Teacher’s first year in competitive bodyduilding yields national medal
Teacher’s first year in competitive bodybuilding yields national medal
CALEXICO — A simple interest in the world of bodybuilding turned into a lifestyle for Iveth Edith Hirales, who recently finished as in the top three of a national bodybuilding competition in Mexico.
With only one year of experience as a bodybuilder, Hirales, 40, represented the state of Baja California and finished in third place in the 66th annual Clásico Mr. México competition, which took place Aug. 23 to 26 in Mexico City.
Hirales, who stands 5-foot-3 and weighs 120 pounds, competed against a group of about 15 other competitors in her class, who were deemed the best from each of their respective states.
“The first day that I got there, I was like a little bit scared because the girls were huge, like very muscular, and they were very experienced athletes,” Hirales, who is currently an English teacher at De Anza 9th Grade Academy in Calexico, said.
Each competitor was judged based on how well they could pose to showcase areas such as biceps, triceps, back and hamstring, and how well they performed in a routine with music.
Making her third-place finish even more meaningful was the fact the Clásico was only the third competition in which Hirales had ever competed, as most of her opponents had been competing for years.
“I consider myself already a winner because it’s my first year in the competition, and they had like 10 years already, and I still won third place,” the De Anza teacher said.
Hirales, who goes by the nickname Woman of Steel, earned the right to represent Baja California in the national competition after previously finishing in first place in both the Mr. Mexicali bodybuilding competition on July 28 and in a state competition in Tijuana on Aug. 4.
“I worked so hard for this, and now that I’m living this, it’s worth it,” Hirales said. “I want to do it again.”
The pain behind the gains
For Hirales, who was born in Mexicali and has lived in the Valley since she was 13-years-old, making it to the national level was something of an unexpected accomplishment.
Hirales’ interest in bodybuilding first grew after she attended a Mr. Mexicali competition as a spectator about three years ago.
“I have always loved muscles, but then I went to this bodybuilding show, and I saw the girls,” Hirales said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God. One day I want to be there.’”
Confident in her athletic abilities, as she previously participated in activities such as kickboxing and CrossFit, the English teacher decided to try her hand at the strenuous training needed to gain a showcase-worthy physique.
To her dismay, the strict required diet of the training proved to be too much for Hirales to handle.
“I tried, and I quit,” Hirales said. “I couldn’t do it because of my eating habits. I just couldn’t because I just couldn’t stop eating chocolate cakes, and chips and things like that.
I could only do about three months, and I said, “No, I can’t.”
Hirales repeated the process the following year, as she again attended Mr. Mexicali, fell in love with the idea of competing, yet wasn’t able to keep up with the diet.
“I just quit; I just couldn’t,” Hirales said. “Then the next year (2017), I said, ‘No one is going to stop me, and I’m just going to do it.’ And I finished.”
Hirales was able to overcome the need for her favorite foods, such as pizza and chocolate, in order to keep up with the diet needed to step on stage.
“I would cry sometimes because I was like, ‘I can’t do it anymore. I’m exhausted, and I just want to eat.’ Because my family was eating carne asada and Chinese food and everything, and I couldn’t,” Hirales said. “This bodybuilding thing is not only a physical sport, but you have to be very, very determined. I was working with myself mentally, like every single day.”
Hirales said she also sacrificed a large part of her social life due to the hours needed to be spent in the gym.
“It’s very, very hard because you could not go out that often,” she said. “I used to be very social, going out to eat and to the clubs and everything, and you can’t have no alcohol at all, so I had to quit many things.”
Hirales gives credit for finally being able to see the commitment through on her third attempt to the support from her husband Rudy Jimenez, their three children, and her personal coach, Heriberto Delgado.
“I’m really proud of myself, but I could never do it without the assistance of my coach,” Hirales said. “He’s the first person who believed in me. Sometimes I didn’t even believe in myself. I thought I couldn’t do it because I was very skinny, and he said, ‘Yes you can, you can do it.’ Without him, there would be no Woman of Steel.”
With now a national medal around her neck and a two first place trophies to her name, Hirales has her eyes set on even bigger goals: Winning first overall in the Clásico next year then competing in the Arnold Classic in Spain.
“It started as a bucket list,” Hirales said. “I just wanted to do the Mr. Mexicali and that’s it. But I won, then I went to the Baja, then to the Nationals, and now I want to go to Europe, so it’s crazy.”
Finding strength in support
Hirales said she considers the support she has gotten on her journey to become a successful bodybuilder has been the most rewarding part of the experience.
“It’s awesome to have these trophies, and it’s awesome that I win, but the best part of it is the feeling in my heart from all these people supporting me,” she said. “You have no idea how many people have called me, texted me, messaged me on Facebook and given me so many compliments. People are being so lovely with me. All that support, I show it on the stage. That gave me a lot of confidence. In fact, the love from all the people I’ve received, that’s the most powerful thing I have won. That for me is more than a trophy.”
To her knowledge, Hirales is one of the very few, if not the only, competitive female bodybuilders in the Valley.
The De Anza teacher advised any women interested in taking up the sport that it’s “just a matter of focus and determination.”
“I know there are many women who would like do it, but they just don’t know how to start, because that’s the way I thought,” Hirales said. “If it’s in your heart, just transfer that to your mind, and you can do it. You only need to have the will. Everything is mental. If you mind wants to do it, you can actually do everything. Your mind is even more powerful than your body. You have to be mentally strong.”