Jennifer Abrams
by gene x hwang - December 2002
In
the 1990s, many of those who ran bodybuilding decided that the sport was
getting a bit out of hand, specifically on the women's side of things
and chose to try and change the judging criteria to reward more 'feminine'
physiques. Unfortunately the execution of that left something to be desired
and in the wake of the controversy that arose from that, there was a new
crop of women who were inspired to compete and take up the bodybuilding
lifestyle.
Among those is Jennifer
Abrams, who is now a 27-year-old who most recently competed at the
2002 NPC Nationals as a heavyweight. While the 5'5½" Abrams
weighs up to 160 lbs. in the off-season, she definitely is able to maintain
her femininity even when dieting down to her usual 138-143 lb. range for
shows. Abrams plans to continue working in the fitness industry, do personal
training, work on publishing her book, do more modeling and hopefully
become a spokesperson for some products in the industry. Sounds like quite
a bit of work, not to mention the fact that Abrams is a mother too. But
none of that will deter her. She's even written a piece for her gym about
her philosophy and it's included below. Read on and you'll see why we
should all be seeing a lot more of Abrams and hopefully she'll become
a role model to a whole new slew of up-and-coming young female bodybuilders.
"You will never
know what you might have been unless you try to be..." This mentality
has driven me to the National level in the sport of women's body building.
What is body building to me..."art", like sculpting my own "personal"
perfection. My goal in this sport and as a natural female
athlete is to bring femininity to a sport that has taken a turn in the
direction of extreme, in my opinion, from the days of Cory Everson. This
is due to the widespead use of illegal drugs within the sport.
My athletic background
has it's roots in the arts. Jazz, modern and lyrical dance technique and
performance was a major part of my life from the age of 8 through my college
years. I was a sprinter as a young teen and began weight training at 16.
I competed in 1996 for the first time, as a heavy weight, and in the mixed
pairs division after a graduate student approached me from my University
I attended about partnering with him for the contest. My boyfriend, now
husband of 4 1/2 years, provided the continued words of support back in
'96 that have held my hand and sometimes carried me through 7 competitions,
months of intense training and the strictest dieting known to man/women.
Without his support I never could have gotten to this place in my body
building career. Never
underestimate the power of a support system! Furthermore, each time I
coach someone through preparing for a competition I am reminded of my
team back back at Western Illinois University who motivated and prepared
me with precision, to compete in my first show. That committment to excellence
still motivates me today, in all aspects of my life. As I said...Never
underestimate the power of a support system.
In 2000 I competed
in three competitions in Illinois and placed !st ,in the heavy weight
class, for all three. In addition, I earned my Novice Overall title. In
2002 I also competed in 3 competitions; placing 9th at the Jr. Nationals
in Rosemont,IL, 2nd at the Rockford, IL Mid-State- also recieving the
best posing award of the show, lastly, competing at Nationals in Dallas,TX.
One of the greatest
enjoyments for me in competing is performing my own choreography on stage.
Performing is a gift, I am continuing to dance afterall. What has made
each of my achievements even sweeter is knowing I fulfilled them while
juggling the role of motherhood. There are few times in my life I have
felt as much pride and satisfaction as I did on my 25th birthday, under
those stage lights as our daughter, held by my enduring husband, uttered
"mamma" from the audience! 
Our daughter was 17
months old when I competed that winter afternoon, just three months after
weaning her from
nursing.I have heard many excuses from people over the years when it comes
to implimenting regular activity and exercise into their lives. I am here
to pass along one of my most treasured quotes; "If you want something
bad enough their is no limit to what you will do to make it happen."
If you make exercise like brushing your teeth, there are no excuses, it
just becomes part of who and what you are.
My National-level
competitions of 2002 have served to be quite rewarding for me. I will
appear in "Women's Physique World" Magazine in April and "Flex"
magazine in May, in addition to appearing on serveral body building websights.
Then to start 2003 off, WPW will be flying my husband and I to
New jersey for a paid photo shoot and gym training video. See what you
want. Become what you want. Make it happen... Fill your life with a support
system that sets you up for success!
See ya in the gym!
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