Josh Coyle’s stated goal is to win Mr Olympia Men’s Physique title.

He recently won his class and the overall Men’s Physique category at the International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Muscle Contest Ireland.

That victory earned the 22-year-old his pro-card.

Coyle works as a personal trainer at Iron Gym in Lisburn. In primary school he was a talented rugby player and pursued that through college. The decision to drop out of university and pursue bodybuilding was a positive turning point, despite how his family perceived it. He told the Banbridge Leader:

“I stopped partying and drinking after rugby matches etc. and devoted my life to eating a strict diet and going to the gym every day. I became obsessed with the sport, watching everything bodybuilding related on the internet for hours on end.”

Josh began competing in 2016, and quickly racked up wins in amateur shows including the Irish Open 2016 and the Saxon Classic 2017 in England. He says he’s extremely excited to finally take stage in the IFBB.

“The IFBB is the world’s professional league of the sport. All the guys I watched on the internet and aspired to be are now going to be on stage beside me competing for the chance to get to the Olympia stage in Las Vegas, which is like the Superbowl of bodybuilding. It’s a very surreal and humbling feeling knowing this and just means I’ve to work even harder for my 2019 pro debut.”

He says that perspective is his greatest motivator.

“As taxing as it is, looking back and seeing how far I have progressed as an individual really makes me happy. I’ve shown to myself that no matter how hard anything gets in life, if you stay on track and keep consistent one day it pays off.”

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