Joanna Thomas
Encyclopedia
Joanna Thomas is a professional female bodybuilder
, now living in Fort Lauderdale
, Florida.
, England
. She became interested in bodybuilding at age 14 when she saw a bodybuilding magazine that belonged to a college student who was staying with her family. And while Thomas was a chronic asthma
tic since childhood and was unable to do any sort of strenuous physical activities at a young age, she became inspired by the way women looked and knew she wanted to someday be like them. Joanna was very shy at a young age and did not pursue her desire to become a bodybuilder until she felt comfortable enough to do it. Three months later, the young 107 pound Thomas went to a nearby gym and began to train with the help of the gym owner who gave her a training plan to follow. She followed the training plan for two years and gained 91 pounds with that program.
By the time Thomas turned 17 bodybuilding had become a life style for her as well as for her sister, Nicola Thomas who like her also became inspired to become a bodybuilder. By this time Joanna had decided that she was going to become a competitive bodybuilder and set her sights on become a professional in the field of bodybuilding. From the age of 17 to age 20 she began competing in order to become a professional with the goal of winning the British championship. In 1997, at age 20, she finished third in the championship finals. In that contest, her sister Nicola became the first lightweight to win the overall title and pro card (Nicola retired without competing as a professional). Joanna won the British championship in 1998, becoming the youngest woman in the world ever to win a pro card.
At that point, Joanna felt that her physique needed substantial improvement before she could compete successfully as a professional, so she did not compete again until 2001. During this time Thomas finished two years of nurse training, but later left her schooling in order to focus on her bodybuilding career. During this time Joanna moved to the United States in order to compete in the IFBB shows. She entered the 2001 Jan Tana Classic
and won the lightweight class; there was no overall champion for Jan Tana that year which made Joanna a co-champion with the other female bodybuilders who won their classes. This became Joanna's first victory as a professional. This also qualified her for her first Ms. Olympia
. She placed 10th in the light weight class. Afterwards she began to focus on requalifying for the 2003 Ms. Olympia.
Thomas then decided to take a break from competitive bodybuilding and focus on making improvements on her body in order to be more competitive. In 2005, Joanna was featured in a one-hour documentary on the British channel five called Supersize She
, also broadcast in the US on The Learning Channel. The show followed her training leading up to the 2004 Ms. Olympia
contest. The documentary talks about her life, her parents' feelings about her decision to become a bodybuilder and nude model, her stringent dieting requirements, and her passion for bodybuilding as well as all the sacrifices she had to do to become a professional bodybuilder, and physical changes. The documentary was a huge success in the UK and in the US where it had high ratings. This gave Joanna a solid amount of exposure in her country and in the United States.
In a small article in Robert Kennedy's MuscleMag International, Joanna talked about finding a small level of fame after appearing in the documentary. She mentioned being recognized on the streets and being asked for autographs by people who saw the documentary. Today Thomas lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with her boyfriend Miles, and is focusing on improving her physique in order to compete in the near future.
Female bodybuilding
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.-Beginnings:...
, now living in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, Florida.
Biography
Joanna was born on 12 December 1976 in TruroTruro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She became interested in bodybuilding at age 14 when she saw a bodybuilding magazine that belonged to a college student who was staying with her family. And while Thomas was a chronic asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
tic since childhood and was unable to do any sort of strenuous physical activities at a young age, she became inspired by the way women looked and knew she wanted to someday be like them. Joanna was very shy at a young age and did not pursue her desire to become a bodybuilder until she felt comfortable enough to do it. Three months later, the young 107 pound Thomas went to a nearby gym and began to train with the help of the gym owner who gave her a training plan to follow. She followed the training plan for two years and gained 91 pounds with that program.
By the time Thomas turned 17 bodybuilding had become a life style for her as well as for her sister, Nicola Thomas who like her also became inspired to become a bodybuilder. By this time Joanna had decided that she was going to become a competitive bodybuilder and set her sights on become a professional in the field of bodybuilding. From the age of 17 to age 20 she began competing in order to become a professional with the goal of winning the British championship. In 1997, at age 20, she finished third in the championship finals. In that contest, her sister Nicola became the first lightweight to win the overall title and pro card (Nicola retired without competing as a professional). Joanna won the British championship in 1998, becoming the youngest woman in the world ever to win a pro card.
At that point, Joanna felt that her physique needed substantial improvement before she could compete successfully as a professional, so she did not compete again until 2001. During this time Thomas finished two years of nurse training, but later left her schooling in order to focus on her bodybuilding career. During this time Joanna moved to the United States in order to compete in the IFBB shows. She entered the 2001 Jan Tana Classic
Jan Tana Classic
The Jan Tana Classic was a female bodybuilding contest organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders. The contest was named for its promoter, a marketer of tanning products. The Jan Tana Classic was generally considered to be the third most prestigious contest for female bodybuilders,...
and won the lightweight class; there was no overall champion for Jan Tana that year which made Joanna a co-champion with the other female bodybuilders who won their classes. This became Joanna's first victory as a professional. This also qualified her for her first Ms. Olympia
Ms. Olympia
Ms. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
. She placed 10th in the light weight class. Afterwards she began to focus on requalifying for the 2003 Ms. Olympia.
Thomas then decided to take a break from competitive bodybuilding and focus on making improvements on her body in order to be more competitive. In 2005, Joanna was featured in a one-hour documentary on the British channel five called Supersize She
Supersize She
Supersize She was a documentary focused on professional female bodybuilder Joanna Thomas. The title was a take-off on the success of the film Super Size Me. The one-hour program was broadcast in the United States on The Learning Channel and in United Kingdom on Five in 2005...
, also broadcast in the US on The Learning Channel. The show followed her training leading up to the 2004 Ms. Olympia
Ms. Olympia
Ms. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
contest. The documentary talks about her life, her parents' feelings about her decision to become a bodybuilder and nude model, her stringent dieting requirements, and her passion for bodybuilding as well as all the sacrifices she had to do to become a professional bodybuilder, and physical changes. The documentary was a huge success in the UK and in the US where it had high ratings. This gave Joanna a solid amount of exposure in her country and in the United States.
In a small article in Robert Kennedy's MuscleMag International, Joanna talked about finding a small level of fame after appearing in the documentary. She mentioned being recognized on the streets and being asked for autographs by people who saw the documentary. Today Thomas lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with her boyfriend Miles, and is focusing on improving her physique in order to compete in the near future.
Contest history
- 1997 EFBB Northeast Qualifier - 1st (MW)
- 1997 EFBB British Championships - 3rd (LW)
- 1998 EFBB Northwest Qualifier - 1st (MW)
- 1998 EFBB British Championships - 1st (LW and Overall)
- 2001 IFBB Jan Tana ClassicJan Tana ClassicThe Jan Tana Classic was a female bodybuilding contest organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders. The contest was named for its promoter, a marketer of tanning products. The Jan Tana Classic was generally considered to be the third most prestigious contest for female bodybuilders,...
- 1st (LW) - 2001 IFBB IFBBInternational Federation of BodyBuildersThe International Federation of BodyBuilders is a competitive bodybuilding organization founded in 1946 by brothers Ben and Joe Weider and is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world. Currently, the IFBB consists of seven different sub-divisions for different competitors ,...
Ms. OlympiaMs. OlympiaMs. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
- 10th (LW) - 2003 IFBB Jan Tana ClassicJan Tana ClassicThe Jan Tana Classic was a female bodybuilding contest organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders. The contest was named for its promoter, a marketer of tanning products. The Jan Tana Classic was generally considered to be the third most prestigious contest for female bodybuilders,...
- 2nd (LW) - 2004 IFBB GNC Show of Strength - 2nd (LW)
- 2004 IFBB IFBBInternational Federation of BodyBuildersThe International Federation of BodyBuilders is a competitive bodybuilding organization founded in 1946 by brothers Ben and Joe Weider and is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world. Currently, the IFBB consists of seven different sub-divisions for different competitors ,...
Ms. OlympiaMs. OlympiaMs. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
- 7th (LW) - 2007 IFBB Atlantic City Pro - 4th (LW)
See also
- List of male professional bodybuilders
- List of female professional bodybuilders
External links
- Official web site - contains nudity
- FBBExtreme fan site