Sunday morning, 11am, 3 hours on the road and no sleep to speak of the night before. The post-shoot thought process of the previous days job with LJ Newton and Jade Kealy still fresh in our minds, it was time to hit the reset button and start all over again. We find ourselves clambering up the stairs of Image Fitness Studio in Swords, North County Dublin, to a meet a friend of Irish Muscle and veteran of the game, Niall Kinsella. I was in two minds about how necessary this shoot was to conduct in this time frame, and at such a volatile stage in the diet phase of any competing bodybuilder. There is always a chance that a working connection with the athlete may be too demanding given the exhaustion levels each sportsman goes through in the weeks preceding a competition. What if he’s just too tired, too starved of carbohydrates and essential nutrients that he can’t provide the patience and enthusiasm required to get the job done? But my doubts were misplaced as Nialls usual pro attitude shone through and as a testament to his passion and professionalism, he shook off the carb crash blues and hammered out an all over body workout to round up his training regime for the week.
Niall Kinsella’s history in the sport has been well documented and publicized. He acted as a exemplary ambassador for the sport when his return was the focus point for an episode of “Baz’s Extreme Worlds” in the run up the last years NABBA Mr.Ireland. This TV show forced the nations viewers to take an inside look at a sport that few outside of its realm understand. The extreme levels of discipline and perseverance required at this level would humble the strictest diet savvy and the daily training regimen would gas out many professional athletes, but it’s all in a days work for the likes of Niall and his peers in this sport.
Taking us through his home away from home, it’s immediately clear that the members of Image Fitness Studio are here to train hard and heavy. And with shapes such as Niall’s being an everyday sight it’s no wonder that his own ambitions have become contagious element of what keeps this gym on the map as a hardcore facility for those with the required state of mind.
Niall and I spoke briefly about his early days and when he was bitten by the bug that will see him walk onto stage in the Bord Gais Theatre on Saturday the 16th of June. He recalled being a schoolboy on a double decker bus that would take a route past Atlas Gym on Talbot Street. And from the vantage point of the top deck Niall could peer downstairs and see the overdeveloped calf muscles of the cities hallmark bodybuilders. Taking no prisoners, this gym defined hardcore on many levels and was certainly a pivotal influence on his attitude to training and his aspirations for where it could take him.
Niall has spoken publicly about his departure from training and as above his return to competition was documented on state TV. But what many people don’t know about Niall is the shape he is in right now. I’ve never witnessed someone so conditioned yet so stacked with muscle and with such outstanding proportions. During his workout for this weeks video he removed his sweater and caused a notable tone to grip the other members of Image Fitness Studio. It could only be described as a silent gasp, quickly followed by a communal push to lift that bit heavier and push that bit harder, freshly inspired by the physique and condition of their resident mass monster.
Below are two images that myself and Niall worked on and chose from a set we have been gunning to carry out for many months. This athlete is carrying so much detail on his body right now that it could require twice as many light sources to truly highlight the work he has put in. But as a subtle teaser for what the Irish Team are bringing this Saturday we hope you are as excited as we are to cheer on Niall Kinsella and all the members of the team who will proudly represent Ireland this coming Saturday 16th of June, at the NABBA Worlds, right here in our own backyard at the Bord Gais Theatre in Dublin.
Words And Images By Paul Wilson.
