Aaron Baker is a retired IFBB Pro bodybuilder from California, USA. He was best known for having an extremely muscular, well-conditioned, and aesthetically near-perfect physique. This article explores his biography, competition history, and workout methods.
Aaron Baker (Bodybuilder)
Born: November 9, 1960
Birthplace: California, USA
Residence: Marna Del Rey, California, USA
Nickname: Batman, Dark Angel
Height: 5′ 8″ (173 cm)
Competition Weight: 245 lbs (111 kg)
Aaron Baker Biography
Early Life
Aaron Baker was born in Marina Del Rey, California, USA, on January 9, 1960. He faced a lot of adversities while growing up but never allowed his passion for bodybuilding to wear off. Baker started competing in local bodybuilding shows before he turned 18.
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Career
He made his amateur bodybuilding debut at the 1987 NPC USA Championships with a fifth-place finish and went on to compete for 16 long years. The veteran bodybuilder earned the IFBB Pro card with a win at the 1990 NPC Championships.
Baker debuted his professional bodybuilding with a ninth-place finish at the 1993 Pittsburgh Pro three years later. Although he did not win the competition or place in the top five, he grabbed much attention for his insane musculature and huge size.
The veteran bodybuilder was associated with the erstwhile WBF and came to the IFBB Pro League after WBF failed. it was speculated that the IFBB Pro League and the judges there penalized him on stage for his previous affiliation with a rival league. As a result, many felt he was consistently placed way lower in the rankings than he deserved.
Aaron Baker did his best work in the several Grand Prix shows that he participated in. While he never won a pro show during his career, the second-place finishes at the 1995 Florida Pro and the 1995 Ironman Pro Invitational were his best performances on the professional bodybuilding stage.
The veteran bodybuilder competed at the prestigious Mr. Olympia competition four times and his best showing came in 1995 when he finished ninth. However, his 12th-place finish at the 1994 Olympia is considered among the worst judging calls in Olympia history as many people believe Baker should have placed higher.
Following a 14th-place finish at the 1998 Mr. Olympia, Aaron Baker retired from professional bodybuilding. However, he returned for one last competitive appearance at the 2003 Ironman Pro Invitational and walked away for good with an eighth-place finish.
Aaron Baker was married to Annika, but divorced in 1999. He likes to draw cartoons (he was a cartoonist). Aaron was initially with the WBF, who had the character nickname ‘Dark Angel.’ He could not use the nickname ‘Batman’ because of legal ramifications.
Baker has appeared in movies such as “Repossessed”, “Predator II”, “Sister Act II”, “Whatever it Takes”, and several Pro Wrestling matches in the Cyberfights Series.
Competition History
- 1987 NPC USA Championships – 5th place
- 1987 NPC North American Championships – 2nd place
- 1989 NPC North American Championships – 3rd place
- 1989 NPC Championships – 4th place
- 1990 NPC Championships – 1st place
- 1993 IFFBB Pittsburgh Pro – 9th place
- 1993 IFBB Night of Champions – 12th place
- 1994 IFBB San Jose Pro – 6th place
- 1994 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational – 3rd place
- 1994 IFBB Arnold Classic – 6th place
- 1994 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 12th place
- 1995 IFBB Florida Pro – 2nd place
- 1995 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational – 2nd place
- 1995 IFBB Arnold Classic – 6th place
- 1995 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 9th place
- 1996 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 11th place
- 1996 IFBB Grand Prix Spain – 9th place
- 1996 IFBB Grand Prix Germany – 10th place
- 1996 IFBB Gran Prix England – 11th place
- 1996 IFBB Gran Prix Britain – 11th place
- 1996 IFBB Grand Prix Czech Republic – 7th place
- 1996 IFBB Grand Prix Switzerland – 6th place
- 1996 IFBB Grand Prix Russia – 6th place
- 1997 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational – 4th place
- 1997 IFBB Arnold Classic – 9th place
- 1998 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational – 3rd place
- 1998 IFBB Arnold Classic – 7th place
- 1998 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 14th place
- 2003 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational – 8th place
Aaron Baker Workout
In the early years of training, Aaron Baker was a high-volume and high-intensity trainer like most of the yesteryear bodybuilders. But with time, he started getting diminishing returns with this style of training and also started losing muscle mass.
During this time, Baker interacted with legendary bodybuilder Mike Mentzer and shared his training plan with him. Mentzer studied the same and concluded that Aaron Baker was overtraining to the point where his body was burning the muscle mass to sustain the level of intensity.
Baker decided to switch to the high intensity training (HIT) method that Arthur Jones devised and Mike Mentzer popularized in the bodybuilding world. Unlike his previous five to six-day-per-week training split, Aaron Baker was now training only three to four times every week and none of his training sessions lasted more than 45 minutes.
Apart from high intensity training, Baker employed techniques like strip sets, negative reps and other methods to increase the training intensity and get the most out of his workouts.
A detailed account of what his training routine looked like is not available at the moment but one can always take a look at Mike Mentzer’s training program to get a general idea about how Aaron Baker might have trained.
Diet
Aaron Baker followed a typical high-protein, moderate carbohydrate, and low-fat diet that most bodybuilders of his era did. He focused on eating low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods all year round and significantly decreased the carbohydrate intake during competition preps. While there was a place for cheat meals during off-seasons, those days were far and few.
Aaron Baker’s thoughts on steroid use
Baker started training and competing as a teenager and while he was coming up, steroid use had become fairly regular in bodybuilding. While he did not start using them until really late in his life, the California native knew that it was an eventuality he had to accept to remain competitive in the sport.
“But I feel fortunate and I was taught that the farther I went without them and the harder than I train without them, the less I would have to take and, you know, just the farther I would go, naturally, and the less that I would have to subject myself to.”
As a result, he refrained from using steroids for a long time and only took their assistance after achieving his natural potential.
To Conclude…
Competitive success in the professional bodybuilding realm might have eluded Aaron Baker because of the politics and other practical aspects of the industry. However, his physique is still remembered as one of the best of the era and that is the biggest honor that validates a bodybuilder’s efforts.
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