But, the quietly spoken 57-year old plasterer from Cannington has racked up multiple bodybuilding awards since he started competing aged 30.
For the past three years, he has won the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) under 70kg open class in WA and in 2015 and 2016 he was the champion in the World Fitness Federation (WFF) State competition in the under 70kg category.
Mr Marshall, who is mentored by three-times Mr Australia, David Nazaroff, and coached by personal trainer Paul Vu, returned to the sport four years ago after a 12 year break.
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READ NOWSince his return to bodybuilding he has seen an increase in women participating in the sport as well as men in the ‘board short’ class.
“When I first started going to the gym you would never see a girl body builder.
“Today there are as many girls as there are guys in the sport and most of the girls get up and compete. They are actually less afraid to compete than the guys.
“The guys think you have to be big but that is not the case. You just have to get it all right and work with your own genetics.”
Mr Marshall said the sport catered for all different weight groups and body sizes.
“If you are like me and are small and have an Asian background you are never going to be as big as Arnold Schwarzenegger. You have to work with what you have got,” he said.
He trains four days a week doing weight lifting and in the lead up to a competition introduces cardiovascular exercises designed to reduce weight and he removes most carbohydrates from his diet.
“I normally drop 10 kg every competition.
“Every time you do a competition you learn something new about food or new supplements,” he said.
Having recently undergone rotator cuff surgery, Mr Marshall said bodybuilding competitions were on hold for the remainder of the year but he plans on competing again in 2018.
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