Biography of Mark St. Arnaud

The 2011 CBBF Nationals

I’ve always been intrigued by muscle. At the age of 3 years old I remember watching the “Incredible Hulk” and thinking someday I would like to be built like that (like Lou Ferrigno). My grandfather lifted weights and we have an extensive history of wrestling on my mother’s side of the family. When I was 6 years old, I vividly remember peering down in the basement and watching my grandfather lifting weights. At the age of 10, my grandfather began showing me resistance techniques for my chest, arms, and other body parts and I began reading about nutrition and bodybuilding. Soon afterwards, I had milk jugs full of water sitting in my closet that I would lift on a regular basis. I remember my mother asking me why I had these sitting in my closet and, as embarrassed as I was, casually responded that they were for “putting out a fire”.

When I started junior high school at the age of 12 I was finally able to get my hands on some real iron; this is where bodybuilding and strength training really began for me. By the age of 15, I was bench pressing well over 300 lbs and deadlifting 365 lbs for reps. At age 16, I made my very first trek to the famous Gator’s Gym in Surrey (sadly, it no longer exists now). I remember walking in and seeing massive bodybuilders including Darren Toma, now IFBB Professional bodybuilder. This was an inspiring and motivational experience that has stuck with me ever since.

At age 19, a local gym member who had once competed in bodybuilding suggested that I enter a local competition. Knowing that I always wanted to compete and having some encouragement from others, I decided to enter my first show “WNSO West Coast Naturals”. I competed in men’s open short class where I won my division as well as the men’s overall title.

The following is a list of all my competitions to date:

  • 1999 WNSO West Coast Naturals Men’s Overall Champion
  • 1999 WNBF Western Canadian Men’s middleweight 2nd Place
  • 1999 WNSO Canadian National Men’s Short Class 1st Place
  • 1999 BCABBA Provincial Junior’s 2nd Place
  • 2007 BCABBA Sandra Wickham Fall Classic Men’s Overall Champion
  • 2009 BCABBA British Columbia Men’s Bodybuilding Overall Champion
  • 2011 NPC Ironman Natural Men’s Light Heavyweight 1st Place
  • 2011 CBBF Canadian Nationals Men’s Light Heavyweight 16th Place

My next competition will be the CBBF sanctioned Nationals where the overall winners earn a highly respected IFBB pro status.

Some of my best lifts include

  • Bench Press – 370lbs x 1 (did this when I was 17 years old)
  • Regular Style Deadlift – 575lbs x 3 reps
  • Full Range Free Bar Squat – 495lbs x 6 reps, 315lbs x 36 reps
  • Stiff Legged Deadlift – 495 lbs x 6 reps

Personal Statistics

  • Last competition weight – 185 lbs
  • Competition waist size – 31 inches
  • Current off-season weight – 215 lbs
  • Current waist size 34 inches
  • Chest – 49 inches
  • Arms – 18 inches
  • Forearms – 13 ½ inches
  • Legs – 26 ½ inches
  • Calves – 16 ½ inches
Mark St. Arnaud is a lifetime drug free bodybuilder and active personal trainer currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a distinction in Biomedical Physiology from the University of Simon Fraser. Mark has a keen interest in Human Physiology, Exercise Metabolism, Nutrition, and Bodybuilding. As a personal trainer, Mark specializes in body transformation, weight loss, nutrition, competitive figure preparation, and competitive bodybuilding  preparation.