Sherrie Kapach: Welcome to Beyond The Prep. I'm your host, Sherrie Kapach. I'd like to welcome today, Devin Doyer. Welcome. I know you're competing now, we're gonna do a quick podcast, and then I'll let you on your way.
Devin Doyer: It sounds good.
Sherrie Kapach: Tell me a little bit, how long have you been bodybuilding?
Devin Doyer: Eight years. Competitively six. So yeah, I did my first show, and it was 2017. But I was going to do one in 2016, never ending up making it. At the time, I wasn't as dedicated. Back out of the show that I was willing to do. So my first show was 2017. And yeah, I've been kind of bodybuilding since.
Sherrie Kapach: So what got you into this sport?
Devin Doyer: It's so weird. I honestly started working out because I want to look at them. I was a skinny kid, six foot, 465 pounds. I was a skateboarder. I just loved sports in that way. But I was sick and tired of being skinny and just always looked like a frail guy. So I started going to the gym. And then about two years when I started falling in love with it because it was more of a therapy for me. I grew up with a lot of depression and anxiety, suicidal thoughts for about eight years, and I didn't have an outlet. And fitness wasn't really the outlet. At times, I was kind of in it for a different reason. When I started unlocking that, it opened up a lot of doors for me. So it really locked me into that sport. And so that's why fitness became a big part of my life, and competitive wise gave me that outlet to kind of strive for something each time right here.
Sherrie Kapach: Nice. So it's kind of a savior in that way. People struggle. There's so many out there, for sure. Definitely searching--
Devin Doyer: Searching for medication. I had never touched, like I touched it, tried it. But now, I never do medication for anxiety, depression, so I just use music. I just don't believe it. I think that there's more common things out there that are natural.
Sherrie Kapach: Absolutely. Absolutely. That's amazing. So it's working through, everything's going really well.
Devin Doyer: It's exciting, so good.
Sherrie Kapach: So in competing, this has been your peak week, any struggles? Anything? What's the hard part of this last, even the whole when you're in prep?
Devin Doyer: I'd say for me, because it's different for everybody. But for me, I'm working at my job. So I'm doing 11 hour days, five days a week construction. So hopefully, I'm inside. And luckily, my job isn't visible in my own way. Just more physical in the way of, I'm walking a lot on concrete floors. And being in such a deficit, it feels like an eight year old, like I'm walking and my legs are just so heavy. And so I'm dragging my feet everywhere I go and just having no energy. That was probably the hardest. Outside of that, it would have been just peak week where I'm overthinking my strategy. And I worry about, am I doing this wrong? Am I eating too many carbs? Am I holding water? I go, no. Freaking out of all that stuff because I don't have a coach. Not that I don't believe in coaches. I just think that for me, what I've seen is possible with me. I think that it'd be more rewarding to earn my pro card as a big self coach, so why went that route?
Sherrie Kapach: Yeah. It feels like so much more commitment and dedication because you don't have someone to be accountable for, you're strictly accountable to yourself. So it's harder. Good job on that one. Do you take any time off when you're getting close to your show just because of the exhaustion that it takes on you?
Devin Doyer: I usually do, this is all money based. Before this job that I'm doing right now is, actually, I've worked with (inaudible). I almost lost my place. I just didn't have enough money. I should ask for more money which I don't like. I try not to rely on her, she has helped me out. I lucked out and landed a job right off that happened with the film industry. And so that's the only reason I was able to compete. But in that position, it's just like, you worry about, should I work my job and then compete while working a job? Or take that time off, focus on the competition, but also risk losing that money? So I lucked out with my job that I was able to work solidly through, and then they are on hiatus because the writers for the show I'm on are on strike, so they force everybody to take two weeks off.. So I landed the perfect, most heavenly gift of like, you get your peak week off and the recovery. So for me, I'm in heaven right now just being able to focus, enjoy the time with my family. And really just do what I love to do.
Sherrie Kapach: Things happen for a reason. Wow, that's incredible. That is great. What did you wish you knew then when you were first starting out that you know now?
Devin Doyer: First thing I'd say is alcohol. I don't drink anymore. If I do, it's like one or two drinks a month. I thought it was like your worst enemy. You are capable more than you think you are. You just have to have the drive, you have to want it enough to really find it. I think a lot of people are like that. I just want it. But it's like, I didn't know why. I didn't know how,and I was just coasting along. And then all of a sudden, one day I was like, my dad passed in 2020. I didn't really get to talk too much. He was on drugs and stuff. And when you pass it, kind of lit a fire under my butt. Especially with my mom, because she has always been my number one supporter. And that drove me and I was like, that's my why's because I was a failure as a kid. I classify status. I did a lot of bad things, made a lot of bad choices in my day where this was my way to make up for and mentally for myself. If I can really work and do it, I am capable of it. So it's like finding that drive and being able to be consistent with it. And so every day through that prep, I'm reminding myself, do it for them, do it for yourself. Because if you do this, then you can do all these other things. And then once those things started happening, you know what? During my prep, I wasn't just prepping for the show. I was actually building something. Just for fun while taking no breaks at work. So I'd eat my lunch and go back to the building that I was in. I got certified in person training, and I also uploaded, I started back up my clothing line so that I get started selling stuff again because I put it on hold for a while. And so I started getting that and reaching out to people and whatnot. So that's kind of what happened when I started getting stress. I was like, I can do so much more. So it just started pushing itself. And every time it got challenging, I was working harder because I felt like it was challenging me to work harder, make it worse for me because it'll get better.
Sherrie Kapach: If you work for it, you can achieve it. Remember your WHY. And even before you start, why do you want to? Sometimes, you gotta dig deep. But some of these things get buried and we just forget about it. So that's fabulous. Congratulations. It's great to come back from where you were. Absolutely. So be proud of where you came from and how far you've gone.
Devin Doyer: Win or lose, today's not a whole, just being in the best shape of my life, being with my friends and family and setting a milestone for the next goal.
Sherrie Kapach: Yeah, it's a great inspiration.
Devin Doyer: I'm hoping and trying to inspire as many people--
Sherrie Kapach: Absolutely. Yeah, telling your story. That's great. So if someone's new considering bodybuilding and doesn't know like, what would be your best advice for them?
Devin Doyer: Always ask questions. There's a lot of ego lifting and a lot of ego, things going on with pride and people in the gym, they don't ask questions, they don't watch research, they find one source that may not be correct and the follow that instead of just, take things with a grain of salt, put in the work and really focus. If you don't understand something, always ask. Be like a reporter. That's how I see it. Reporters always ask questions. Why do you think they have so much information? Because they have so many questions. So just do your research, Google everything, YouTube, everything. Ask your friends, ask your bodybuilding friends. So when the guy in the supplement store just keeps going and eventually you just start building a library, all the knowledge that you've learned from all these different sources, and then you can recall it together and your own way and you can test it out on yourself, not everything's going to work for you. Certain diets work for each person differently. You know why? You have to do 15 to 20 reps to grow. Whereas someone who's shorter could do eight to 10 reps to grow. Some guys need 4000 calories a day, if not 5000 to grow. Some guys eat clean the whole time, I need to be dirty the whole time and still have a six pack. It all changes. You have to learn about your body and learn by also using other people's information, trying it out, seeing what works and what doesn't.
Sherrie Kapach: Yeah, yeah, true. Definitely a science. Everybody's different. Yeah. And to compare, you just can't compare because you just don't know where they're at. It's only you against you.
Devin Doyer: Yes. It's always against you. I always say like a one man one. The people only support you when you're already doing. They don't support you when you're in the background. And it's only you, that's what matters most. Because when you can get past that, when you're alone by yourself whenever you're watching, and you can work at putting that consistency, when people are watching, it's just that much better.
Sherrie Kapach: So that's great. That's great. Perfect. So I'm not going to keep you long because I know you get to go back on stage, I hope to get down there and watch you. I wish you the best of luck.
Devin Doyer: I appreciate it.
Sherrie Kapach: Thank you for coming and sharing your story.
Devin Doyer: Yes, for sure. I'm always available anytime on Instagram. So if anyone wants to reach out and ask more questions, I'm always available.
Sherrie Kapach: Perfect. That's great. Thank you very much.
