Zachary family man and business owner, Lloyd Dempster, 41, can now add bodybuilding champion to his list of achievements.

Always the fitness enthusiast, Dempster competed once as a bodybuilder at the age of 27, but raising his kids and marriage became a priority, so competing took a back burner, said Dempster's wife of 11 years, Jeanne Burns-Dempster. "He met me and I had this crazy schedule...plus we had our kids, so he barely had time for anything but us and running the gym," Burns-Dempster said.

Six years ago, Dempster opened Anytime Fitness in Zachary and now co-owns another location in Thibodeaux, where he attended high school.

The Kraemer, La., native began training once again last March, but didn't mention his desire to compete professionally again to his wife until April.

Once making the decision to return to bodybuilding competitively, Dempster entered into the 29th Annual Southern Classic Bodybuilding, Figure, Bikini and Physique in Jackson, Miss., on June 2.

He competed against 10 other guys, most of them in their twenties, and at the age of 41, won in his weight class. Dempster is now the Southern Classic Light Middleweight champion.

"I am so proud!" Burns-Dempster said of her husband.

Dempster said his appetite for competition grew after his Southern Classic debut, and that win motivated him to enter the Red Stick Classic on June 16 in Baton Rouge.

Dempster won again at the Red Stick Classic in both the Junior Heavy Weight and Junior Overall divisions.

Most recently, on June 23, Dempster entered the NPC Greater Gulf States Bodybuilding, Figure, Bikini and Physique Championships and, you guessed it, he won first-place in the Masters over 40 Light Weight division and came in second-place in the Mens Open Middle Weight Class.

The fitness buff has also recently qualified for national level competitions.

"Fitness has always been such a huge part of my life," Dempster said. "I just never realized how much fun I could have competing and how much I would love doing it."