Building on her success

Now, she goes on stage clad only in a tiny bikini and carries well-toned muscle on her 5-foot-4 frame, the kind of muscle that earns titles like Tall Division winner of the USA Junior Bodybuilding Championships. Before that Ms. Granite State Open.

Yes, it’s been a good year, says the 28-year-old natural bodybuilder from Hampton.

Finniss, who also excelled at basketball and downhill skiing in high school, never expected that someday she’d be a bodybuilder. Sure, she won a beauty contest when she was in eighth grade and earned the title of Ms. Bartlett, but bodybuilding ... never in a thousand years, she thought. She just figured it was a West Coast/Florida type of sport. Besides, she didn’t want those big muscles.

But in 1997 she began tinkering with the sport. Now, it’s a lifestyle.

Finniss works as a security guard at Seabrook Station. She’s also a member of the Air National Guard, where she works in the capacity of a photographer. She’s also currently taking classes at the University of New Hampshire.

Finniss could talk for hours, no days, about bodybuilding. So what is it about this sport that she’s so enraptured about? Let’s ask her.

What’s it like posing on the stage in a bikini in front of an audience?

"Being on stage is hard to explain. It’s scary, weird, intoxicating and fun all at once. It’s the biggest adrenaline rush I have ever had, because you don’t always know the judges or what they are looking for. You don’t know how good the competitors you are going up aginst look on stage, because the lighting and tan look so different on stage than behind it. To take a phrase from Tom Hanks: ‘You never know what you’re gonna get.’ "

How did you get your start in bodybuilding?

"I met a guy, while I was stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Mass. I was in search of this magic fat burner and didn’t want to work out at all. So he schooled me and he trained me for three and a half months. At first I didn’t want to be big and muscular. Back then I was ‘fluffy’ and thick, with not much muscle mass. I have good genetics, never too skinny or too fat. So after two months, I saw a big change and liked it and started training for a bodybuilding competition. He advised me not to do it, but I had to. I didn’t place in the top three. I think I was sixth or seventh out of seven or eight women. Looking back, I had the best symmetry and size on stage. The other women were skinny. Again, it’s all up to the judges and what they want."

What kept you going in bodybuilding?

"My first thing is my belief in God. He helps me get through the major and minor setbacks. I set small goals. This year I have seen the most improvements and I give all credit to my trainer, Kevin Topka. Kevin is a pro competitor and judge for the North American Bodybuilding Federation. He has helped me tremendously with diet and training, plus he’s a riot to train with."

Was there one show or occurrence which you consider a watershed moment?

"My second show was very upsetting. I cried because of all the effort I put in just to place in the bottom part of my division. I know it’s political and irritating, but I keep going because someday I will prove that I am No. 1 as soon as I walk on stage."

Where do you see yourself going in the sport?

"I’d like to receive my pro card in the American Natural Bodybuilding Conference, then the National Physique Commitee.

The NPC is a different level that I am not prepared for yet. They do not drug test for life, which means any competitor may or may not be using anabolic or androgenic steroids. Though not publicized, it’s so obvious. Come on ... to see a woman who stands 5-5, has 18-inch arms and has shredded glutes! That’s not natural.

Life is full of sacrifices and hard work. It all depends on how much effort you give it. I didn’t give the 100-percent effort on the diet and it cost me the overall (title) at the Junior USA Nationals. Next year I will leave no room for error. I want the judges to have me picked for No. 1 as soon as I walk out there. And I will give it my all this year."

What other interests do you have, and what are your long-term goals?

"I have so many. Sports photography, sports writing and public affairs are among them. I am also pursuing a degree in athletic training through the University of New Hampshire. Once I get the basic classes out of the way, I hope they’ll accept me into their department. What will I do with the degree later on? I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t mind writing a book or writing for a magazine and photographing athletes and bodybuilders."

What’s your diet like?

"Well, it’s not a stingy diet. I’m always hungry and eat every two hours. It’s just very difficult to eat the same things day in and day out."

What’s the first thing you have to eat after a contest?

"Well that all depends on my mood. Sometimes it’s chocolate, doughnuts, ice cream, pancakes, pizza ... or cheesecake. As long as it’s not chicken, green vegetables or sweet potatoes, I’m happy. The day after the binge isn’t pretty. Your body goes through this bloated, disgusting and nasty phase."

What’s the most entertaining cat-call you ever heard while on the stage and posing?

"Shake it fast. It’s the name of a rap song.

Where do you work out?

I work out at Planet Fitness in Portsmouth and the on-site gym at Seabrook Station.

What does your weightlifting and training consist of?

"It depends on which season I’m in, either off- or on-season training. Off-season training consists of heavy weights, with minimal cardio work, and basic exercises for mass building like squats, dead lifts, pull-ups, heavy bench presses, etc. - four days a week. I take in 2,000-plus calories a day and taper off when I get too heavy. (I weighed 175 at one time! That was when I was powerlifting and living in Italy. Those carbs did a number on me!). On-season training is more for competition. Then I’m eating less calories (usually in the 1,300-1,400 range). Workouts, which are every day, are shorter and more intense. This is the time to shape the body, not build mass. I prefer off-season training. I like to eat anything I want, within moderation, and lift heavy weights. There is nothing better than the feeling after a heavy-leg day. Getting out of bed, walking upstairs, getting in the car, showering and sleeping hurt, but it tells me how hard I worked out and tells me I’m working my muscles to their maximum

potential."

Do people know you as Dawn Finniss, the bodybuilder, or Dawn Finniss, the security guard?

"They actually know me as the healthy one, who always gets on their backs when I see them eating poorly. They also make me out to be some kind of super hero and I hate attention from tons of people. They always ask me how much I bench press or how much I squat. It all depends on the time of season that I’m in. I don’t lift for power and most people are unaware that bodybuilding is aesthetics, not for super hero strength."

How much can you bench press and squat? Ha-ha.

She says she can bench up to 200 pounds, and do one-rep squats at 250 pounds.

What was the greatest obstacle you’ve had to overcome to become a bodybuilder?

"My family’s acceptance. They thought I was a nut case. They didn’t like women with huge muscles and couldn’t understand why I’d shave my entire body, paint the tan on, eat six times a day or follow all those ridiculous training and diet guidelines. Now they do."

When did you consider yourself a bonafide bodybuilder?

"The day I get my pro card."

What advice would you give to a beginning bodybuilder?

"Keep training despite what others think and feel you should do. Set small goals that are not unreasonable or unattainable. Safety first. Is your form correct? Have you spoken to a personal trainer? Does your personal trainer have credentials? Read, read, read. Knowledge is key in this sport. To each his/her own. I have tried many, many things to get muscular and ripped, and what works for a man doesn’t work for a woman. Training is training, no matter what.

People get frustrated when they don’t see results immediately. They don’t realize it’s a lifestyle, not a few week binge and purge of the system."

Where would you like to see bodybuilding, the sport, go?

"I would like to see more natural bodybuilding on TV and in magazines. But, the big, freaky men sell magazines. So, it’s hard to say what will happen to it. Most people want to see Ronnie Coleman’s enormous physique. He has something like 24-plus-inch arms, a 60-plus-inch chest, 30-plus-inch quads and so on and so forth. That is totally awesome, but not realistic to achieve. You have these poor guys killing themselves, literally (from steroids and overtraining) to achieve those unnatural physiques. Steroids bloat the system, have neurological and sexual side effects. They may cause heart, kidney, liver, prostate, lung, brain cancer and/or sudden death. Many athletes have died from using enhancers or steroids because they may or may not have known of the adverse effects related to them. Basically, professional bodybuilders take some sort of enhancement drug. It’s so blatantly obvious, but it’s the principle that they are not honest of their abuse of illegal drug usage. If the sport of natural bodybuilding

promotes a drug-free arena to compete, more women and men would try it and decide it is a fun and challenging sport."