Santana Anderson Biography

Bio: My Story

Growing up

I was born and raised in Canso, Nova Scotia, a small, isolated fishing community. My father is a fisherman and buyer. My mother, originally native to El Salvador, was on vacation from LA and, of all places, decided to visit Canso. She ended up marrying my father and staying 37 years.

Discovering bodybuilding

When I was 12 years old, I picked up a bodybuilding mag with Porter Cottrell on the cover. From that point on, I knew what I wanted to look like. My friend and I began training together in my basement until our high school gym teacher would allow us into the weight room.

After high school, weight training took on even a greater role for me. I moved to Belleville, Ontario, for several years, where I started working as a personal trainer and part-time at a supplement shop, where the owner was the first actual competitive bodybuilder I met. I learned a lot from him, and after moving back home to pursue my university education at St. Francis Xavier, I opened my own supplement shop.

Competing

I began training for my first show in 2002 in which I ended up placing second as a light heavy. Within a couple years, I was able to win my heavyweight class, and took my first step on the national stage in 2004. What an eye-opener. In 2005 I competed at my provincial show again, where I took the overall. In 2006, I prepared for Canada’s nationals again, only to be disappointed with a flattened-out physique.

Taking Time

After that, I put bodybuilding on the back burner for a couple of years. I had just finished up my bachelor of business administration degree, got married to my beautiful wife Lisa, and in 2009 became a father.

Going Pro

In March 2010, I began training with a fellow bodybuilder, Salim Satir. What impressed me were his unorthodox methods of training. At 16 weeks out from nationals in August, we made it our goal. Even though in the end a nagging injury kept Salim from competing, he was with me every step of the way. In August 2010, I went to Nationals and won the heavyweight division, overall champ and my pro card.