Sticking to her guns pays off for Collison
How Arnold Classic champ built a winning body
IT’S A day after Marcelle Collison competed at the Arnold Classic Africa, and the fitness enthusiast is awake at the crack of dawn, working up a sweat in the gym.
She puts on her headphones, selects her favourite hip-hop track list and heads over to the treadmill to begin with some cardiovascular exercises.
After about an hour, she takes a break before heading over to the weights section. Despite a gruelling weekend at the multi-sport festival, the 29-year-old isn’t resting on her laurels.
“This sport is a marathon and not a sprint,” said Collison. She then takes a deep breath before flipping an enormous truck tyre at the Body Conscious gym in Randburg. “When I’ve finished competing at an event, I make sure I’m back in the gym the next day, so I don’t fall off the bandwagon.”
Her tenacity has paid off. Last weekend, she won the women’s 1.63cm body fitness category at the Arnold Classic Africa in Sandton. Collison, who competes in the IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness) figure division, was also crowned the overall winner in the body fitness category. She is now eligible to apply for her pro card, which will classify her as a professional bodybuilder.
It’s a goal she has been working towards for the past 7 years.
“I’d say that it’s been the greatest achievement of my life,” Collison said.
She will now have to compete on the international stage: “I want to test myself against the very best.”
Collison is a personal trainer at Body Conscious, which is also her family’s gym. Her father, who was also a bodybuilder, has been her inspiration.
“I’d always be at his shows supporting him and cheering him on. I was fascinated by the sport. I wanted to be different just like those who I had seen on stage. I still remember seeing one of the woman at a bodybuilding competition and thinking: ‘One day I want to be just like that’,” Collison said.
But it was only in 2011 that she began taking the sport seriously. “A lot of my friends didn’t understand what I was trying to do. They kind of thought it was very superficial,” she said.
“Some women really respect you and admire you, while others think it’s too masculine. Some of my friends used to get embarrassed when I used to take a cooler box to a restaurant and eat my steamed fish and broccoli!”
At first, others tried to discourage her from pursuing her dream. “Many people told me I’d never be able to do it. In a way, that kind of motivated me to push even harder and prove all those people wrong. As soon as I began competing and achieving my goals, I realised that I was capable of so much more.”
But it’s been a tough road. “I’ve had many moments where I was ready to give up. My body felt drained and emotionally I broke down. Thankfully, I have a wonderful support structure in my trainer, my family, and my friends. They’ve always motivated me and given me the push I needed when I had no energy left...
“There are times when al l my friends are out on a F r i d ay night, and I’m at home meal-pre pping for the next day. But I have a d r e a m, so I don’t mind living the lifestyle that I do.”
Collison occasionally treats herself to some sushi and carrot cake, but otherwise eats “cleanly”.
And now that she can apply for her IFBB Pro Card, she believes that she’s “ready to take the world by storm”.
“My biggest goal is to inspire other ladies in health and fitness. I want to show them that girls with muscles can still be feminine. Hopefully, by competing on the world stage I can achieve that,” she said.