For Mr Dennis Teo, bodybuilding began as a decision to change his life. To the 57-year-old Associate Director with the NUS Office of Human Resources (OHR) team, age is just a number—discipline, sacrifice, and relentless willpower can reshape the body, mind and spirit.
By day, Dennis focuses on onboarding and offboarding, as well as relocation services at NUS—such as onboarding for new hires, support for relocating academic staff, and orientation for new hires. At night and in the early morning, though, he ditches his officewear and steps into a different world—one filled with strict dietary regimes, gruelling training and a dearth of sleep.
In April 2025, he received a call from the former President of the Association of Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Singapore (ABPS) Alan Ng, asking if he would represent Singapore in the upcoming Southeast Asian & Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships in Bangkok in August. Without hesitation, Dennis agreed, feeling a wave of pride, honour and purpose wash over him at the thought of donning the red jacket and carrying the national flag.
It was his first time competing in an international competition, and the months leading up to it were gruelling. Life became a cycle of training, dieting, resting, and pushing harder than ever before, with every day that passed testing both his body and mind. Fortunately, at his lowest points, the support from NUS Health and Wellbeing, a team that was established under the Office of the President to facilitate the mental, physical, and social wellbeing of the NUS community, became his lifeline. Their guidance and care reminded him that strength was found not only the muscles built, but in the mental aptitude he hones. When the goal seemed too daunting, they helped him find clarity, regain hope, and press forward.
Dennis also had his dream team—his coach, trainer, and ABPS—those who entrusted him with this opportunity, guided him with precision, and refined every detail—from posing to mental preparation—so that he could walk proudly onto that stage no matter the outcome.
Dennis (first from right) with his fellow Team Singapore teammates in Bangkok, Thailand.
When the day arrived, he scanned his competition—representatives from 28 countries across Asia, all bodybuilders who had been training their entire lives, many state-sponsored, and who had been sculpting and refining their physiques for years.
Despite having only three years of training under his belt, Dennis knew that this was no ordinary competition for him, but a calling, buoyed by his determination not to waste all those months of training, and sacrifice.
When the song Unstoppable by Sia began, he launched into his routine—each pose sharp, deliberate, and powerful, every angle meant to showcase months of brutal preparation. Halfway through, nerves threatened to trip him up—he forgot his next pose—but he refused to let it show, powering on to synchronise every movement with the beat, every flex with precision, and finished strong, striking a perfectly-timed final pose.
After all the bodybuilders had performed, the long wait began as the judges tallied the scores. In his mind, he already had a sense of his placing— to his absolute delight, he placed 4th in the Senior Men’s Bodybuilding category (up to 70kg). When the anthem for Vietnam, the first-place competitor played, all he could think about was how good it would feel to finally savour his long-awaited ice cream at Swensen’s later that night.
For Dennis, the competition was proof that dreams are real, that discipline transforms, and that sacrifice builds legacy. A new chapter for him has begun—in addition to preparing for the next Championships, he will be working with ABPS to identify, mentor and coach new talents, in addition to preparing them for future SEA games.
“My aim is to build a stronger, bigger Team Singapore for the sport of Bodybuilding—one that can bring even more glory to our country. If my journey stokes even a single fire in the next generation of Singaporean bodybuilders, then every struggle, every sacrifice has been worth it,” he shared. “In the end, this has never been just about me— it is about proving that no matter your age, struggles, or fears, if you endure, you will rise.”