Beren Lord lifts heavy objects and flexes
on the competition
By Blake Grossman, Reporter
Content warning: This article covers potentially triggering topics such as weight and body image. If these make you uncomfortable, we suggest you stop reading. If you are struggling with these issues yourself, please reach out to any of these resources below or make a trusted friend or family member aware.
National Eating Disorders Association Hotline: (800)-931-2237
Vashon Island High School Neighborcare Clinic: (206) 548-7550
A remarkable aspect of Vashon Island High School is certainly the diversity of and height of accomplishment that a small community can achieve. Students triumph in a vast array of disciplines; recently, senior Beren Lord took home multiple medals in his first official bodybuilding competition, claiming first place in the teen debut and teen classic physique categories. While it was only his first bodybuilding event, Lord has been lifting seriously for a year and a half.
“During [my] junior year football season, I started hitting the gym everyday after football practice because [my] coach told me to. I [kept going] to the gym after football season had ended, during wrestling season too, and [I also started] going to the [Vashon Athletic Club] more often. I started going [to the gym] consistently around December 2020… and have been from [that] point until now,” Lord said.
These days, Lord is in the gym seven days a week, for about two and a half hours each day.
“[Working out] has given me something to do during the day; it’s given me something to look forward to, and a community as well,” Lord said. “You might think that bodybuilders or people who go to the gym all the time are lunk heads, kind of like a**holes to other people about body size and all that. That’s not true at all. If you go to the gym and you’re there consistently, everyone else respects you for it.”
VHS senior Caleb Hecht, who is often in the gym with Lord, notes his determination and grit.
“He grunts like an animal, and breaks the rules of the gym taking his shirt off and flexing in public. People talk behind his back, but it’s just because they will never have a back like his. I respect his consistency,” Hecht said.
VHS sophomore Camdin Monson, another member of the gym community on Vashon who often lifts with Lord, remarks on what makes him stand out.
“He’s very efficient with his time, and doesn’t spend too much time talking during his rests. He’s a genetic freak; should anyone try to replicate his training style they would most likely end up tearing a muscle. He can be a bit goofy with his mannerisms at times, and it’s fun to take jabs at him, but no one can deny that his hardwork and dedication are unmatched,” Monson said.
While Lord is comfortable putting in huge amounts of hours at the gym, cutting down for the competition proved to be a new challenge. In order to lose fat for the competition, Lord put himself on a keto diet and cut back his caloric intake to 1900 calories a day at its lowest.
“It got tough, a real drain on energy. Physically [I] felt pretty fine, was going through the motions, getting the work done. I had enough food to recover physically, enough sleep to recover physically, just not enough food to recover mentally. So I was just tired a lot. Except ironically, when I was at the gym,” Lord said.
In addition to the sharp physique, Lord’s efforts rewarded him with a new perspective.
“The biggest thing I learned [from cutting down for the competition] is that you can just do something. If you make a decision that you’re actually going to do something and tie it to nothing else but your own self will, you can completely do it as long as you have the determination. Motivation will get you some of the distance, but the rest of it is discipline. The rest of it is going through the motions, and just dealing with it even if it sucks,” Lord said.