There's something really sexy about a beautful woman bending steel, and that's certainly true for Mary Lynne Mackenzie , who's shown here doing just that. Plus, she not only bends the bar, but continues to turn it into a knot! Whew. It's really a great example of what Dr. Heywood was writing about when she asserted that female bodybuilders could be shown doing "what they do" rather than in an obviously erotic pose.
More on Mary:
I was born in Canada, & have lived in Woodstock, Toronto, Niagara Falls, & am currently living in London, Ontario, Canada. I have been studying Chinese Medicine for several years, and am about to enter my final year of school, after which I will write my licencing exams, hopefully become a Dr. of TCM, & begin practicing.
I've had a very athletic background, which began pretty much as soon as it was able. I have done swimming, figure skating, ballet & jazz, a little gymnastics, baseball, basketball, volleyball, track & field, rowing, & finally bodybuilding.
It was rowing that introduced me to weight training, & my desire to be as competitive as possible, that made me persue it. I was 17 when I began lifting weights, & I've been hooked ever since.
It wasn't untill I was about 19 or 20 that I began to entertain the notion of competing in bodybuilding, .... I remember seeing Lisa Lyons & Kiki Aloma in the magazines and thinking they looked magnificent. I entered my first contest when I was 21, in London Ontario. Although I have always worked out consistently, my competitive phases have been very on & off. I have probably done about 15 bodybuilding competitions over my 25 yrs. of weight training, of which I have won 5 firsts in heavyweight women (with 4 overalls), & a first in the Masters @ the Canada's. (There have numerous 2nd & 3rd place finishings.)
School, working part-time, & training, keeps me quite busy. I usually train 6 days a week, for an average of about 2hrs.(more during contest prep.). I normally start my exercises with lighter weights doing high reps, & work up to heavier weights doing lower reps. I never try for a maximum weight, but rather try to work with a respectable amount of weight for a descent amount of solid reps.
Most people say my arms are my best body part; but, some say it's my back. I have never taken my measurements, but maybe someday I'll be brave enough to. I rarely weigh myself, but my weight doesn't fluctuate a lot through the year, I'm generally somewhere between 145 & 160 lbs.. I have no favourite exercises, .... they're all fun :)
What do Judges want? .... I DO care what they want but, "You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself." I just try to "worry about" getting in the best condition that "I" can.
Other than bodybuilding, my hobbies are studying Chinese Medicine, doing artwork, mountain biking, eating, music, knitting, and shopping. .This year (2003) I am preparing to compete in the Canada's (in September).
