When he’s not oiling up at national bodybuilding competitions or posing for fitness mags, Steve Swanson is your typical Humboldt dad.

He lives in the Freshwater home he grew up in, works for an Arcata cannabis distributor, takes weekend trips to the river with his family, and still reminisces about the good old days playing football at Eureka High with former Cincinnati Bengals Rey Maualuga and Maurice Purify.

But between the hours of 3:30 and 7 a.m., before his family wakes up for breakfast, the 6-foot-1-inch 250-pound father of two is running laps and hitting the gym in pursuit of becoming a professional bodybuilder.

“From day one my goal was to be a professional and walk across the stage as Mr. Olympia,” Swanson said. “I’m a hardcore person. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it.”

The 33-year-old began competing in regional muscle competitions in 2013 while he and his wife  Chelsea were living in Hawaii.

“I used to win those all the time,” he said. “I just spent the first couple of years trying to grow and get my feet wet. I knew I wasn’t quite ready to jump to the national stage.”

After winning a few regional qualifiers, Swanson advanced to national competitions, where he’s gotten painfully close to receiving his International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness pro card — the coveted prize of amateur competitions that permits the top two bodybuilders in each category to enter the pro circuit.

“My last show was on July 27th in Las Vegas at the [National Physique Committee] USA Championships. I got sixth place,” Swanson said. “I felt terrible. I hate losing. This time I was four spots away from getting it. I was in the mix and spent time in the top spot during judging.”

The national competition before that in Chicago, he also placed sixth among roughly 100 other bodybuilders. The time before that he placed fourth. In all he’s narrowly missed out on getting his NPC pro card four times.

“I’m happy I’m doing well. I’m right there in contention, but I’m also incredibly frustrated being in second place,” he said. “I want it so bad. It’s kind of devastating.”

But Swanson said his wife and 4-year-old twins Isaac and Makenna help keep him centered.

“My wife holds me together and keeps everything in perspective,” he said. “My son is just like me — he’s already a meathead. His favorite Avengers character is the Incredible Hulk and he thinks it’s pretty cool that dad looks a little bit like the Hulk. They’re always by my side. I get to spend a lot of time with them and they get to see me compete.”

Although he’s still competing at the amateur level, Swanson said he’s been fortunate enough to land a sponsorship with a major supplement company and model for several fitness magazines — including the latest issue of Muscle & Fitness, which hit the stands this week.

While he has no set plans for his next competition, Swanson is eyeing the NPC North American Championships in Miami this November.

“I leave that up to my coach, Ryan Bentson,” he said. “It’s really important you have someone giving you a subjective approach. Ryan used to be a pro bodybuilder. He’s the man, he saw potential in me from the beginning. He has really taken me under his wing and taught me everything I know. I owe that guy a lot.”

If Swanson decides to enter the competition, he’ll immediately begin perfecting his physique by switching to a strict diet of chicken, rice, avocado and oats, and putting in hours at the gym.

“In [training] season, those are the only four foods I eat for months,” he said. “It’s all drug-free competition. People can say whatever they want. It’s important for my kids to know dad’s doing it the right way. I never had a problem getting big, but for my division you don’t need to be an enormous human being, you need to be aesthetically perfect. Steroids aren’t going to help you achieve that.”

While bodybuilding competitions generally conjure images of chiseled no-necks in man-thongs gritting their teeth and flexing to the point of Valsalva, Swanson only competes in the “men’s physique” category, which requires a little less … bulge.

“I wear board shorts on stage,” he said. “In my division, they’re looking for, like, a surfer on the beach rather than a vascular cartoon character bodybuilder. That being said, I’m on the larger side.”

Until his next training season begins, Swanson is focused on his life at home: Hulking out for the kids, hanging with his buds from Eureka High and spending time with his loving wife.

“I would like to give props to my wife,” Swanson said. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. She’s had to sacrifice a lot. She’s a beautiful person. I’m always competing and sometimes she has to put her life on pause to allow me to pursue my dream. She’s unselfish and I’m very proud to be married to her. She’s the badass in our relationship I can’t say enough. She’s awesome.”