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Beth Roberts

by gene x hwang - January 2001



Beth at the 2000 NPC Nationals, photo by Mark Schaeffer Beth Roberts may have grown up on a farm, but she's storming the National bodybuilding stages with a tremendous physique that continues to improve steadily. With her roots doing manual labor and helping out on a farm, she's built upon that great start and now is one of the top middleweights who is poised to earn her pro card soon.

"I grew up on a farm and always had muscular legs and was a lot stronger than most of the girls in my high school class. I was involved in various high-school sports plus helped out a lot on the farm (milking cows, unloading hay wagons, picking rocks out of fields, etc.).

"Then I went to college and had to start lifting weights to stay in shape. I didn't play any college sports. However, I found my way to the gym where the football and basketball athletes worked out. I started off lifting Nautilus, not really knowing what I was doing, then asked one of the guys that was a competitive bodybuilder for some direction toward achieving a bodybuilding physique. I competed in my first bodybuilding competition six months later and won the overall trophy," Roberts adds.

Of course the desire to build up a physique beyond just "toning" was in Roberts' mind since her teenage years when she first saw Gladys Portugues competing and admired her physique. That was when she had her first inkling of becoming a bodybuilder.

"Another inspiration is Cory Everson of course. I always admired how much she has provided to the bodybuilding field even after her competing days were over. I also admire Tonya Knight as I always thought her physique was muscular and very feminine at the same time."

And that is something that Roberts herself strives to achieve and with the new judging criteria, it appears that this is as good a time as ever for female bodybuilders to be working towards that goal.

"The desire I have to achieve a muscular, yet feminine physique is what drives me toward lifting weights day in and day out. I love the sense of accomplishment I get when I am up there on stage showing my physique. So far at each competition I've done, I've learned more about myself and how to get my bodyfat low. I've gotten a little leaner in each one and all of these things keep me in the gym working hard to enhance my physique," says Roberts.

Enhancements to a national caliber physique don't come easily, but takes hours of time in the gym, which any athlete may be familiar with.

photo by John Nafpliotis "I do like to train heavy; however, I don't like to max out on any lifts. I like to keep my reps to around 6-8 (no lower than 4 reps). I concentrate on verystrict form and feeling the muscle that is being contracted," states Roberts.

Although she admits that she's "not really that strong," her stats are nothing to be ashamed of.

On the bench press, she does 185 lbs. for 6 reps, squats with 260 lbs. for 6 reps, does shoulder presses with 140 lbs. for 8 reps, and bicep curls with 85 lbs. on an e-z bar for 10 reps. Not too shabby at all, and Roberts also does dips and pull-ups for 3 sets of each exercise with 10-12 reps each.

"OK, I enjoy being strong. It helps me in my career (physical therapy in a hospital) getting patients out of bed. It also carries over into my hobbies of yard work, landscaping, hiking, and being outdoors. It does have it's benefits. It has improved my self image by allowing me to achieve twin successes of having the strength both physically and mentally to improve my physique as best I can, yet lead a very happy, fullfilling life outside of bodybuilding."

And that is ultimately more important that any titles or competitions, but it doesn't deter her from the dieting and training required to take the competitive stage.

2001 will be a big year for Roberts as she plans to compete in both the NPC USAs in Las Vegas and the NPC Nationals again in November. Her offseason trainin regimen focuses on her weak points, so that she can attain an even more symmetrical physique.

"I try to stay within 10-15 pounds of my competiton weight and train very intensely using different training cycles to shock the muscle into responding to the stress put upon them. I do cardio training, however, not as frequent, or as long, as during my pre-contest routine," she adds.

"Since I am new to National level bodybuilding, I feel I need all the exposure I can get. Beyond that, I really don't know yet. Eventually I would like to have a kid or two, but I am willing to wait and see where this bodybuilding way of life takes me.

photo by John Nafpliotis Fortunately for Roberts, that life includes a close group of family and friends who are all very supportive of her.

"My husband is a gym owner and the many friends we have in the gym have encouraged me from day one. They have seen me throught he many changes I have gone through in the last five years. I have seen some former classmates and they are quite shocked that a small town farm girl is into something not many people would even dream of doing," Roberts says.

"My bodybuilding lifestyle fits very well with my current marriage. My husband has his things in life he enjoys and understands my love and commitment of bodybuilding. He gives me enough space to learn independently what happiness is, yet supports me enough to make me feel good about having a lifestyle a lot of people look down upon."

Of course, spending so much time in the gym can be taxing, so Roberts manages to have fun outside the gym as well.

"I do love to go out and have a good time! I love to go out with some of my girlfriends, drink a little, dance a little, and get a little crazy!!!"


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female muscle, shawna walker, larissa reis, michelle jin, wrestling, tracey toth, kira neuman, female bodybuilding, cindy phillips, britt miller, casey daugherty, lyris capelle, jill brooks, olga guryev, olga guryeva, kristy hawkins, cheryl faust, lindsey cope, lindsay cope, veronica miller