Charles emphasizes beauty as well as bulk

By Seabrook Mow
Special to The Advertiser

As a guest poser in the Paradise Cup, professional bodybuilder Darrem Charles would like to emphasize that being bigger, is not necessarily better.

At 5 feet 8, and a contest weight of 225 pounds, Charles, 34, is undersized compared to many competitors of his height, who would be 250 pounds or heavier.

"My body and Kevin's (Levrone) body are two of the few bodybuilders supporting an aesthetically pleasing, beautiful body," Charles said. "We're not the big gruesome ugly muscle massy looking bodybuilders. We represent the pleasing body."

Charles won his first pro bodybuilding contest, the Southwest Pro Championship, in May and also placed a respectable 16th in the Mr. Olympia, regarded as the top bodybuilding competition.

Charles said he hopes he can re-qualify and reach the top 10 in the Mr. Olympia next year.

"Main thing for me is I have a picture in my mind of how a complete body should look like, and I always keep striving for it," Charles said.

Charles said he is visiting Hawai'i for the first time and hopes to meet people, hit the beaches, and, most importantly, impress the crowd at the Paradise Cup.

Many guest posers are out of shape when they do shows, but Charles said he is in fairly good condition even though it's not contest time.

"I'm known as one of the best posers in the sport as well as for great conditioning," he said. "Also, I'm able to pose classical as well as dramatically, and bring it together."

Charles also said shows such as the Paradise Cup are good because they are steppingstones to bigger shows, and it teaches young bodybuilders patience.

Despite his success in bodybuilding, Charles remains true to his fans.

"I'm like any other guy, I'm very approachable. Just come by and say, 'Hi,' " Charles said.

Levrone, who placed second in the 2002 Mr. Olympia behind reigning five-time champion Ronnie Coleman, will be the featured guest poser.

"He's a great guy and awesome bodybuilder. I don't know what he (Levrone) does, but he does it well," said Charles.

Where: Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, Hawai'i Ballroom

When: Friday. Doors open 6 p.m., show starts 7 p.m.

Tickets: All seats reserved, $30, $25, $20, $15. Tickets available at 24 Hour Fitness in Pearl Kai and all Heavy Metal Barbell Cos.

Information: Guy Leong, 223-5677.

Guest posers: Paula Suzuki, Clifton Torres, Eric Yamashita, Darrem Charles and Kevin Levrone.