Bodybuilding in Mallorca: Silvia’s metamorphosis

At 61, Pilates instructor Silvia Guidi has turned her life upside down to fulfil her dream of competing in bodybuilding

In October, during the Balear Cup bodybuilding competition, the Auditori d’Alcúdia erupted in applause as the winner was announced. But the presenter wanted to add something more. “I’m going to tell you a secret: she’s 61 years old,” he revealed. Immediately, surprise and admiration swept through the audience and the other competitors. “Many people came up to me, they couldn’t believe it. It was very moving because I felt that all the effort had been worth it,” recalls Silvia Guidi, owner of the Pilates Plus studio in Palma.

In the days leading up to the competition, Silvia Guidi follows a strict physical and dietary regime. Photos: S. G.

At the beginning of 2025, Guidi decided to fulfil her youthful dream. The emergence of new bodybuilding categories such as Shape —which values definition and proportion over muscle and body size— allowed her to make it a reality. “I didn’t think about my age for a single second. I just wanted to see if I was capable of taking my body and mind to that level of demand.”

Her daily life has completely changed, from her schedule and diet to her training routines and overall appearance. She gets up at five in the morning and starts with half an hour on the exercise bike. Breakfast is oats with protein, fruit and two eggs. She eats four times a day and supplements her diet with creatine, omega-3 and protein powder. Portions are always measured: around 100 grams of vegetables or salad and between 80 and 120 grams of protein —chicken, fish or lean meat. No fried food or processed products. “I don’t count calories, I count quality,” she explains. She trains for two hours a day, alternating between weights, cardio and flexibility work, an effort she combines with her Pilates classes.

Pushing the body to the limit

But the real challenge comes before the competition. In the weeks leading up to it, she reduces carbohydrates to the bare minimum and monitors her water intake in detail: she starts with up to eight litres a day and gradually cuts it down to almost nothing in order to “dry out” the body. Two or three days beforehand, she reintroduces carbohydrates so that the body can recover and the muscles appear full and firm. “That’s the toughest part,” she admits. “What you see on stage isn’t how we always are. It’s an almost scientific fine-tuning.”

Aesthetic preparation is also part of the new ritual. She wears strikingly long nails and hair extensions, and before competing she tans her skin to highlight her sculpted physique and applies heavy make-up. “You have to exaggerate a bit, because the lights wash everything out,” she says.

Moreover, her passion comes at a price: a pair of competition bikinis can cost up to €800, the sixteen-centimetre-high heels around €280, and supplements about €300 per month. Added to that are the costs of a coach, tanning products and federation registration fees. “It’s more expensive than golf. I’d rather be given protein than flowers,” she jokes.

Her social life has also changed. Eating out has become a rare exception, and spontaneous outings are almost impossible. “Your friends have to understand it, or they drift away. You learn to say no,” she admits calmly.

Guidi insists that she doesn’t do it for the trophies, but for personal satisfaction. “It’s only ten minutes on stage, but they’re worth months of effort. Through this process, I’ve learnt that discipline, respect for your body and perseverance change you more than anything else. And that after days without carbohydrates, a piece of broccoli can taste like a truffle.”

Silvia Guidi’s physical progression in images