Accounts job to champion bodybuilder: Rosmi's gritty journey to realising her dream

While most people use the gym to stay fit, Rosmi from Fort Kochi has made fitness and bodybuilding her life. The invincible passion of the accounts professional ultimately led her to become the first runner-up at the 12th World Fitness Federation (WFF) MR & MS India 2024 National Championship held from November 8 to 10, at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Before bodybuilding, Rosmi worked as an accountant. But her love for fitness and bodybuilding grew stronger, leading her to quit her job in Qatar and return home. Facing opposition and criticism from her family, she persevered through rigorous training to become a national bodybuilding champion.
Here, Rosmi and Bibin share their inspiring 'gym life' journey, including their strict training regime that starts at early morning.

Back from Qatar to become national champion
"My husband is the reason I got into bodybuilding. I started in 2022 while I was in Qatar. I asked Bibin to send me videos of his workouts. I followed along and started noticing changes in my body as my muscles developed. One day, I asked my room mate to take a picture of my back muscles, and I could see a significant difference. Bibin was impressed when he saw the picture and encouraged me to move back home to train together. So, in July 2023, I returned and began serious training.

In February, I participated in my first competition in Ernakulam and won. I then placed as the second runner-up in the state-level competition. Unfortunately, I had a shoulder injury from a bike accident, which forced me to stop working out for a while. Once I recovered, I learned about the National Women's Bodybuilding Championship in November. With Bibin's guidance, I started training and went on to become the national first runner-up."

Family opposed gym life
"I've been interested in fitness since childhood and used to work out at home. My family didn't allow me to go to the gym; they didn't see it as a suitable career. I was working as an accountant and faced strong resistance when I expressed my desire to become a certified gym trainer.

I eventually quit my job and pursued the certification course. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic hit as I finished the course, forcing gyms to close, leaving me without work for a while. When they finally reopened, I started working as a trainer at a gym before getting a job in Qatar."

Love blossomed at the gym
"We met at the gym," says Bibin. "We shared the same goals and perspectives. I liked Rosmi from the start but only expressed my feelings after she moved to Qatar. Her dedication to fitness made me admire her even more. She always wanted to be fit, and I enjoyed training her. When she expressed interest in pursuing bodybuilding seriously, I urged her to come back home. Despite her family's disapproval, she returned, and we decided to build our life together. Today, we support each other's aspirations and are excited to face new challenges together. We are both preparing for upcoming competitions."

Disciplined training from dawn to dusk
"Rosmi starts her day at the gym by 6 am and trains until 3 pm. After a short break at home, she's back at the gym by 7:30 pm. Cooking is our biggest challenge as we dedicate so much time to working out and following a strict diet. We prepare five to six different meals the night before and store them in the fridge, ready to be heated and consumed the next day. That's how our day goes," Bibin says.