Fitness buff: Naples woman headed to Las Vegas for national body building competition
Classmates and friends back in Kansas always knew Hilary Gerrish as the muscle girl with big calves.
They found Gerrish working out with the boys in the gym more than gossiping with the girls by the lockers. When not pumping iron, Gerrish played almost every sport, including volleyball, softball and track. Now at 26, she has accumulated medals in marathons and triathlons, winning the Las Vegas Aflac Iron Girl Triathlon in may 2009. Her dedication to training recently won her first place at the Florida Muscle Mania Body Building Competition in Tampa.
“It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to get to the place I’m at right now,” said Gerrish, who won in the figure division, requiring competitors to have muscles, low body fat but still being shapely. “At this moment, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been.”
Now that she has won a state competition, the 5-foot, 4-inch, 134-pound blonde with a big smile is bound for a national show in Las Vegas on Friday — the Fitness America Figure America Championships. Gerrish said she is a tough contender and does competitions mostly because of her competitive nature.
“I do it 90 percent to compete,” said Gerrish, who moved to Naples from Kansas a year and a half ago. “I like the feeling of winning. I’m going to win and there is no other option.”
She entered the show in Tampa, which was her first body building show, because of encouragement from friends and her own desire to get to the top of the fitness world. Gerrish hopes to one day compete in professional shows where competitors are sponsored and become a fitness model.
“I feel like I’m dedicated to working out in the gym, so this is the route I should be taking,” said Gerrish about starting to compete in bodybuilding shows. “It’s a reward for all the hard work and will give me the experience to get to the top.”
Gerrish said training for competitions takes a grueling work out schedule. to get in top form, she works out everyday at 6 a.m., weight lifting for two-and-a-half hours, doing an abdominal workout, and then goes back to the gym at night for a cardio session. she also does spin classes three times week. Once it gets closer to competition, she will zone in on certain muscle areas.
“It seems tough, but it gets to be a habit,” said Gerrish, who works part-time at Collier Urgent Care in Naples and recently started her own personal training business. “I don’t think you can do this routine without it being a habit.”
She also maintains strict eating habits. Gerrish sticks to a high protein, low fat diet, eating six times a day. it consists of boiled chicken, raw spinach, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs and sometimes tuna. If she really wants dessert, Gerrish said she eats a rice cake with peanut butter. Although she has no problem adhering to the diet, she admits to craving chocolate ice cream and Panera Bread. however, her competitive spirit keeps those temptations at bay.
“If I’m slacking, someone else is working really hard,” Gerrish said. “I can’t lose the advantage over ice cream.”
Gerrish used her experience in eating healthy and working out to start her own personal training business called Move-IT FITNESS. she said she sees 10 clients a week just on word of mouth. she also offers 8-week boot camps and teaches a group fitness class at the Vineyards Country Club.
“I have a lot of clients that are obese,” said Gerrish, who started the business this August. “It goes beyond competing and just working out. I feel like I can use what I know to help and motivate others.”
Gerrish off stage, out of the bikini and in plain clothes looks like any other fit girl. she is used to the critics of body building women but said there are far more proponents.
“Everyone has an opinion, of course,” Gerrish said, “but most people appreciate a fit woman. It’s more about the determination and motivation to reach a height than just looking a certain way.”