Michelle Hellyer and Shane Gordon with their collection of bodybuilding trophies. Photo / Rafaella Melo
Michelle Hellyer and Shane Gordon with their collection of bodybuilding trophies. Photo / Rafaella Melo
Hawke’s Bay policing couple Michelle Hellyer and Shane Gordon don’t just share their rank as constables – they also share a love of competitive bodybuilding.
During work hours they wear their blue uniforms, patrolling the front lines and keeping the community safe.
When not working, they trade their badges forbarbells.
The Hawke’s Bay policing couple Michelle Hellyer and Shane Gordon.
The pair returned from the World Natural Bodybuilding Champs in Canberra, Australia in November, where Hellyer won the Pro Miss Figure world title in her professional debut, only one year after started competing.
Gordon secured fourth place in the Pro Men’s Physique category at the prestigious event, which featured the best professionals from 20 countries.
“Being taller in bodybuilding is usually a disadvantage, so when I was announced as one of the top five, I was pretty happy with the result.”
Hawke’s Bay cop Shane Gordon secured fourth place in the Pro Men’s Physique category at the World Natural Bodybuilding Champs in Canberra, Australia in November 2024.
For Hellyer, “The show day is pretty cool, but it is just a little part of the whole process.”
The preparation, which includes balancing their dual lives as frontline officers and elite athletes, isn’t an easy feat, often resulting in peculiar situations for cops trying to meet bodybuilding diet goals.
“I’m the person who is carrying a kilo and a half of cooked chicken on the way,” Gordon said, referring to one of the few times he was deployed outside of Hawke’s Bay with no clear timeline for when he’d return.
For him, the meeting of the two different worlds began years ago through powerlifting, but it wasn’t until late 2021, when he saw the Armed Forces & Emergency Services Bodybuilding Championships, that his interest in natural bodybuilding took shape.
“I didn’t know that natural bodybuilding was a thing. It’s all tested, and naturally with the job I do, I can’t be taking steroids.”
Hellyer stepped into the scene after meeting Gordon in 2022.
“He kept saying how good he thought I would be,” she said.
For seven years she was immersed in competitive CrossFit, until Gordon convinced her to give bodybuilding a shot.
“I bit the bullet, and 2023 was my first year competing as a bodybuilder.”
That year, they each won their categories in the Hawke’s Bay competition, the New Zealand Nationals, and earned pro cards.
The preparation demanded effort.
For Gordon, night shifts and on-call duties added layers of complexity to his bodybuilding routine.
“At any point, I could be called out in the middle of the night. The resting part is really important, but from a meal standpoint, I have to be really prepared, as my role doesn’t allow me to go back to the station that consistently.”
He had to have quick and easy options, especially when he was eating “seven times a day”.
“If you get stuck on a job, you come home and you’ve got four meals to cram in.”
Gordon’s dedication was tested during a late-night foot chase just weeks before the competition.
Hungry, cold and fatigued, he ran over 2km at 2am in full police gear to help track down suspects.
“Everything feels heavier and more difficult when your body fat is low, but you just have to adapt.”
“We get a lot of banter, but they’re really supportive and curious about what we do,” Hellyer said.
They plan to take 2025 off to focus on building more musculature before returning to the stage in 2026 for multiple international competitions in the United States and Europe.
