Brad Dwight is hoping to use his recently gained professional bodybuilding status to help remove the negative stigma around the sport.
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The Canberra man's career took a massive leap last month when he won the IFBB Pro League Australian National Title in Brisbane, which now allows him to compete internationally against high-ranking professionals from around the world. That win is on the back of claiming the Arnold Classic in Melbourne last year as an amateur.
And while competing at an international level is high on his agenda, Dwight is keen to alter the image of bodybuilding in Australia.
"I think the stigma of what bodybuilding is scares people out of it," Dwight said.
"The whole thing of being big guys, we might come across as being intimidating. We're in the gym training hard, maybe we're grunting and carrying on and giving off that intimidating vibe.
"I think if people took the time to know bodybuilders more they'd see that we're pretty gentle giants.
"Bodybuilding is a really positive community, I would love to see more people getting involved and having a crack at the bodybuilding lifestyle."
Dwight also has plans to compete at Mr Olympia level, and hopes to open his own gym.
"I have set a new goal for myself, now that I have achieved professional level, my next big goal is to compete on the Mr Olympia stage, even if only once," Dwight said.
"Hopefully, it will take me a good few years to attain and keep me busy for a while.
"I want to start my own business coaching my own clients down the line. I want to give it a good service, I want to make myself more knowledgeable before coaching others.
"A lot of people try to cash grab after winning a title where they start taking on clients straight away. There are still a lot of things I can learn before I consider myself a good enough coach to charge money for."
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Brad hoped his recent success would help inspire the next generation of bodybuilders.
"I feel like there are a lot of elements that you don't think of as a youngster," Dwight said.
"If you can get good information as early as possible on your bodybuilding journey, knowledge is power. I think you can go a lot further knowing a lot more from a young age than I had.
"I wish I had looked into more things before I had started, I want younger guys to learn from my mistakes. I didn't want to read up on any nutrition or anything like that, I just wanted to train and have fun."
