletic Pro-am class (NABBA)

2004 5^th Athletic Pro-am class (NABBA) out of 10 athletes

2004 1^st Athletic Open Short and overall Men's Nationals (NABBA)

2005 4^th Athletic Pro-am class (NABBA) out of 5 athletes

2005 1^st Novice U70kg CNI champs (NZFBB)

2006 2^nd Open Athletic Hawke's Bay champs (NABBA)

2006 2^ndAthletic Pro-am class (NABBA)

2006 2^nd Athletic International Class Nationals (NABBA)

2008 1^st Classic Men's NI (Masterton) Champs (NZFBB)

2008 1^st Classic Men's Nationals (NZFBB)

2009 1^st Classic Men's NI (Masterton) Champs (NZFBB)

2009 1^st Classic Men's Nationals (NZFBB)

2009 1^st Open Men & Overall Taranaki (INBA)

Contest weight: 63-64 kg this year
Off season weight; 67-69kg: used to be 80+ (quite fat) in previous years.

What's the highlight of your BBing career so far?

Where do I start! There are so many highlights. I love the training, diet and lifestyle. Just competing for me is so much fun. Winning the classic men's title in 2008 and 2009 are up there as well as getting sponsorship from and writing for Andy Hill at Shotgunsupplements.co.nz. They are a family operated business and have looked after me even before I won the classic class in 2008. I would like to thank them for all their support and encouragement!

How often do you compete? And why? Ie do you believe in competing a lot of shows/year, each year.

I like to compete 2 times per year-3 is pushing it. Any more and you are making it hard on yourself to improve each year. Plus it is unfair on my wife to do any more than that!

You have the classic class pretty much wrapped up, would you consider stepping up to one of the physique classes?

I don't know if I have the classic class wrapped up- it was pretty close both years-but yes, I would eventually like to compete in the under 70 kg class when I get enough muscle on me! It has been a slow process- I actually still have 4 kilos to put on for the classic class so it could be awhile! I have a long way to go before I could stand up against athletes like Daniel Hibbs or Supry Sos.

Supry helps Aron pump up

You always come in such great condition, you look that little bit fuller and vascular than other athletes in your class. Can you give us some idea on how you manage that?

No, nothing special, I pretty much cleaned up my diet in February weighing around 67 kg and slowly dieted all the way to October! I knew I had to be in the best shape ever if I was to have a chance of winning again so that's what I did. My diet never changed all year, not even in the last week. The secret is to find what works for you and stick with it.

What's your typical contest diet?
Basically I have high protein, no processed carbohydrates, at least 1-1 ½ kilos of vegetables a day and a lot of fat from nuts and fish oil (I have 2-3 tablespoons a day). I have 6 small meals and one huge meal a day right up to the show. I think drinking a lot of water is another necessity for your body to function optimally and helps you get lean.

What's your typical pre contest training week?

My typical pre-contest training week is just the same as off-season.

Day1 Shoulders & Arms

Day 2 Rest

Day 3 Quads, Calves and Forearms

Day 4 Rest

Day 5 Chest & Back

Day 6 Rest

Day 7 Hamstrings, Calves and Forearms

Day 8 Rest then repeat cycle.

Aron vs Chris Nel

Workouts are no longer than half an hour with maximum rest periods of around 15-20 seconds between sets so it gets the heart rate up! I like to use rest pause, Positions of flexion, x-reps, partials and other techniques to increase intensity. I use rep ranges from 4-30 (I constantly change my rep goals). My training is quite intense so I do not do cardio (since I have stopped doing cardio I have been able to get leaner each year!). The one thing I do change in the last week is cut back on training and practice posing more often- this year I trained Legs on Sunday and Upper body on Tuesday and that was it.

What will you focus now on in the off season ie particular body parts or general mass - how will you go about developing them.

My goal has always been to develop a classic physique so the goal is to put on mass all over while improving my proportions. Johannah and I watch the video of the last show I compete in and we critically take my physique apart, make a plan and go from there. This year my goal was to get my legs as lean as my upper body and to add mass to my legs in general. The training and diet modifications definitely paid off in that area- I have learnt a lot this year and I can't wait to try out some new theories on diet and training with some subtle changes to exercises so I can improve for my next show.

Do you let yourself go in the off season - between shows? How do you maintain it?

I usually go back to the gym the very next day! I love eating healthy all year now that I know what foods work for me(apart from Christmas day where any food is fair game). I haven't had any alcohol for the last 3 years so it is actually hard to put on a lot of fat if you are feeding the body with the right nutrients.

All the classic hunks line up

However, it hasn't been smooth sailing for me; before I found out what worked for me I had always struggled with my weight. At high school I weighed as much as 95 kilos in seventh form! Even recently I weighed 83 kilos when I started to diet down for the 2006 season. Staying leaner throughout the year is better for optimum natural hormone levels and allows you to maintain all the muscle you earn when you do diet down.

Has there been someone who's had a big influence on your bodybuilding career? And how have they helped you?

My biggest influence has been my wife! She gave me the initial confidence to give bodybuilding a go. She always helps with my posing, tanning backstage, and diet. She balances me by reminding me that there are other things more important than bodybuilding. (It can sometimes become a little obsessive you know).

Do you take a lot of supplements? What kind and what do you take during pre-contest?

I always have whey protein concentrate/ isolate, glutamine, a nitric oxide supplement, fish oil, ALA, ginger, lecithin, multi mineral, B12, Vitamin C and a probiotic. It has been great being sponsored by Shotgunsupplements as they have such a huge selection to choose from so I never get bored with my supplementation.

Have you had a role model - perhaps a physique - who's inspired you?

My favourite physiques have always been the classic looking bodybuilders like Frank Zane, Francois Benfatto and Lee Labrada. That is the kind of physique I aspire to attain.

What was your favorite part about competing? And the worst?

There are no bad parts to competing for me- I love it all!

What common mistakes do you think athletes make when preparing for contest?

I think training lighter, training for too long or more often, doing too much cardio, not practicing their compulsories and posing routine enough to highlight their strong points and listening to too many different people. For diet I think changing foods on the last day and not drinking adequate amounts of water are unhealthy and detrimental to how you look on stage.

What advice/tips would you give to some of the young men starting out on their Bodybuilding journey?

To learn about training and diet first so that you don't waste valuable time achieving your goals. To critically analyse the information you do research and realise that a lot of information in magazines and other forms of media are not tailored for natural athletes. It also takes time for your muscles to grow and that there are no short cuts (that are worth it or legal). Bodybuilding is a way of life that can have positive effects for yourself and others around you if done in a balanced and healthy way.

Aron @ Hawkes Bay 06

What's your bodybuilding philosophy?

Bodybuilding for me is a way of life. Having a balanced and healthy lifestyle is my goal too, so being a natural athlete is the only option I would ever consider.

What is your ultimate goal in bodybuilding?

I want to compete overseas to see what improvements I need to make to be competitive at that level. Hopefully this will happen for me next year. An ultimate goal would to still be training when I am 70 and still enjoying it as much as I do now.

23 November 09

A Classic Hunk, Aron Noble 09

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