Deborah Vickers is a shinning example of the positives of bodybuilding.

At age 35, Deborah Vickers is a living embodiment of the thriving bodybuilding community in great Britain. By day, she works at her high-powered position in the tech industry. When the career ends though, the real work begins, as Deborah is an avid powerlifter, rower, and competitive bodybuilder.

She told Manchester Evening News:

“I have always had a competitive nature and work ethic. I am one of five children and have a twin sister, so there was obvious battle for position from an early age. I am from a very sporty family. My parents were not pushy but very supportive of whatever I wanted to do. Running was my first love and I was a competitive runner for school and at county level, but never made it to national level because of injury.”

She says that she competed in sprinting, the 400 meter, 5ks, and marathons. Out of school, Vickers jumped into training as an England Athletics accredited running and assistant athletics coach, and currently works as a guide runner to visually impaired athletes.

In 2015, in search of a new, hyper-demanding outlet, Vickers took up the bikini of women’s bodybuilding. It was initially suggested by a friend at the gym, and she was skeptical at first. But she won her first two shows, and this year stepped onstage at the UK Bodybuilding Federation finals.

“Admittedly, people find bodybuilding unusual, with the bikinis and spray tans, but the show is just like race day. You are there to show what you’ve got. It was an amazing experience.”

Since taking up bodybuilding, Vickers has diversified her training into sports like powerlifting. She says the hypertrophy and strength sessions are symbiotic, as now she can deadlift almost twice her bodyweight. Deborah is just another example of a woman who found a physically competitive outlet in a world dominated by desk jobs and gender stigma.

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