“You’ve got a bright future ahead.”
It was 2016 and Marc Wishart had just finished fourth in his first body building competition.
The words of praise came from Ryan Fredericks, the President of I Compete Natural (ICN) WA.
Since that moment, Wishart has emerged as a renowned professional champion within the body building scene.
From amateur to professional
When Wishart first started working out at the gym to gain muscle, he was instantly encouraged by fellow gym goers to compete in body building due to his natural figure.
A great deal of physical training and mental focus is required when preparing to become a body builder.
“To be successful you need to have mental strength and perseverance, because when you get to those last few weeks before a show it feels like hell,” says Wishart.
“You have to be crazy to attempt it and if you have what it takes, you have what it takes.”
When participating in body building competitions there are many different ICN divisions and categories; physique, classic physique, fitness, and body building.
In order to determine a champion, judges score contestants on their body symmetry, conditioning, shape, stage presence, posing, and muscle size.
“Everything combined together matters,” Wishart says.
In 2019, Wishart was deemed a body building professional when he won first place for ICN Australia Men’s Physique in Sydney and describes it as his most memorable win for any competition.
Wishart studied posing techniques off body building greats from the 70s and 80s, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, because he loved the way they creatively portrayed their physiques and taught himself fitness training routines through YouTube videos.
“Arnold is the G.O.A.T,” says Wishart.
“Everyone’s body is different, something that works for me won’t work for other people.”
“How long your arms are, how long your legs are, and the way your muscle bellies are, it’s just trial and error.”
Wishart has placed fifth in the ICN World Natural Games twice and has recently won his first professional show in 2024 at the ICN Australian Nationals.
The rise of a newcomer
Marko Scekic has a background in cheerleading, however his life changed after sending a simple message to Wishart via social media.
“I didn’t really know Marc personally, but I knew of him through the party scene and going out to events in 2016,” Scekic says.
Fast forward to 2021, Scekic came across Wishart’s Instagram profile and saw he was competing in body building competitions.
“I saw his accomplishments, I saw his photos, I saw how well he succeeded, and I couldn’t believe he was a natural athlete,” he said.
At that point Scekic texted his DMs asking for advice because he had hopes of becoming a build builder himself, which is how they first connected and eventually became close friends.
“Seeing his pictures just amazed me and he definitely inspired me to try body building out.”
The initial meeting that Scekic had with Wishart was to get feedback on his physique and ask if he thinks he’s capable to compete in body building.
“Marc taught me how to position myself and literally how to flex my muscles in a certain way while performing on stage,” says Scekic.
“He certainly gave me some tips in terms of diet and, in terms of just pushing hard, and digging deep with body building, because it gets quite intense towards the end of a prep.”
Scekic describes Wishart as a very loyal, genuine and kind souled person, who cares for all the people around him.
“As a teacher, he is patient, calm, selective with his own words, and has his own personal approach things because he’s a very honest communicator and very supportive,” Scekic says.
“As a body builder, he has a massive talent for the sport and is genetically blessed.”
Scekic has always admired Wishart’s incredible finesse with posing while presenting on stage, saying, “His posing is immaculate and if I was born with his physique, it would be game over.”
Now a professional body builder himself, Scekic says he owes it all to Wishart.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without Marc, I owe him so much gratitude, so much thanks and support from my end to his,” he says.
“If he just ignored my DMs, or if he just said, no I’m all good, I would have ended it there and not pursued body building.”
Scekic is currently doing fitness coaching online through West Coast Physiques and is in the early stages of developing a posing business with Wishart, to be known as M&M body building posing.
Wishart says he will continue to compete in body building because he loves the sport and wants to help others prepare for competitions.
“I can prep myself, I know how my body works, but doing it for other people is a challenge I enjoy.”
