7 minute read
Perfect Form
Openly gay, fi rst-time bodybuilder, Cory Freeman achieved back-to-back wins in his fi rst two competitions, setting the stage for professional status in his rookie year.
BY JOHN SOTOMAYOR PHOTOS BY ASUN CAPALUNGAN
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When Cory Freeman, W age 37, took the stage for the first time at the 2019 NPC Viking Championship at Cottonwood High School auditorium in his hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah, on the morning of August 10, 2019, he had no idea what to expect, or how the experience would go. A man who normally does not crave the limelight, the blinding spotlight of a major regional bodybuilding competition was a strange place to be. True to form, Freeman made the most of it. He hit his marks and struck his poses like a natural. He was a crowd favorite. A judge favorite as well. Lined up according to excellence in performance, Freeman knew he did well. By that evening he would fi nd out how well. During the evening round, his division, the Men’s Classic Physique Master’s Over 35 returned to the stage to perform their 60-second posing routines, followed by the awards presentation. Free-
man took first place in Master Over 35 in Men’s Classic Physique. This was his first bodybuilding competition ever. His nine-year-old son, Caleb, was in the audience. He described it as “one of the most exhilarating feelings one could have.”
Go for Pro
Freeman never aspired to compete in bodybuilding. A self-described “gym rat” Freeman initially worked out for much less lofty goals, and far more common pursuits.
“I started working out in college to feel better about myself and attract girls,” said Freeman. “Later in life, I continued working out to be in shape and attract guys.”
Freeman discovered there are many gay bodybuilders who compete. Some are closeted. Most are open.
“I always used to say, ‘the gayest thing I ever did was eight years in the army.’ That is being rivaled right now with
bodybuilding,” said Freeman.
After winning his fi rst competition on his fi rst try, his coaches and supporters encouraged him to keep going.
Prior to his fi rst competition, Freeman found a competition prep coach, Chris Hayes from Florida, to help him achieve his dietary and supplement preparation for competitive bodybuilding. Freeman already had a strong background in health. He has a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Utah State University in Logan, and his doctoral degree in clinical physiotherapy from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He had a strong handle on exercise and training. Nutrition and diet on a competitive level however, takes specifi c knowledge. Hayes was one of the fi rst to encourage Freeman to keep going while the momentum is hot.
“After that first competition, I didn’t really have plans of doing a second one,” said Freeman.
He changed his mind after Hayes asked him, “you have taken fi rst place in your fi rst competition so you are eligible for a national show, why aren’t you taking advantage of this?”
The ultimate goal of winning a national show is to gain your Pro Card so you are eligible to participate in the IFBB Pro shows to compete as a professional bodybuilder.
“Having other people believing in me, more so than I believed in myself, that right there was the motivation that got me to that second show,” said Freeman.
Freeman competed in his second bodybuilding competition in December 2019 in Los Angeles at the fi rst annual NPC Masters USA, a national level show. To compete at this level, you have to take fi rst or second place at a regional show. They are essentially all the winners from all the regional shows.
“When you get backstage, everyone looks amazing. You are with this higher level of bodybuilders. Everyone looks like they could win this show easy,” said Freeman. “It was exciting, but also a little humbling to be surrounded by so many people that have obviously devoted their lives to doing the same thing you have.”
Like the regional show, his group did their routine in the morning and was placed according to rank. Freeman once again knew he did well. That evening, just like before, Freeman was awarded fi rst place in his class. Once again, Freeman felt an overwhelming sensation of accomplishment when he heard his name and was handed the fi rst-place trophy. He could not stop grinning if he tried.
Unlike other shows, the NPC Masters USA only hands out one Pro Card, which goes to the person who wins the overall. Freeman was thrilled to take fi rst place in his class, but ultimately, he wanted that
overall win for his Pro Card.
There were four diff erent classes, so Freeman was backstage with the winners of each class. The four performed on stage together. The judges awarded the overall title to the guy in the B Class.
“It was one of those experiences where I am proud of myself for taking fi rst place in a national show, this being my fi rst national show and taking fi rst place, it puts a fi re under me,” said Freeman. “I was so close from taking the Pro Card and taking things to the next level.”
While there was a little disappointment there, Freeman cannot walk away from that competition without a sense of achievement, knowing that he earned his place on that stage. That will always stay with him.
#1 Dad
Freeman met Caleb’s mom in college and married her in their senior year. He was about 25 years old at the time. They were married for four years.
“Although I knew I was gay from a very young age there were a lot of religious and social pressures to try and be straight,” said Freeman.
They share custody. She and her new husband live in southern Idaho, roughly a three-hour drive. She has Caleb during the school year, and Freeman has him during the summer. They split weekends here and there.
In 2018, Freeman remarried. “He and I were together for 5 years before we married, but within the fi rst 6 months of marriage, it was apparent it was not going to work out,” said Freeman. “We ended up separating at the start of 2019 and the divorce was fi nalized around March or April of 2019. That was the same time I started getting serious about competitive bodybuilding.”
Freeman grew up in the Mormon Church. As young Mormon men, they serve on missions. Freeman served his mission in Taiwan. He lived in
Taiwan for a couple of years and learned Mandarin Chinese. When Freeman returned to Utah, he minored in Chinese.
“The lessons I learned while living abroad about life and people in general are so invaluable,” said Freeman. “So as a father, I want so badly to give my son the same experiences to see how other people live, and how others around the world are accepting of others.”
A plan to travel Asia with his son has been postponed due to COVID-19. In the meantime, Freeman plans on competing in the 2020 NPC Teen Collegiate and Masters Nationals in Orlando, Fla. October 12 – 15. This is another opportunity for Freeman to get a Pro Card.
One of the unexpected joys of competition for Freeman was what his bodybuilding eventually evoked for his son, Caleb, now 10.
Before competition, Caleb didn’t really comprehend what bodybuilding meant for his father. To Freeman, training for competition for his son, Caleb, was probably just another day with dad fl exing his muscles. Now that Freeman is a twotime champion, Caleb tells his friends, “my dad’s a bodybuilder.”
He gets it now.
FREEMAN’S COMPETITION STATS
Freeman’s height in competition = 5’11”
Freeman’s weight in competition = 207 lbs.
That puts him in C Class.
For his height class in the classic physique, he has to keep his weight below 212 when competing.
