To Kimberly Whitfield, they looked like superheroes.
The small group of men and women working out at Genesis Fitness Center had bodies like sculptures: toned, defined.
“I was impressed with their training detail and how their bodies had muscles (in places) that I had no idea could grow muscle,” Whitfield said.
It was the fall of 2011. Whitfield was mesmerized. Then 42, she worked out frequently. At 5′ 8′, she weighed 164 pounds. She thought she was in pretty good shape.
But, in her gym, she’d never seen women who made her think of Wonder Woman or men who reminded her of Superman.
She asked what they were doing. They told her they were bodybuilders. Soon enough, Whitfield would be one, too.
Googling information about Michigan body building at home that night, she discovered there was a bikini division.
“I said, ‘That’s what I want to do. I want to train and compete in the bikini competition.”
She was giving herself a personal challenge to get into the best shape possible, to shed weight and add muscle.
And she did.
At her last competition in June, nearly four years after that chance encounter in the gym and at the age of 46, she was a sculpted 135 pounds.
“I realized later that I totally embrace bodybuilding because I have a very logical personality,” she said. “I like routines, planning, prepping my meals. Giving up was never an option. I really push myself and I often am my own cheerleader.”
Overall, Whitfield says, she was in pretty good shape, but didn’t have near as much muscle mass. She was comfortable with herself, but excited about the transformation process.
Whitfield says she doesn’t compare herself to others.
“For me, it’s all about staying the course and making the most out of the journey,” she said. “That’s the win. Once I have an idea or interest in doing something, I can’t stop until I have accomplished that goal.”
Whitfield went back to Genesis Fitness Center the day after she saw the group of bodybuilders. She was invited to start training with them. They were doing a brutal leg workout.
She was still feeling it 24 hours later, even worse 48 hours later. She went back the next week excited.
After that, she was hooked, intrigued. She had just 17 weeks to get ready for her first competition, which took place on the last day of March in 2012.
Whitfield had started working out in her late teens. She did yoga, trained with weights, got into kick boxing and boxing.
“The gym to me is like a playground,” Whitfield said. “I walk in and think do I do weights, or cardio, or jump rope?”
But she took her workouts to a whole different level when she started training for bodybuilding.
“I learned a lot about how important weights are for the body,” Whitfield said. “They’re like gold for the body. They can really transform you.”
When her first competition was over, she thought, “Oh dear, what do I do now?” She didn’t have to train twice a day any more.
Her coach told her there was another show in nine weeks at the Lansing Center. She started training again, six days a week. She would get up early to do cardio training and be back in the evening for weight training.
“I would prep all my meals on Saturday,” she said. “I eat seven meals a day. And drink a gallon of water.”
She allowed herself a cheat day, but never used it.
“I really like the way I feel when I’m eating like that, so when I was training I said ‘I’d better not do that.'”
In her third show in 2014, Whitfield placed first in the fitness model category. The day of the show she weighed 133 pounds and was lifting heavier than she ever had, competing with women as much as 25 years younger.
When she went to register, she was told she had to select a number. When she saw the number 69, she said, “That’s the number, that’s the year I was born.”
“And a young lady said, ‘Dude, how old are you?’ ” she said. Whitfield told her she was 45. The other woman was 18.
“I think we inspired each other because I think in her mind, she thought 45 was ancient,” Whitfield said.
At Whitfield’s last competition, in June in Ypsilanti, she competed in three bikini categories and placed fifth in the Masters Bikini.
Whitfield won’t compete this year. Her daughter, Kamryn, is graduating from Waverly High School. She plans to focus on being involved in her daughter’s activities and everything that goes along with being a high school senior.
Whitifield plans to wait until December to start training again for a competition in the spring of 2017. She still works out six days a week.
Whitfield and her husband, Brian, suffered the loss of a child in 2003. Their daughter, Kennedy, was stillborn, on Oct. 8, 2003.
“I was about 7 ½ months along,” Whitfield said. “She was so cute. I had so many hopes for her. She would have been 13 this year in October.”
It didn’t occur to her until about a year ago that her fitness journey has been a coping mechanism to get through her loss, a huge motivator.
“I think of a person’s heartbeat as their internal drum,” she said. “Traumatic life changes frequently alter the normally rhythmic pattern of one’s heartbeat – or internal drum – and cause major distress. However, when things are OK, the heartbeat is just right. I’m confident that my fitness journey is still helping me. Whenever I even think about working out, my heart, aka internal drum, becomes inspired.”
In February of last year, Whitfield started a support group to help others cope with loss through health and wellness. She didn’t have enough participants, though. The class was canceled.
Meeting 79-year-old bodybuilder Ernestine Shepherd, once The Guinness Book of World Records’ oldest female bodybuilder, was a catalyst for a different approach.
Whitfield was a guest at Shepherd’s 27th annual 5K walk at Druid Hill Park in Baltimore in October. Prior to returning home to Lansing, Whitfield worked out with Shepherd and went to her fitness class.
At the end of the class, Shepherd pointed to a woman and told the class her husband had died the week before. She asked them to pray for her.
“We all got in a circle, and one of the participants prayed,” Whitfield said. “And I got chills. Because it reminded me of what I had tried to do with my bereavement support group.”
And so Whitfield decided to start a fitness class.
“I told myself Ms. Ernestine is inspiring people and that’s what I’m supposed to be doing in Michigan,” she said.
The class, which Whitfield has taught at Genesis Fitness Center since November, is “non-threatening, very easy going,” said Velma Riddle, a participant since the start. “You go at your own pace. You do what you can do and you just feel comfortable.”
Whitfield’s youngest participant has been 12, the oldest, 69. There is cardio, core work and stretching. Whitfield says she shares a lot of exercises that have helped her get stronger.
“It’s just a great group of ladies.. very diverse in ages, physical abilities”, Amy Trahey said. “Everyone’s kind of got something that bothers them, whether it’s their back or Ieg or hip. It’s not intimidating at all. It’s fun. You laugh with each other, at each other. It’s awesome.”
Trahey started the classes in November. She has noticed a difference in her wellness since.
“Kimberly has taught a lot of strength moves that you can do at home,” Trahey said. “It really helps build bone density which is something we all start losing as we age. I have a little bit more pep to my step, for sure.”
Whitfield says her advice to other women her age, and to all women, is to dream big daily and never give up. She also suggests incorporating weight training into weekly workouts and says you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.
“Never compare yourself to others, always be kind to yourself and remember you own a space and place within the universe,” Whitfield said. “The mind is everything. When you believe in your dreams and goals, you will achieve them.”
Courtesy of: Lansing State Journal
Photos by: Matthew Dae Smith