**Daniel Gerdel flexes his guns during a bodybuilding contest in Ottawa. Photos submitted**

By Tom Victoria

Daniel Gerdel may not have to slay the nine-headed Hydra or clean the Augean Stables in a day, but he has developed the build of a god.

Nicknamed Hercules — the mythological strongman who performed those deeds — Daniel, 21, of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is committed to fitness as opposed to other physical endeavors.

“I’d say it takes a different kind of mental resilience,” he said. “It’s not at all times enjoyable, but the results from the delayed gratification make up for that. I find through working out in a weight room, you could really sculpt the kind of body you want.”

Due to Daniel’s physique and ginger hair, he is named after the Disney animated version of the hero, as opposed to the brown-haired, bearded depiction popularized in old Italian cinema by actor Steve Reeves and Marvel Comics.

“I also had longer hair at the time,” Daniel said about when he was first called Hercules. “It was definitely a nickname that came from the gym.”

He touted the additional benefits of fitness.

“It definitely aids in mental stress and health,” Daniel said. “It’s a good way to step out of reality five times a week for a few hours and just focus on yourself. Sometimes, I get caught up in school, work or other matters that bring fog to my mental clarity. The gym allows me to find myself again.”

**Daniel poses on stage during the Ottawa Natural Classic held at Algonquin College.**

He hopes to motivate his young online followers who are subject to negativity in the world ranging from individuals to media outlets.

“Definitely inspire people to do the right thing,” Daniel said. “Move into a direction of positivity rather than negativity.”

Along with positive motivation, he sees a need for young people to be physically fit and mentally tough.

“I want to inspire the young generation to be strong as they could,” Daniel said. “It’s time we strengthen the young.”

He currently works out five days a week between 2 and 2.5 hours a session, splitting up the muscle groups to chest and back, arms and shoulders, and legs and abs.

To prepare for his first bodybuilding competition, which was held in June, he spent 15 weeks prepping for the event.

“Just to maintain the muscle mass I had before that,” Daniel said.

Another focus was posing.

“Posing might look easy from an outsider perspective, but it takes a significant amount of time to practice,” Daniel said. “Aside from my posing routine, the judges will signal a specific pose they want to see. You just need to be well-prepared to hit it right.”

He explained consuming less calories required more work in the gym.

Daniel stressed the need to have a coach for the training process.

“You have to be very precise with what you’re doing,” he said. “Without a coach, I would have been stressed out. There’s a deadline and you need to hit it or else you messed it up. You both are working hard to make sure it goes right.”

Daniel said his mind was racing the day of competition.

“You brain is thinking I have to hit this correctly,” he said. “I have to hit this pose. It’s one thing to look good on stage, but you have to look confident.”

Although Daniel didn’t feel the heat from the stage lighting, he did note the brightness.

“It was definitely blinding,” Daniel said. “You can’t see the audience at all. I was looking for the judges. It was hard to see for sure.”

Following the competition, removing the spray tan isn’t an immediate process.

“I was at work the next day and people were like what the hell happened,” Daniel said.

**Following the competition, Daniel was ready to indulge in high-calorie cuisine.**

Outside of social media in everyday life, he doesn’t advertise that he has an impressive physique. Consequently, his co-workers were unaware of his bodybuilding.

“I don’t bring it up unless it’s asked of me,” Daniel said.

Unlike many fit people, he doesn’t wear tight clothing to show off his build.

“I’m not one to show it off,” Daniel said. “I don’t flaunt these things.”

He is now focusing on fine-tuning his physique. However, Daniel may switch to powerlifting in the future.

“We’ll see what happens,” he said.

Daniel said he wants to be a hybrid athlete engaged in different pursuits.

HIs feat of becoming so fit is even more amazing considering he has scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine.

“It definitely sits in the back of my mind,” Daniel said about the condition. “Sometimes, I won’t get under a heavy squat because I’m afraid of the potential injury. But it really only affects me at random points in the day when my back will feel tremendously painful. Even in the middle of the night, I might wake up with lots of back pain.”

**Daniel visited Greece, coincidentally the native land of his mythic namesake, during the summer.**

He explained how working out carried over to everything else he does.

“The discipline certainly translated into all areas of my life,” Daniel said. “When it comes to work, school or even to prep for a competition, I know that I’ll be able to control myself and act according to plan. I’m always in control of my ability to keep moving forward and that’s the takeaway from these last years of training.”

The seed for becoming fit was sown when he was 13.

“I was going down the rabbit hole playing video games and eating junk food,” Daniel said.

However, when his mother took him to the gym, they were informed he had to be 15.

“I was off the hook,” Daniel said.

However, the experience eventually caused him to think about his fitness or lack thereof. Daniel started working out at 15.

“I was doing it more out of an insecure place,” he said. “I was not slim, but a little more overweight.”

Daniel opted to build his confidence before heading to the gym and began doing body weight exercises: 100 push-ups, 100 pull-ups and 100 dips.

“After about three months, I gained enough confidence to head to the gym and train,” he said.

Daniel started researching fitness.

“If I’m going to be training, I’m going to be doing it right,” he recalled thinking.

Bodybuilding wasn’t on his mind back then.

“I didn’t think of competing when I started working out,” Daniel said. “I was way too young.”

Years later, the older brother of a friend who was a bodybuilding competitor reached out.

“The ball started rolling,” Daniel said.

A couple of years ago, his training accommodated the new plan to compete down the road.

Daniel is attending college full-time to obtain a degree in accounting.

“I like numbers,” he said.

However, Daniel isn’t averse to accounting being the backup plan.

“It would be quite nice to grow my own brand,” he said. “Maybe one day put on some sponsorships. Find a path in fitness. Not only is it something I like doing, it can be a career in of itself. That would be amazing. Mix passion and a career. It would be the ideal situation.”

In his free time, Daniel enjoys snowboarding, skateboarding, biking and hiking.

He advised those wanting to get fit to start at home.

“If you lack self-confidence, I wouldn’t toss someone into the gym right away,” Daniel said. “Calisthenics is a great way to introduce yourself to training.”

For budding bodybuilders, he recommended researching the process to be informed of what lies ahead.

Daniel said motivation comes from focusing on the present.

“Tomorrow doesn’t exist right now,” he said. “You’ve got things to do today.”

Daniel said the key is to not give up.

“You’ve got to stick through things,” he said. “You have to be consistent.”