Local bodybuilder, engineer shares how he shaped his life

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Engineer, father and former bodybuilder, Marshall “Jay” Yohana changed the trying in his life to doing. He is yet another dreamer who has transformed his title into a “do-er.” Challenging himself with dedication in hand, Yohana built his life in two different directions.

As a kid who was on the heavier side, nagging comments from his sisters created a challenge for Yohana. He began to run almost 12 miles a day to improve his form and health, but it seemed it still wasn’t enough for his sister’s jokes to end.

“From all that running, my sisters used to tease me and call me ‘No Butt,’” said Yohana, “That’s when I decided to take another route and chose weightlifting and bodybuilding.”

Deciding to live nearly a double life, he began to focus on his engineering career in addition to bodybuilding. Yohana said that although the two seem to be too hard to juggle as simultaneous careers, he made time for each to keep them exclusive. His experience was recognized later in his bodybuilding career.

“While working as an engineer, I was out at lunch recruiting for the company. I had my back turned from the T.V. in the restaurant and it turns out ESPN had been covering one of the competitions I had competed in,” Yohana said. “The whole room just seemed to stare at me and I was thinking to myself, ‘Do I have something out of my nose you know?’ It wasn’t until the guy I was sitting with said turn around, and there I was.”

With new public recognition, Yohana said life as a bodybuilder was hectic at times with the thought of always pleasing sponsors, competition judges and even himself. With crowds of over 3,000 people, all eyes were on him, including other competitors who would say anything to discourage one another and play mind games to win.

“You get many other competitors always trying to plant some seed of doubt right before you go on stage,” Yohana said. “I honestly just always chuckled and laughed because I wasn’t about to let all that work go to waste.”

The work put into the sport was tedious and somewhat lonesome, Yohana said. Competitors follow a strict diet and set times of training. The demanding schedule lends to an abnormal lifestyle compared to others, and competitors sometimes struggle to relate with them.

“It’s a very lonely sport,” Yohana said. “You’re developing yourself into doing something that’s not technically normal.”

All of the training was done while maintaining his steady engineering career. He decided to take that path and would later depart from professional bodybuilding—not without winning many awards including Mr. Western Hemisphere. Due his bodybuilding success, Yohana said he has valuable advice concerning work ethic.

“At the end of the day you’re only going to achieve what you’ve invested,” Yohana said. “Eliminate try and put in do.”