Chiasson ‘still processing’ victory on stage
Clint Chiasson has an insatiable drive to be the best. Sometimes, it’s all that keeps him going.
It’s kept him going, alright: all the way to the title of Mr. Louisiana.
Chiasson, a bodybuilder who lives in Luling, recently captured top honors of the National Physique Committee’s 2015 Louisiana State Championship, cementing him with that Mr. Louisiana name for the next year.
The NPC is the nation’s largest amateur bodybuilding organization.
“It hasn’t hit me yet,” Chiasson said. “I’m still processing it right now. Having that title is just a surreal thing to think about.”
It was the second major victory in less than a month for Chiasson, who just three weeks before won the Greater Gulf States national qualifier. This victory, he said, was more satisfying — not because the title was any greater, but because he felt far closer to his peak for the second show.
“I thought it was a much better overall package and show for me, and I was much better at that point in terms of performance and conditioning,” he said. “Those two shows are the biggest in Louisiana and they’re comparable year by year, and on my end, this time I was much more satisfied with the Mr. Louisiana competition.”
Chiasson, a 2008 Hahnville graduate, has trained since the age of 15, but officially entered the bodybuilding realm five years ago and has entered competition for the past three years. For his two most recent wins, he dieted strictly for 25 weeks and hit the gym with a vengeance, estimating he trains for two and a half to four hours each day for six to seven days a week.
“I usually go six days a week,” he said. “About eight weeks out from a competition, I’ll bump it up to seven days, unless I think I really need a day off.”
With 16 weeks to go before a show, he begins to refine his diet further, relying on a steady sting of meats, carbohydrates and vegetables. The closer he gets to a show, however, carbohydrates become a thing to avoid as, by that point, and it’s time to really cut weight.
“That can be the really tough part,” Chiasson said. “Your energy is so low because you’re burning quickly though what you eat … I think it takes a particular and rare kind of person to do this. Some people like to hunt and fish with their time. Some pursue a specific sport. This is what I love to do and when it gets really tough, there are times I’m just operating on desire and adrenaline.”
Chiasson came to understand that reality about himself a few years ago, when he realized he’d get to a desired physique and just wanted to keep pushing himself beyond that. He said he’s almost “never satisfied” and consistently seeks to push his limits.
For this year, he’s done with competition. He said a vacation could be in the future.
But for the man who is never satisfied, don’t expect any kind of long hiatus from his calling.
“I took Sunday off after the competition, and I’ve been in the gym every day since,” he said. “It’s a habitual thing.”
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