For two local women, prep came first — early mornings, missed meals, and months of silence few people ever see.
And when Crossfield’s Cheryl MacKimmie stepped on stage at the 2025 Alberta Open Bodybuilding Show held May 31 at the Red Deer Resort and Casino, it wasn’t for applause. It was to finish something.
"It's been a pretty powerful experience," she said.
Local athlete Katrina Mooz made her competition debut at the same event.
"I freaking did it," she said. "It’s been a year of… grinding and giving up a lot of things, and I am here."
Mooz placed second in both the True Novice and Novice categories of the women’s wellness division, and won first in Open Class C. MacKimmie won first place in Women’s Physique Masters 50+, and placed second in Women’s Bodybuilding Masters 50+.
No illusions
Both women described the final stretch of training as physically and psychologically exacting.
"There were many times I wanted to quit," Mooz said. "I don’t want to get up at 4:30 and go do cardio. I don’t want to… eat this meal… I just want to go have a burger and fries and I just want to have, like, a giant tub of ice cream."
MacKimmie said her critical breaking point came six weeks before competition.
"The scale starts to hover around the same number and it definitely plays tricks on your mind," she said. "We need to tweak our diet, we need to increase our cardio, and we also have to try and convince our mind that… you’re not tired, you’re not drained, and that you can physically push through."
"The mental challenge was one of the biggest reasons that a lot of people don’t reach this stage," she said.
Training beyond the gym
Mooz works full time. Her day starts before sunrise and ends before most people eat dessert.
"You’re in bed by nine o’clock because you’re up at 4:30 starting your routine," she said. "You’re doing your cardio… then you have to eat, and then you have to go do your weight training. And then… I work full time as well, so it’s a lot of planning."
She described bodybuilding not as a gym pursuit, but as an act of total scheduling control.
"What I do is… we cook all of our meats together ahead of time. And then it’s like, ‘Do I have enough?’… I have to go down to Calgary… I need to take two or three meals with me."
"It’s a lot of planning to plan," she said. "Even if you have one meal off plan… it can hinder your progress. You do your weigh-in the next day and now you’re holding water because something had too much salt or sodium in it."
MacKimmie said the social costs stack up too — slowly, then all at once.
"You sacrifice date nights. You sacrifice outings with friends," she said. "My family and friends have really been accommodating and have bent for me… but you find yourself hauling food and water everywhere you go."
Fueling sacrifice with structure
For Mooz, prep required a total reframing of how she operated.
"It makes me a better person because I… know what to expect for what I need to do, fitness-wise," she said. "It teaches me… time management and prioritizing."
Structure, she said, made everything else work — including her day job.
"My normal day is 8 to 4:30, so that means I have to schedule… my cardio and my training either before or after," she said.
"I just… I love it," she said. "It was just such a phenomenal experience. And everyone was so… supportive and so friendly, and it’s just a different atmosphere. Last year I was a spectator, and this year I was an athlete."
MacKimmie said she came to the sport in a mental health freefall.
"Three years ago I was on antidepressants. I was told I would never, ever come off of them," she said. "Within a year, I was off… with the help of my doctor. I just didn’t come off them cold turkey."
"It’s helped build my confidence. I believe in my abilities," she said. "I’m not the same person I was… three years ago. I put myself first."
"It has really opened up my eyes on how many people I have inspired and have helped in their journeys," she said.
Body image isn’t up for debate
Both women said bodybuilding redefined how they related to their own bodies — and how others responded to them.
"I’ve definitely had… some unwanted feedback… from people that I don’t know… like on Instagram," Mooz said. "It doesn’t bother me. They can have their own opinions. But I kind of feed into it."
"You’re saying that… I’m not supposed to be strong because I’m a female? Well, guess what? Now I’m going to get even stronger," she said.
"You can have muscles and beauty. You can have muscles and femininity," MacKimmie said. "I can wear a dress with no sleeves and show off my muscles and be proud of what I do."
"Some of them see it as a legitimate sport, while others see it as a glorified pageant," she said. "Again, I respect their opinion. But my personal opinion is… I can have both."
Post-show doesn’t mean post-goal
MacKimmie returned to the gym almost immediately, while Mooz recalled the moment she realized she was stage-ready — even before the lights.
"I went to the gym… and just had a bang-out workout because my body was fueled, I was rested, and there was no stress," MacKimmie said. "It was just a fun workout."
"When I got my show suit… I put the jewelry on… had my heels, and I was practicing my posing," Mooz said. "I was like, holy — like, I look like I belong… like I’m ready to be on stage."
Advice from two women who didn’t fold
"Just do it," Mooz said. "Don’t worry about what other people are going to think. Don’t worry about what society is going to think because you’re a female bodybuilder."
"It is so much fun, and you feel so good about yourself," she said. "It’s such an empowering feeling."
"In life, we are so conditioned to be complainers… lack of gratitude," MacKimmie said. "Right now, there’s somebody laying in a hospital bed that will never come out of those doors."
"Being grateful in the mindset is where my training began," she said. "Grateful for the things that I can do and grateful for the things that I have."
Mooz credited her coach, Juan Rojas of Physique Transformation Academy in Toronto. MacKimmie said she was simply grateful for the life she’d rebuilt.
"In the end, it doesn’t really matter," MacKimmie added. "Three things matter: how much you loved, how you lived, and how gracefully you let things go that aren’t meant for you."
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