Inside the world of female bodybuilding

Fierce, confident and in better shape than most will ever be, female bodybuilders have established themselves as some of the most impressive athletes in the world.Training and shaping one's body to be a bodybuilder takes time and effort but some women bare it all to achieve their goals. Some lose their friends and family because of the perceptions around the sport. One of these athletes is 40-year-old Nadine Minnie who is married, works in marketing and has two daughters and on top of that does bodybuilding. At the age of 17, Nadine developed a keen interest in fitness and health and took part in various sports at school.A cover of a woman on a fitness magazine propelled her to pick up the sport. She started lifting weights in order to shape her body like that of the woman she saw on the cover. In 2014 she got the chance to compete against other women in the 2014 Nucleus Medicine World Championships, where she won the Fitness Bikini title and that's how her journey started. Many people do not understand the term bodybuilding but the sport covers a wide array of workouts and competitive categories. Many women who participate in bodybuilding do not actually compete in the category of the same name. Within the National Physique Committee, most women actually compete in categories such as figure, bikini and physique, which encourage smaller, but extremely toned, muscles. They may not have the muscle mass of some of their colleagues, but the women who participate in these other categories spend countless hours in the gym building their muscles, just like Nadia who says that she moved up from fitness to figure in 2015.“I competed in South Africa in the Ladies Figure division and was placed in the top six. It was a highlight, because it was my first big competition and I shared the stage with 15 other ladies. “Ladies Figure is my favourite division and I can only improve myself in this category.” A weekend ago she competed in the bodybuilding competition held by Iron House Gym, where she won the Ladies Figure title and qualified to represent Namibia internationally next year. “I am 100% in prep mode again to make Namibia proud next year,” said Nadia. The journey however, was never an easy one. “Following a strict diet in bodybuilding is everything. It counts 80% towards your end result. The diet is high in proteins in the form of eggs, chicken and fish. Mostly green vegetables and complex carbs like rice and oats.”But not only that, the training sessions are intense. “I train every day, first thing in the morning, and I have weight training six times a week targeting different muscle groups with cardio sessions every day of the week,” she says.Nadia's determination is aided by the fact that she took part in cycling for four years, between 2006 to 2010. She competed in the Cape Argus, the 94.7 in Johannesburg as well as the Desert Dash and also competed in Crossfit for a year. “All of this is not easy especially if you are a wife, mom and have a daily job, however, I am consistent, dedicated and have discipline.” However as much as she has established herself in the sport, she receives positive and negative comments from people. “Some people like the look and some don't. I don't think there are any misconceptions; people are just more used to the fact that bodybuilding is a sport for men only.“But it's my sport, my passion and my choice. I have fitness friends and we support each other. It is difficult to have a social lifestyle if you are doing bodybuilding,” she says. She says women's bodybuilding in Namibia is booming at the moment. “A few years back it was only a handful. Currently it's between 12 and 15 women. At every competition held you make new friends and you get the opportunity to know the ladies better and when it comes to money, usually the top three winners win prize money.” Her dream is that the sport gets recognised, that athletes receive the acknowledgement they deserve and that this sport can go to a higher level to put Namibia on the map with bodybuilding. “Namibia has an affiliated federation in bodybuilding so the opportunity is here right now for all the ladies, take it with both hands. “Just remember that in Namibia it's difficult at the moment. You have to be personal trainer, fitness or online coach to make a career out of this sport. Build a brand for example, own a gym and have an international known 'name' so I honestly one should only do this sport for the love and passion of it.”A personal trainer based in Windhoek, Simba, says bodybuilding has to do with the person themselves. “At the end of the day it's about the person's passion, their personal growth and the confidence they get from the way their body looks,” he said. LIMBA MUPETAMI

Inside the world of female bodybuilding

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Republikein 2025-01-30

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Inside the world of female bodybuilding

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