Trick of bodybuilding: strength of muscles plus strength of will

[Editor’s Note: A body is like a car. To run it well, firstly you have to warm it up. Every Monday in the gym on Zijingang campus of Zhejiang University, there is an interesting class guiding students to fully warm up and build their figure. The body-sculptor is a national and world-class athlete, SHI Qianyu, now the teacher of ZJU’s Department of Public Physical and Art Education. How she hones her muscles as well as strength of will? Let’s spotlight her bodybuilding story.]

From dancing to bodybuilding

Though brought up as a dancer, Shi was attracted by bodybuilding and fitness during her undergraduate. Encouraged by the teachers, she took part in the National College Students Fitness Championship by chance. To her surprise, abundant dancing experiences and arduous efforts provided her with a fruitful outcome: the second place in group of “Women’s Fitness”, which pumped her up to proceed further with this path.

SHI Qianyu walking the show  

Every step counts, especially for an athlete. Speaking of her dancing days, Shi spread out her hands, where the palms have grown thick calluses. “For a female dancer, withstanding the hardship is an every-day task. If I train just as hard as anyone else, then how can I win the championship?” Evidently, past days polish not only her basic strength and skills, but also the strong will to confront all the challenges, both of which function well in her bodybuilding career.

Persistence in hardship matters

The year of 2019 witnessed a turning point of Shi’s career, where she impressed the audience at the world stage, 2019 IFBB World Fitness Championships (International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness). Casting a back glance, Shi contended that this journey was full of twists and turns, but luckily, persistence carried her through the hardships.

From the departure of Beijing to the arrival at the contest site in Slovakia, the trip took her more than thirty hours, with little time left for adjustment. “Even worse, my face numbed due to the inflammation of a wisdom tooth. To show the brightest smile, I had to bear it and tried to grin,” said Shi. “When I finished the first round, my tears just burst out, but I quickly wiped them, or they would blur the make-up,” continued Shi with a warm smile. This precious experience speaks eloquently for the very sportsmanship: enjoyment comes from exercise of the body as well as the persistence of the will, and the two are ever united.

Snapshot of SHI Qianyu at 2019 IFBB World Fitness Championships

Animating the young with sportsmanship

In 2020, Shi took a new role as a teacher of bodybuilding and fitness at ZJU. Speaking of this course, Shi prioritizes the significance of lifelong exercising. “This course aims to teach students how to exercise properly and further, to keep them physically active. Beyond that, I also show them some professional postures of bodybuilding and fitness to arouse their interest in this realm,” introduced Shi.

Students warming up and learning the postures

To ensure proper exercise, Shi always instructs students’ moves with great patience. “Most of us are not good at bodybuilding, so the teacher corrects our errors one by one,” said HOU Linsheng, an undergraduate of 2018 from ZJU’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “After class we still keep an active habit, and we usually exercise together with the classmates,” told Hou. 

“It is literally a tough course, which toughens up both physical force and spiritual perseverance,” told LI Jiayi, an undergraduate of 2019 from ZJU’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities. “We can see our progress clearly from the classmates, say, some of us gaining handsome muscles, some shedding the love handles. That’s quite encouraging for us beginners,” Li said with great pleasure.

Writers: CHEN Yongnan; CAI Bohan

Photo and vedio credti: SHI Qianyu

Translator: ZHANG Jinmei

Editor: TIAN Minjie