LYNSEY 2ND IN IFBB KZN IRONMAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

MBABANE – She is the first local female bodybuilder to hoist the country’s flag sky high on the international stage, and surely there is no stopping Lynsey Martin.

Martin emerged second, scooping silver in the IFBB KZN Ironman Championships 2017 last weekend. IFBB is an abbreviation for International Federation of Body Builders and the event was held in Durban, Kwazulu Natal on April 8, 2017.
All athletes have to register with the federation and adhere to very strict federation rules or risk being disqualified. There are various catagories that women compete under and it depends on height and each category is split into ladies over 163cm and ladies under 163cm and body composition.

The different catagories on the day were ladies beach bikini, ladies fitness bikini, ladies fitness bikini over 35yrs and ladies body fitness. Martin competed in the ladies bikini fitness category and placed second overall. “I believe I am the first and only Swazi female to ever compete under the IFBB name,” said a proud Martin when interviewed from South Africa.

Martin is trained by renowned bodybuilder Arnaldo Barbosa, at the Mbabane Club Gym. In order to be ready for the IFBB KZN Ironman competition, Martin underwent 12 weeks of what is called ‘competition preparation’.
“During these 12 weeks, I trained according to a very specific training programme set out for me by Arnaldo, and had to eat according to the goals I was trying to achieve. Being a health and wellness coach by profession, I was in charge of my diet and made sure that my diet allowed me to reach my goals within the 12 weeks. I have always wanted to compete on the South African stage but I never imagined that I would place within the top three on the day. It was a dream come true for me,” said Martin.

She continued that there was a lot of misconceptions surrounding women and bodybuilding, and that she often get asked why she does it or why she loves it.
“I do it because it keeps my body healthy, lean and toned. I love it because it keeps my body and my mind strong. I am able to set and achieve goals and it keeps me motivated and excited for the future. I truly believe more women should give weights a chance. Lifting weights does not and will not make a woman look like a man. Yes, a woman who lifts will become progressively stronger but this doesn’t mean that physically she will begin to look like a man. That’s a myth,” Martin explained.

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