Over the years, Natalia has struggled to be able to live on her passion. In the early years of her career, she was almost always short of money.
It was hard to find sponsors and she had to take money from her own pocket to train and compete. It wasn’t easy to get donations or help in Russia, but things have changed for the better since Natalia gained a lot of attention and went viral.
She now has several sponsors and works with nutrition brands such as Oxytropin and RPS Nutrition.
All of this probably wouldn’t be possible if she wasn’t active on social media – photos of her muscular body have been spreading like wildfire for years. Many have seen her face online – but probably few know who this goliath woman is.
‘People definitely recognise me. The athletic body is visible under my clothes. A lot of people recognise me, asking me to take a picture with them. Many even know my name,’ she told LadBible.
Natalia has talked about the prejudice of those around her before. Some people call her ugly and address her with hurtful names, but she treats them like children who cry when they meet someone much stronger than them.
‘Classic standards and norms are long gone. Even the modelling industry is ‘very different’ now. My best counsellor is a mirror,’ she says.
However, she treasures all the love she receives from her many fans around the world.
‘Most of my Instagram followers are men. There are about 75 per cent of them, and about the same percentage on other social media. They post a lot. Compliments to an athlete are no different than compliments to a non-athlete,’ she says.
Today, she has a million followers on Instagram. Natalia, a unique Amazon woman, as she calls herself, constantly pleases her fans with snapshots from her everyday life. And, of course, her feed is filled with tips and exercises for the gym.
She claims she was tempted to try growth hormones at one time, but ultimately decided they weren’t for her. However, she has admitted to using estrogen blockers and other performance enhancing drugs, which are banned by most major sports organisations.
In early 2017, Natalia announced that she was leaving the limelight and retiring from powerlifting, but just a year and a half later she returned for her next major competition in Moscow. She also revealed that she was going into coaching and wanted to help others ‘fulfil their potential’.
What is your opinion about Natalia’s life choice? Is she doing the right thing by following her dream or is it pure madness?
Feel free to share your opinion, but stay polite in the comments section!