A MACKAY businesswoman is flying to the USA to represent Australia in a bodybuilding league the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger once championed.

“My years of hard work have paid off,” Zoe-Claire Yaworsky said.

“I’m going to be stepping onto the professional stage with some of the top competitors in the world – and my idols. This is a whole new level, a dream come true, and I’m determined to do Australia proud.”

Zoe-Claire, who owns a marketing agency and a fitness coaching business, began competing seven years ago, regularly taking out the amateur local, state and national championships.

Representing Australia at the amateur IFBB Arnold Classic Asia 2016 in Hong Kong, Zoe-Claire stood alongside competitors from 28 countries.

In 2017 at the IFBB Australia Nationals, she took it up a notch – she not only won her category but also the overall championship and was awarded the esteemed Professional athlete status, a title reserved for only a select few.

Making her move into the prestigious IFBB Pro League has taken a whole new focus to training, nutrition and dedication.

With a smooth 23 week ‘preparation’ under her belt, and 10 years of hard work in the gym, Zoe-Claire is ready to embark on her professional debut.

“The ‘figure’ category is the one I am suited to best,” she said. “The judges are looking for symmetry, a very feminine shape with a v-taper from the shoulders to the waist, with well-developed muscles underpinning all that, coupled with impeccable conditioning and polished stage presentation.

“Of course people imagine I spend hours in the gym and eat very little, but that’s a total misconception and just not the case. Daily, I train for around an hour and eat a healthy minimum 1800-2000 calories during most of my prep … it’s a sport which relies on having a highly functioning healthy body which means having a healthy approach.”