Bikini Athlete Sheen Marie Torres: From Numbers to Figures
Once an accountant by profession who eventually found a passion in bodybuilding and is now a top bikini athlete and fitness trainer in the country is how 25-year-old Sheen Marie Torres can be aptly described.
She went from dealing with numbers to having that excellent figure that made her a great Filipina bikini athlete with potentials of making it to the pros a few more years down the road.
Sheen hails from Iloilo City in the province of Iloilo in Western Visayas. She has this knack for sports early but it was in 2016 that she got thrusted into bodybuilding.
“I was always involved in sports including gymnastics, softball, and volleyball. After I graduated from college, I found a job in different companies as an accountant and working out became my hobby. I started working out seriously in November 2016 with the help of my boyfriend because I had no idea what to do back then. After weeks of training, I joined my first competition in December 2016 which was held in Bacolod City. At doon na nagsunod-sunod ang pagsali ko sa mga competitions. It was a rewarding experience for me. That’s when I found my own path in bodybuilding as a bikini athlete,” narrates Sheen.
Typical with those who just ventured into the sport, she also had her challenges. “Sa una masasabi ko na hindi pala madali ang sport na ito. Dito nasusubok ang iyong tiyaga at pagpupursige. Hindi madali ang gastos sa mga pagkain sa diet. Mahirap in terms of financial. Lalo na kapag walang sumusuporta dahil minsan kailangan mong bumiyahe ng malayo, transportation, accommodation, at iba pa para lang maka-join sa competition. Maraming hirap at pagod ang napagdaanan ko sa sport na ito. Minsan hindi mo rin maiiwasan na i-judge ka ng ibang tao sa pisikal mo na anyo dahil babae ka pero very masculine ang figure mo. Nasanay na ako doon. Dahil sa pinili kong field na ito, I lost my job. I chose to be a fitness athlete at the same time a fitness trainer in some gymnasium for the love of the sport,” she shares.
As a result, from dealing with numbers as an accountant, she is now helping a lot of bikini athletes to develop excellent figures like her.
In the course of her passion for the sport, she started to understand the type of training, discipline, and mentality needed to prepare for the competition. “I love the strength and confidence exuded by the athletes in the stage in their sparkly suits and glowing tans. I fell in love with the idea that the body could be sculpted into art because of the way it can be developed physically through exercise and diet, and mentally through will power, discipline, and consistency,” Sheen states.
Sheen has big dreams for herself in the sport. “I want to become a pro bikini athlete someday. I want to be an inspiration to others. I want to help others achieve their goals as wells,” she beams with confidence.
She has developed confidence in herself because of constant workout and also during her preparatory activities for a competition.
Sheen explains that whenever she prepares for a competition, she works out every day before having her meal. “I have to be prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally sa event. Physically, sa paraang dapat nasa kundisyon ang katawan para sa training at lalo na sa araw ng competition mismo. Mentally, na dapat isaisip ko na makakaya kong pumasok sa top at dapat gagawin ko ang lahat. At emotionally, na kahit anong maging resulta ay matatanggap ko ng buong puso dahil sports lang ito, may nanalo at may natatalo,” she elaborates.
Her positivity also trickles from her preparation phase all the way to the competition proper. “Everytime na sasalang ako sa competition, isinasaisip ko na hindi basehan kung sino ka at ano ka. Dapat ipakita mo ang pinaghirapan mo at ang resulta. Habang nasa backstage pa lang ako, sinasabi ko na sa sarili ko na dapat gagawin ko ang lahat para makapasok sa top at okay na ako. Kumbaga sabi nga nila, “Show them what you got!” And as always, she gives the judges and the audiences the wow factor whenever she steps into the stage for her turn at showing her physique.
“Masaya ako kapag nakakapasok ako sa top lalo na pag ako yung nanalo sa competition. Yung feeling na nagbunga lahat ng pinaghirapan ko. Masarap sa feeling manalo at binabati ka. Mas lalo akong nai-inspire at namo-motivate sa mga susunod na laro,” she proudly says.
Sheen has also learned to set aside the negative notions of some people and simply focuses on the positives to maintain a healthy and cheerful disposition in life. “Kapag sinabi kasi na bodybuilder ka, nagbubuhat ka, sa isip nila magiging masculine ka, magmumukha kang lalaki pero hindi ganon. Gusto kong ma-inspire sila sa kung paano ako nagsimula from being a skinny to a very physically fit person. Everyone has a different story, unique body with different needs, strengths, and weakness, and various obstacles in reaching their goals. Pero I believe na walang imposible. Basta gusto mo, magagawa mo,” she enthuses.
The Iloilo native also sees herself becoming a pro bikini athlete and fitness model in three to five years. She believes that there is nothing impossible if she will work hard and is confident of achieving that dream. She says that she wants her family to become proud of her for shifting her attention from previously being an accountant to a fitness athlete brimming with potentials to really make it big in the sport. Sheen says that she is blending her confidence with prayers as well to be able to reach her personal goals in the sport.
As to her advice to those who wish to follow her footsteps as a bikini athlete, Sheen has this to say: “Kapag gusto mo at masaya ka sa ginagawa mo, sundin mo ang nasa puso mo and everything will just follow. Nothing is permanent. Everything is temporary sa mundo. Just grab the opportunity na dumadating sa iyo. Dahil ang importante naman sa buhay ay yung masaya ka sa ginagawa mo. Stay motivated and stay humble. At huwag mong kalimutan ang mga taong naging parte ng success mo, mga tumulong at naniniwala sa kakayahan mo. Dahil kung wala sila, wala ka rin sa kung ano ka ngayon.”
Despite her gains and headways in the sport as a top bikini athlete, Sheen remains grounded as ever and that really makes her a great person and bodybuilder.
Philippine Bodybuilding 