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YSU’s Driscoll building a reputation
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Youngstown State student Matthew Driscoll is building a reputation for himself in the world of bodybuilding.
Driscoll competed in the Bodybuilding Open light-heavyweight division at the NPC Elite Physique Championship in Pittsburgh on Sept. 9. He weighed in at 184 pounds and was awarded the second place trophy.
“I was extremely happy with my performance,” Driscoll said. “Especially considering I was in the bodybuilding opening, I was up against two individuals who were both experienced in bodybuilding.”
Prior to bodybuilding, Driscoll was involved in wrestling and mixed martial arts. He lost interest because he knew it wasn’t something he was fully committed to.
Starting at age 11, Driscoll would go to the gym with his father James. His passion for bodybuilding began young, but he didn’t become aggressively involved until about two years ago.
“Something about the feeling of the muscle contraction, pushing the weights, feeling the pain of the weight and the relief after lifting it,” Driscoll said. “It’s an unexplainable feeling to me.”
When it came to training for the Elite Physique Championships Driscoll sat down for a day to write up calories, macronutrients, micronutrients, training and posing days to practice his routine. He trained for 20 weeks leading up to the competition and followed a tedious schedule.
He tries to plan his workout routines around his school and work schedule. He says if he wasn’t sleeping, studying or working then he was at the gym. The Bodyshop Total Fitness Gym in Austintown was the gym who endorsed him in his competition.
His day began when he woke up at 5:30 a.m. to go running. During the day he was busy in class and working so most of his exercising took place in the morning and evenings. He would eat six to eight meals a day with supplements added such as multivitamins and protein shakes.
“The last two months I was a hermit most of the time because giving up my social life was one of the only ways I could focus on training and my diet,” Driscoll said.
Driscoll is currently a senior at YSU and is working to get his degree in Nutrition Dietetics. He wants to get further into the fitness industry and study how the body interacts with what is put into it.
He feels being able to do his own studies and make his own theories can make a huge impact on the health and fitness industry.
The next competition Driscoll is looking forward to is the 2018 Pittsburgh Championships in May. He said the show he recently competed in has taught him how to do better in the future.
Driscoll said that bodybuilding is it’s own sport. The competitor is competing against themselves and get to decide what they’re going to eat or if they’re going to workout that night.
“The physical and mental battle isn’t about beating someone, it’s not about being better than others,” Driscoll said. “It’s about being the best you can be for yourself and only you can make that happen.”