P.E.I. hosts new Maritime Open bodybuilding competition

Bodybuilders from Atlantic Canada are in Charlottetown this weekend for the first-ever Maritime Open competition.

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About 20 athletes are taking part in the championship, which judges physique rather than strength or skill.

"This is purely aesthetic and what they look like," said organizerSamantha Rioux of Charlottetown, who's a chief judge with the P.E.I. Fitness and Physique Association.

The competition includes swimwear, bodybuilding and theme wear divisions and is open to both experienced and amateur athletes.

'Get their feet wet'

"They don't really have any stress to be able to have to have a qualification. It's just something they can kind of get their feet wet," said Rioux of the contest.

"We wanted to have a show that kind of encompassed all of that, so it's more of a fun show."

Even though it's friendly competition, Rioux said, athletes still work hard to getready for events like this, with athletes typically preparing for 12 to 16 weeks pre-show.

"It is a very kind of structured meal plan that a lot of the athletes go through," said Rioux."They eat generally six to eight times a day, small meals to kind of keep their blood sugar regulated and to always be providing their bodies with the nutrition that they need."

Hard work and sweat extends beyond the kitchen, of course.

Don't overdo it

"The athletes might spend like an hour or maybe to an hour-and-a-half a day in a gym," she said. "They might do some weight training, they might do some cardio."

Organizers encourage participants to maintain a balanced lifestyle and diet while they train, Rioux said to stay healthy, and to make them more competitive.

"If they are overly dieted or if they are trying to take it to the extreme and they're not healthy, it will show up in things like their skin in their face. And we judge that as well."

Rioux plans to make the Maritime Open an annual event.

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