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MOSSEL BAY NEWS & VIDEO - Hartenbos resident Rochelle Smit is competing in the International Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (IBFF) World Championships in Slovenia on Saturday, 16 June.

And this is only three years after she started bodybuilding.

In fact it will only be her third time on stage. Her first was when she took part in the Garden Route Casino Bodybuilding Classic last year and her second was last month, when she won the national Pro-Diva IBFF competition in her over 40 years category in Johannesburg.

Rochelle is fortunate to have two-times world champion and six-times South African champion, bodybuilder Vivian Goosen, as her coach.

Vivian is based in Pretoria, but Rochelle receives a daily exercise and eating programme from her and must send Vivian a photo of herself each day, plus a photo of her "stomach pinch".

Eight percent body fat
When interviewed for this article on 9 June, Rochelle was busy with a "water drop". She had to drink seven litres of water that day and she was at eight percent body fat. Speaking about her amazing three-year fast track to success, Rochelle, aged 46, said: "When you get to my age you know what you want. The time is now. One must have a goal and mine is to be an IBFF pro. I have to do it now."

She points out that Vivian is 50 and only started bodybuilding seriously about 10 years ago. When Rochelle was 19 her best friend said to her she should be a bodybuilder. "She knew me well. She was like a sister to me. But I didn't have the determination then."

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When asked if she ever feels naked and vulnerable on stage, she says: "Yes - and it's the women in the audience that scrutinise you the most, not the men."

When she entered the Casino Classic last year she felt she was not ready. "I didn't win anything. My body fat was not low enough. I didn't enjoy the experience."

Rochelle pictured when she won the IBFF Pro-Diva in her age group and category in Johannesburg on 5 May. Photo: Supplied

Fine balance
Rochelle, who is married and has two sons, says she is a born again Christian. When asked how she feels about bodybuilding being extremely looks-orientated and physical she says: "There is a fine balance. I can understand it can become an obsession. I can sympathise with anorexics who do not see their thinness and sickness when they look in the mirror. One has to be careful." She points out that it is only for competitions that one has to reduce body fat and diet severely. It takes a toll on one but there are a limited number of competitions one enters.

Rochelle says she finds it unsettling when her fellow competitors swear and make unpleasant comments. She says she hopes that she stands out and makes a positive difference "just because I don't behave like that. We mustn't look at other people. We must look to God."

The bikini Rochelle Smit will wear during the IBFF world championships on Saturday, 16 June.

Natural nutrition
In this extremely competive sport she has been asked by other contestants how she manages to get so lean. "I have to keep my mouth shut," she says. She believes in natural nutrition and avoids whey and soy protein shakes. She only takes creatine for a short while when preparing for a competition. Rochelle is extremely grateful to have Vivian as a coach. 

"When a friend told me to call her, I wondered what Vivian would possibly want to do with me." But when Rochelle made contact, she found Vivian - although a bodybuilding icon - a caring, listening, encouraging person. Vivian told her: "I'm going to make you a champion."

Nineteen countries including South Africa are participating in the IBFF world championships on 16 June.

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