Wairarapa muscles rippled through the competition at the North Island body building championships in Masterton Town Hall on Saturday, with four local bodybuilders finishing top of their fields.
Bevan and Rachel McKenzie, owners of Wai Weight gym which hosted the event, won the mixed pairs event, as well as winning their
respective classes.
Bevan took out the open men over 100kg, while Rachel was best in open body fitness, short.
Wairarapa woman Sheryl Blade took out the masters women over 35 class, while Linda Oldfield was best in the figure section for tall women.
Champion male bodybuilder was visitor Supry Sos with a bulky but defined physique on a shorter, darker frame than his competitors.
Top body fitness woman was Liz Paterson, winner of the tall section, while the top woman in the figure category was the graceful Louise Sinniah-Burr.
Lebanon-born New Zealander Moe El Moussawi, one of the world's top 10 bodybuilders, was a judge at the event.
Mr El Moussawi explained a change to the female competitors, with the "figure" section being a new name and a greater separation from the more musclebound body building category.
"The word 'figure' is beauty," he said.
International bodybuilding organisers were aiming for "the feminine look ... acceptable to the general public as a general sport ... nice symmetry".
"The overall look has to be different to the bodybuilding ... we're trying to separate the two."
After seeing all competitors in the prejudging on Saturday afternoon, Mr El Moussawi was impressed. "It's a very good standard, improved on last year, which improved on the year before," he said.
"Awareness of the sport is growing. The support from the crowd is really good.'
"I can guarantee you that out of the people on that stage there will be overall winners in the nationals."
At the finals that evening, the painted competitors glistened under the lights, moving and flexing to the background of their chosen tunes and cheers and whistles from the crowd.
In the open finals they flexed or turned at the direction of the judges.
Speaking afterwards, Bevan McKenzie said he was pleased with the success of the Wairarapa competitors and the event, if a little saddened not to take the open men's title this time around.
Organiser Terry Hill, of the New Zealand Federation of Body Builders, publicly thanked all the sponsors and Mr McKenzie for his efforts.
