By Denise Galloway
Daily Record of Dunn
ANGIER – He says he was chubby his whole childhood. At age 44, Angier resident Neal Eichhorn is anything but. He has a “six pack” for the first time in his life and body building medals to prove it.
Back home, Neal Eichhorn stands with his medal inside Gold’s Gym in Fuquay-Varina where he trains six days a week. Dunn Daily Record Photo by Denise Galloway
Eichhorn recently placed third in the Organization of Competition Bodies (OCB) Chesapeake Classic, Pro Men’s Physique Division in Baltimore, Maryland. Before that, he took first place in his first-ever competition, earning him a coveted “pro card” which qualified him for the Baltimore competition.
Eichorn started bodybuilding less than a year ago. He was simply looking for a way to be healthier and get back in shape, and he’s doing it all naturally. OCB competitions require contestants to pass a polygraph test before competing, and winners must pass a post-competition drug test.
Before bodybuilding became part of his life, Eichhorn was a PE teacher, football coach, and baseball coach at Fuquay-Varina High School for 12 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in health and PE, and a Master’s in education. He loved teaching and coaching, and it kept him reasonably fit. It just didn’t provide enough income to support his family. In 2011, while continuing to teach and coach, he started a small window-tinting business out of his home. In 2020, he left teaching to continue growing his business. Window Effects currently has locations in Fuquay-Varina, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
His new role as a busy business owner didn’t lend itself to staying in shape the way teaching PE and coaching did. Soon, he began putting on the pounds. When he realized he was on an unhealthy path, Eichhorn set a goal for himself to “get in the best shape of my life.”
Neal Eichhorn and his family are seen here at the OCB Chesapeake Classic in Baltimore, Maryland, Saturday, October 12. Left to right, are Eichhorn’s daughter Presley, wife Brienne, Eichhorn and son Easton. Contributed photo by Neal Eichhorn
“He didn’t know anything about body-building,” said his coach Caleb Kennedy. “Neal did this in a much shorter time that what I would expect for someone who knew nothing about it. It took less than a year. For most people at his starting point it would take two years to get to this level.”
He attributes Eichhorn’s quick success to being dedicated and “following the (coaching) plan.” Eichhorn attributes his success to life-changing principles he learned at an inspirational Tony Robbins conference in 2020: Set a big goal; find a mentor; take massive action.
Once he started bodybuilding, he set the big goal of entering a competition, and then took massive action. Eichhorn’s training regimen is impressive. He’s not a morning person, but now he’s at the gym from 4:30-6:30 a.m., training and conditioning his body six days a week. He follows the strict diet his coach gives him to the letter — including weighing all of his portions, and not eating carbs after 12 p.m. He gave up beer and foods he really enjoyed.
His hard work and dedication paid off.
“I won when I showed up,” Eichhorn said of his first competition. “I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know what a pro card was. But I looked the best I’ve ever looked in my life, and I felt amazing. I was only competing against myself, and I’d already won.”
Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Eichhorn made North Carolina his home after graduating from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. He lives in Angier with his wife, Brienne, who is a second-grade teacher; and two children Easton, 10, and Presley, 12.
Congratulations