Lifting weights, pumping iron and working out are all things generally thought of as solely masculine activities. Junior Shelby Dorner is joining the world of body building to prove this stereotype wrong.

“My mom is the one that opened me up to the competitions, but really it was the girls up on the stage that made me really want to [start]. The girls up on the stage at my mom’s competitions looked really good, and I didn’t look like that, but I wanted to,” Shelby said.

Bodybuilding is not just building up muscle or using steroids to look inhuman; it is for people who want to get into shape, and want to go a little bit further, putting their bodies to the test. Shelby is currently readying herself for her debut next year in the world of competitive bodybuilding.

“First you have to lose the excess weight on your body before you can actually start building muscle because once you start building muscle, it is really hard to lose that weight, so [it] takes a lot of cardio to burn more calories than you eat. Then you start lifting heavier with more reps to build up the muscles,” Shelby said.

As a veteran bodybuilder, Shelby’s mom, Sherry Dorner, competed in competitions for a long time and is excited to see her daughter following in her footsteps.

“I support Shelby in doing this. She is working hard at this challenge and putting forth a tremendous amount of time and energy to reach her goal. The benefits of building a healthy body will help her for the rest of her life,” Sherry said.

According to Shelby, working out is one of those things that people either hate or will fall in love with and devote a large part of their time doing.

“It is one of those things where you get away from life. You just put your headphones in and when you are done you feel so much better about yourself. You don’t even have to think ‘Oh, I am going to be hot soon,’” Shelby said. “You just put your headphones in and nobody talks to you nobody looks at you. You do have to have motivation because it is hard, it is not easy.”