Carly Hippsley and Steven Greba are a couple who are pursuing a shared passion for sculpting their bodies through exercise and diet.
Hippsley, formerly from Yorkton, is involved in figures while boyfriend Greba, who grew up at Preeceville is a bodybuilder.
Both competed at provincials in Lloydminister this weekend.
Hippsley was in her second year, while Greba was on stage for his fifth time.
Greba, now 21, won the Junior Mens' Class in 2009, and was second in the open heavyweight division. This year he was again at the top of the podium taking the Mens; Light Middleweight Division.
Hippsley, 28, said last year she did not do very well in figures competition, adding she was not prepared as well as she could have been.
"I wasn't aware of the calibre of the competition," she said. "Being new to me I had no clue what I was going into, but it was a good learning experience," emerging with a fifth in novice and seventh in the open class.
This time Hippsley again missed the top-three in the Women's Figure Medium Division.
"The judges said my category was the largest and toughest category of the night and the placings could have easily been switched around a number of different ways," she said. "That's how close we all were, and that is just what they had chosen for that particular night."
While people tend to think of bodybuilding as a matter of time lifting weights, Greba says physical training is a small part of it.
"Training is about 20 per cent of it. Dieting and the mental aspect is 80 per cent," he said.
The mental aspect includes knowing how to pose to expose body strengths to the judges, and at times try to camouflage weaknesses.
Hippsley said in terms of her classes judges are looking for an 'X-form', meaning a physique with large, muscular shoulders and thighs and a small, slim waist. Last year she said she went to provincials out-of-balance. "I had very powerful legs and not much of an upper body."
Hippsley said when she became involved in the sport last year, Greba's cousin trained her, and "when I competed last year year he (Steven) came a long." She said there was an immediate connection based on their shared interest. "Obviously we had that common ground to start."
For Hippsley, Greba immediately became something of a sage advisor simply based on his experience.
"I was 16-years-old when I started doing this," he said.
Greba said it was a book which actually attracted him to the sport.
"I read a book by Arnold Schwarzenegger, his autobiography. I guess that just inspired me to start training and to compete one day," he said.
Hippsley said she has hand varied interests over the years, always throwing herself completely into her passions.
"From a young age I was always in dance. That was a big part of my life," she said.
Hippsley had thrown herself into fashion design after dance, but added, " I still sort of felt like something was missing." She said she feels body figures "tapped into a different creative aspect of myself," filling the void.
After a return to the gym to stay active she began to look into competitive building. "You find out more stuff about the sport and it just goes from there."
Greba said it was an interest which his friends didn't exactly get why he was doing it.
"They didn't understand," he said, noting they'd invite him to parties, and he couldn't go. "It just took a lot of discipline."
Discipline is actually a huge part of the sport, at least in preparing for competition.
Greba explained how he and Hippsley are eating seven, or eight meals a day, and those meals need to be eaten at exact times to be effective in sculpting their body. With limited food intake a body can start to literally eat the muscles, which is counter to what they are trying to achieve. So exacting food intake is important.
Hippsley said while on an exacting diet, it is a diet for a different reason.
"Lots of diets are to lose weight. We only want to lose body fat. We don't want to necessarily lose weight," she said, adding often it's a case of weight gain through muscle creation.
Greba agreed noting over the first eight-weeks of his current training diet "I probably didn't lose any weight, but I was still getting leaner at the time."
The diets of course are regimental and specific to body building.
For example, in weeks leading up to a competition carbohydrates are all but eliminated, said Greba, noting he consumes about 100 carbs a day, Carly getting down to 30, which is a teaspoon of sugar.
Then just a few days before the event they will carbohydrate load, eating potatoes and yams with every one of their multiple meals.
Similarly Greba was drinking near three gallons of water a day. Again in the final week of training he will go through a near 48-hour spell without water.
In each case the regime tricks the body so it adds bulk and finish just before competition based on the food consumed in the final days of training.
"You have to be 100 per cent. It's all, or nothing," said Greba, adding it's not easy. "Right now I'd love a chip or something salty."
Being able to deal with the stringent training regime is an aspect of training Hippsley said her past helps her with.
"I'm used to training for dance, having to be very disciplined," she said.
When it comes to discipline Greba exemplifies it, as he works a 12-hour shift, and must manage his multiple meals on breaks. Once off the clock he also fits in three, or four training sessions daily at the gym.
It has helped Hippsley train this year being with a kindred spirit in Greba.
"It's been a lot easier," she said, adding his guidance coupled with what she learned last year have been huge training assets. "I'm just aware of what I'm up against. I feel a lot more educated, knowing what they're looking for, what has to be done to attain that look."
When it comes to honing a look Hippsley said there's more to it than just going to a gym and pumping weights.
"Each exercise has to be sort of tailored to fit a person's build, or make up," she said, adding having Greba's eye to help her focus on particular body aspects is important.
Since each body reacts differently to training, regimes vary.
Hippsley began her training for this year's provincials Jan. 4, while Greba worked with a 14-week training schedule.
"Carly just needed more time to get ready for the show," he explained.
Hippsley said training is not easy, but she feels worth it.
"This is by far one of the hardest things I've ever done. It really takes a lot of determination, a lot of discipline," she said.
For Greba, he feels he has the combination of desire and drive to go far in the sport.
"My goal is to become a pro. I think I can do this until I'm 35 or 40," he said, adding he plans to never give up the training to be physically fit. " It's almost become an obsession I like doing it so much."
Hippsley said she is having similar aspirations.
"Right now I believe I could be a figures pro," she said. "I seem to be focused and disciplined in whatever I do."
