Sherry Homan learned quickly that an award-winning figure doesn’t always bring cheers. Friends questioned Homan’s lean, well-muscled physique.
They urged her to work on a social life instead of sweating hours in the gym and eating seven meals a day. Homan’s brother strongly suggested the workouts were turning her into a man.
But the always-competitive Homan, a lifelong athlete and pageant contestant, was determined to have the last word.
“My brother’s now my biggest fan,” said Homan, 34, from Arnaudville. “The week before I got on stage, he sent me a message saying ‘No matter what happens, you’re the champion aunt, the champion sister and you’re our champion.'”
Family and friends will cheer on Homan when she competes in the NPC Louisiana Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Championships Saturday at the Heymann Performing Arts Center. Homan enters the contest two weeks after winning her figure class and placing second as a novice in the NPC Greater Gulf States in Metairie. The event was her first competition.
Although she has a ripped body, Homan doesn’t go toe-to-toe with female bodybuilders, whose huge muscles sometimes rival those of men. Homan competes in figure, a category that’s been described as modeling with muscles.
Judges look for beauty in these fit females as they show off the fruits of their labor in bikinis and high heels.
“I was always in pageants all my life,” said Homan. “So the pretty girl is still in me.
“I like some form of muscle. Bikini (competition) is more big butt and six-pack (abs), no definition. I like the physique of it.”
Homan, a single mother with a 3-year-old son, has worked out since she was a multi-sport athlete at Beau Chene High School. She had little interest in figure competitions until Shane Fontenot, an Opelousas fireman and bodybuilder, urged her to do so.
Last December, Homan changed her mind and intensified her workouts. She transformed her already-conditioned, 5-foot-8-inch frame into a defined, muscular body with little fat.
Jacob Auzenne, a trainer at City Club River Ranch, guided her workouts. Fontenot has coached Homan in the gym.
“She’s so focused,” said Fontenot. “She put aside her social life. Working out came first. Nutrition was right there.
“She inspires other people. Other people say ‘I wish I had the time.’ She doesn’t have time, but she’ll get in the gym in the morning at 4 o’clock. That’s when her day begins and she doesn’t get home until late.”
Homan’s day starts before sunrise with 40 minutes of cardio exercise at home. The first of her seven meals a day comes at 6 a.m., with one following every three hours.
These high-protein meals, usually 5 ounces of chicken, fish or turkey, keep her body fueled and metabolism high throughout the day. After 8-10 hours on her job in insurance sales, Homan works out in the gym for an hour or more.
She’s in bed by 9 p.m. Sunday is her lone day of rest.
“I think the hardest thing is prepping your meals,” said Homan. “You have to make sure you have those seven meals ready before you go to bed. I don’t have time to do that in the morning. I just grab my meals out of the refrigerator, put them in my 6 Pack Bag and head out.”
Homan’s win in Metairie has already qualified her for national competition. With a victory at nationals, Homan can turn pro and enter a world of special appearances, product endorsements and other opportunities.
This mom with muscles already has visions of a nationals win.
“I’m not stopping until I get to the top. Anything I do, I take it all the way to the top. After I do state, I’ll train really, really hard for nine months and do the national level in July of next year. “
“The stage was where I was born,” added Homan. “I’ve been competing in pageants all my life. My pageant coach always told me, ‘It’s your stage. So when you step on it, own it.’
“Before I walked on stage, I thought of what she lived by every day. That’s what I did, and I felt right at home.”
NPC Louisiana Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Championships
