Wok has new fish to fry

After spending 30 years in the tattoo studio, Warwick Bremner aka ‘Wok', will now be helping people modify their bodies in the gym.

Wok is hanging up his needle as he embarks on a new challenge as a personal trainer.

No stranger to stepping out of his comfort zone, Wok recently retired from competitive bodybuilding having won his final event at the age of 52.

Wok says he was not gifted with bodybuilding genetics and at 20 years old weighed just 58kg.

“I never had particularly great muscle building ability, it just came through sheer years of pounding away at the iron.”

Eventually, Wok was able to almost double his weight and packed on enough mass to tip the scales at 90.

“It was a long slow process.”

Wok’s journey began as an eight-year-old when he found a book featuring bodybuilders and was fascinated.

“At about the age of 14, I realised weight training was what was involved in looking like that and that’s where the love affair started.”

Wok has worked as a tattoo artist for 30 years most recently at a studio in Tāhunanui.

“Being such a mental job with no physical aspect to it gym has always been my sanctuary.”

After spending a year out of the tattoo studio to write a novel, Wok felt the time was right to begin his next career chapter.

Wok says he had always contemplated a shift from the studio to the gym.

“Tattooing paid the bills, but I am now in a situation where I can give it a crack for three years and see if I love it.”

Wok is now employed as a personal trainer at CityFitness in Nelson.

He says it has been a challenge getting back to the books.

“It’s quite daunting and exciting to find out how much I don’t know.”

With about 70 per cent of his body tattooed, Wok says his body art proved a hinderance in bodybuilding competitions.

“Tattoos aren’t going to accentuate muscle on stage, they are distracting and just not good for the image.”

In his younger days, Wok could alleviate the issue with a strong tanning solution which covered tattoos.

However, this has since been disallowed.

“The new stuff doesn’t cover them as well, so you have to be better to beat someone that is not tattooed. If you were identical the non-tattooed person would probably win it.”

Despite this disadvantage, Wok went on to win a number of competitions including novice championships and the NABBA nationals.

Most recently, Wok won a gold and bronze medal at the 2021 New Zealand federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Pro League in Christchurch.

He says he is now in the best shape of his life as he prepares for his latest challenge.

“I couldn’t be happier with the encouragement from all staff and the other trainers at Cityfitness. I am looking forward to helping people achieve their goals.”