One of the winners at the UK Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation’s North East championships last weekend told the Yorkshire Evening Post this week of her decidedly less than glamorous celebrations.
Slimline bodybuilder Kim Hollis, a Castleford police officer, won her first contest at Leeds Town Hall on Sunday in the body fitness category.
The 28-year-old’s victory paved the way for her to take part in the UKBFF national championships in Nottingham in two weeks’ time.
However, Kim admitted that she was in no mood to hit the town after her win – especially with the prospect of such an important bodybuilding competition hanging over her head.
“Unfortunately because the national championships are so close, and bearing in mind I’d been up since 7am doing my hair and make-up, I just went straight home on Sunday evening,” she told the paper.
“I had a little bit of chocolate as a treat, tried to get some of my fake tan off, and had an early night. It’s not very glamorous, but that’s the truth of it. I was straight back into my training the next day, as well as back to work.”
Kim does all of her bodybuilding training at the Bodyworks Gym in Featherstone, a fitness centre run by her “friend and mentor”, the former Miss Universe Rachael Grice, since she decided to become a bodybuilder in 2008.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without Rachael,” she told the Post.
“Along with my friend Adam Lowe, they’ve been extremely helpful and supportive over the years.”
Kim plans to maintain a strict diet leading up to the Nottingham contest, with six-meals a day aimed at muscle building.
“The sport as a whole is a little bit misunderstood in this country. Body fitness, which is my discipline, takes a hell of a lot of dedication,” she said.
“It involves cardio-vascular exercise as well as weight training, and it helps me clear my mind at the end of busy day at work.”