This year, after consuming a piece of pizza while out to eat with his friends, sophomore Ben Amram said he immediately felt sick and vomited. In order to reach his goal of becoming a professional bodybuilder, he said he has followed a strict diet since seventh grade. Because of this, he realized he would no longer be able to eat some unhealthy foods.

“Ben is really disciplined,” said Ben Amram’s mother Laurie Amram. “He doesn’t eat [a lot of] sugar and he doesn’t eat junk food. He drinks a lot of water.”

Ben Amram said because his older brothers, alumni Daniel (‘13) and Jonathan Amram (‘11), worked out often, he was influenced to start working out more seriously.

In eighth grade, Ben Amram was coached by Lior Zaslavsky, a strength and conditioning coach, in order to improve his form and overall muscle mass. Zaslavsky said he would change Ben Amram’s workout every session “in order to achieve a greater level of fitness.”

“In one year of working together, Ben was strong willed and was able to accomplish a strong body,” said  Zaslavsky. “The secret to success is to make sure you are doing the technique right.”

Ben Amram also increased his knowledge of fitness by reading magazines and following professional bodybuilder Gerardo Gabriel on social media.

Fitness coordinator Matthew Fastert occasionally works with Ben Amram in the fitness center. Fastert, a certified fitness instructor, said he was hired to supervise student-athletes exercising in the fitness center, helping students like Ben Amram stay safe while lifting.

“He is so dedicated and driven,” said Fastert. “I’ll ask him how his weekend was and it’ll always go back to, ‘Oh, I didn’t burn enough calories on Saturday.’ It’s always about fitness, which I love.”

Ben Amram said he eats around 4,500 calories every day. He said he sticks to a diet in high protein, in addition to eating vegetables and complex carbohydrates.

Laurie Amram said Ben’s diet has inspired her and her husband to eat healthier, too.

“To watch your child be able to say, ‘No, I don’t want dessert,’ makes it really hard for us as adults not to take his [example],” Laurie Amram said.

Ben Amram said he works out four times a week, one and a half to two hours a day, and he does a cardio exercise on three of those days.

“[I] get [to the fitness center] and then do a warmup, and then I just get into [the workout],” said Ben Amram. “I put my headphones in and no one talks to me. I bench press [and do] a lot of compound movements.”

Ben Amram said, however, he is not able to train as hard during gymnastics season. He said he uses that season as a “rest period” for his training to be a bodybuilder.

“You can be too muscular, and with sports, like gymnastics, you need flexibility,” said Fastert. “If you are not maintaining your flexibility, you could have shoulder tightness [or] chest tightness, and that could hinder you in some events in gymnastics.”

Laurie Amram said she believes her son balances school, bodybuilding and gymnastics very well. She said he demonstrates discipline and commitment to working out, not just to “look good,” but to overall be a healthy person.

“Whether it’s bodybuilding or a sport, or an activity that you take very seriously, you learn how to discipline yourself and manage time effectively,” said Laurie Amram. “Sometimes, the busier you are, the more you can do.”

Ben Amram said a current goal of his is to participate in bodybuilding competitions next year. A competition consists of being judged on the definition and symmetry of muscle throughout one’s body in front of a crowd, he said.

“[In a competition] the top three come out, and they pose,” said Ben Amram. “[Then] the crowd decides on the order of the top three.”

In order for Ben Amram to build his muscles, Fastert said he must do workouts specifically designed to increase body mass. Ben Amram said he can currently bench press 225 pounds.

“One of Ben’s greatest achievements is that, daily, he faces his limitations and makes the decision to overcome them,” said Laurie Amram. “This aspect of bodybuilding builds humility, patience and character.”