{"id":19240,"date":"2026-05-05T07:06:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T07:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=19240"},"modified":"2026-05-05T07:06:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T07:06:24","slug":"elizabeth-smart-talks-bodybuilding-proud-of-herself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=19240","title":{"rendered":"Elizabeth Smart talks bodybuilding, proud of herself"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>Updated May 4, 2026, 3:48 p.m. ET<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__bv\"\/>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__bvd gnt_x__h\"\/>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - Signs of possible sexual assault in children\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2026\/04\/22\/elizabeth-smart-bodybuilding-transformation\/89729143007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Elizabeth Smart<\/a> shed some light on her bodybuilding journey in a new interview with CBS News, calling it &#8220;terrifying&#8221; but also gratifying.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The former child abduction survivor revealed in an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DXZszBVERgL\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Instagram photo<\/a>\u00a0posted Tuesday, April 21, that she has begun competing in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2026\/03\/30\/arnold-schwarzenegger-son-joseph-baena-bodybulding\/89384869007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">bodybuilding<\/a>\u00a0competitions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Smart acknowledged the shocking transformation in her caption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;When I posted the pictures in my story of me standing on stage in a bikini it probably shocked many of you, and I understand the shock because had you asked me if I would ever compete in a bodybuilding show a couple of years ago I would have said, &#8216;absolutely not! Never in 100 years!'&#8221; Smart, 38, wrote.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Smart told &#8220;CBS Mornings&#8221; host Gayle King on May 4 she&#8217;d been training for marathons for awhile when her knees began to bother her. A trainer (and current coach) reached out to her and asked her if she&#8217;d be interested in working out together again, and Smart said she was looking for a goal to help motivate her. She told her coach she wanted to try body building.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp\">Need a news break? <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":body nav (play)|e|auto spike click:6|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp_a\" href=\"https:\/\/play.usatoday.com\/?itm_source=SPIKE&amp;itm_campaign=PLAYSPIKE&amp;itm_medium=ONSITE\">Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;It was terrifying,&#8221; Smart added of standing in a bikini at her first bodybuilding competition. &#8220;It was absolutely terrifying.&#8221; Her modest upbringing didn&#8217;t prepare her for the showmanship of the sport.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_tw\" aria-label=\"X Embed\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadTwitter\" data-v-id=\"2051283361281319009\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t think I wore a bikini until I was on my honeymoon,&#8221; she said, &#8220;so stepping up on stage and a bikini felt like the most vulnerable thing I could possibly do. I was shaking. I had these beautiful long mermaid hair extensions in that I&#8217;d never worn before in my life. And you have all this big jewelry on, and you go through this whole posing routine, and there&#8217;s a point where you flick your hair back over your shoulder, and I hadn&#8217;t ever practiced it with like the long hair and the big jewelry, and my ring got stuck in my hair on stage, and so I just had to rip it out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">She connected the experience to her career as a child safety advocate. &#8220;In my line of work, I&#8217;ve met so many victims of sexual abuse and violence who feel like their body betrayed them, and we see a lot of self-harm, eating disorders, like feelings of self-loathing, loathing their body,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And for me doing this, I feel like it has been a celebration of my body, because it has carried me through every worst day, every bad experience.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I shouldn&#8217;t be ashamed that I&#8217;ve taken care of (my body) and work to build it strong,&#8221; she added. &#8220;And I&#8217;m very proud of myself.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">It&#8217;s been liberating for her. &#8220;For so long, I wanted to be taken seriously,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I wanted whatever I had to say matter like I wanted to feel like I was respected. And I also feel like, through doing this and like putting this post out there, I feel liberated because I can be more than just one thing. I can be a bodybuilder. I can feel beautiful or sexy, and I can still be an advocate for women and children against sexual violence.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_ig\" aria-label=\"Instagram Embed\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadInstagram\" data-v-src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DXZszBVERgL\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=12&amp;wp=1116&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com\" style=\"max-width:658px\"><a class=\"gnt_em_ig_bl\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DXZszBVERgL\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" aria-label=\"view Instagram post: \"><svg class=\"gnt_em_ig_bl_svg\"><use xlink:href=\"#gnt_svg_instagram\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Smart&#8217;s\u00a0kidnapping case is one of the most publicized in American history. At 14, she was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah, home in June 2002. She spent nine &#8220;harrowing&#8221; months in captivity, where she was sexually abused by Brian David Mitchell \u2013 a man her family previously hired to do &#8220;odd jobs&#8221; \u2013 before she was rescued. Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, his then-wife and accomplice, were captured by law enforcement shortly after.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Mitchell was found guilty of kidnapping and transporting a minor across state lines &#8220;with intent to engage in sexual activity.&#8221; He is currently serving a life sentence in prison. Barzee pleaded guilty in 2009 but was\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2018\/09\/19\/elizabeth-smart-kidnapper-wanda-barzee-prison-release\/1355148002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">released in 2018<\/a>. Barzee was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/elizabeth-smart-kidnapper-arrested-rcna204569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">arrested again in 2025<\/a>\u00a0after visiting multiple parks, which is a violation of her status as a sex offender.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Since her rescue, Smart created the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethsmartfoundation.org\/our-mission\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Elizabeth Smart Foundation<\/a>\u00a0and written about her experience. She lives in Utah with her husband and three children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I only hope that we all find the courage to chase new experiences, goals, bettering ourselves, and most importantly happiness,&#8221; she wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Contributing: Taijuan Moorman and Amaris Encinas<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2026\/05\/04\/elizabeth-smart-bodybuilding\/89930273007\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated May 4, 2026, 3:48 p.m. ET Elizabeth Smart shed some light on her bodybuilding journey in a new interview with CBS News, calling it &#8220;terrifying&#8221; but also gratifying. The former child abduction survivor revealed in an\u00a0Instagram photo\u00a0posted Tuesday, April 21, that she has begun competing in\u00a0bodybuilding\u00a0competitions. Smart acknowledged the shocking transformation in her caption. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Elizabeth Smart talks bodybuilding, proud of herself - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=19240\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Elizabeth Smart talks bodybuilding, proud of herself - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Updated May 4, 2026, 3:48 p.m. ET Elizabeth Smart shed some light on her bodybuilding journey in a new interview with CBS News, calling it &#8220;terrifying&#8221; but also gratifying. 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