competition organisers insist is "a sport, not a beauty pageant''.

Amateur bodybuilders will compete for the titles Mr. and Ms Bermuda. The winners will go on to the Central American and Caribbean (C.A.C.) Championships in November.

And a team of three Bermudians will go to the "Champion of Champions'' contest, to be held in Barbados this August, says Ms Kym Burns, BBBF Athletic Club representative.

The Bermuda competition, to be staged in the City Hall auditorium on August 7, consists of two parts. The morning programme covers weigh-in, profiles, and the compulsory poses. The pre-judging carries two-thirds of the scoring.

"The contestants will be judged on muscularity and definition,'' says Ms Burns.

"In the evening, contestants will perform two-minute posing routines to music of their own choice. This part makes the final break between winners and runners-up.'' This year, there will be a prize awarded purely for the artistic merit of the routine, she adds.

Bodybuilders prepare over months, even years, says Ms Burns. "It takes time to put on quality muscle. You train, sleep, and eat bodybuilding. It's a lifestyle.'' And enthusiasts claim that, given today's obesity and cholesterol levels, bodybuilding is important in reducing stress and raising morale.

Body-building is the "quickest and most efficient way to total fitness'', she says.

Of general gym members, "not that many'' are into bodybuilding to actually sculpt the physique.

Ms Burns denies the "stereotype'' of female bodybuilders being a mass of muscles, saying: "Only a minority is professional.'' She says it takes much longer for a woman to put on as much bulk as a man because "men have more testosterone''.

BBBF President Mr. Dennis Wainwright says the International Body-Building Federation (IBBF) is changing its approach to female bodybuilding.

"It started with a feminine approach, then turned toward muscular women, which caused steroid-taking,'' he explains. "We seem to be moving away, back to femininity again, which discourages the use of steroids.'' This year's guest poser is Ms Sharon Bruneau, a five-foot-nine professional bodybuilder weighing in at 155 pounds. Her titles include Ms North America 1991 and Ms Olympia Contender 1993.

Ms Bruneau will be the guest poser in the evening of August 7, and show Bermuda how the professionals do it.

The BBBF comprises ten Bermuda gyms that are involved in the sport. Tickets and entry forms are available at The Athletic Club, Graham Swan's Gym, The Olympic Club and International Sports Shop. For more details call 295-6140.

GOVERNING BODY -- Bermuda Body-Building Society Committee members, standing, Ms Kym Burns and president Mr. Dennis Wainwright. Seated, from left, are Ms Shelley Thompson, secretary Ms Iola Rocker, and Ms Dawn Fubler. (Missing, vice-president Mr. Perry Paynter.) WHAT A POSER! Canadian professional bodybuilder Ms Sharon Bruneau is the guest poser for the Mr. and Ms Bermuda competition at City Hall on August 7.