Gym instructor to compete in national finals of British bodybuilding contest

Mother-of-three Toks Macaulay will compete in the women’s physique category after recently making it through the regional stage of the contest – in which she was up against six others.

In the national finals on Saturday, October 11, she will be up against 16 to 18 fellow competitors.

Toks is relatively new to bodybuilding, having taken it up for the first time nine months ago – though she has been a gym instructor for about five years.

The 47-year-old former bank worker, who works for The Fitness Society, said: “Everybody kept on going: ‘You will be amazing at bodybuilding’ – so I just did it.”

She has been dieting since January and has focused on eating chicken, turkey, rabbit, ostrich, egg whites and other foodstuffs to see what benefits her physique the most.

She said: “It’s like an experiment and a science, bodybuilding is. It’s an interesting process.

“I was very happy to reach this stage of the competition – and I am still in shock to be honest. It’s like I am dreaming.”

She said a bad day or sudden illness could destroy everything in a bodybuilding contest – so she was delighted to hear she has made it to the finals.

She said: “It was overwhelming and my kids were really pleased. They are not bodybuilders, but they are really athletic!”