How Bodybuilding Helped a Elizabeth Smart Leave Her Comfort Zone

Elizabeth Smart lit up the internet last month after posting a picture of herself in a tiny midnight-blue bikini with a full-body spray tan, blonde hair extensions and a seriously ripped physique.

In 2002, when she was 14, she was abducted in Utah by an older married couple and sexually and physically abused for nine months. Now a married mother of three, Smart, 38, who was raised Mormon, is an advocate for survivors of sexual violence. Decades after captivity that she said made her feel less than human, she’s now adopting the almost superhuman form of a competitive bodybuilder.