A Killaloe man preparing to compete in an international bodybuilding competition in LA says that the sport is “definitely growing” in Co Clare.
by Dearbhla Parry
Dylan Nolan, who won an Irish bodybuilding competition in September, will represent Ireland on an international stage with the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF) in November.
Founded in 1989, the WNBF is an elite group of athletes from over 60 countries who abide by strict drug testing standards to compete in natural bodybuilding contests. This home of natural bodybuilding was set up by Chen N. Low in New York City, aiming to promote drug-tested bodybuilding events worldwide. Contestants must first win the WNBF from their dedicated countries before competing in the world competition. This year, the WNBF takes place in Los Angeles on November 22nd.
With 15 contestants from all over Ireland, Dylan explained the benefits of these shows, “If you go to an untested show, there’s obviously some performance enhancement drugs being involved with other athletes, which you might feel pressure to conform to and use them just to compete.” In the WNBF, all competitors are required to take an intense polygraph and all athletes who win must submit a mandatory urinalysis test, “it’s a fair level playing ground for everyone competing”.
Dylan is a personal trainer in ROM, a gym in Sligo and he has lived in Sligo for the last six years. However, it was seven years ago that Dylan began his workout journey. Although having watched bodybuilding in the past, he “never really” considered taking it up as a sport until his first Irish WNBF competition last year, where he won second place. As well as his most recent silver medal win with the NBFI in October, Dylan won first place in the WNBF men’s physique tall category in September, bringing him to the international stage of bodybuilding. He admitted, “As things progressed, it started to become more of a possibility”.
Growing up with Olympic playing friends, competing on an international level and representing Ireland was a dream of Dylan’s. He explained, “I wasn’t involved with bodybuilding at the time and I had stopped playing sports. It didn’t seem like something that I would ever be doing”.
WNBF Ireland began four years ago when veteran bodybuilder Finbarr Murphy decided to set up a path for Irish bodybuilders to reach the world stage. It is the most tested natural show in Ireland and has created a natural bodybuilding community where contestants can support each other.
“It’s definitely something that is growing,” said Dylan about the bodybuilding community in Clare. He told The Clare Echo that many bodybuilders in the county will travel to Limerick to train as the number of gyms opening in the area increases. One thing that inhibits the community, however, is the lack of exposure. He admitted, “People don’t really know it’s out there. I feel like people are just honed on going into GAA. I’d love to just spread the message that it’s a possibility for anyone,” he said.
Dylan intends to promote bodybuilding, broaden his network, and see where he stands on the world stage. He added, “Obviously, it’s the best of the best going head-to-head, so it’ll be really interesting to see where I lie in the grand scheme of things”.
“The most difficult part is the diet,” he shares. Dylan has been dieting since May in preparation for November. He tries to eat a lot of protein and fibre through overnight oats, chicken, rice, and vegetables. “You need to make sure you have enough protein to maintain the muscle that you’ve built, otherwise, you’re going to show up on the day and look a lot smaller than you should”.
“Food is a comfort for most people, but as long as your food is fine-tuned and you know why you’re doing it, that helps with adherence”.
Dylan explained that when the diet seems the toughest, he must push himself even harder, which he achieves by going to the gym six days a week. He said, “You have to push training even harder to try lift the same weights you were lifting throughout the prep”.
He tells aspiring bodybuilders, “Don’t doubt yourself if you haven’t even tried yet. Give yourself the chance to do it because the worst thing you can do is fail, and then you can just try again”. 
As the competitive season comes to an end, Dylan will be taking a break after the WNBF contest. He will use this time to review how he has done in shows so far and plan for improvements. He said, “You want to try to put on more muscle during this time while you have a break, and when you cut down again in your diet, you should have more muscles to show next time around.”
Dylan expressed his gratitude to Finbarr and Lily Murphy for their work with WNBF Ireland and told The Clare Echo, “It’s a very proud moment for me and I hope that I can perform to the best of my capabilities. It is great that people can be aware that there’s an option to do it naturally and it’s obviously a lot safer as well”.
