Ripping up a storm

Temperatures soared in Cape Town this weekend but it had nothing to do with the weather.

Women in heels and little else and men in underpants the size of a banana-skin took centre stage at the annual Mr and Ms Fitness SA Championships, a two-day feast of pneumatic breasts, buttocks, and egos.

Contestants more sculptured than anything by Michelangelo congregated at the National Convention Centre, which also hosted hundreds of much flabbier guests attending an HIV clinicians' conference: an interesting mix of the bold and the beautiful.

The fitness event, founded in 2000, is a blend of beauty pageant and muscle showing-off, featuring loud music, a panel of judges, photographers and hundreds of adoring fans. Contestants must strike poses that exhibit their muscle tone and poise while smothered in fake-tan cream and muscle sheen. Women wear heavy make-up and glittery accessories. Men sport tattoos and groin-hugging scants.

"You're looking for a good aesthetic but not too much muscularity," said former competitor David Hanlon. "Subcutaneous fat needs to be as low as possible, to give a ripped look."

Marcelle van Rheede, of Cape Town, said: "It's mental. You can't have a burger every day and expect to have a six-pack."

Robinlee George, a novice, ate lots of free-range chicken breasts, broccoli, cucumber and sweet potato to get himself in shape.

"It's hard work to get your body looking like this," he said of his compact frame. "There are so many temptations."

George said he would not be disappointed if he were not crowned Mr Fitness SA.

"Whatever happens, I've won already compared to what I used to look like."

Titles up for grabs include Ms Bikini Open, Mr Beach Body Model and Mr Physique.

Winners stand a chance of competing in an international fitness championship in Las Vegas.