Several bodybuilders from Sylvan Lake have been able to show off the impressive results of their hard work, in the far flung locale of Tulalip Washington.
The 2017 Washington State Puget Sound Pro Am National Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships on April 15 saw four local women get recognition for their strength, in several different divisions of the competition. This was nothing to spit at, as they were against 200 other competitors in several divisions.
“Some of us have done it before,” said Carol Popp, one of the local bodybuilders who travelled to Washington State to participate in the championships. “We were on the natural stage, and in that, you’re not allowed to use any hormones or steroids or anything like that.”
Popp placed fourth in the Masters Bikini division, and seventh in the Novice Bikini division, and Alissia Reijnen placed fifth in the Pro Bikini division. Kim Mayer placed third in the Open Figure Tall division, and fifth in the Miss Fit Body competition. Prediger placed third in the Masters Bikini division.
Alissia Reijnen, a personal trainer at Snap Fitness, noted that she was proud of the ladies who took to the stage for Team Canada, noting that she has participated in the Championships before, and is no stranger to the discipline and work that go into preparing for a competition.
“I don’t see myself as the kind of person who provides leadership to a bunch of other people,” noted Reijnen, “but it’s nice to be able to inspire them to meet their goals.”
Popp noted that she’d trained for months, in anticipation of the event, that her training started way back in November, and that the entire process of training was “quite the journey.”
She noted that a big part of preparing for bodybuilding is building a nutritious diet that balances proteins, carbohydrates and other nutrients, which allows for healthy, lean muscle growth and the energy needed for the intense training bodybuilding entails.
“We’re at the gym six to seven days a week, training - and eating clean. We do a lot of meal prepping, so there’s a lot of discipline and self-control involved,” said Popp. “I was eating clean. When you’re with a trainer, they can do your program for you, with your food, and what you eat.”
Popp said she learned a great deal about herself and what little the opinions of others mattered, preparing for and participating in the Championships.
“We practice posing with our trainers once a week, for weeks,” said Popp. “I didn’t know what was going to happen - I’ve never been onstage before. But when I went up, I had an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.”
Popp added that “placing didn’t mean a thing,” and that even though she felt a little freaked out onstage at first, she hit her goal, and derived a strong sense of personal success and satisfaction from that, in the end.
“I was relaxed, and went into my poses, and I met many wonderful people there. Discipline and self-control were what mattered more than placing - they were the big goal,” added Popp.
samuel.macdonald@sylvanlakenews.com