OSKALOOSA —
Abby Wilson says she is an average hometown girl who had a dream to step on the stage, and she has lived her dream as a bodybuilding figure competitor.
Wilson, 28, began as a figure competitor in 2011 when she entered a competition in Des Moines. She also competed in March 2012 in Cleveland. Wilson won fourth place in Des Moines and seventh place in Cleveland.
Wilson has been training for competition for the past four to five years.
“I’ve always had a passion for fitness,” Wilson said. Wilson used to see girls in the bodybuilding magazines and she said, “I can do that.”
Wilson’s passion for bodybuilding goes hand-in-hand with her occupation as a physical therapist. She graduated from Oskaloosa High School in 2003 and she attended the University of Iowa for a year and a half before transferring to Indian Hills Community College to study physical therapy. She graduated in 2007 and works at the director or rehabilitation at Crystal Heights Care Center and at Northern Mahaska Nursing and Rehab. She also is a personal trainer and is certified in fitness nutrition.
Figure competition has taught Wilson a lot about life.
“There’s no substitute for hard work,” she said. “It takes a lot of discipline and a goal-oriented mind set.”
While training is a lot of hard work, Wilson doesn’t live at the gym either.
“I bet a lot of people spend a lot more time in the gym than I do,” she said.
Wilson works out about four to five hours a week and practices good nutrition. Diet is responsible for about 90 percent of the results, she said.
“You can’t out-train a bad diet,” Wilson said.
Southeast Iowa
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Abby Wilson poses at a recent bodybuilding competition in Cleveland. Contributed photo
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