Bodybuilding Gran Packing Fourteen Stone Of Muscle Says Her Two Children Have Never Hindered Her Gains

By Rebecca Drew

 

THIS GRAN of three loves her impressive FOURTEEN STONE muscular physique and SEVENTEEN INCH BICEPS but insists that it isn’t harder to achieve these results after having children but hopes to be able to inspire others to do what makes them happy.

Correctional officer, fascial stretch therapist and personal trainer, Robin Hillis (48) from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, had always been sporty and into fitness and participated in most sports at school.

When Robin left high school in 1989, she joined a gym to maintain her fitness and soon fell in love with bodybuilding. Before taking up the sport Robin was shy, but bodybuilding gave her a new lease of life and in 1993 and weighing 9st 9lb, she competed in her first bodybuilding competition and placed second.

Robin kept in shape during and after her pregnancies with her daughters, Katey (23) and Courtney (21) who, along with Robin’s grandchildren, Abel (3), Avianna (2) and Wynter (1) are her biggest supporters and encourage her to be the best she can be. Robin juggled motherhood and bodybuilding around her children as they grew up and they loved to watch her in competitions and cheer her on from the side lines.

The gran of three receives largely positive reactions to her impressive physique and she says that having children shouldn’t make it harder to achieve such results. In 2014, Robin earnt her IFBB pro card and she now competes in the professional league all over the world.

She now weighs 14st 4lb at 5ft 9in and sports 17in biceps, trains six days a week when prepping for a show and five days a week in off-season. Robin competes twice a year and says that bodybuilding has taught her self-belief.

“I was tall and skinny but very athletic. I was an average student but I grew up playing basketball, volleyball, running track, baseball,” said Robin.

“After high school I didn’t want to get out of shape so joined a gym and fell into bodybuilding and was addicted right away.

“Before this I was quiet, shy and a bit awkward with normal insecurities kids have.

“Now I love how I look and feel.  I am very confident and enjoy life and still love to laugh. I get a mixed variety of reactions but mostly positive. I rarely get negative comments on my social media or in person.

“I don’t think it’s harder to achieve these results after having children but it also depends on everyone’s hormonal profile, metabolism and lifestyles.

“Yes I do [hope to be an inspiration to mums and grans] and I also hope I inspire younger girls to do what they love and not pay attention to people’s opinions.  I hope I inspire everyone to love themselves and do what makes them happy.”

Robin doesn’t count calories but has five meals a day in between her training sessions.

A typical day consists of waking up at 6am and doing high intensity fasted cardio for 20 minutes, followed by her first meal of the day which is a cup of egg whites, two whole eggs and spinach and then a second meal which is five ounces of chicken, cucumbers, sugar free ketchup and spices; then Robin goes to the gym, trains, does 12 minutes of steady state cardio, practices posing, sits in the sauna for up to 10 minutes before having her third meal which is five ounces of steak and three ounces of yams.

Then she walks her dog, Ping, before having her fourth meal which is five ounces of fish or chicken with cucumbers and rice if she is off season. After this Robin makes time for her children and grandchildren before having her fifth and final meal of the day which is a cup of egg whites, one whole egg, spinach and avocado before spending 20 minutes on the treadmill and going to bed.

For cheat meals, Robin loves to indulge in chocolate and sushi, she spoke about how her family has supported her and how she managed motherhood with a strict training schedule.

“My girls are on their own now as they are 21 and 23 with their own families. But when they were younger, I would go to the gym when they were in school or bed and prep my meals before they woke up,” she said.

“I didn’t want to take any time from them so prioritised and kept a tight schedule that didn’t interfere with our time.

“When my girls were young, they came to every show with me and would scream ‘mom’. They would help with my hair, come to the gym with me, and encourage me to keep going.

“I had a rough time building my legs as I am about 5ft 9in so I had to change my mental approach to training them.  Meaning I needed to grow some balls and train harder.

“It has taught me patience as it takes time to achieve your goals, and to be persistent when trying to achieve your goals. Lastly it has taught me to believe in myself.

“To anyone who wants to give it a go, seek out help, read and educate yourself, and most importantly be consistent.”

 

For more information see www.instagram.com/robintripledee