Twin Cities open bodybuilding competition brings hundreds to Prior Lake
PRIOR LAKE, Minn. – A jam-packed event room at Mystic Lake Center was a welcome sight for Jeff and Kirsten Zahler Saturday afternoon. In just its third iteration, their Twin Cities open bodybuilding event was a hit.
"The energy is incredible here at this event," said Kirsten Zahler. "We have a lot of people. We've sold over 550 tickets to prejudging this morning."
The bodybuilding event, sanctioned under the National Physique Committee, is a launching pad of sorts for amateur bodybuilders looking to take the next step.
Men and women competitors, some taking the stage for the first time, were judged on physique, wellness and figure.
Some competitors, like Austin Gelhar of Minneapolis, say they picked up the hobby of bodybuilding during the 2020 lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The guys and girls up on stage are just normal people," said Gelhar, who runs a personal training business. "They're doctors, they're lawyers, they're 9-5 businesspeople, they're business owners. It's really cool to me to see everyday people challenge themselves, put them through something like this to present for other people."
Angie Klugherz and her daughter Lexi also began training in 2020 – since then, the duo have competed side by side.
"Even if you don't win on stage, you've won everywhere else," Angie Klugerz said. "It's a long process to get to that point, but I also think you learn through the process that you can do it, and that determination and process is pretty cool."
Winners of Saturday's event take home prizes, along with the chance to move on to the national ranks.
"You learn discipline, you learn willpower," said Jeff Zahler. "You learn to kind of commit to something and follow through even though it's difficult at times – there's a lot of life lessons to be learned in bodybuilding too."