Jay Daly

Bidding to be a model champion

PERSONAL trainer and strength and conditioning coach Jay Daly, a Limerick native now living in Castlebar, is hoping to win a world title. And he believes he has the body to do it.

He's not stepping into a ring going toe-to-toe with an opponent and running the risk of having his nose rearranged. Nor is he is going to attempt to run faster than Usain Bolt over 100 metres, and he certainly isn’t built for a crack at the world sumo wrestling title.

No. In fact, what he will be doing is showing off his body, or as he says himself, 'the aesthetics of the body,' or more importantly the muscles that shape that same body which he has invested a lot of time and money in.

To put his sport in context, Jade is a fitness model and it has a huge following, particularly in the USA where these events bring in a massive viewing audience and where the money is for those lucky enough to make the breakthrough.

But it also has a huge and growing following in Ireland and Great Britain, and if you can make it to top there, then the door to the USA can open up for you.

The first thing he wants to point out is that this is not about body building and spending hours busting your gut at the gym or lifting weights.

Clearly it is not dissimilar to body building, but those of us involved in fitness modelling don't see it as a body building sport, which is entirely different. This is about aesthetics and body symmetry. It is getting your body in tune.”

To break into the United States, Jay needs to get his PRO card and the only way he will get his hands on that is by winning some of the big events in Ireland.

He only took up the sport in 2015 when he hit the 40 mark and his record in such a short space of time speaks for itself in a discipline which is governed by two recognised national bodies - NIFMA (National Irish Fitness Model Association) and RIBBA (Republic of Ireland Body Building Association).

 

The record

His record reads: 2017 NIFMA Mr. Athletic Over 40 national champion; 2017 NIFMA Men’s Physique 0ver 40, 2nd; 2017 RIBBA Body Building Association Over 182cm Men’s Physique finalist; 2017 RIBBA Men’s Physique Over 182cm finalist; 2017 Ireland’s Ultimate Physiques Mr. Muscle Model, 3rd (no age group); and 2017 Men’s Physique Over 35, 3rd.

It was while taking part in the Men's Physique Over 35 event that things went awry for Jay. “I had targeted that event to win and get my PRO card to compete in. My hernia popped out back stage as I was warming up. I still went on in considerable pain and tried to pose through it, not realising that a few hours later I would be undergoing surgery.”

But that is the kind of guy Jay is. Driven, ambitious for sure, and no lacking in self-confidence and obviously proud of his body, which he takes a lot of care of. But those are the kind of attributes you need in what is an extremely competitive discipline.

Keeping the body in good shape through exercise is fine but 80 per cent of this is down to the food you eat. I love cooking and that is what I spend a lot of time doing as diet is absolutely essential, as it is for anyone trying to get to a certain level of fitness, trying to lose weight or just trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Just eat the right food and you are more than halfway there,” is the best advice he can give to anyone battling with the weighing scales.

It took him a long while to figure out what he wanted in life. He spent five years on the pro cycling circuit in Spain. He returned to Ireland and became involved as personal trainer and conditioning coach with clubs and people on a one-to-one basis, but his ambition is to get that PRO card and hit the States.

He has already received a lot of support from UNIT 7 in Castlebar, who gear him out, and any further support would be very much appreciated. He is also pushing hard in social media to get his name out there.

Said Jay: “I am trying to raise my media profile to attract local sponsors to assist me in my quest to become a world champion.”

He has documented his journey on Instagram (@jaydalypt - 1,022 followers and growing fast) since his win and he has a huge following on Facebook. Check him out.