DIXON – Be your best self: It’s a philosophy that lifted Dixon native Greg Clausen from the depths of being overweight and unhealthy, and made him face a transformation that likely saved his life.
Clausen, 35, now of Boise, Idaho, ballooned to 340 pounds, a weight gain attributed to a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating choices. He became an emotional eater after a career-halting back injury while he was in the Phoenix Suns basketball farm system.
When he returned home to Dixon, he worked in graphic design at Downtown Sports, a shop owned by his parents on Galena Avenue, but felt “stuck in a rut” and wanted to accomplish more, he said.
The former basketball star, who played at Marquette University, was in disbelief when he saw a photo of his 6-foot-11-inch self holding a drink on vacation.
“I saw the picture and thought. ‘Oh, my gosh, that can’t really be me,’” the 1997 Dixon High graduate said. He was 30 years old.
Three months later, his father suffered a heart attack that required quintuple bypass surgery, a procedure that was successful. But it left his father on oxygen and required frequent therapy, which served as a warning shot for everyone around him.
“I saw him on his death bed,” Clausen said, and that’s what forced a change.
The iron man
For the next 13 months, Clausen pushed himself at Anytime Fitness in Dixon, using a support system of friends and family to shed a whopping 90 pounds.
In his exercise regimen, he added techniques and eventually crossed over to bodybuilding, inspired in part by a friend who was a prison guard in Dixon.
He was persuaded to give it a chance, adding that he could find a niche as a 7-foot bodybuilder because there weren’t many.
Clausen was hooked after he aced his first competition in Freeport, landing first place.
Judges chose the best body based on a number of subjective criteria, Clausen said, but overall aesthetics – the way a body looks – is key.
“They’re looking for wide shoulders and a tiny waist,” he said, but admitted it’s difficult to put on muscle when you’re so tall.
Ignoring the odds, Clausen built himself into a ripped machine, slimming down to just 5 percent body fat and 240 pounds. A normal, healthy person might see a body fat range of 12 to 15 percent, he said.
Abs begin to show below 10 percent body fat, Clausen noted.
“[But] it didn’t come off overnight. It was a long process.”
Be all you can be
The journey began 4 years ago, but since then, Clausen has competed for trophies in an amateur bodybuilding class on the regional level in places like Rockford, on the national stage in Chicago, and around the country.
He switched to a separate classification called Men’s Physique, similar to traditional bodybuilding events, but with slightly different judging criteria, and you get to wear boardshorts.
“That’s when I started getting recognized,” said Clausen, who now has more than 10 tournaments under his belt.
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Inspiring others: Dixon native's weight loss a transformation