Harrison Maas: Building A Body For Provincials

Harrison Maas, a former Elk Point resident,  is onto the next stage of his goal. Maas began body building five years ago, and hasn’t looked back since.

Hockey first

You could say Maas had the typical small town dream when he was younger. He played Junior B hockey for the Vermilion Tigers in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons. A knee injury ended Harrison’s Junior B playing days. He played a couple games this season for the Elk Point Elks of the SASHL.

Inner push

The knee injury put Maas on bed rest for the summer. When he got the all clear from the doctors, a sudden goal crossed his mind.  He got his mom, Desiree, to take a few basic photos of him in a pair of shorts, and began the process of body building. It’s been five years and he hasn’t looked back.

“I was always interested in the big guys. It wasn’t until I got the go ahead from the doctors that I could do stuff. It was actually that day I got my mom to take pictures of me in some shorts to show how skinny I was. It was that day I said I’m going to start body building right now.” Maas says. “I just wanted it. There was nobody [in Elk Point that did it].”

ABBA competition

Harrison recently competed in the 2017 Alberta Body Builder Association Competition. Maas competed in the Men’s Classic Body Building category. He started at 280 pounds, and cut down to 225 for the competition.  The competition was open to anyone who wanted to register.

He placed third in a division of 40 competitors. By placing within the top five, Maas qualified for the 2018 provincials which will be held next year in late June.

Harrsion Maas strikes a pose at the ABBA competition.

Training all the time

With the 2017 competition in the rear view mirror, and 2018’s provincials a year away, some might think Harrison would take some down time. He is staying with training, but not always weights and strength builders.

“It’s always peddle to the metal. People think your competition is a year away. I’m already getting prepared for it today. Muscle takes time. You gotta stay focused, and keep on the grind. My flexibility needs improvement. So one thing I’m already doing is taking yoga classes, so I can hit certain poses that kinda make myself stand out in a positive way.” Harrison expalains.

Harrison Maas looks forward to the 2018 Provincials, and hopefully impressing enough to make it to Nationals.