Stratford accountant who's got life figured as a bodybuilder

ACCOUNTANT Amy Mather is proving there is strength in the numbers as she sets her sights on becoming a professional bodybuilder.

Amy, 31, a personal tax assistant manager at Burgis & Bullock’s Stratford office, is preparing for her first regional bodybuilding competition.

The qualifier takes place in June and, if successful, Amy will head to the regional championship, where she can earn a chance to compete on the national stage.

She will be competing in the trained figure category and is in the middle of a 20-week diet ahead of a six-week training programme which includes weight-lifting five days a week and cardio in a 10kg weighted vest every day.

“Bodybuilding gives you a lot of discipline and drive, and that certainly feeds into my work,” Amy said. “There are undoubtably lessons I have learned from both sides which aide the other; for example, hitting targets is a big thing for me and targets drive me to improve both in the gym and in the office.

“I have been lifting for five years now but this June will be my competition debut and I’m really excited to see what I can achieve. I have worked really hard to get to this point, but I know there is still some distance to go before I can become professional.

“Going to the gym is a great stress reliever after the day at work and allows you to exert energy you have built up over the course of the day.

“My colleagues are all very intrigued by the weightlifting and regularly ask questions about my training plan. I hope that it will be some form of inspiration to them to start their own health and fitness journeys.”

Trevor Day, Partner at Burgis & Bullock, added: “We encourage all of our staff to look after their health and wellbeing, but it is certainly unusual for someone in our profession to be targeting becoming a competition-winning bodybuilder.

“Amy’s determination and drive in her bodybuilding is something that is mirrored in her day-to-day work and she is a key leader in the team at our Stratford office.

“We look forward to following her progress closely and will have our fingers crossed for the competition in June.”