Bodybuilder heads to Mr. Universe contest, fulfilling once out-of-reach dream

Calgary bodybuilder Todd Payette is weeks away from fulfilling a lifelong dream he thought was out of reach.

Payette, 49, will be heading to Birmingham, England, in November to compete for the title of Mr. Universe, a contest Arnold Schwarzenegger​ won in 1969.

"Of course I can win. Who's going to beat me?" Payette said jokingly in a Schwarzenegger​ accent on Tuesday.

"You know, I'm going to do my best," he added in his own voice. "Bodybuilding is subjective, so I can just bring the best package I can. Top 5 at that level is unbelievable. A win would be a miracle."

Only one Canadian has ever won a Mr. Universe title — in 1955.

Payette will compete in the masters category for ages 40 to 49, barely making the cutoff. His 50th birthday is only two weeks after the competition.

"If I could be No. 2, I'd be pretty happy with that," he said.

Payette is a trainer at Kings Fitness in Calgary and he's new to the city, having moved here in the summer. He's originally from Manitoba, where he lived most of his life through a variety of successes and failures. 

He won his ticket to compete with "the best of the best," he said, thanks to the goodwill of the competition organizers.

Rebuilding after rock bottom

Before May, Payette wasn't allowed to leave the country. He was under court-ordered conditions following a sentencing for drug charges.

"It's taken a long time to sort of rebuild my life after it spiralled down," he said.

He hit rock bottom, as he calls it, in 2011. After having financial difficulties, he accepted an offer to transport a package. Payette denies knowing its contents but RCMP found it held a kilogram of meth, which police say was connected to a known gang member.

The justice found him guilty but ruled the crime was "totally out of character," that Payette had genuine remorse and interest in making amends, and that he had suffered personally and professionally as a result. His criminal record, including a separate assault conviction, also barred him from competing in Manitoba.

She sentenced him to house arrest and community service, which involved speaking to at-risk youth. Conditions and travel restrictions ended in the spring.

"I fought and fought and luckily the outcome was as good as it could be," Payette said.

New chance

In August, the Mr. Universe committee told him they'd give him a chance and invited him to compete.

"It's always been my dream to compete at the Universe, and I think I have nothing to lose.... Hey, if I'm not last, I consider it a win," Payette said. "It was such an honour. Like seriously ... I teared up. I was so emotional."

He turned down a chance 10 years ago because one of his sponsorship contracts prevented him doing shows outside of North America.

Payette started powerlifting as a teenager, building on an interest in fitness he's had since childhood.

At age five, he found his father dead after an apparent suicide.

"I became very fascinated with being strong from that point forward," Payette said.

His home life became chaotic. By 16, he was homeless. As a teen, he was inspired by a book by Schwarzenegger​ and found his way to powerlifting. The sport gave him direction, and in his 30s, he did his first bodybuilding competition.

Intense training

Now Payette is training hard, looking ahead to the contest on Nov. 10. He works out in short, intense bursts on a near-daily basis and eats six to eight meals a day, mostly of protein, bits of fat and a tiny amount of carbs. 

"When you're standing on stage wearing absolutely, you know, close to nothing against the best physiques in the world, it can be a little intimidating," Payette said.

His goal is to shed nearly all body fat. That can be hard to do as the diet can bring down energy levels.

Listen to how the bodybuilder preps for the top competition in the world:

For his bodybuilding style, Payette prefers sculpting over bulking. He hopes that appeals to the European judges, who typically prefer that more traditional look.

"I have to have [clothes] tailored, yes," Payette said. "But I've always wanted to have that sort of more complete look, rather than look like a walking gorilla."

He said he may not compete again, despite there being Mr. Universe for athletes over 50. Bodybuilding is, quite simply, hard on the body.

"By the time you're on stage, you will look amazing and feel like garbage," Payette said. "You're flexing every muscle in your body at once and trying to make it look effortless without shaking — and smiling."

Although he may hang up his bodybuilding suit, he plans to pick up a red pen. He's editing a draft of a book about his life, which he hopes will help others.

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With files from Kathryn Marlow, the Calgary Eyeopener.