With their amazing physiques, bodybuilders have always tended to intimidate people. So it's become common to try to belittle them by claiming they're not very smart, but bodybuilder Kristy Hawkins proves that stereotype wrong.
You'll see a good example of this if you watch the movie Don't Make Waves and see how actor Tony Curtis manipulates a confused Dave Draper into trying to take his girlfriend (the hapless Sharon Tate) away from him.
In many cases, bodybuilders are teenagers who are exploring the gym, focused on training, and not energetically pursuing an education. But there are many exceptions. Arnold and Shawn Ray both have college degrees, and Frank Zane was a teacher. And among the women, there's bodybuilder and powerlifter Kristy Hawkins.
According to Wikipedia: Kristy Hawkins was born in 1980 in Longview, Texas and grew up there. In 1994 she began attending Longview High School. She graduated from high school in 1998 and attended Texas A&M University that same year. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2002, graduating summa cum laude with University and Foundation Honors. She earned a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2005. She graduated from Caltech in 2008 with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.
It's difficult to train for both bodybuilding and powerlifting since each has a different effect on symmetry and proportion. Bill Dobbins
Kristy says she was overweight as a teenager and became anorexic while trying to shed pounds through extreme dieting. When it became clear that this was so unhealthy, she decided to try to "work off" the excess weight. First she did cardio and danced. And then she discovered the gym and gradually got more serious about strength training, which ended up being both a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter.
Kristy Hawkins built this physique while pursuing her Ph.D. Bill Dobbins
"In the same way my brain seemed to respond naturally to learning science and math," she explains, "my body responded to exercise and exercise. I have found that developing these two aspects of my life – mind and body – has created a balance that I find extremely rewarding.”
Kristy won the 2008 NPC Nationals, heavyweight and overall. This qualified her as an IFBB Pro. She then set numerous world records as a powerlifter. But it's difficult to train as a powerlifter and bodybuilder at the same time because the different types of training can make a significant difference in body proportion and symmetry. Although Kristy has always enjoyed developing her mind and body at the same time, she holds a Ph.D. from Caltech requires a great deal of time, effort and energy. So, at a certain point in her life, Kristy decided that she could no longer focus on bodybuilding and powerlifting competitions and her career as a scientist with the same emphasis.
“As life progresses,” she says, “circumstances change, and your goals must change as well. But of course I hope that I can serve as an example to both female and male competitors that you can be a bodybuilder or a powerlifter and still develop your other talents - as a doctor, lawyer, scientist, entrepreneur or even movie star."
"Training as a competitive athlete can be more of a stepping stone to future success than a barrier."
Kristy Hawkins - a beautiful mind in a beautiful body. Bill Dobbins
The Competition Story of Kristy Hawkins
- 2010 IFBB New York Pro – 10th
- 2009 IFBB Ms. Olympia – 7th
- 2009 IFBB Atlantic City Pro – 2nd
- 2008 IFBB Ms. International – 14th
- 2007 NPC Nationals - 1st (LHW & Overall)
- 2006 NPC Nationals - 3rd (LHW)
- 2005 NPC Nationals - 4th (LHW)
- 2004 IFBB rth Americans - 4th (LHW)
- 2004 NPC Jr Nationals - 5th (LHW)
- 2003 NPC Jr Nationals - 4th (MW)
- 2003 NPC Lone Star Classic - 1st (HW & Overall)
- 2003 NPC Pittsburgh Open - 1st (AV & Overall)
- 2003 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic – 1st (MW)
- 2002 NPC Pittsburgh Open – 3rd (LW)
- 2002 NPC Michigan Championships - 1st (LW)
- 2000 ANPPC Southwest USA Natural Bodybuilding Championships - 3rd Place (vice Women Short Class)
- 1999 AAU Mr./Ms. Southwest America - 1st (Open Women Short Class) and Best Poser
- 1998 AAU Mr./Ms. Southwest America - 1st (vice Women Medium Class) and Best Poser
- 1998 ANPPC Mississippi Open – 3rd (vice Women Short Class)
History of Powerlifting
In 2011, Hawkins left professional bodybuilding and successfully entered the powerlifting field while maintaining a "bodybuilder"-like appearance to her physique. She has stated that when she was just starting out in the sport, she managed to squat 400 pounds.
world records
| date | record broken | class | Elevator | federation |
| 08/20/16 | Total (no wraps) | 75 kg (165 pounds) | 602 kg (1,328 pounds) | WRPF |
| 11/05/16 | Squats (no wraps) | 75 kg (165 pounds) | 225 kg (496 pounds) | SPF |
| 11/12/17 | All squats (with & without wraps) | 75 kg (165 pounds) | 260 kg (573 pounds) | SPF |
| 11/12/17 | All totals (with and without wraps) | 75 kg (165 pounds) | 650 kg (1,434 pounds) | SPF |
"Training to be a competitive athlete can be more of a stepping stone to future success than a barrier," says Kristy Hawkins. Bill Dobbins
