Melksham woman heads to nationals after bodybuilding success

A local woman has secured a place at a national bodybuilding competition after finishing fifth in her category at a recent event.

Tracy Steel, 53, competed in the over-40s bikini category at the Physical Culture Association (PCA) competition, finishing among a field of more than 100 athletes. Her performance has earned her an invitation to the British Nationals in Telford in October.

“It was amazing, there were 120 other competitors and I was over the moon to get fifth place at my first-ever competition,” said Tracy. “It was very nerve-wracking. I am usually a ‘behind the scenes’ person, so going out onto a stage in front of people was really pushing me outside of my comfort zone.”

Tracy, who teaches boxing at The Contender Gym in Melksham, began bodybuilding around four years ago following a full hysterectomy after a tumour in her abdomen led to the menopause.

She says she wants to show other women that age is not a barrier and that menopause should not dictate how life is lived. “I didn’t start getting into fitness until way past the age of 45. I wanted to prove to myself I could still build muscle completely naturally and show others that it’s never too late to set a big goal and work toward it,” said Tracy.

“When I started training, I started off with running marathons and boxing. I never used to be that interested in exercise before then. I really wish that I had been.

“For me, exercise, fitness and eating whole foods have been really helpful in navigating menopause. I wanted to prove to myself that I could grow muscle and drop weight and drop body fat at my age and I absolutely smashed that; I was just super proud of myself.”

Following feedback at the competition, Tracy, who weighs 40 kg, will be focusing on lifting heavier weights to grow more muscle and increasing her size. She credits The Contender Gym and strong community encouragement for helping her reach her milestone.

The PCA is a UK-wide bodybuilding and fitness organisation that runs amateur and national shows across multiple categories including bodybuilding, physique, figure and bikini.