Stephanie Hancock - Woman's Muscles, Spirit Strengthened

Stephanie Hancock has a shiny, new statuette after claiming top spot in the women's open bodybuilding competition at the Toronto Classic International Drug Free Athletics bodybuilding, fitness and figure show earlier this summer.

September 4, 2008 

Mom of four discovers passion for weightlifting

Turns out the trophy Rick Hancock bought for his wife at a yard sale the day she entered her first bodybuilding show wasn't needed.

"I was a little nervous for her. I really wanted to make sure her first experience was a good one," said Rick, who still has that rickety secondhand trophy he never did give Stephanie Hancock.

That's because she has a shiny, new statuette after claiming top spot in the women's open bodybuilding competition at the Toronto Classic International Drug Free Athletics bodybuilding, fitness and figure show earlier this summer.

"To make a long story short, she cleaned up and won the whole thing," Rick said. "I had put the trophy in the truck and I didn't have to give it to her, because she won."

Stephanie didn't envision winning any competitions when she started building muscle a year-and-a-half ago. The 38-year-old mother of four children -- all under the age of 14 -- just wanted to try something new.

"I love the look of muscle," said Stephanie, a dental hygienist at West Town Dental in Barrie. "I've always loved fitness and loved activity. I just decided to do a complete switch."

That switch involved joining a gym, something she'd never done before. She'd always thought the whole "gym thing" seemed a little "superficial."

Nevertheless, she hooked up with local trainer Alexa Morgan at Georgian College's gym, and found her home away from home.

"There were many times I thought this was not worth doing, this is too much work," the Barrie resident said. "But as soon as I got into the communityof bodybuilding, Imetsomany great people."

Enduring months of working out for six days a week, two hours a day, and copious amounts of sweat, Stephanie slowly but surely packed on lean muscle.

She'd do cardio exercises first thing in the morning, incorporate some weight training into her day, and fit more cardio in at night, often going for a jog or a bike ride with her husband or kids. And she'd prepare meals in advance: comprising mostly chicken, egg whites, broccoli, cucumber and tuna.

"The eating part is the hardest," she said. "I loved the workout part, but the eating part just about sent me loopy."

Nothing was easy about the process, but with the support of her trainer, her husband, her new friends at the gym and in the bodybuilding community, and her children, she transformed her flesh to rock.

"Finally, my six-pack came out," recalled Stephanie, who was enthused "just to see that they actually are there."

With that, show time arrived, and this mom-turned-musclewoman entered her first competition half-nervous, half-excited, and completely unsure of what to expect.

What to expect was poses, poses and more poses.

"It totally blew me away. Every body part is tense, and you have to smile the whole time. It seems like a long, long time," said Stephanie, who also performed a routine to music, something she thoroughly enjoyed. "I was nervous. I didn't think I'd like that part. But it was actually really fun."

Winning her first competition was not something she ever expected, but now that she's come this far, Stephanie, now carded as a professional bodybuilder, plans to continue sculpting her physique. She's eying another show this winter, and says bodybuilding has become a true passion of hers.

"I grew up thinking it was a selfish sport, with so much time spent on your outer body," she said. "After doing it, and learning about the benefits ... it's been a huge eye-opener.

"I'm not letting a day go to waste," she added. "It's been a year of huge change and growth for me."

According to Stephanie, while her family and friends provided endless motivation, her No. 1 support network through it all was, and still does come from a higher power.

"I have a spin bike, and I do that for one hour in the mornings before anyone gets up," she said. "That's my Hour of Power. That's my time with the Lord. Just me and the Lord. It's an awesome time. I set my bible up there, my journal up there (on the handlebars).

"To me, it was so important to not just work the outside, but to work the inside, too," she added. "Much more than the competition, much more than any muscles ... He's just allowed me into people's lives, and it's just created a really awesome bond for our (family)."

Stephanie's four-year-old daughter, Ella-Grace, likes to join in when mom works out in the living room. Her boys, 14-year-old Jesse, 12-year-old Jacob and seven-year-old Riley have also warmed up to mom's new hobby.

"They try to wrestle me more now," Stephanie said. "They want to try to take me on all the time."

Rick, a pastor at Bar rie Free Methodist Church, is equally keen to be a part of his wife's journey. He's even incorporated her bodybuilding into his teachings at church.

"We started a youth camp at church, and had Steph speak, and talk about body image, and just going for a goal," he said.

"I'll always support her," he added. "She's my best friend."

A best friend with pipes, to boot.

Source:   Barrie Examiner