Elizabeth Smart’s grueling fitness routine has been revealed after she won first place at her fourth bodybuilding competition.
“She followed a plan … healthy meal plan all this time,” Smart’s fitness coach, Robyn Maher, told “Extra.”
“And then … weight training most days of the week. So typically, five to six days a week focus on specific muscle groups,” she added.
“That’s what you’re judged on, you know, when you know, when you get up onstage. And you know, she did really well at this last competition. She got a first-place trophy.”
Maher confirmed Smart competed in her first competition under her married name, Elizabeth Gilmour, as her maiden name is well known for her childhood abduction.
“She wasn’t looking for any attention. Just wanted to do it for herself and set that goal,” Maher told the outlet.
“And we were super excited. She made great progress with her physique, and she kind of caught the bug a little bit. She said, ‘I think I want to do this again, like, I’ve seen what I’ve accomplished. I feel stronger,’” she explained.
Smart, 38, shocked fans this week when she revealed that she was a competitive bodybuilder by showing off her ultrafit physique.
On Tuesday, the child safety activist shared a photo of herself in a navy blue bikini and clear heels from her fourth bodybuilding competition over the weekend.
Smart confessed in the caption that she was scared to post about her competitions over a fear of being “judged, not taken seriously, somehow perceived as less than or now unworthy to continue work as an advocate for all survivors.”
“Then this past weekend it struck me how eerily familiar these feelings and thoughts are for too many survivors,” the mom of three added.
In 2002, Smart was taken from her bedroom in Salt Lake City when she was 14 years old.
Nine months later, she was rescued by police and became an advocate for survivors of sexual violence and a child safety activist.
In 2011, Smart created the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which seeks to bring hope, empowerment and change in the fight against sexual violence.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.