PASSION to POWER
PASSION to POWER
Retired professional bodybuilder shares his story and son’s career in the industry and in the media
BY: ALI ESLICH MAY 11, 2025
Eric Eslich grew up in a small town in Louisville, Ohio. He started his bodybuilding career at the age of 12. He was the first person in his town to compete at the national level at 19. He competed in bodybuilding competitions throughout college, attending the University of Akron. He competed in state competitions and nationally. He first picked up the hobby after seeing his older brother’s weight set in the garage: “…he had muscles, and you know, I was younger than him, so I wanted muscles.” Eslich mentioned in a recent interview. He watched his older brother, John, and he started doing the exercises he was doing, and that is how the interest grew.
Growing up in the Midwest, he played tackle football, and his whole family were wrestlers. He knew that to be a good athlete in those sports, it was essential to be strong. In the weight room, he would watch the older guys in the school and wanted to be like them. His coaches had programs for them to learn how to work out and get stronger so they would be better at their sports.
On the competition day, Eslich states that you get really excited for the show. He explained that it’s so fun getting to be on stage and show off all of your hard work. It is not a team sport. Therefore, when something goes wrong, you cannot blame the other player. It’s like “No, I’m up here on my own, and the way I look is because of everything I have done, everything I’ve eaten, and the way I have trained.” People often do not know how insane the sport of bodybuilding is. It is one of those sports where you do not necessarily see a bodybuilder perform. You just see the aftermath of their performance, and that is what they are graded on.
Eslich explains what he has been teaching his son inside and outside the gym in preparation for his upcoming competition.
He was quite young when he decided to take this passion seriously, just 14 years old. He remembered his mother would drive him to the big gym across town. It was the first time he was exposed to primarily adults… “which was so eye-opening, and that’s when I saw these big guys there, and they were getting ready for competitions, and I was like, “WOW, maybe I could do that.” Eslich exclaimed. He said he started making friends with those guys in the gym who inspired him. It gave him a goal and a purpose. He knew right then and there that he wanted to take this seriously and compete.
He missed a whole year of sports in high school, due to a back injury, and it was hard to go back because if you miss a season, you fall behind. He knew his back would never support playing football and wrestling ever again. Bodybuilding is something he could do and excel at. The competitions would be like going to states, or the season's final tournament. It is like the grand finale is the reason for putting in the work daily in the weight room. Having a competition puts a date on the calendar and makes you dedicated and focused. That way you know, I need to be in my best shape by this day so then everything works backwards from that. “You want to fit in and also stand out. You want to be like Hey, I got muscles and be strong.”
When asked who is insipiration was at the begining of his carrer, Eric mentioned, “The guys that were older than me, upperclassmen, because we didn’t have like, all the YouTube and we weren’t exposed to the athletes.” Eslich stated that he would pick up magazines and saw the big bodybuilders in there. He never really had one, one star that he followed and was his idol, it was kinda of all of them. He read about them and what they were doing.
At the time, bodybuilding was not as popular as it is today. He recalled that for the most part, people were supportive, especially the coaches and other athletes. However, he got some backlash when it came to his diet and the foods he had to eat as a bodybuilder. He learned that he needed to significantly change his diet to receive the results. His diet of rice, chicken, and baby food was strict because he could easily track it. It was all very different from what his friends ate in high school, just anything and everything. Eslich started to eat in private because he did not want to defend what he was doing. He stated that he was just “laser-focused on what he wanted to accomplish.” To do that, he knew he had to change his diet.”
Bodybuilding to fatherhood
Eric helping his son Henry doing wide grip cable rows
Social media is enormous in the bodybuilding world today. That is where athletes get most of their knowledge and inspiration. In this podcast, Eslich explains how awesome these platforms are for the industry and his excitement for his son to join.
After his college competing days, Eslich got married in 2005 and had two kids, Ali and Henry Eslich. Henry (17) has been inspired by his dad’s career his whole life. He has taken on the hobby and worked toward his “gains” since he was 13. With his dad’s motivational coaching, he plans on growing his social media platforms. He has begun posting his journey, hoping to inspire others and build a following. He hopes to one day have his brand with merchandise and products.
