A pair of friends from Spalding have ticked off an item on their bucket list in stunning style.
Melissa Hovell (34) and Lisa Wilson (53) were determined to do something different and decided to enter a bodybuilding competition.
Hovell said: “Lisa has been attending the gym regularly for about five years and felt it was time to do something a little bit different to further her passion for the gym and health/fitness.
“Competing at a bodybuilding show was one of the things on her bucket list. She eventually bit the bullet and managed to persuade me to join her.”
Hovell used to go to the gym regularly but had to take an extended break due to having a hysterectomy.
“Not only was I going to be flying the flag for my home town, but also for endometriosis sufferers,” she added. “After going through a breakdown of a long-term relationship, I have got back into health and fitness and have been attending the gym religiously.
“The reason I chose to agree to Lisa’s request to join her was mainly to support her and go through the journey together but also because I have been made to feel incapable in life so wanted to show that I can be successful.”
The pair have helped each other to their target, preparing meals together, training, and complaining about being hungry!
They train at Holbeach Weight Training Club and Hovell said every member there has been incredibly supportive.
“Our coach is Danni Pickstock, of Viking Gym, in Newcastle, and she has overseen us for the 12-week process. We filled daily trackers for our weight, sleep patterns, how we felt, and water intake, etc.
“We sent weekly photos for her to decide if she needed to tweak anything and she took us through what to expect on show day.
“In addition to the strict diet and gym training plans, we also had to do 12,000 steps every day and Lisa had to do 25 minutes of cardio five days a week, whereas I had to do 30 every day.”
Despite the pair only going along for the experience and not expecting to win awards, Wilson returned with second place in the fitness category, while Hovell impressed in the bikini category.
“We just wanted to take part and enjoy the experience,” said Hovell. “We were nervous to start with, however, the nerves fell away the moment we set foot on the stage. All our concentration was on what we were doing, remembering everything our coach had told us and thinking about what was to come next.
“We are both hooked and enjoyed being on stage so much. We fully intend on competing again.
“Our next show will be next year as we intend on spending the next months building muscle so that when the bodyfat is stripped away again, we will look even better.”
The pair thanked David Wilson for his unending support and for constantly pushing them to better themselves and believing in them.
