Days ago, Elizabeth Smart surprised her Instagram followers with a photo revealing that she’s been secretly competing in bodybuilding contests!
Only “Extra” spoke with Elizabeth’s fitness coach Robyn Maher after her fourth competition.
Robyn revealed, “Her first competition was one year ago at the Wasatch Warrior here in Salt Lake City, and she competed under her married name. You know, she wasn’t looking for any attention. Just wanted to do it for herself and set that goal. And we were super excited. She made great progress with her physique, and she kind of caught the bug a little bit. She said, ‘I think I want to do this again, like, I’ve seen what I’ve accomplished. I feel stronger.’”
Referencing Elizabeth’s nine-month abduction in 2002, Robyn noted, “Like, we all know that emotionally and mentally, this woman’s been through everything and come out on top, but physically, she can lift some heavy, heavy weight, which is awesome. So we set new goals for her. She competed last year again, two times, did a national level competition, and then now here again.”
Robyn was a “super proud” trainer, saying, “She decided on her own, ‘I really want to speak out about this.’ You know, she feels really proud of it… She felt like this is nothing to be ashamed of. My body’s done amazing things for me, and this is just one more way that I can, you know, set goals, accomplish something, be an example to other women.”
Robyn helped Elizabeth get to the point where she felt comfortable with her body, sharing, “Her legs are super strong. She’s run all these marathons. That woman can squat a lot of weight, you know. So that’s what they’re looking at. Some people don’t see that, you know, they see a beautiful woman. I mean, she’s gorgeous. I keep calling her fitness Barbie. That’s my nickname for her, you’re fitness Barbie… I just love that she had the strength and the courage to come out and say, I’m not going to accept that. Like, I’m not going to let you embarrass me over this. This is something I’m proud of, and I mean how poignant that is.”
Smart’s post made Maher emotional. She elaborated, “That comment she made about my body has taken me through so many hard things. I’m going to make it strong, and it’s going to carry me through the rest of my life… Tears came to my eyes.”
Elizabeth just won a bodybuilding competition.
As for how she got there, Robyn explained, “So she followed a plan, you know, healthy meal plan all this time. And then you know, weight training most days of the week. So typically, five to six days a week focus on specific muscle groups… That’s what you’re judged on, you know, when you know, when you get up onstage. And you know, she did really well at this last competition. She got a first-place trophy.
“But her previous competition, she didn’t get first place in every category all the time, right? So… I only point that out because it’s a journey. She’s improved. She’s gone through a transformation. And, you know, she didn’t get any top award just because she’s Elizabeth Smart. Like, it was fair and square,” Maher emphasized.
Robyn’s happy for all the support Elizabeth has received since posting, saying, “The great support that she’s gotten. I mean, every single comment, every single person that that highlights how hard she’s worked and how much she deserves to, like, get stronger and to be a good example for women.”
