Marist’s Resident Bodybuilder

Balancing College Life with Training

The competition team posing after a workout. Photo via Eleanor Rossini.

Standing at 5’2, Eleanor Rossini ‘25 is not the stereotypical bodybuilder. 

“People will look at me and scoff like ‘oh ok sure,’ but then see me in the gym or I will show them a progress photo and they’re like ‘oh that’s different,’” Rossini said. 

Rossini found the gym her freshman year thanks to a few of her friends who were into powerlifting. Having played soccer and lacrosse all through high school, she knew the gym was the perfect way to stay in shape. Her new friends taught her how to meal prep and to schedule her workouts, but when she returned home for the summer, she needed a way to stay active without access to McCann. 

She turned to the trainers her brother’s high school football team used to stay in shape when practices shut down from the Covid pandemic. There was a level of trust with the gym, Rare Breed Compound, since they worked with her brother. She took a few personal training sessions each week and after the trainers saw her progress, they suggested she join their bodybuilding competition team.

“When I first started lifting, I would compare myself to other athletes,” Rossini said. “Then, my coaches asked me to compete, and I was so on top of the world, I was like yes, absolutely put me up against this guy or this girl. I saw so many incredible people involved that I knew I had to be a part of it.”

Rossini is now preparing for her first bodybuilding competition on May 20. Spending two and a half hours in McCann every day, her gym routine has become a lifestyle. Every Sunday and Wednesday, she meal preps to follow a nutrition plan provided by her trainers. She uses a google spreadsheet to keep track of her meals each week so she can figure out what is working for her.

The balance is a mental game. Being in college and living with ten other girls, the dieting aspect of training can be a struggle. Rossini also puts aside a part of her paycheck each week in preparation for the competition and must get through her homework efficiently so she has enough time for the gym.

“I love going out and having a good time, but it’s such a mental block sometimes,” Rossini said. “There are negative days, always, but you have to push through them.”

Many gym goers focus on lifting heavy weights with low repetition, something that Rossini focused on when she first started going to the gym. When she started bodybuilding her priorities changed. Now, she focuses on higher reps with lower weight.

“I compete in physique so I am not looking to get super small or skinny,” Rossini said. “My goal is to get more muscle so I focus on a wide back and a smaller waist. My mindset is different.”

Rossini’s packed schedule has helped her become more organized and taught her to prioritize her mental health. Her competition team includes around 30 athletes, but the trainers made sure to recruit an equal number of men and women competitors. She has witnessed people of all ages exhibit skills that seem impossible. 

Although people are able to compete alone, there is something about the extra support of a team that Rossini is thankful for. Surrounded by such an encouraging community, she learned to embrace the power that comes with being a women athlete.

“I always remind the women I work out with that it is not normal for women to work out in the gym lifting everyday, so we have to ignore the side eye,” Rossini said. “You must tune into your own world.”