From September 2 to 4, former Newcastillian, Elzaan le Roux will compete at the IFBB South African Championships. She forms part of the KwaZulu-Natal team selected for the event in Randburg.
Ahead of the championships, Elzaan spoke with the Newcastle Advertiser about aspects of the sport and her personal life.
Q: What has kept you interested in bodybuilding/fitness and what do you consider the most important aspect of the sport?
I will definitely say the daily hard work you need to put in. There are days where you are feeling so tired and depleted, yet you show up and do what is expected of you. What you put in is what you get out. There are a lot of sacrifices that people do not realise when you are an athlete: you put aside your social gatherings and your daily routines, sudden changes which affect your personal and social life. Hours of dedication, discipline, sacrifices and commitment are expected of you.
Q: People often have misconceptions about bodybuilders/fitness athletes – how do you respond to those who may make assumptions about you?
There are so many misconceptions about female bodybuilders. I often hear that you have to take you PEDs (steroids) to be able to stand against the best, and that’s absolutely not true. That’s what I appreciate so much about my coaches – they do everything naturally and still dominate the stage. We just have to work so much harder to achieve the same results. Another misconception is that lifting heavy will make you look like a man. Women don’t produce nearly enough testosterone to bulk up. It’s not worth responding to those people who make these assumptions – I often just smile, wave and move on.
Q: If someone was interested or considering the sport, what advice and motivation would you give them?
Advice – find yourself a good coach that invests not just in your physical appearance but also invests in you mentally, spiritually and in your health. Motivation – never give up on your dreams. Believe in yourself and show up every day. Don’t be afraid to work hard, because hard work pays off. Keep God in the centre of your life and speak victory into your life daily life.
Q: What are your interests outside of working hours?
Between training, meal prep, working on stage presentation, being a good teacher, trying to keep up on daily tasks and be a good partner to my other half (Jacques Kruger), there aren’t a lot of hours left in a day, but we enjoy riding motorcycles. My partner is a golfer as well so I often support him on the golf course on weekends. We enjoy long walks on the beach, watching the sunset with our fur babies. It’s all about quality time with each other.
The Newcastle Advertiser wishes Elzaan all the best at the SAs. For the full interview, see the upcoming edition of the newspaper this week.
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