FBBUK: Carly Thornton

In an interview from back in 2011, Carly Thornton talks about her former self, an "overweight and unhappy" young woman. I hated looking in the mirror at my pudgy stomach, she confessed. So when I used to go out partying with my friends, I drank before getting ready as if I was drunk, I wouldn't care what I looked like.



At the age of 21, she made the decision to change. I got so sick and tired of feeling bad about myself that I joined the gym where I used to go to school. It was very small but had enough equipment for me to do my bit without anyone seeing me! Gradually I began to lose the weight and felt more confident enough to join a larger chained fitness centre. I loved it! I loved exercise and the way it made me feel.



Fast forward about 14 years to Dartford and the UKBFF Kent Classic at the end of August. Carly Thornton is now a well-established Bodyfitness competitor on the British amateur scene. She's been competing at national level for the last seven or eight years, and she's had some good results, even represented Britain at the IFBB Europeans and the Arnold Europe. Here, she takes 2nd place in her category behind Rebecca Maunder. The judges' feedback leads her to make another big decision.



Just four weeks before the Arnold Europe, and with the British Championships just a week after that, Carly decides to switch divisions. This Figure girl is moving to WPD, she tells her Instagram followers. And the rest, as they say, is history...



OMG I did it! I WON Women's Physique at the Arnold Classic Europe! This is my first time entering this category and now I'm the only UK girl to win this class out here, she said, posing with her trophy after her triumph in Madrid. How FRIGGING AWESOME is that?! Pretty frigging awesome. And just a week after she'd won her first ever major title at her first ever Physique show, things got even more frigging awesome for Carly when she was crowned the UKBFF British Women's Physique champion.



I think I first came across Carly on the (now defunct) Active Channel, working out with Dean Ash - something like this. But the first time I recall really sitting up and taking notice was probably only about a year ago when this preview clip from Fit Vids appeared on my YouTube feed, and the thing that struck me was how damn ripped she was, much more so than I would expect a Bodyfitness/Figure competitor to be.



Now I'd like to say at this point that right after that I sent Carly a brief, gentlemanly message of appreciation and suggested that a body like hers belonged in the Women's Physique division, but unfortunately that is not what happened. Instead I settled down to really appreciate the clip and before long had my credit card out, a month's Fit Vids membership secured, and Carly's clips all nicely downloaded and archived.



Viewing those clips again now have brought back all the excitement of the first watch. Carly looks pumped and defined and amazing all over, but it's those shoulders, great balls of muscle exploding with vascular activity as she curls the barbell that have got me swooning this time around just as they had me swooning that first time.



Watching her Fit Vids clips over again now, and knowing what I now know, it seems so obvious that she should be a Physique competitor. And even more so because, as anyone who follows Carly's Facebook and/or Instagram can see, she just LOVES to flex her glorious muscles. Obviously she was Physique long before she switched.




Always easy to be wise after the event, the important thing is that that switch was made and that in the last month Carly has been amply rewarded for making that brave decision. The Amateur O comes to Liverpool at the end of October. I'm not 100% sure Carly is competing, but with a pro card up for grabs, she is on such a roll right now that I can't believe she wouldn't want to try to keep that winning streak going, make it 3 wins out of 3 as a Physique competitor and become the UK's first WPD pro.



And we leave you today with a preview of Carly's most recent work with Fit Vids - with the added bonus of FMS fave Corinne Ingman. I can feel the credit card burning in my pocket again. Otherwise I'll just have to settle for playing this at half speed...



Over and over and over again.