by Hans Photography by James Cook

Kaylie Perry was one of the most impressive new faces at the 2005 Nationals in Atlanta. At 5-foot-1 and 123 pounds, the 33 year-old from New Hampshire was one of the thickest-looking competitors in the middleweights. Making her national-level debut, she placed 8th in the middleweights and could have placed higher if she had been a little leaner in her lower body.

The way she looked onstage – and even the fact she made the middleweight class - was even more amazing to those that had seen her at the start of her 16-week contest prep, when she weighed 173 pounds.

Losing 50 pounds in 16 weeks, while holding on to her muscle, was a challenge for Kaylie to say the least. “I was having crazy dreams about not making weight and being in the audience asking spectators for help and, being in the crowd when I should have been on stage,” she says. “I was listless, frustrated, you name it. I was feeling sick - and sick of the process. I prayed, ‘Just let me make it to Nationals.’”

But being up onstage at Nationals fulfilled a dream Kaylie had had ever since she was a kid, although she never really believed it would become a reality. “It was exhilarating!” she says. “I never thought ever I would be competing at national level nor did I know what it involved to get there. To be among the top competitors in the sport was stunning.  It wasn’t until I reviewed contest photos that I truly believed that I deserved to be there.”

Now that she has her first national-level show under her belt, she can’t wait to do another. “Of course, top 5 would have been better, but I am very happy with the recognition and feedback I have received,” she says. “I had an awesome time. The next step is managing the off-season weight!”

Kaylie Perry, who is of French and Puerto Rican heritage, was born and raised in Laconia, N.H. In high school, she was “semi-athletic, with a muscular build” but says she was “average” at sports. However, even then she had a dream of what she could look like. “I always had an appreciation for muscle on women,” she says. “I always thought I had the right genetics and a great body structure for bodybuilding, and I hoped that someday I could commit seriously to the sport and eventually compete.”

When Kaylie was 17, her older brother Aaron, who at the time was preparing for his first bodybuilding competition, introduced her to weight training. Kaylie began going with him to the gym and training her lower body using a Cory Everson routine she had seen in Muscle & Fitness. However, she was a chronic dieter most of her young adult life and always felt she was overweight. “I was never happy with the way I looked and constantly struggled with low self-esteem,” she says. For the next few years, Kaylie continued to train, but inconsistently.

In 1998, Kaylie began training in a powerlifting gym, where she began to develop a base of muscle. But it was only in 2002, as she hit 30, that she finally decided to go for it. She had moved to Florida and was living alone, away from family and friends, which she says gave her the solitude she needed to focus on her goal of developing a competitive physique. “I needed to improve my image as well as self-esteem and overall take on a more positive outlook and attitude,” she says. Soon after joining a gym in Florida, Kaylie met Amanda Dunbar, then an up-and-coming national-level bodybuilder and now a pro, who encouraged her to compete. That gave Kaylie the impetus she needed.

After a year, Kaylie moved back to New Hampshire a different, more focused person. She did her first show, the 2004 New Hampshire State, where she was the only female bodybuilder and automatically won. Later that year she went to New York to compete in the Tournament of Champions, and won the heavyweight and overall.

Next up was the Eastern USA, where she took first place and overall, qualifying her for Nationals. Kaylie says that show was the highlight of her career so far. “It was there I experienced my first real victory,” she says. “The two shows prior to the Eastern, even though I won them they were so small I never considered them to be much of a challenge.” At the Eastern, she also met Colette Nelson, who has since become a close friend and a key part of Kaylie’s prep team. It was Colette who helped Kaylie through her diet for Nationals, particularly when she hit a plateau. “Colette stayed with me daily by phone to keep my head in the game,” Kaylie says.

Kaylie’s plan for 2006 is to compete at the NPC New England in May and re-qualify for Nationals in Miami. In the meantime she is working on developing her hamstrings and refining her quads while keeping her off-season weight under control. “My maximum weight should be 155-160,” she says. “Dieting for my next show will not be nearly as tough if I keep it there.” Colette Nelson, who will be working with Kaylie again this year, has no doubts about her potential. “She is going to be a top five middleweight finisher at this year’s Nationals,” she says.

You can contact Kaylie through her website.

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