45-Year-Old Wins Duel Championship Titles in 2022 NPC Dexter Jackson Classic
Jacksonville, FL – On July 23rd at the NPC Dexter Jackson Classic, Joshua Self won his 6th and 7th Championship Titles as a Physique Competitor, beating out 150 competitors, many of them half his age.
Self’s double win is a story of triumph. Self survived a horrific motorcycle accident on January 2, 2020, where he was t-boned and smashed by an oncoming car. Shattering his ankle, ribs, and back landed him 6 months confined to a wheelchair just as COVID was taking hold of the world. Gyms were closed, Americans were piling on the pounds, and the line of excuses for not working out was long. However, Joshua set a goal and ignited his mindset that he would return as a physique competitor, setting his sights on Mr. Olympia in October 2021.
After 2 surgeries, rehabilitation, and an aggressive routine, Self was on the Mr. Olympia stage, but it was too soon. While his body looked strong and he had built back a winning and impressive physique, he limped in pain on the stage and it cost him the title. Joshua decided right then, that even at 45 years old, he was not giving up.
Joshua Self developed a unique workout system based on biomechanics that allows him to train and build muscle in the fastest and most efficient way possible. Joshua is a true testament to the power of his philosophy on both diet and exercise, and he has just released his secrets to success in a course called Elite Self Image Fitness which can be found at www.JoshuaFitness.com.
Joshua credits his 2 years of being a strict vegetarian, then most recently switching to a Ketogenic diet using high-grade quality protein, combined with his unique high rep, time under tension gym workouts, and his backstage warm-up secret weapon, the SpinGym as the formula to his astounding comeback success.
Motivational Speaker Les Brown said, “Joshua’s commitment to himself and his drive for physical excellence is a marvel to behold and an inspiration for all of us to keep going and never give up.”
Joshua’s mission now is to motivate young and older athletes alike to focus on their goals in spite of what others around them may be saying. He believes that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams as long as you want it bad enough and like Zig Ziglar said, “You don’t need to be great to start, but you do have to start, to be great!”
About Joshua Self: Joshua Self’s first shot at excellence as an athlete was playing basketball and wrestling. His crowning glory was winning the Ohio state championship in the high jump, awarding him a track and field collegiate scholarship.
No stranger to tragedy as his father had died in a car crash when he was just 2 years old, and then at age 15, while getting ready for a Friday night football game, he was told his step-father, had been killed in a car crash… that night he played and scored 2 interceptions.
This series of tragedies made him realign his goals and search for meaning in his life. While in his late teens he was offered a contract and headed to Hollywood to pursue a successful career as a high-end fashion model but then, with a strong desire to serve a greater good, he left the trappings of show business and joined the Navy. With ambition and a determination to use his full range of abilities, he earned dual college degrees in electronics as well as visual effects and motion graphics. Today he’s a successful 3-D designer and Rendering Artist; the founder and owner of Self Image Productions, crafting world-class graphics and animations for clients from coast to coast.
His true passion, though, is as a World Class Physique competitor; he’s won the Jay Cutler Desert Classic (overall), and the Arnold Classic (twice, in two different categories); he’s taken top honors as NPC Champion seven times, and he received his Pro Card after winning the WFF World Championships.
One of his proudest accomplishments is the creation and design of a new way to train based on the unique science of biomechanics. He remarks that his system uses NONE of the “dangerous” workout techniques you often see in gyms; he does NOT do sit-ups, dips, pull-downs, incline presses, or deadlifts and strongly advocates against those harmful exercises that often cause injury to hips, ankles, knees, and shoulders. His unconventional but highly effective technique gets results for clients fast and judging how he built back his own physique in record time, they work.
A Master Trainer, with his system www.JoshuaFitness.com, he is on a mission to educate people on the safest and most efficient way to exercise and build muscle fast and safely.
He currently resides in St. Petersburg with his fiance, celebrity TV host, motivational speaker, and National Fitness Hall of Fame Inductee, Forbes Riley.
Learn more about Joshua on his Instagram account.
About Dexter Jackson NPC Classic:
Dexter Jackson NPC Classic features Bikini competitors, BodyBuilding, and Overall Wellness and honors our servicemen and first responders with categories called Heros.
Dexter “The Blade” Jackson is an American retired IFBB professional bodybuilder and the 2008 Mr. Olympia bodybuilding champion. With 29 wins, Jackson has the 2nd highest number of professional bodybuilding titles. He has the distinction of winning the Arnold Classic a record five times.
