The under 80kg competitor took out the top honour at the ANB Canberra Muscle and Model Spectacular at the Australian Institute of Sport. 

As part of a team of four entrants who train at United Fitness, the local gym excelled with Laura Day also named women’s champion with both winning their weight class and pose routines. 

Jayden Barnes finished third in the muscle model, while Maxine Moon also carded third in the Master ladies physique. 

“I won’t lie, I did not go there chasing the win to be honest; I like to compete within myself, therefore you can never be let down,” Sturgiss said. 

Days after accepting the award, Sturgiss said he was still pinching himself to make sure it was real. 

“It was the best feeling [to win],” he said, “especially when my family and team were on the sideline, knowing all my hard work and being hangry had paid off.”

Preparation for the competition was a tight four-week stint. 

READ MORE: Lean Clay shapes for wins 

Sturgiss thanked United Fitness coach and trainer Shaun Ruzicka for the pointers that helped him prepare in record time to take out the event. 

“It was a four-week preparation, with a few tweaks and suggestions from Shaun we were able to pull it off in time,” he said. 

“We put in a few classic poses that no one really does anymore and I just felt more confidence this time around.”

Ruzicka said there was plenty of competition at the event and credited the dedication and hard work of his team to do so well. 

“It's a real team effort, I'm always extremely proud and humble of anyone competing for us,” Ruzicka said. 

“I think the reason for our success is the family team spirit throughout the whole gym, friends and family travelled up [to Canberra] to support them.”

A self-confessed gym junkie, Sturgiss said he was always an avid trainer and putting the headphones for a session was “my kind of meditation”. 

However, it was through Ruzicka and another UFS trainer in Lachlan Carey that he first got in to body building. 

READ MORE: Podium for Carey

Now he trains just about every day, all year round and credited clean eating for his success. 

”It’s the diet to success, you can't out train a bad diet , if you aren't getting the nutrition your body requires it isn't going to progress,” Sturgiss said. 

Mr Ruzicka congratulated all four entrants on their success and said trainers were eager to keep helping people reach their goals. 

Mr Ruzicka said the success of all four competitiors was testament to their time management and structure.

He said that “no one can see behind the scenes and see all the obstacles life is throwing at them through the year.”

Work, home life or study can be battling for your time and it took grit and determination to manage meal prep, gym work and a regular sleep schedule on top of everything. 

Sturgiss echoed the sentiment saying it had been a massive challenge to balance running his own furniture removal business with family life and squeezing in his training sessions. 

“it was also tough during times; I was running on less fuel and still having to make time in the days to train – whether it be 5am or after work to try fit it around my wife and three kids as well,” Sturgiss said. 

However, he was stoked to stick it out and be rewarded with the Mr ACT title. 

It’s now driven him to further his bodybuilding and the sights are firmly on qualifying for the World Championships in the Phillipines next year. 

“I’m on the mend and I’ve got an even bigger goal now,” he said.