If you go
What: 55th annual Rochester Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure and Bikini Championships.
When: 11 a.m., prejudging, 5 p.m. finals, on Saturday.
Where: Riverside Convention Center downtown.
Tickets: $10 to $25 in advance. Call (585) 663-7220 for more details.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090624/HER_HEALTH/906250307/1032/RSS05When it came to training with weights, Julie Bagley's fears were similar to that of most women: She'd develop large, grotesque muscles.
"That was my philosophy because I'm so into the cardio side," says Bagley of Pittsford, 37, a mother of four who runs an average of 30 to 35 miles per week.
Since starting a strength and conditioning program under trainer Hazal Nelson five weeks ago at Rockell's Family Fitness Center, Bagley has undergone not only a transformation of body but also of mind.
"When I told a girlfriend I was lifting weights, she said, 'You're kidding? You'll get huge.' But I've actually lost eight pounds," says Bagley, wife of local running champ Scott Bagley. "In four weeks, the transformation of my body has been incredible. I'm a believer now, and my girlfriends are saying. 'Teach me.'"
And now Bagley will compete Saturday in her first figure competition at the NPC Rochester Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure and Bikini Championships.
Also a first-time competitor under Nelson's expert watch is fellow Pittsford resident Anne Strauch, 37, a mother of two.
The female fitness, figure and bikini divisions represent the fastest growing segment of bodybuilding, says Jim Rockell, fitness center owner and National Physique Committee vice president and judge.
"There's something for everybody now," he says.
Fitness competitors demonstrate athleticism by performing an acrobatics routine.
Figure athletes perform required poses to music like bodybuilders but they aren't required to have the muscle mass. The bikini division, meanwhile, has no specific muscle or athletic requirements, and is more a competition among models.
Nelson, a resident of Liverpool, Onondaga County, captured the Rochester figure title in 2006 and went on to earn her pro card from the International Federation of Bodybuilders.
The 27-year-old model says doing more repetitions with lighter weights, combined with power-training exercises such as plyometrics and proper dieting, can sculpt the body without adding extreme mass.
"We only want to tone the body," says Nelson, whose students hear over and over the benefits of eating asparagus and chicken. "Figure is bodybuilding, only it's all natural, seeing where your body takes you with the right diet and exercise."
Strauch, a YMCA fitness instructor who teaches cooking classes, had lifted weights regularly since high school but never had this level of expert guidance.
"Strength doesn't have to mean bulk," she said. "I've been an athlete all my life, and I've seen more changes in my body in four to five weeks than I did my entire life."
Strauch and Bagley are looking forward to showing off all their hard work on Saturday.
"It's good to have a goal," Bagley says. "It keeps you focused."
Says Strauch: "It feels like the beginning of a journey."
A journey to a stronger mind and body.
