Where and when were you born? In 1969, Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

What is your profession? I am a registered nurse on call working with my dearly beloved patients. Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty is an entrepreneur planning to launch a health and wellness company.

Were you involved in sports or fitness prior to bodybuilding and how did you get started with weight training? Yes, I was involved in sports. I ran track and field, gymnastics and played volley ball in high school. Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty started weight training after a certain predicament took place in my life as a young girl.

Was it a goal for you to compete in bodybuilding competitions right from the beginning or was it something that grew in your mind as time went on and you saw the progress in your body? Wow this is a tough question to answer. In all honesty it was never a goal in my mind to compete from the beginning. To really understand my journey to become a bodybuilder, I need to go back into my past to show you my motivations. In retrospect, I should have shared the full answer to this question back when I first started with “Andy’s Muscle Goddesses” site. At the time I chose not to tell more of my past. I realize now, that I was afraid to write more about my background, because of my own personal feelings in regards to my past life experience and for the sake of my children’s state of mind and safety. Children whom I choose to keep after conceiving them in the most difficult of circumstances in my life. Children that I love cherish and gave a better life than I ever had my self. First and foremost I thank God for helping me keep my vow to be a full time mother to my children first. By sticking close to their side and keeping them under God’s prayer, in my protection so that what happened to me would never happen to them. Second, I thank God for giving me the mind to want to educate my kids differently than my mother educated me. Educate them about dangers such as, child molesters, deceiving people, drugs, peer pressure, pregnancy at a young age and sexually transmitted diseases. Thirdly, I’d like to thank God that he give me the mind to want to accept my children, love them, nourish them and raise my them without any prejudice of how they came here on earth. Most of all I thank God for helping me through the hurting pain, giving me a strong love to accept three children I didn’t ask for a love that gave me the will to raise them until their adulthood. All of whom now are grown up, heeding the wisdom, knowledge and instructions God gave me to teach them throughout a life covered with the blood, God’s mercy, protection and prayers. The task of raising three children alone wasn’t easy for me. Often, it was a constant reminder of the major catastrophes that took place from my childhood up into my adult life. Until God blessing gave me a new mind set to help heal me mentally so that I could fight for a new life. Now that I have completed raising my three children and passed that test, I feel that I have accomplished one of the greatest goals I have ever set out to do in my life.

How did this path lead me to the gym and eventually become a bodybuilder? Now, if you can, read between the lines above and take notice. At the age of three years old I was mistreated as a young child. This began a life of further mistreatment throughout much of my childhood into adult life, affecting me in so many ways that it nearly cost me my future. When the pain tried repeating itself in a different form or fashion as the year’s progressed, I had to learn to cope in new ways. If you don’t learn form your past mistakes, life becomes like a merry go round. The past will all ways repeat it self, exploiting the same weakness. This is why a new mind setting is important. It is mental strength we need in order to survive!

Now that I have found a new mind setting I feel I can share this testimony of my life with other’s who wouldn’t know or understand the test of becoming a strong woman. Many may think to become a strong woman you have to pick up the greatest amount of weight to build muscle to gain the physical strength. This is very true, up to a point. But, remember physical strength is not only what makes a strong woman. It is mental strength, the state of her mind that makes her complete. Therefore, I feel there are many women who are big, strong and muscular, but seem to be lacking in a mental strength. I see this in how they are unsure about what to do, and how to do it, to survive in this life. There are many women who think they’re mentally strong but really are weak. They find themselves hiding behind crutches such as; a “game face”, lies, denials, men, money, pride, arrogance, greed, drugs, alcohol, sex and etc. I am sure that there are many other women who have gone through disasters like I did myself. Or, if not, may still be in trouble, but are afraid to admit the truth because of their fear of what others may say or think. Nonetheless, my personal reason for answering this question is because I feel it’s essential to tell the truth. Not to say something happened when it didn’t. I feel it is important that for all who claim to be a fan, friend, enemy or acquaintance know that not every woman enters the gym to build muscle only to get big to compete and turn pro. I am sure many of my fans probably think I joined the gym to gain muscles to compete as a female bodybuilder from the time I joined the gym. The true motivation of why I joined a gym is because I was tired of being neglected and, abused throughout my life and thought is was crucial for me to make a change by taking charge of my life by developing a new mind set. I sought to look for an escape to heal my mental pain I suffered for so many years. I also wanted to be able, on my own, to protect myself and my family from abuse. After these episodes that happened in my life, I had to stand tall and say enough is enough, this will not happen again! So I took it up on myself to join a local gym in Dayton Ohio called “Muscle World”. There, I found an outlet to escape the hidden pain that was buried deep within me, without doing harm to my self and to the abusers who did me so wrong. The first time I joined the gym I weighed about 105 lbs. with only so much natural strength to get by but not enough to fight off an attacker. On my first visit to the gym, I met at the door the owner of the gym, his name was Larry Pacifico one of the strongest men in the world. He seemed relatively amazed with my genetics and immediately asked if I had ever competed. Which my answer was a no because I knew nothing about lifting or competing. He was so amazed he offered to train and prepare me for my first power lifting show for free. Which I thought was pretty cool so I decided to do it and said yes. Before leaving the gym that day I noticed a big board hanging on the wall that looked like a schools chart board with different names and records written on it. I became curious and asked Larry to explain the different names on the board and what were they about. He said that the records were of winning lifts recorded by power lifting women who won their weight classes. One of the lifts was a record set by a female power lifter named Chris that hadn’t been broken in ten years. Nevertheless, I made a joking comment in said oh that’s nothing I can break all of them and, Larry looked back at me in said yeah right he doubted that I could. I was disappointed that he doubted me, saying I couldn’t do it when he hardly knew me. So, I took it to heart and left the gym with a mind to come back to work hard from that day on to break those records to show myself that I could do it and prove him wrong. At the beginning of my training my everyday schedule was to go to work, travelling home to get my kids so I could train hard in the gym. Soon, I learned that I was stronger than I ever knew and realized that mental strength wasn’t the only thing I needed. I found out in order for me to be strong I needed the whole package in order to break through the barrels of everything that was hurting me on the in side. So I decided to discipline myself to concentrate on nothing but the weights, not on my pain. I learned to dominate the weight, not allowing the weight to dominate me. Meaning that I took control for the first time in my life of something I didn’t know I could do. Shooting for the goal to break a record because of a negative disbelief in my ability to achieve whatever I put my mind too liberated me. It took my mind to a whole new mind setting. Striving to do heavier weight with fewer reps helped me to gain the physical strength to connect with my growing mental strength. Pushing that heavy weight helped my overcome and eased my pain. I found the mental strength to connect with inner soul and inner beauty. These experiences helped me find my inner strength. Th-Resa Bostick is a “Powerful Beauty”. I learned that the more I trained, I gained, not only physical Strength, but greater mental strength too. Through it all I gained an extra 17 lbs within the three months I trained for that first power lifting show. My starting weight was 105 lbs on my first arrival to the gym and my new weight was 122 lbs. on the day of my power lifting show which help me accomplish a 315 lbs. squat, 195 lbs. bench and a 415 lbs. dead lift. Not bad for my first power lifting show! After winning my show I was still on a mission to complete my unfinished business with Larry who still doubted I couldn’t break the other records. So I continued my training to see if I could break the bench record that was set at 180 lbs. Later I reset that record from 180 to 195 lbs. I held it for a while until another long time female member of the gym came alone and broke my record at 195 lbs resetting to a whopping 205 lbs bench. This motivated me to come back even stronger with a new challenge to break the record again. I pushed my bench record ultimately to 315 lbs which I don’t think anyone has touched since I left Dayton. I also broke the dead left record from a 325 dead lift to a 575 lbs dead lift and 405 lbs squat to 605 lbs through Jim Cash who is also one of the strongest men in the world. I can go on and on, but there is no need for a book. I learned joining a gym can give you strength in many different ways such as mental strength, physical strength, self esteem, strong confidence and most of all a new mind setting and the joy of feeling beautiful in side and out with a peace of mind. My original goal was to join the gym to escape my pain and heal my mental state of min. Through it all I got so much more. My life changed from the unsympathetic package I began with. I turned it into a Powerful Beauty with a new mind setting. In control mentally, with strength both physically and emotionally. Full of confidence and self esteem. The key to your density is mental strength make the change for a new mind set.

Th-Resa Bostick, a “Powerful Beauty”, unleashes a woman’s strength.

Can you give me your competition history?
1993NPC Ohio South district HW 1st 
1995NPC Battle of Championship HW 1st & Overall
1995 NPC Nationals HW 3rds 
1996 NPC Nationals HW 9th
1998 NPC Nationals HW 9th
1999 Jan Tana Amateur Grand Prix HW 1st & Overall
1999 NPC USA HW 1st & Overall
2000 Jan Tana Pro HW 1st
2000 Ms. Olympia HW 7th
2001 Ms. International 9th

Which contest has been your biggest success; which has had the most meaning to you? My biggest success was the Jan Pro. What meant most to me was when Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty won the 1999 USA contest in Santa Monica, CA. It was a show that caught me by surprise.

Please tell me something about your training routine (i.e.: how many days per week / training split /cardio, etc.) Now that Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty has started back training from a long leave of absence since 2002, I train four days on and two days off and do cardio every other day. I am in the gym about an hour and a half a day. I use half my maximum with high repetitions to sculpt my body. I train four days on two days off and do 30 minutes of cardio every other day. My cardio consists of Stairmaster, treadmill, and life cycle.

What is your favourite exercise in the gym and which one you don’t like so much? My favourite exercise in the gym is working legs, chest, arms, glutes and shoulders. I guess my lower abdomen would be the one exercise I neglect the most. It’s not because I don’t like the exercise it’s because I am lazy when it comes to my lower abs. I seem to focus more on my upper than I do my lower abdomen, which is now going to change as Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty works much harder on them now.

Which body part is your best in your opinion? In the opinion of Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty, I feel my shoulders, legs, back, arms, and glutes are of my best. As for my weakness, I feel I can do better on my claves and lower abdomen.

If you don’t mind would you give me some stats (best lifts and some body measurements)?
Current stats for Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty:

Height: 5’3’’
Weight: 155 lbs 
Thighs: 26 ½ inches
Calves: 16 ½ inches
Biceps: 15 ½ inches Cold – 16 ¼ pumped 
Chest: 42 inches relaxed

Current lifts can be higher but I use less for sculpting.
Barbell Shoulder Press: No more than 95lbs for 20 reps
Bench: No more than 225lbs. for 6 reps
Dumbbell Bicep curls: 20lbs. for 20 reps
Cable triceps: 120lbs. for 20 reps 
Cable Rows: 100lbs. for 20 reps
Lunges: 100lbs. for 60 steps
Leg Press: 9 plates each side for 25 reps 
Squat: max 315lbs. for 20 reps

Past stats:
1996 - Weighed 195 lbs, biceps 19 inches, thighs 28 ½ inches, and chest 52 inches without boob job.

Bench: 400 lbs
Squat: 600 lbs
Dead lift: 550 lbs
Leg press 1,400 lbs
Dumbbells Curls: 85lbs.

1997 – I weighed 185 lbs and then drop to 160 lbs, biceps 18 ½ inches, thighs 26 ½, inches, chest 42 inches.

Bench: 325 lbs,
Squats: 415 lbs
Leg press: 1,400
Dumbbell Curls: 50 lbs.

What do you enjoy about training for competition....what do you enjoy about the 'off season'? Well at the time when I did compete what I enjoyed most about training for a show was seeing my physique change into a chiselled art of hard work. As for my off season, what I love most is that it shows all my femininity, softness and beauty of my true curvaceous shape. It gives me the chance to be the sexy woman I am, Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty.

Please describe a typical day in the life of Th-Resa Bostick. A typical day for Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty is rising early for 5:00AM prayer, preparing my meals for my busy work day, making wise schedule plans to avoid all the inconvenience with school, home work, working out at the gym and wrestling school, etc….

Please tell me about what you do when you don’t work out (hobbies, what do you do to relax? etc.) A relaxed day for Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty is praying to God for greater endurance and a peace mind and lying back listing to my favourite gospel sounds with my eyes shut closed. As for my hobbies, I love to read, ride my bike, dance, and go to the movies.

What do you enjoy most about the bodybuilding/fitness lifestyle? I like the attention and compliments from everyone. I especially like the stares from men that appreciate Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty.

Tell me something interesting about yourself, something people may be surprised to hear.  
I am a warm-hearted person with forgiveness in my heart. I am willing to give people that have done me wrong a second chance to befriend Th-Resa the Powerful Beauty. Disclaimer: close monitoring and drug testing required. I would love to be an inspiration and motivator for troubled and abused women. I believe God will bless me for my good actions.

What are your competition goals or personal future goals?
At this current moment I don’t have any goals to compete for the future because I don’t feel that competing is a strong enough foundation for my future destiny. However, I will continue to train hard and chisel my body into a work of art. My focus is the principal of my personal future such as continuing working as an in-home nurse and upping my education in nursing so that I can become a nurse supervisor.

I like to continue working with positive people and establishing my new business in health and wellness. I would like to finish my training in becoming a nutritionist and an awesome personal trainer. I am working on a new website, www.PowerfulBeauty.com. Th-Resa is Powerful Beauty.