Quick rise to the top for champion Whanganui bodybuilder Gwyn Pardoe

Gwyn Pardoe picked bodybuilding as a challenge when she reached her 50th birthday. Photo / Supplied

Up until recently, all of Gwyn Pardoe's gym attempts ended with false starts.

That all changed when the Whanganui early childhood educator saw a photo of a pupil's parent who had entered a bodybuilding show in Australia.

Three years later it was Pardoe stepping onto the stage.

She came out on top in her first-ever competition, being named overall novice figure winner at the recent National Amateur Body-Builders' Association (NABBA) Lower North Island Championships.

"I saw this photo and just thought she looked amazing," Pardoe said.

"That was the year I turned 50. You have to do something spectacular when you hit that age so I decided that bodybuilding would be it."

The first person she approached was City Gym's Pat McNamara.

"I hassled the poor guy for about six months and he kept telling me he was retired. He finally said 'Ugh, OK'," Pardoe said.

Pardoe said up until that point she had paid for yearly memberships at two gyms, gone about five times, and then stopped.

"I had done a bit of CrossFit but then I stumbled across the photo of the parent. I knew immediately that it was something I wanted to do.

"For me, it wasn't about losing weight. The challenge was putting on the muscle.

"That can prove to be a bit tricky when you hit 50. I could lift a whole bunch but those muscles were stubborn.'"

Symmetry and proportion are more significant than muscularity in the figure class.

According to the NABBA, The objective is to "achieve a firm, toned, feminine physique".

"The Figure Women's muscles should show good development.

"They should be full and well-rounded while still showing separation and definition."

By day, Gwyn Pardoe works as an early childhood teacher. Photo / Supplied

Pardoe said her diet changed dramatically.

"It looks as if I don't but I eat a whole heap of food. It just gets burned up.

"I had to make friends with fish. It's not something I really like but I'm on a hoki a day at the moment. It's about $120 a week just on that.

"Meal preparation is another big thing. You have to be aware of exactly what and when you're eating. Weighing your food was something completely new as well."

It wasn't just a matter of doing a single competition and stopping, Pardoe said.

"Funnily enough, I wasn't a nervous wreck for my first show. There was just adrenaline. I loved it.

"First show, first bikini, first set of high heels on a wooden floor, first everything."

The national championships are already in her sights, and getting a place on the podium there would be "magnificent".

They are in Masterton over Labour Day weekend.

Pardoe makes the commute to Palmerston North every day for work, so she has to get up at 4.45am every day to go to the gym beforehand.

"One thing I had to learn was defending what I was doing because people often don't understand," she said.

"What food can do to your body is a really funny thing to try and explain.

"Someone might say 'I just want to eat what you eat and then I'll look like you' but it doesn't really work like that."

Pardoe has a trainer, nutritionist and a posing coach.

"You need that (posing) coach to highlight what you've worked so hard for.

"It's all about how you carry yourself. Pretend to be confident on the stage and you will be confident.

"On the top, you're swimming around like a beautiful swan but underneath you're paddling like mad."

A well-earned slice of Caramilk cheesecake is on the menu after the nationals are completed.

"That's what I ate for breakfast last time, with whipped cream and yoghurt thank you very much," Pardoe said.