A FEMALE bodybuilder with a ripped physique says she no longer fears showing off her body despite remarks from her haters.
Grace Griswold, 22, has rid of her insecurities about looking “manly” and is now rocking her toned physique in bikinis after transforming her body with weightlifting.
Having turned her focus to working out during lockdown, she is now a bikini bodybuilder boasting impressive muscles.
But it things haven't always been plain sailing, with Griswold initially worried about showing off her body by wearing more feminine clothes.
In a TikTok video that has gone viral, whereby she shows off her toned physique in a halterneck corset-style top, Grace revealed how she struggled with her initial insecurities.
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She wrote: “I used to never wear halters because I thought they made me look manly. Now I wear them to show off the lats."
In a recent interview, Griswold also explained how she would only focus on certain parts of her body to avoid looking a certain way.
“I didn’t want to train my upper body at first because I was insecure about the size of my back and shoulders," she said.
“Clothes sometimes didn’t fit me right because of it.
“But once I started, I realised my back was something to be proud of and began to love it.
“It makes me stand out and now I love to show it off, so I worked on continuing to build my upper body."
Griswold, a recent college graduate based in Atlanta, US, would refuse to wear anything that accentuated her shoulders but is now proud of showing off the work she's put in.
While she revealed she still receives some hurtful comments, Griswold insists she doesn't let it get her down.
“I do get some negative comments such as people saying women shouldn’t have this amount of muscle, or saying it’s not attractive," the bodybuilder said.
“But I feel confident and comfortable now wearing a lot of the clothes I used to avoid when I was younger.”
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Griswold has always been sporty, training in gymnastics growing up and enjoying cheerleading in high school.
During lockdown, she started to take her fitness more seriously with home workouts focusing on weightlifting.
She said: “I started working out for myself and not for a sport for the first time when Covid hit in 2020.
“I only did bodyweight workouts at home to start out.
“I fell in love with fitness and working out, and decided I wanted to take it to the next level.”
A year-and-a-half ago, Griswold started competing in bodybuilding competitions and now trains five times a week.
Even when she isn't working out, she insists she is still active "every day".
“If I don’t go to the gym, I will go for a walk or walk on the treadmill for some movement," Griswold explained.
“I am naturally wider in my back and shoulders due to my genetics and years of gymnastics – which is great for building upper body strength – so my background definitely gave me an advantage.
“My ultimate goal is to step on the Olympia stage one day.”
