After 16 weeks of carefully sculpting their bodies and watching their diets, Cerry Lamb and Pamela Ryan of Pro-Fitness Gym came home from last weekend's 2011 BC Body Building Championships with trophies in tow.

The provincial competition, which was held in Port Coquitlam, boasted almost 50 bodybuilders in both the men's and women's divisions, with each category ranging from four to nine competitors.

Lamb placed in his two categories, earning second in the Men's Masters Division for those over 40 and fifth in the Men's Heavyweight Class which is open to all ages of competition.

Ryan also earned a second place spot, hers in the Women's Grand Master Division for women competitors over 45.

"I've been bodybuilding for about 20 years, and I just got into competing- this will be my second year," said Lamb, the owner and manager of Pro-Fitness Gym in Cranbrook. "I waited until my kids got a little older, cause it was too hard when they were young. Just too much of a commitment."

Last year Lamb competed in three shows, and placed second in the Masters Division and third in the Open Class, then he earned a second place spot in BC last year and ended the year with an eleventh place finish in Men's Heavyweight Division at the Canada Championship.

"I'm going back to the BC's until I win it," said Lamb. "I've lost by just a point, and the judges have all said once I get it to 100 per cent dialled in- I'm about 98 or 99 per cent right now- that the show will be over. I have the body they want, it's just a matter of getting dialled in."

The process of getting dialled and in shape for competition starts with implementing a program 16 to 20 weeks out which consists of a strict diet, 3 sessions a day of cardio or training, tanning and posing practice.

A diet for a bodybuilder of Lamb's size, who competes at 225 lbs, ranges from eight to ten meals a day which mostly consist of chicken, eggs, fish, rice, fruits, and vegetables and starts at 7500 calories and is cut down to 3500 calories.

The amount of cardio in a day ranges from 45 minutes to two hours, with four to five days worth of training in a week.

"It's about a three and a half to four hour ordeal every day, and then of course preparing your food," said Lamb. "It's a matter of commitment, commit to eating clean and letting your body adjust."

For a bodybuilder, the process is not just a several week process though- it is a year long progression of shaping their body and spending a lot of time in the gym, which for Lamb is a large part of his life to begin with.

"I work here, I train here," said Lamb of Pro-Fitness Gym. "It's a huge commitment and now both of my boys work down here and they help me out a lot with work and everything."

Lamb is hoping to get his sons into junior competition since they've shown interest in bodybuilding after watching their dad, and as for Lamb his next competition is in November.

"This one is kind of just a fun one for me, because I have already qualified for nationals," said Lamb. "I want to just get a little more experience before I go back. So I'd like to do another show and just get everything dialled in."

Preparing for bodybuilding competition is more than just a one person job, and Lamb expressed gratitude to his family, training partners, and parents for their time and effort- and also was grateful for the support he receives from the members of the gym.