Star of Netflix’s Physical 100 Song Ah-reum shows Hongkongers that mothers can succeed in bodybuilding
- In juggling motherhood and bodybuilding, Song says she treats the time she gets to train ‘as my daughter’s gift to me’
- Song will compete in the 2023 Bikini Olympia for the first time after winning the this year’s IFBB Pro Taiwan
Bodybuilder, coach, wife, mother, Olympian. These are just some of the words to describe South Korean celebrity and professional athlete Song Ah-reum.
A professional bodybuilder for five years, Song is a model of peak fitness in South Korea. Consistently placing in both domestic and international bodybuilding competitions, she has made a name for herself not only in the athletic realm but in popular culture, staring in the Netflix show Physical 100.
She grew her presence in Hong Kong this past week with a two-day event and posing seminar at PUMP Personal Training, in Sheung Wan. She worked alongside her own coaching team Wannabez to prepare local bodybuilders for bikini competitions, a subcategory of women’s bodybuilding.
The 31-year-old used the posing seminar to tell the story of her rise to success in the athletic world, as well as coach the 25 attendees on front and back poses for bikini competitions. She worked with the women to refine their posture and improve their walking. Later, she outlined her exercise regimen and gave tanning and makeup tips.
Song’s introduction to the fitness world was as a product of the entertainment industry. Aged 20, she was on track to become a singer, and her company had her do personal training. Song remembered liking the changes she saw in her body. It wasn’t until she attended a bodybuilding competition to support her husband, Kim Kang-min, that she became amazed at the beauty of bikini athletes.
Of the various subcategories of women’s bodybuilding, Song was most drawn to bikini, as it highlights a woman’s natural curves.
