Elizabeth Smart Explains Her Pivot Into Bodybuilding and How She Preps for Competition (Exclusive)

0:00 You are such [music] a beacon of hope and strength for so many people.

0:03 You have such a beautiful life.

0:05 You're married.

0:06 You have three kids.

0:07 You are an author, [music] an advocate, a survivor, and a mother.

0:11 And now you're adding a new title to that list.

0:13 You're a bodybuilder.

0:14 Which this is an amazing chapter of your story.

0:16 What made it you want to get into bodybuilding?

0:19 Well, I was into running marathons for quite a while, and I loved it.

0:23 I loved the camaraderie.

0:24 Like I loved just like the you can

0:28 convince someone to to run a marathon with you.

0:30 Like you talk about everything.

0:32 And probably too much of everything.

0:34 But had so many good friendships come out of marathoning.

0:37 But as I was running, like my knees started aching more,

0:41 and it's like I had to go through a whole series of stretches.

0:43 And [music] then it would just take up so much time.

0:45 Like on Saturdays, if I was like doing a training run of like 20 miles,

0:49 [music] I would plan 20 miles away from my kids' soccer field.

0:53 And then I have to [music] count the hours backwards

0:55 so I could finish at the time that they were starting.

0:58 But then also I was just kind of worthless the rest of the day.

1:02 Like I didn't have any energy left to do anything.

1:04 [music] And I got into running because I

1:07 thought actually it would help me lean down.

1:09 And [music] a valuable lesson I learned is that you cannot outrun a bad diet.

1:16 Cuz I like treats a lot.

1:18 And I realized it doesn't matter if you're running 10 miles a day,

1:21 you can still out-eat that.

1:23 So true.

1:24 We all feel that.

1:25 And I had a I had a really good friend who I

1:28 used to train with um years ago reach out to me, Robin Maher,

1:31 and she was like, "Oh,

1:33 are you Do you want to train together again?" And I was like,

1:35 "Yeah." And so she's like, "Okay, like what are you feeling?

1:37 What are you thinking about?" And I was just kind of like,

1:40 "You know, I think I started running with like some vanity in mind.

1:44 And I suppose it's my vanity coming back right now as well.

1:48 Um but I I would like to get

1:52 into better [music] shape than what I'm currently in.

1:55 Um I'd like to feel confident in in a bathing suit.

1:58 I'd like to know that I can put any item [music]

2:01 on in my closet and know that it'll fit instead of like

2:05 struggling to get it up and then sucking in and being like

2:08 there's no way I'm going to be comfortable in this all day.

2:11 So, I was like, I I'd like to change that.

2:13 And I was like, you know, I need a deadline and I need like a solid goal like

2:18 a like I have to hit this by this time and you know,

2:22 I I think I'd like to try body building.

2:25 I don't know.

2:25 Do you think I could even do that?

2:26 And she was like, "If you want to do it." She's like, "Absolutely,

2:29 you can do it." She's like, "It's hard,

2:31 but you can do it if that's what you want." Yeah.

2:33 You went on socials and you shared with the world your physical transformation,

2:37 which was so powerful.

2:38 But tell me about the reaction that [music] you received.

2:41 Actually sharing it was terrifying to me.

2:44 I thought there'd be a response like with my long-time followers,

2:47 but the response that it got,

2:49 the fact that I'm here talking about one post off of Instagram is insanity.

2:55 It's amazing.

2:56 I was scared.

2:59 [music]

2:57 Scared of judgement, scared that people would look at me and being think like,

3:03 oh, well, she's becoming the very thing she fights against.

3:05 [music] Um, feeling like I needed to be the most um,

3:10 exemplary of victims so that no one could ever look at me and be like,

3:14 you can't listen to her because look at what she does in her free time.

3:17 I know, it sounds insane, but I think actually

3:21 [music]

3:20 that is why a lot of victims don't uh,

3:23 talk about what's happened because they're afraid that they won't be believed.

3:26 They're afraid that they'll be judged maybe

3:28 for how they were dressed or they were

3:29 on a date or they will be afraid [music] of being judged for their actions.

3:33 And kind of when that connection was made in my mind,

3:36 I was like, I have to do it.

3:39 Um, so that was scary.

3:40 Also, I mean, I do come from you know,

3:43 a Mormon background and it is a very conservative upbringing.

3:47 Modesty is heavily stressed [music] and that that was my upbringing.

3:52 So, then I was also like, what will people think of me?

3:56 Um and then I was just like, you know what?

3:59 I have one shot at life and I don't want to get to the end

4:03 of my life and look back and think I should have done that.

4:06 What do you think is the biggest misconception of this sport?

4:08 [music] That it's sexual.

4:10 It is not.

4:11 It is so much work.

4:13 Like maybe there are the few outliers who feel that way in the sport,

4:20 but everyone who I have met backstage [music] is an example

4:25 of discipline and hard work and dedication and [music] and so kind.

4:31 They're like, do you need another rice cake?

4:33 Here, have some honey.

4:34 Do you want to just like have a straight little packet of salt real quick?

4:39 No.

4:40 Do you need [gasps] Do you need to borrow my warm-up band?

4:43 You look amazing.

4:44 I mean, it's It is not sexual in my opinion at all.

4:49 [music] Can you walk us through what a typical

4:51 day of training looks like from morning to night?

4:54 Oh, anyone can do the workouts.

4:56 Like it's not the workouts that [music] are hard, you know.

4:58 I spend so much less time working out now [music]

5:02 in bodybuilding than than marathon running.

5:04 You know, marathon running it was like hours

5:06 and hours and hours of running and then I was,

5:09 you know, pretty useless the rest of day.

5:12 [music] Bodybuilding, you know, I spend maybe 45 minutes weight lifting.

5:16 Eating is the hard part.

5:17 I literally track everything that goes into my mouth [music]

5:23 and it's a lot of protein.

5:24 It is a lot We hear about protein all the time.

5:28 So I [music] I will check in with my coach every day.

5:31 Like I'll send her pictures.

5:33 There's a whole posing routine you have to do on stage.

5:35 So I'll send her my video of my posing routine every

5:38 day and she will [music] adjust my eating to that plan.

5:42 But I mean, going into this show like I

5:46 was probably eating over 2,500 calories a day Wow.

5:50 going into the show.

5:51 Well, it's like filling filling my muscles back up with the carbs,

5:54 but it's not like the good food.

5:57 It is chicken grilled chicken, maybe salt and peppered chicken and rice,

6:05 plain rice, which After a while, you're like, yep.

6:11 Like I'm still like it's been a couple weeks, I'm still good.

6:15 I'm like give me some other form of protein.

6:17 [music] Give me some other carb.

6:20 I do not want to look at another piece of rice right now.

6:24 Do you have a cheat meal or what is your go-to

6:27 if you do [music] want to have a cheat meal?

6:29 So, every every competition I've done has been a little bit different.

6:34 This one all I wanted is like the biggest piece [music] of cake.

6:39 Like I want cake for dinner.

6:41 I want like Any type or you have a specific that I I I

6:45 [music] want it to be like cream or like mousse in there.

6:49 I want some kind of fruit running through [music] it.

6:52 I just want it to be a massive Give me the whole cake,

6:56 not even just a slice of cake.

6:57 I want the whole thing.

6:59 Tell me about your relationship with your body today.

7:02 If anything, I feel such a deep sense of gratitude [music]

7:05 to my body because it has carried me through to today.

7:09 Like it's always been there.

7:11 Without my body, I wouldn't exist.

7:13 It's seen me through every bad experience.

7:15 [music] It's seen me through every good experience.

7:17 Like it's given me three beautiful children.

7:20 I have so many reasons to celebrate my body and I

7:24 feel like for me bodybuilding is a celebration of your body.

7:30 Yeah.

7:30 And so, I've really enjoyed it.

7:33 I did write a book called Detours.

7:36 My kidnapping was was a really [music] big detour in my life.

7:40 It all turned the direction of my life.

7:43 Actually, I feel like bodybuilding has become that as well.

7:46 It has helped me become more confident person,

7:50 helped me to embrace what I want for my life and not

7:55 just what I think how I think I should live my life.

7:58 It just makes me feel like I can do anything and I love that.

8:02 [music] And is bodybuilding something that you want

8:04 to continue doing for like the next foreseeable future?

8:07 Oh, I definitely still have goals.

8:09 I feel like my bodybuilding journey has just begun.

8:11 Oh, that's so [music] exciting.

8:12 And then when is your next competition?

8:14 I haven't 100% committed to it yet,

8:17 but there's [music] a couple I'm looking at at the end of summer,

8:20 but I also have a new podcast coming out

8:23 with iHeartRadio at the end of summer beginning of fall,

8:25 so um it's I'm going to see.

8:29 Oh, that's exciting.

8:30 And then can you tell us what the podcast is about or that's still under wraps?

8:33 No, no, we can talk about it.

8:35 So it's going to be um it's going to be survivor stories with Elizabeth Smart,

8:39 but it is going to be focusing on survivor stories

8:41 because I think the world needs to hear survivor stories.

8:45 Other survivors need to know that they're not

8:47 alone and I think they provide so much hope

8:51 and healing and inspiration and I I feel like

8:55 it's going to be an incredible journey for me.

8:58 Your father had recently [music] spoke out

9:00 about the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie and how

9:03 the public should not give up especially when it comes to searching for someone.

9:06 [music] What would you say about not giving up hope

9:08 that Nancy could be found in a situation like this?

9:12 I came back, Jaycee Duggard [music] came back,

9:15 Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus, [music]

9:19 Kara Robinson, we all came back.

9:22 And if we give up now, then yeah, she might not ever come back.

9:25 [music] So it's absolutely imperative that we don't give up.

9:30 Yeah.

9:30 And we've seen Savannah is back at work

9:32 [music] doing what she loves and and she's,

9:34 you You surviving and her story with us every day.

9:37 What would you What would you say

9:38 to Savannah [music] going through this as well?

9:41 Just that she shouldn't give up and she

9:46 should keep living her life and [music] keep searching

9:49 for her mom and that we're all all

9:54 behind her, love her, support her, pray for her.

9:57 You truly are such [music] an inspiration and it's

9:59 such an honor to get to chat with you.

10:00 Thank you so much for your time

10:02 and and everything that you've brought to Entertainment Tonight.

10:04 We we love getting to have you here.

10:05 [music] This is Thank you.

10:06 Thank you for having me.

10:07 Of course.

10:08 Thank you.