Taking to the big stage at the Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam, Lee McGraw earned a well-deserved second place finish in the Popeye’s Fall Classic.
With Phil Heath, a five-time Mr. Olympia, in the building to give encouragement to more than 260 competitors, it was McGraw finishing second out of 15 others in his event, Men’s Physique.
“It feels great to finish so well,” McGraw said. “Men’s Physique is such a tough competition, there’s lots of little things that judges are looking for and where you feel you might be strong in one area, judges could be looking at that same area in a completely different way than you are.”
“It’s just one of those things where you just never know. But it was a lot of fun, everyone looked real good and I’m real proud of finishing so well.”
McGraw moved to Qualicum Beach a few years ago from Alberta, where he was a personal trainer while working in the tar sands. Having spent time flying back and forth between Vancouver and his job in Alberta, McGraw decided to check out this place his mother kept telling him about.
“She kept telling me about Qualicum Beach,” McGraw said. “She told me I’d probably love it here, so I had to check it our for myself. She was right, it’s a beautiful place and moving here was definitely the right decision.”
Once the move was complete, McGraw made another decision that would change his career path; to give up the tar sands and open his own studio, Legends Fitness.
“I was able to be smart with my money,” McGraw said. “I’m so passionate about health and fitness, so it was just a natural move for me to make. I love everything about it, being able to wake up every day and be with people that want to be in the same environment.”
“Being a coach for our clients is a rewarding experience and it’s something I absolutely love, being able to help people achieve their goals and being a part of that positive change in their life, it’s a great thing to be part of.”
Legends Fitness is in Dashwood, where McGraw has a steady flow of clients between himself and his fiancée, Samantha. Together, the two combine their passion of fitness and nutrition to provide a healthy, balanced style for their clients.
“There’s so much more than just the physical aspect,” McGraw said. “You’ve got the nutrition part of it, the health portion of it. Putting it all together and giving you the best of both worlds, eating healthy and being fit, it’s a great combination.”
“We’re not just a place where you can come to work out, we’ve got options for our clients that are strictly based around maintaining a healthy balance in nutrition as well.”
Anyone interested in Legends Fitness can check out their website at legendstraining.com, their Facebook page (Legends Fitness Qualicum Beach) or you can give Lee a call 250-228-2894.