Linda Dobszay

I grew up in Hungary and moved to Australia a year ago.

I've always loved sports, have tried many forms of it like gymnastics, athletics, skiing, karate, kajaking and a few more. As a 4-5 year old child I wanted to do ballet but I wasn't that thin, bird kind of structure so I was advised to choose strength sports and athletics instead.

I listened to this suggestion, gave up my plans and started gymnastics in kindergarten. Our group was placed 3rd in one of the local competitions. In primary school I competed in athletics  for about 3 years with my school team.

During all these years - not being a lean body type- I had constant struggle with my diet. I just love to eat!

Growing up in a country like Hungary where traditions for food are very strong, it's not an easy task to look fit. And I never really did look very fit. I was a strong build but not lean so I never felt confident. There was always some fat, just enough to hide the result of all my efforts in sports.

Around the age of 10 I decided to join one of the local gyms, where I only did aerobics classes, about 3-4 times a week. The coach lady was one of Hungary's most successful fitness competitors who just blew everyone away with her amazing, goddess body. For the next 3 years this was the only physical activity I did. I saw positive changes in my body, but was still far from being satisfied with what I saw in the mirror.

I started to feel the need of doing something else. There was only a big, heavy curtain dividing the group fitness room and the gym from each other. Before each class, the curtains were open, so we saw people lifting weights. That was when I decided to give it a go and joined the gym at the age of 13 and have been training with weights since then, it's been 18 years now. I did have a couple years when I just stopped because I was lacking motivation or for other emotional reasons.

I did get compliments in the gym, especially about my back, but I still didn't like my reflection in the mirror. Just that coat of fat almost everywhere was miserable. I wasn't fat, just covered... I made many mistakes those years. I was one of those females who wanted to use up most of their energy with cardio and then did some weights.

Like other girls I was afraid to lift big weights, thinking that it would make me even more bulky... But of course this method didn't help me to reveal my muscles properly. During my high school years I had many emotional ups and downs which also affected my way of eating. Like everyone else, I did have days when I starved myself.

I can say that I've always been on some sort of nutritional restriction. Unfortunately I'm not one of the lucky ones who can eat whatever they desire.

After about 6-7 year of weight training it was clear to me that I want to compete in figure one day. I knew that I had the potential to do very well. I knew that under that little fat there is the "real me".

I just had no idea how to bring it to the surface. I read lots of articles on the internet but there are so many opposing views on how to get lean that it just confused me. I also lacked willpower in my eating. I didn't have anyone around me who competed or looked fantastic.

In 2008 I met my present boyfriend, Kristian Porthill who already was a competitive bodybuilder. I moved to Shanghai, China where he worked as a personal trainer. I had the amazing opportunity to witness how it really works: how bodybuilders get into their best shape. In 2009 I helped him during his comp season. He entered five national and international shows, and has won all of them including the overalls!! I was blown away!

The desire to stand on stage got ever stronger in me. By that time I already had an idea what's waiting for me. Kris changed my perceptions on weight training. I've learned that women just don't have enough testosterone naturally to get massive, so nothing should hold me back from lifting heavy. What's more, I think women have to work almost twice as hard as men to gain 1 kg of muscle because of the hormonal differences.

My training changed in fundamentals. So did my body! But I was still short of will power in my diet.

And then something changed!

I was told that I can't say "I want to compete one day". Don't say "one day". If you keep saying this, you tend to postpone it forever...

"I start on Monday". WRONG!

As soon as I picked an upcoming NABBA competition here in Qld, I started to feel the pressure.

I knew that there is a day I have to get ready for. I have to stand on stage in a tiny bikini, with strong lighting, where you can't hide anything and hundreds of people stare at me, including about 10 judges, looking for faults all over my body!

This thought was pretty daunting. I've never would have thought that picking a day will give me this determination. I kept this in mind every day. This drove me to do cardio twice a day plus do weights and drastically change my diet.

I was visualising myself, winning on stage a million times while doing my jog. I've bought the high heels, looked for bikinis, chose the music. These all reminded me what I wanted to achieve for so long. And now I had all the tools to succeed! It was very exciting.
I wanted to win, not just compete! I wanted the first place trophy!

As a result of all my efforts and all the help I received I finally realised my dream and stood on stage this year in October on a state and national level. Beyond that, I won both of my first competitions: NABBA Figure Novice Ms Qld and Ms Australia!

Competition History:
2011 NABBA Figure Novice Ms Queensland 1st place,
2011 NABBA Figure Novice Ms Australia 1st place.