"Unsung Muscle and Heart"
There's always been a myth about women who exercise with weights. "Oh, I don't want to look like a man. I don't want to be bulky" is a familiar refrain when novice women are introduced to the idea of sculpting a healthier body through lifting weights. Will you not only not look like a man but you'll actually develop a powerful, lean and toned body. A lot of men too look unfavorably on muscular women. Now let's be clear;women in competitive fitness come in all shapes and sizes. Bodybuilding organizations developed different classes according to size and muscularity. Women in Bikini, Figure and Fitness divisions tend to be leaner with less muscle mass. It is in these divisions that I've found that most of the competitors are humble, gracious and down-to-earth. And beautiful of course.
Whatever stigma being a fitness competitor or fitness model comes with; shallowness, cattiness, arrogance, air-headed, there are more who destroy these stereotypes than fit the mold. It would be easy to follow these athletes for their sheer hotness alone but that would grow old. The internet is jam-packed with beautiful people you could find on Twitter, Facebook, wherever, but few have made the commitment to transform their bodies into living Michelangelo sculptures and the discipline to maintain a healthy lifestyle that actively inspire so many other people.
If you've ever stepped into a gym you know getting in better shape is not easy. Imagine preparing to stand on stage in front of hundreds in only a bikini to be judged on your physical appearance? This is the challenge that fitness competitors take and not lightly. Hard work takes precedence. A great example of a beautiful and humble competitor is IFBB professional Krissy Chin pictured above. While training and winning competitions is the name of the game Chin also has a day job. She's a physical therapist and holds a Masters and a Bachelors degree. She juggles these duties along with being a spokesperson for a supplement company and personal appearances. Throughout it all she doesn't lose her perspective or appreciation for her success as described by the caption to the previous photo on her Facebook
page :
I was propelled into health & fitness with the loss of both of my parents to cancer. This picture perfectly defines my DRIVE, AMBITION, HARD WORK, PASSION & MOTIVATION in continually STRIVING to be a better athlete, wife, role model, physical therapist & an overall better person all around~
-Krissyxoxo
Compliments of Liftstudios
The simple purpose of this first of many posts about women in fitness is to illustrate that even though these athletes don't get the exposure from the mainstream sports media they deserve they are talented and worthy of coverage not just because they are strong or gorgeous but because in this age of rampant obesity and unhealthy living there is a wealth of role models who work extremely hard and have a ton of knowledge and wisdom to help inspire the next generation.
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