Embracing the bodybuilding lifestyle.

Bikini bodybuilder April Roby took first place at the 2018 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic. She’s now headed to her first national show.

April;s life revolves around bodybuilding and classes at Northeastern State University, where she is a nutrition and dietetics major.

“I learn more and more each day with my major,” she told Tahlequah Daily Press. “It’s my passion, and hopefully, one day I’ll be a registered dietitian and own my own diabetic clinic or my own sports clinic.”

April does cardio in the morning, and training at night. She says the cardio is the most important and least pleasant.

“It’s to get that very last bit of body fat off. It forces your body to run off your ketones – your fat stores, because you don’t have those carbohydrates in your system for your body to run off. That’s the idea of it.”

At national competitions, bikini competitors try to dial down to as low as 8 percent body fat.

Her first national show will be in Miami, Florida. First or second place will earn her a pro-card.

“I’m not competing until November, so I can build a little bit more muscle and get more symmetrical before that time. My typical prep is 16 weeks, and it takes a lot of work…You have to stick to your strict diet, because it is so planned out perfectly to where your macros, your protein, your carbs and your fat are exactly what you’ll need to get the body you want.”

April says she doesn’t even mind not having the time to socialize with others. She prefers living with a strict and detailed schedule.

“The hardest part would be staying consistent on the diet. It gets hard when you can’t have the foods that you want. You’re constantly hungry, but you can’t give in to your cravings. So it’s definitely a mental game.”

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