Slow and steady. That is how Lisa Gyoerick of Prince Albert, Sask., trains — and how she eased her way into bodybuilding.
Gyoerick trained and watched her diet for many years but it wasn’t until she had to make good on a deal she made with herself that she took to the stage.
“My main goal was to compete before I was 30, and so I competed the day before I turned 30. It was a very good birthday gift to myself,” said the amateur bodybuilder.
And she had a great start, winning her first two competitions, and earning a spot at nationals.
But just eight hours before her flight, the competition was cancelled as safety concerns arose surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think for me personally, physical fitness and competing does have such a bigger reward because you do learn so much about yourself,” Gyoerick said.
“You learn to show up for yourself every single day. You learn how to be consistent, you learn how to be dedicated, and I just think there is so much more to it, but yes it’s still devastating.”
Gyoerick continues training at home in preparation for nationals, which are now set for June 2021.
She has the convenience of a home gym that she and her fiance, Andrew Brandon, assembled after the Saskatchewan Roughriders auctioned off their old equipment from Taylor Field.
“Her drive, drives me,” said Brandon, noting that he beat Gyoerick once in a pushup contest.
“As long as you guys can stay on the same page, you can basically get through it easily, if you work together.”
Gyoerick believes she is just as capable of winning as everyone else.
“Everyone deserves to win, I deserve to win as well. So it would just be unbelievable to win.”