Monica Teixeira describes bodybuilding as the “perfect marriage between sport, science and art” and says it has been a great outlet for her to channel her quiet competitiveness.

Teixeira has been competing since 2013, first in the more muscular figure class before switching to bikini, the newest of the female classes, which rewards proportion, symmetry, balance, shape and skin tone.

This week, Teixeira will be stepping up to the biggest stage of her career, both figuratively and literally, at the prestigious Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio, where she will be up against about 150 bikini competitors.

Although Teixeira won an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness elite pro card at the Diamond Cup in Vancouver last August, she admits the Arnold Classic is a whole new level.

“I’ve attended the Arnold Classic, so I have an idea on how it runs, but this is the biggest show I’ve ever done,” Teixeira said. “I’ve gone through nerves, anxiety, excitement and stress, and I just can’t do that any more. I’ve gotten to acceptance. I’m going in with no expectations, although my ultimate goal is to reach the finals.

“You can’t control what shows up on that day and you can’t control what the judges sitting at that table are thinking. You can only bring your best.”

Despite her affable demeanour, Teixeira admits she is fiercely competitive and, although she is largely introverted, lives for the excitement of “working the stage” in an effort to steal the attention of the judges.

“I’m that person who wants to be everyone’s best friend,” said Teixeira, who has received a grant from the Bermuda Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation to compete at the Arnolds.

“I love competitors because they eat, sleep and breath exactly what you do. They live the lifestyle and they understand the grind. But I am secretly savage. When I step on stage, I want to rip your throat out — in a nice way! I’m not good at any sport, so this is my way of channelling my inner-competitive person.

“I saw someone the other day and they were like, ‘I never would have seen you on stage in a tiny g-thong! I remember when you couldn’t even say a word to anyone’.

“I was the shyest person and never saw this coming. I don’t do anything really besides the gym. This is my adrenalin rush.”

Teixeira is confident she has whipped her body into better shape than when she won the bikini and figure categories at the Night of Champions at the Fairmont Southampton last July.

“My goal [at the Arnolds] is to still bring the good conditioning but have a fuller and more balanced look,” she said. “I think me and my online coach Adam Bonilla [of Team Elite Physique] have achieved that.”

As a dietetic student, Teixeira is fascinated by the prepping process and how her aesthetics can be manipulated through the correct training and nutrition.

“Arnold Schwarzenegger [whom the Arnolds is named after] said it well when he described [bodybuilding] as being like a sculptor,” Teixeira added. “You put the clay where you want it and sculpt the physique.

“To do that, you have to have knowledge and science, and you also have to have that killer instinct in the gym. It’s the perfect marriage of my worlds.”

As much as she relishes show day, where she will be judged on her appearance wearing nothing more than a bikini and a pair of high heels, Teixeira is equally looking forward to her first post-competition meal.

“When you’ve deprived yourself for so long and you finally have this reward at the end, it’s almost like a wedding,” she added.

“You get to go out with all these people that you love and eat the best meal. Now, if I was to have that meal in the off-season it would still be good, but when you’ve been dieting for so long and you have that meal, it’s even more special.”

Teixeira does, however, offer a cautionary tale to aspiring competitors, acknowledging that the gruelling workouts and dietary restrictions have, on occasions, pushed her physical and mental wellbeing to the brink.

“People see the pretty bikini and the heels, but they don’t see the whole picture,” she said.

“You physically have to commit to this six days a week, diet your face off and put yourself through the ringer. And yet, I do love it.

“I have a whole lot of nothing planned [after the Arnolds]. Mentally, physically, emotionally, I need a break. I’ll continue to workout; it’s a lifestyle. I’ll definitely be dropping that cardio, though!”