Baller~Bodybuilder~Baller
Peter has always been a sporty and competitive person, swimming club from age 8, football all the way through school, ending up Captain of his High school team, playing alongside the great Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne. At age 14 Peter started a new school and was introduced to Basketball and was instantly hooked. By age 15 he was already 6’1 in height, very thin but athletic. His high school teacher was the Coach of Gateshead Juniors National league team so the training he received was excellent from the off. Age 16 Peter made the Gateshead junior team playing for 3 years in that league whilst at the same time playing in the Tyne & Wear league winning D2 at age 16, eventually winning D1 and also playing and winning D1 of Durham league with the Nissan team( where Peter worked at the time).
Peter soon began to realise that there are some Big fellas out there especially in Junior National League, so age 17 he started lifting weights. Peter hadn’t a clue how to go on but at a very well known gym in Gateshead, Vigour Gym, the bodybuilding fraternity took him under their wing and taught him how to lift and eat properly. Straightaway Peter loved the feeling of lifting and getting stronger and bigger, with his aim to help his basketball. At a starting weight of 11 stone over the next few years he increased his weight to 13 stone with extra muscle and a lot more strength and power and found he could hang with bigger opposition on court, this eventually led Peter on to National League level playing for Paul Blakes (Newcastle Eagles) Sedgefield Durham team.
But then the Bodybuilding Bug Bit, and wow did it bite hard!
The 1994-1995 basketball season was to be his last, as he pulled of muscle that stopped him from playing, so he was forced to concentrate purely on the gym. Over the next few years (building muscle takes time when you have a basketballer build) he gained many pounds of muscle and started to compete in Bodybuilding shows in 1998.
It can really take over your life, in a good way, disipline in training, nutrition, rest, which can help in all areas of your life. Sometimes it could be hard work especially the eating( every 2 hours) and walking around at nearly 19 stone, then the super strict diet to strip all the body fat off for competition, but ultimately very rewarding with your physique. I competed in many shows, my best was 2nd place in Mr North Britain and going to compete in the Britain Finals.
To this day I still train regular and for many years have prepped other bodybuilders for competition, very rewarding for me now seeing my clients win shows.(P44Prep)
Peter Milne
About 8 years ago, after a 21 year lay off from Basketball, Peter saw on Facebook an ex-teammate from Gateshead still playing, so he got in touch and asked to go along to do a bit training with his local league club. Peter instantly fell back in love with the game again and signed up for the team that night. At first his cardio was not the best as he was still over 17 stone, thinking that was way to heavy, but slowly and surely dropped my weight to a very manageable 15 stone and he started to adapt his weight training to “Basketball specific” which keeps Peter lean but strong.
2 years ago Peter saw FIMBA GB recruiting players, so he emailed his CV, and went to the try outs for the Men’s +55’s, where he was selected to play for the team at the European Championships.
This has been one of the best things I’ve experienced, playing in the European Championships in Malaga in 2022 and Portugal in 2023. The FIMBA GB family has been a massive positive influence in my life and I thank my coaches and teammates for this wonderful opportunity. I love to keep myself fit and strong for this and hope to play for many years at this level, long may it continue!
Peter Milne
Thank you for sharing your story, Peter. You are an incredible teammate with a fantastic work ethic. We are incredibly proud to have you as part of the FIMBA GB Family.
