Former Melville resident Melissa Leier is set for another run at a national bodybuilding title. Leier recently competed in the Saskatchewan Amateur Body Building Association (SABBA) championships in Regina, and came away at the top of the podium in Women's Figure Tall.
Leier, taking part in her second Provincials, thinks her experience carried her to the first-place finish in what was a very close competition.
"All the girls looked really good, but my main competition was in her first year," says Leier who came in first-place on four judges cards while her nearest competitor counted three first-place votes. "I really wanted to show my confidence on the stage and I think being in last year's event paid off for me."
Winning the SABBA title has Leier looking forward to August when she plans to join the field in the Canadian Body Building Federation in Vancouver but she allows the mandatory posing section of the SABBA event was more difficult this time around.
"We were up there for awhile, so it got pretty tiring," says the Saskatoon Health Region human resource consultant. "My legs were burning and my back was getting sore from trying to stand tall for the judging - my legs were sore for two days after."
Last year Leier made top-15 in the country at the Nationals and this year, says some different workout techniques may have her on the verge of a higher placing this time around.
"My upper body tends to grow easier than my lower body, so my coach (Lyris Cappelle) worked on maintaining the upper body and growing my legs and lower body," explains Leier. "I felt like my size in my legs and gluteals gave me a more balanced physique."
She also feels more stage presence and some more polish in her routine enabled her to take first place in her chosen event.
"I find now I get a healthy kind of nervousness when I compete and it brings a level of excitement and energy to the stage which helps me."
Out of the body building spotlight, Leier is still very busy with her fitness consulting business and she's also been featured in Saskatoon Well Being, a free monthly magazine distributed where she currently resides. Leier also works online helping people with information on diet, exercise and ongoing help with coaching and motivation. For more information people can browse to www.leierfitness.com, Leier Fitness Consulting on Facebook or they can call Leier at (306) 380-2249.
