The Largest Female Athlete Of All Time – You’ll Never Believe What This Female Bodybuilder Used To Look Like
If there's something to admire about Nataliya Kuznetsova Trukhina, it's that she is determined. As one of the biggest and most successful female bodybuilders in Russia, Nataliya has broken multiple lifting records and won international competitions since she began her powerlifting journey 14-years-old.
Unfortunately, even with all of her success, people often make rude comments about her muscular appearance. But even the haters have to admit her transformation from skinny teenager to world-famous bodybuilder is impressive. Read on to learn about Nataliya's moving story and see her "before photo." You won't recognize her!
220-Pounds Of Pure Muscle
At the age of 27, Russian bodybuilder Nataliya Kuznetsova Trukhina is the European arm lift champion. But her status as a powerlifter isn't the only reason she's made a name for herself in the niche sport.
Nataliya weighs 220-pounds with, what looks like, little to no body fat, making her the heaviest female in the sport. It's no wonder male bodybuilders look tiny next to her muscular body! Ironically, the world champ grew up with an opposite body type.
As A Child, Nataliya Was Slim But Athletic
As a kid, Nataliya was skinny, maxing out at 88-pounds when she was only 14 years old. Her slight weight didn't stop her, though. Since she was little, Nataliya loved playing sports, her favorite being combative activities.
Even though she was athletic, she was often teased for her slight build, so she began hitting the gym. No one could believe it when Nataliya won the title of Zabaikayle Region Champion, only two years later, at the age of 16.
Her Arms Measure 18.5 Inches Around
Today, Nataliya is the opposite of a skinny teenager. At five foot seven, her build is made up of mostly hard muscle, contributing to her 220-pound weight. But you'll never guess how large her arms and legs actually are.
Nataliya's thighs measure around 28 inches while her arms are 18.5 inches around. Pretty impressive for someone who used to weigh only 88 pounds! Obviously, she can thank her 529-pound deadlift sets and 374-pound bench presses for those muscles.
Performance-Enhancing Substances
People don't get a body like Nataliya's by solely working out; there is a strict dietary plan and, perhaps, some performance-enhancers to help speed up the process. Nataliya has admitted that steroids and estrogen blockers have helped her during competitions in the past.
She has also tried insulin and peptides at one point but did not care for the results. Luckily, the competitions Nataliya participates in do not require routine tests to see if the competitors are using performance-enhancing substances.
Side Effects Are Real
Unfortunately, with the intake of performance-enhancing substances come a long list of side effects. Most people are surprised when they hear Nataliya's voice for the first time because it is deeper than the average female.
Other side effects are considered similar to what males go through during puberty. That includes a deeper voice, baldness, and an increased amount of facial and body hair. Nataliya's love for the competition didn't sway her from the substances, but it did pave the way for some bullying.
Not Embarrassed About Taking Substances
Nataliya never hid the fact that she was using performance-enhancing substances or estrogen blockers. She has admitted on several occasions to taking anywhere from 150 to 220 mg of Proprionate or Primobolan before competitions. And on training days she'll ingest 20 mg of oxandrolone.
All of the substances allow her to maintain her muscular build, and she's not embarrassed by it. But that doesn't mean there aren't people who will speak ill of her body, especially in the comments section on her social media pages.
Cyberbullies Vs. In-Person Bullies
Nataliya is very proud of all she's been able to achieve since she was a skinny teenager. But with her lifestyle choices comes the risk of hateful messages. She has had her fair share of bullies hating on her body, but cyberbullies are different than in-person bullies because she doesn't even know the person.
In an interview, Nataliya says that, unlike her childhood, people would never dare make fun of her appearance if they passed her on the street, now they wait to insult her online.
Nataliya Stopped Posting On Social Media
Due to all of the hateful messages that were taking up a vast majority of her comment sections, Nataliya decided to stop posting to social media. In an interview, Nataliya claimed that whenever she posted a picture of herself, hateful messages would swarm her inbox and comments.
Even though there were plenty of encouraging comments and people calling her their role model and idol, Nataliya couldn't deal with the hurtful and negative things others were saying about her body.
She Was Born To Be A Powerlifter
Just two years after Nataliya began lifting, she won her first competition. When asked about the quick success, she said, "Just a few months after I started exercising, I performed at regional competitions, and I liked it very much."
"I became an absolute champion of the Zabaikayle Region when I was sixteen. That's how it all began. I even did army dogfighting. I was not too bad. Results became visible pretty fast." This girl was born to be a powerlifter!
Breaking Records And Taking Names
Becoming the region champion at the age of 16 was just the start! After her first win, Nataliya decided to dedicate her life to the sport. As the years flew by, she only got better and better.
Two years ago, Nataliya became the world bench press champion and the world arm lifting champion. Titles that are not easily earned. Again, that wasn't enough to quench Nataliya's appetite for competition. She's also the European bench press and deadlift champion!
Lifting Is A Hobby
Although Nataliya has dedicated her life to the sport of powerlifting, she still considers it to be nothing more than her hobby. She said, "hobbies should be fun, if not, what good is a pastime?"
Honestly, there is no arguing that logic! It's ironic, too, because her mere hobby turned her into an internet celebrity and role model for girls wishing to get into the sport. Nataliya does have one warning to those who want to follow in her gym-shoe footsteps, though.
She's Had Financial Troubles
Unfortunately, in the pursuit of becoming the best, this young bodybuilder experienced some financial strain. Traveling to competitions, outfits, training, paying for trainers, and not to mention the cost of a gym membership has taken up a considerable sum of Nataliya's money.
Since her time is mostly spent at the gym, keeping up with her muscular physique, she can't get a part-time job. Thankfully, she's made a name for herself in the niche sport and can look for sponsors to provide a steady income.
Sponsors Are Hard To Find In Russia
Female powerlifting and bodybuilding are not popular sports in Russia, making sponsors difficult to find. Nataliya has said that it is nearly impossible to find a steady sponsorship in the country.
This means that Nataliya has to rely on credit cards in order to travel to competitions and pay her numerous gym fees. She raked up quite a debt because of it, making it seem like the sport isn't really worth the trouble.
She's Shared Her Personal Email For Donations
Because Russia does not support the sports, Nataliya has had to become creative in her financial pursuits. Even though she isn't the biggest fan of social media, it hasn't stopped her from utilizing sites such as Facebook in the hopes of finding a sponsor.
Nataliya's gone as far as releasing her personal email address to her followers, hoping for any donation. She then set up chat rooms and skype sessions, chatting with fans.
$7 A Minute For A Personal Skype Session
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Nataliya was in dire need of money. She decided to sell Skype sessions for $7 a minute and training/posing videos for $5 a minute. They didn't do as well as she hoped.
Nataliya decided on a new plan of attack, offering training and advice on Skype for $100 a session. She then created a private Facebook group to promote her "services and various products." Money was a serious issue, but it didn't stop other females from pursuing a body and powerlifting lifestyle.
Julia Vins, Nataliya's Student
Through all of the financial struggles, Nataliya gets peace of mind during training. And although powerlifting is not a popular sport among Russian females, she also gets the opportunity to use her champion status to mentor other young girls.
Julia Vins is a young powerlifter that sometimes trains under Nataliya, hoping to learn new workouts and techniques in hopes of becoming as muscular as her teacher. Is that even possible? Only time will tell!
Are Those Muscles Even Real?
Speaking of her muscular build, there have been online trolls commenting that there is no way she is actually that big and that her photos are edited and fake. Listen, haters, all you have to do is visit Nataliya's Youtube channel, and you'll see for yourself just how fit this lady is!
While we understand the speculation surrounding Nataliya's body, especially with all of the photo editing people do to their social media pictures, don't let your biases fool you! She is just that muscular.
Don't Call It A Comeback, She's Been Here For Years
After taking a hiatus from Instagram, Nataliya recently rejoined the world of social media, opening a new account. With the new profile, Nataliya's well-hidden personal life was out in the open for her 547,000 followers, a number that has tripled since 2017.
Her photos mostly consist of her on the beach, vacationing, random holidays, and, of course, the gym. But social media leaves your life wide open to the public, so there are other things we've learned about the powerlifter!
She Has A Husband And Young Son
Nataliya likes to keep her personal life just that, personal. But even this 27-year-old couldn't help but post a few pictures of her family to her Instagram account. Nataliya and her husband have been married for a few years, and they have a son.
Of course, this love story makes total sense because the two met at the gym! Nataliya says her husband is her number one fan and fully supports her. He even trains her, at times!
She Looks Like A Famous Celebrity
Aside from her Instagram posts of her posing in beautiful locations or competing for the next championship title, Nataliya also expressed her admiration for a certain celebrity. She is a big fan of Ms. Angelina Jolie!
Nataliya even went as far as posting a picture of her striking the same pose alongside Jolie. Despite Nataliya's muscular build, the profile of the bodybuilder and movie star's faces have a weird similarity! It must be their marvelous bone structure.
She's A Huge Foodie!
Another thing that no one would have guessed had it not been for Instagram is that Nataliya is a mega food lover! Even though she has little to no fat on her entire body, the bodybuilder loves posting pictures of her carbo-loading and enjoying the occasional cheat meal.
To fans' surprise, the champion bodybuilder posted a picture of her eating a waffle covered in ice cream with all the yummy fixings, not to mention the pina colada next to the plate. Think of all of the calories she burns in her workouts, though!
Lots And Lots Of Protein
Even though she is a foodie, Nataliya still follows a strict diet plan of sorts. Like most bodybuilders, her diet is high in protein with some specialty food groups thrown in the mix, such as buckwheat grains and rice.
Her daily meals usually consist of meat, fish, lots of green veggies that are high in fiber, high-fat cheeses, and six eggs with only two of the yolks. To keep up her strength, Nataliya also takes vitamin supplements.
Workout Regimen: No Cardio All Lifting
While most gym fanatics watch their weight and muscle gain each day, Nataliya is the opposite. Even though she competes, Nataliya does not measure her muscles each day. Her secret doesn't lie in her diet or measurements, but a rigorous workout routine.
Her training includes no cardio and a whole lot of powerlifting sets, which makes sense. We don't know about you, but we would feel so intimidated watching her lift at the gym!
It's All About Repetition
Nataliya's workout 'secret' is actually pretty simple; it's all about repetition and taking care of each muscle group at least once a week. Her back workouts, on the other hand, are usually twice a week because she has different sets for 'width' and 'thickness.'
Another trick is that she doesn't push herself too hard when a big competition is coming up. Usually, she'll hit the gym at least six times a week, but if there is a contest, she cuts her gym time in half.
Female Bodybuilding Subculture
ABC News has called Nataliya's world a "secret world of women's bodybuilding," even calling it a subculture! In the article, they say that women who begin bodybuilding never go into the gym thinking of gaining all of that muscle. It just becomes an obsession!
It seems that it was the same for Nataliya. She began going to the gym in order to get people to stop making fun of her slight build. And what started as a way to make the bullies back off became her life.
Bodybuilding Was Her Destiny
Since she was young, combat sports and power were always an interest to Nataliya. During an interview, she says that those two things most likely contributed to her feeling like the bodybuilding profession was her destiny. She was going to find the sport sooner or later!
Nataliya's not sure where she would be without her chosen 'hobby,' and she doesn't care to find out. Nowhere else are people going to give her nicknames such as the Russian Amazon!
Psychological Benefits
While there are some that consider bodybuilding to be a type of body dysmorphia, there are others that consider it to be very therapeutic and good for their mental health. Some psychologists think the sport is beneficial, especially to female participants.
Nataliya, for example, began bodybuilding to boost her self-esteem. It worked! And now she is one of the, if not the female, to beat at competitions. The sport has allowed Nataliya to feel empowered.
Some Think She Might Be Addicted
Some psychologists say that bodybuilding is a type of disorder because people are desperate to make their bodies look a certain way. This led Nataliya's fans to raise the question, "did she get addicted to the sport?"
She certainly looks different than before, even when she was in shape as a teenager, but that doesn't mean she's addicted to muscle gain. One downfall of the sport we know for sure is that she is always the center of attention.
Constant Center Of Attention
Like most women, Nataliya loves to go out shopping, to lunch with friends, and the occasional trip to the salon. Unfortunately, what seems like mundane tasks are difficult for her to accomplish because she is always the center of attention.
In an interview, Nataliya said, "When I go out on the street, I will know for sure that everyone will pay attention to me. In my life, it's sometimes easier for an alien to go unnoticed than me. I try to ignore all of these distractions."
Increased Recognition
After years of financial struggle and credit card debt, Nataliya is finally getting the recognition she deserves. In the world of female bodybuilding in her home country, she was able to snag two sponsorship deals.
Nataliya is now the proud face of two sports nutrition brands, RPS Nutrition as well as Oxytropin. Being a sponsored athlete means she no longer has to worry about how she is going to travel, letting her focus on working out.
An Idol To Young Girls
Her increased status in the female bodybuilding world has made Nataliya an inspiration for young girls who want to follow in her footsteps. The only thing is they're afraid to start training themselves because of the stigma against females in the sport.
When asked what she would say to those young girls, Nataliya said, "Go and train yourselves, I know that many women are afraid of being perceived as 'buffs,' but this will not happen. You should go and grant yourselves a beautiful, athletic figure."
Before Bodybuilding, She Was A Tiny Girl
When Nataliya posted a photo of herself as a young girl on Instagram, no one recognized her! Compared to her muscular build now, the girl in the picture looks beyond slight. What Nataliya accomplished in just a few years is something to marvel at.
It shows what happens when dedication and hard work are put to the test — in her case, transforming her body to become one of the most recognizable female bodybuilders in the world!
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