‘Some Doubted My Orientation; A Few Called Me Transgender’

 

Winner of the 2021 Senior Women National Bodybuilding Competition Geeta Saini discusses her journey from overweight teen to ripped athlete and the challenges she faced along the way.

They see the gold medal I won and know I am a winner in the world of women's bodybuilding, but they have no idea of the hardships I endured to get there.

My path to become a bodybuilder began when I decided to start working out to shed some pounds. When I was 23, I weighed about 110 kilogrammes (about 230 pounds). Putting in two to three hours of exercise per day and following a rigorous eating plan allowed me to lose 46 pounds in a single year. However, as time went on, my skin became laxer and less elastic. I started to appear like a 50-year-old when I was only 23.

That's when I really started feeling down about myself. My older brother Sachin Saini, who is a bodybuilder, suggested I begin lifting weights in order to improve the appearance of my skin. For this reason, I decided to resume my workout regimen. Very quickly, weightlifting became a serious hobby of mine. As a graphic designer by trade, I never intended to engage in bodybuilding. My only goal was to improve my physical condition.

My brother, alas, had to give up bodybuilding to focus on the family business, so I had to devote more time to the sport. After deciding to enter a state-level bodybuilding competition, I began training for one and, in 2017, placed in the top ten at the Haryana Senior Women's Bodybuilding Competition in Gurgaon.