Barnett transforms life through bodybuilding
The world of bodybuilding has been very good to Malvina resident Baylor Barnett.
Barnett, an 18-year-old senior at North Sunflower Academy, has competed in three bodybuilding competitions and has earned first place trophies in each event. Barnett’s most recent competition took place in Columbus, Ga. where he finished first in the Novice Class B division and third in the men’s open division at OCB Unbroken on Nov. 23.
For Barnett, bodybuilding has been more than just competing and earning accolades. It’s been a path that has taken his life in a whole new direction that he never dreamed was possible. Winning in bodybuilding shows was something that was the furthest from Barnett’s mind a few years ago.
“I genuinely did not think that in a million years I would be a bodybuilder,” said Barnett. “I have so much respect for this sport. It’s such an incredible, hard sport to be a part of. You diet and discipline yourself to show up at the gym, and you discipline yourself to do cardio everyday. There is so much information about the body that I just love learning.”
Barnett, who stands 5-foot-9 and checks in at 143 pounds, used to be overweight. At one point, Barnett weighed as much as 230 pounds. He was bullied when he was younger due to being overweight. Although he played sports like football growing up, his weight was causing some health problems.
Barnett recalled a time visiting his grandmother where his weight really took a toll on him.
“My grandmother owns a two-story house in Rosedale,” said Barnett. “I would walk up her stairs, and I just remember being out of breath just from walking up stairs. My health was definitely deteriorating. My body was fighting against it because of how big i really did get at my age. It was hard to see myself get like that every single day.”
Eventually, Barnett lost a lot of weight and the bullying died down. He still wanted to improve his overall strength after his weight loss. Barnett’s father, Cecil Barnett, guided him on a more fit path.
‘”When I lost a lot of weight, I lost a lot of strength to,” said Barnett. “I felt really, really weak. My dad introduced me to the gym, and I’ve fallen in love with it ever since my first day.”
Barnett said his father helped him set up the proper workouts.
“When I started, I just lifted weights,” said Barnett. “My dad introduced me to a split he had me on. It was legs one day, chest one day and back one day. With me doing those specific workouts, I just loved pushing my body and seeing my body change. I loved getting stronger every single day.”
During his time working out at the gym, Barnett hungered for more knowledge about the human body which in turn provided him a path to become a bodybuilder.
“I think with me getting into the gym, I started watching more videos and just wanted to know more about the body,” said Barnett. “I was watching all of these professional bodybuilders step up on stage and diet really hard and weightlift. I think that really sparked something in me.
“On top of that, my dad was really motivated. He had followed bodybuilding ever since Arnold Schwarzenegger was really, really popular. My dad encouraged me to get into bodybuilding. I fell in love with the entire sport as a whole when I started to see how much your body can really change and how amazing the process is.”
Barnett made his bodybuilding debut in in the OCB Championships on November 21, 2023 at Jonesboro, Ark. His first competition went better than he could’ve hoped for as he won the teen division in men’s physique.
Barnett said the first contest was a learning experience as far as preparation.
“We didn’t know too much about it,” said Barnett. “We just knew you had to diet really hard. We didn’t know how long to prep and how long you needed to diet down for a body building show. I dieted down for four weeks for that show, and I think I cut 10 or 15 pounds. I ended up winning the teen division and that was a huge accomplishment for me.”
After his competition in Jonesboro, Barnett went to the OCB Gulf Natural in Biloxi a couple of weeks later and finished first in the men’s physique teen division and second in the men’s physique open division. After Biloxi, it would be close to a year before he would compete in another show.
To stay in shape for bodybuilding competitions, Barnett adheres to a healthy diet that consists of whole foods with a lot of protein. Barnett went on a 20-week preparation period to get ready for the competition in Columbus, Ga. The accomplishment of winning at Columbus was the most gratifying of Barnett’s young career.
“This most recent show hit home pretty hard because of how hard I worked for this show compared to my other two shows,” said Barnett. “This show, I dieted for 20 weeks. I had zero missed steps. I got in 20,000 steps every single day. I did an hour of cardio every single day. I didn’t miss a meal. If we had any family events or family dinners, I missed those. I sacrificed a lot. It was such an incredible reward to see all of the hard work and emotion that I put into this prep. I think that’s why this most recent prep was the most heartfelt one. I think it’s probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.”
Barnett is thankful for all of the support he’s gotten from his family and friends during his bodybuilding journey.
After doing just one competition in 2024, Barnett plans on competing in more shows this year.
“I love stepping on stage,” said Barnett. “You have more opportunities to get your pro card and more opportunities for people to see you and your physique. I should’ve done two or three shows this past year. I’ll definitely be doing more shows in 2025.”
After NSA, Barnett plans to attend Delta State University to study nutritional science.