Catching up with Collin Fischer

The late 1990s was a time of change in world of womens bodybuilding and there were a number of athletes from that era that were shooting stars that just seemed to disappear. One perfect example is Collin Fischer who streaked to her pro card in three shows culminating in winning the middleweight class at the 1997 NPC Nationals to earn pro status.

We recenlty caught up with her at the 2007 Arnold Classic where the 5'3" blonde was looking tremendous at 157 lbs.

As a PhD candidate at Syracuse University, Fischer stays busy with her studies and raising her young son. But she still manages to make time for the gym. A typical day, she explains would include "always being late, rushing around all day, heart pounding - getting my kid dressed, Cheerios, daycare, to the lab, TA or research of some kind - back to daycare to get my kid, then off to the gym, back home for food, then cardio, get my make-up off and then collapse!"

During the Arnold weekend, she was able to enjoy herself and take a look at where the sport is now. One of the things that hasn't changed that she'd love to see is the disparity in pay between the men and women. Recently Wimbledon agreed to make the payouts equal for both sexes in a widely applauded move. Six-time singles champion Billie Jean King, said that "With women and men paid on an equal scale, it demonstrates to the rest of the world that this is the right thing to do for the sport, the tournament and the world."

As anyone who trains knows, the amount of work involved for bodybuilders of either sex is the same.

While bodybuilding isn't powerlifting, Fischer has some pretty impressive lifts.

"I learned a long time ago that max lifts are conducive to injury, and are not terribly efficient at shaping muscle. I can bench maybe 225 - not particularly impressive. I can squat over 315, leg press about 800, shoulder press about 160 or so, bicep curls with 80 lbs. for five reps and 10-12 close grip pullups."

Even with a nearly ten year layoff from competing, Fischer looks like she hasn't stepped away from the gym at all. At the Arnold she was spotted wearing a classy dark top that accentuated her curves and muscularity. We asked her how she likes to dress in general.

"If it's summer I usually let my physique show. If it's a nightclub I might also, but if I'm out someplace relatively conservative and it's not hot, I try to dress conservatively - but no matter what I wear people know I'm a bodybuilder ," she adds.

Sometimes though, that can be a problem.

"For some reason, I usually get approached by strangers who test my capacity for politeness," she says.

That might happen on one of her shopping trips as Fischer admits to being a bit of a shopoholic. "I'm very girly in many ways."

One of her closest friends in the industry is fellow IFBB Pro, Heather Foster and she stays close with many of the people she came up with at Bev Francis' gym in Syosset, NY.

Now that she's contemplating a comeback, Fischer is taking a closer look at who's on stage, who's winning, and what her chances might be. We think that she's got a bright future ahead of her and we'd love to see her grace a pro stage for the first time!

Check out our members section to see more video and still photos of Collin!