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When Keith Kern, 47, started ObstaCourse Fitness in Redwood City in 2017, his goal was to create a gym where people could train for obstacle courses. He’s since pivoted to strength-and-conditioning workouts primarily. His own training has changed over the last four years, leading him to intensive training for bodybuilding competitions.
Before bodybuilding, Kern focused his time on his then-passion: obstacle course racing. But he grew tired of how much running he had to do to train for those races.
About four years ago, when obstacle course racing had slowed down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a friend suggested he consider bodybuilding.
“I was like, ‘OK, I do love lifting weights,’ but it’s a different style of training,” said Kern, a San Carlos resident and Sequoia High School graduate. “So I learned everything about nutrition, and then I got into straight bodybuilding consistently. I went from 140 pounds, around 15% body fat four years ago to now I’m 165 pounds, 3% body fat.”
Now, Kern is heading to a national-qualifying show, NPC Mother Lode, in Reno on Saturday, Oct. 17. The committee is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States, according to its website. He’ll compete in the Men’s Physique and Masters 45+ categories.
When he arrives in Reno on Friday, he’ll register for the event and get a base layer spray tan. They do touch-ups on Saturday, and before you hit the stage, organizers pat participants down with oil and glitter.
“They want you tan so that you’re seeing all the (muscle) striations and all the definition a lot better,” he said.
He also brings his own bedsheets to competitions so his spray tan doesn’t rub off on hotel sheets.
Kern, a father of three, said he wants to prove that you’re never too old to perform well.
“I want to prove that you could do this in your 40s, in your 50s, whatever age you are,” he said. “If you just dedicate yourself and you do the right training, you eat right, you recover properly, you get good sleep. I want to do it for my kids. I want to show them [that] even though I’m in my 40s, I still have a sport that I can excel at.”
Kern follows an intensive 20-week training routine for his competitions. He lifts weights five times a week for about 90 minutes to two hours. He does cardio every day for 20 to 30 minutes. Once a week, he takes a strength-and-conditioning class at his gym. He also follows a strict diet with meals consisting of lean protein, vegetables, a healthy carbohydrate and a healthy fat.
Kern has seen a lot of personal growth since his first competition four years ago. He feels a lot more confident in his bodybuilding. Last year, he placed first in two categories, including the Masters 45+ competition, at the Ace of Stage, an NPC Men’s Physique national-qualifying show in Las Vegas.
“I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said. “It was scary. It was strange. It was like, ‘What am I even doing here?’ I get on stage at 44, and all my competition looked like they were these guys in their early 20s who just came off the San Diego beach.”
Kern is also working toward earning a professional bodybuilding card, which requires the qualifying placement at a designated pro-qualifying event. He hopes to earn it before he turns 50.
Kern credits his wife, Chrissy, for supporting “all the crazy things” he wants to do.
“People who are in bodybuilding know when you’re in that prep mode — four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks away from a show, people get really cranky because your food is very tight,” he said. “People get very, very cranky, very angry, very hangry. She’s always there.”
A free livestream of the Oct. 17 competition will be available online.
From profession to Passion