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From Nelson, Mark is the first New Zealander to win the NABBA Universe Overall title. At a contest weight of approximately 215lbs [98kg] Mark has also won the New Zealand Overall and Asia Pacific Overall.

[This is not a full listing of Mark's contest history]

• 2001 NABBA Universe in France, Mr Physique - Class 4, 2^nd
• 2007 NABBA South Island Bodybuilding Championships, 1^st
• 2007 NABBA New Zealand, 1
• 2007 NABBA Universe in Spain, Mr Physique, Overall Winner

From 'The Press 'on Wednesday, 23 April 2008

“The polished silver and black equipment earns Mark Anderson his living as a Nelson personal trainer, but it is also the tool that helped him win the highest amateur accolade in his sport last year.

At 163cm and with a competition weight of 98kg, Anderson - who also holds titles for Mr New Zealand and Mr Asia Pacific - is almost as broad as he is tall.

He is also totally dedicated to his goal of defending his Mr Universe title at the National Amateur Body Building Association Championships in India in November. He is the only New Zealander to have won the title.

"I just hoped to do well in my class, I never expected to win overall," said Anderson of the 2007 championships. "They read the results in Spanish, it was only when I heard 'New Zealand' that I knew I had won."

Body building is not just about putting on muscle; Anderson gets up at 4.30am every day to train for three hours - weights, posing and cardio.He also sticks to a tight diet of low-fat, muscle-building foods and supplements.

It is the competition he loves the most - the theatre, the posing and the excitement of getting up on stage for the first time at every competition. At 38, Anderson is at the top of the international amateur sport, and plans to stay there for as long as he can.

"And I see people competing who are in their 60s, and they look fantastic," he said.

Anderson's win last year has qualified him for a spot on the Mr Universe stage. Now he just has to get through the next few months and 36 hours of putting on the pre-competition fake tan before he again takes centre stage”

© The Press, NZ.