Sam Evans has shown that unfavourable age, genetics and school qualifications are no bar to achieving the ultimate success.
It wasn’t until she was 43 that the Arbroath native took up weightlifting.
By the age of the age of 46 she had won the British bodybuilding title having worked on her naturally leaner lower body.
And Sam continues to inspire those who leave school without any qualifications by confidently starting a new career, as a personal trainer, after two decades as a high-performing financial adviser.
“I never believed in a million years I would achieve what I have achieved, leaving school with no qualifications,” she says.
“At school I was told by teachers I would not amount to much and this gives me the drive to succeed.”
In this feature Sam explains how she became a champion bodybuilder while also discussing school, her career and why she decided to stand for parliament.
It is split into the following sections:
- School dislike
- Retail, fitness and weights
- Champion bodybuilder
- Personal trainer
- Standing for election
School dislike
On paper, Sam Evans’ sibling position between five brothers of younger and older age might explain her interest in the traditionally male pursuits of weightlifting and bodybuilding.
But this chapter of her life came later. As a youngster in Cairnie she was into more traditional sports such as running.
“My family were active and weren’t ones for sitting in front of the television,” Sam says.
“I always liked keep-fit and PE was my favourite subject.”
‘I wanted to do all the things they said I couldn’t do’
If Sam could have created an ideal world she would have spent every school day learning all about her great passions of sport and fitness.
“I wasn’t a fan of the school system,” says Sam, who went to Inverbrothock Primary and Arbroath High.
“I have always been extremely well-behaved but it was restrictive with being told what to learn, rather than learn the things that interested you and would build your future.
“Every single human being learns in a different way, no matter what their skills are, but school isn’t like that – it expects everyone to learn the same.”
It wasn’t all bad, though.
“My dad used to say I always asked ‘why’ and wanted to know all the answers,” recalls Sam, who turned 50 in February 2022.
“At school I wanted the evidence to explain why we were being taught things the way we were and the relevance to them, but also why we weren’t taught the things we should be – for example, how to manage finances and more on health, nutrition and wellbeing.
“I did learn in classes when the teacher was good and I really liked my history teacher, Mrs Railston.
“I would never have been into history if it wasn’t for her. She took an interest and spoke to us like adults.
“School gave me my drive and motivation. All I wanted to do was to get out of school, make money and do all the things they said I couldn’t do.”
Retail, fitness and weights
Sam literally left left school as soon as she could. A few months prior to her 16th birthday she got a leaving pass and departed that very day.
Sam, who had worked in her grandparents’ business in Brook Street, Broughty Ferry from the age of 13, went straight into a full-time retail role at the age of 16.
She eventually got a job in In Style on Arbroath High Street, where she “had the best time ever, meeting amazing people” in a role that lasted three years.
“Working in that shop I was dealing with customers and talking to people. I became so much more confident,” Sam says.
“I ended up developing extremely good personal and sales skills and loved motivating and cheering people up when they came in the shop.”
These skills helped her forge a career as a financial adviser, which began when she was 26 – by which time she had given birth to James (now 30) and Lee (now 24).
In 1999 she started working at Alliance and Leicester in Dundee and was soon given the chance to study relevant degrees, a diploma and CII qualifications in business and financial advice.
“Alliance and Leicester were brilliant,” Sam says. “I had only been there for a few months when they offered me a good role after seeing how quickly I was learning the job and interacting with clients.
“Every person has different learning abilities and I prefer to do my own learning, rather than being told what to learn in a classroom.”
‘I was very skinny and had no shape whatsoever’
While working in finance Sam continued her fitness regime, which involved cardio, group classes and kickboxing.
The weights regime began after a split with her long-term partner coincided with her children reaching a more independent age, so having more free time.
“I had been in a relationship for 22 years, had come out of it and I started doing all the things that I hadn’t done before,” she recalls.
“I was doing a lot of running and used to go the gym five, six, seven days a week. I ran all the time, walked all the time but never saw a change in shape.
“I was very skinny and had no shape whatsoever. I was fit but didn’t have any definition.
“I got into Instagram because I used to practise and post advanced yoga. I followed a lot of people on Instagram and saw some of the American physiques where the women were much more athletic and had great shape but yet still looked feminine.
“They had a better overall body shape – glutes, hamstrings, arms, back, shoulders – and that’s the look I was wanting so I decided at that point I was going to start lifting weights with the goal of looking like that.”
‘I felt stronger and also benefited mentally’
She joined Arbroath’s Warehouse Gym and began ‘pumping iron’ with her best friend Kim Shaw and Kim’s husband Chris, who was an experienced weightlifter with 30 years’ experience.
“I also asked the owner to do some personal training so I could train extra sessions and also be pushed hard,” Sam says.
“I enjoyed Crossfit training as well.
“I soon began lifting weights that I never imagined I could lift before. I felt stronger and also benefited mentally from it.
“I’d not even been doing it six months before I had entered a powerlifting competition.”
Sam’s physical measurements – 5ft 4in and 60kg (9st 6Ib) – illustrate the enormity of her personal bests over the years:
- Dead lift: 155kg.
- Squat: 117.5kg.
- Bench press: 80kg.
- Shoulder press: 55kg.
Champion bodybuilder
There was a change of direction after Sam attended the British Natural Bodybuilding Federation’s (BNBF) Scottish championships at Perth Concert Hall in June 2014.
“I watched that and realised that I wanted to do bodybuilding,” she says.
“I could do the heavy weights but I liked the look better of bodybuilders. There is more definition and it is not just about lifting weights, it’s the confidence and the discipline that comes with bodybuilding.
“It was a confidence thing. It was how you perceive yourself when you look at yourself.”
Sam’s first bodybuilding competition was the same event, the BNBF Scottish championships, that she watched in Perth.
Twelve months later, in June 2015, she came third from the six female entrants on stage.
This sounds an impressive debut but Sam wanted more.
“I looked at every single person I was up against to see what I needed to do to bring a better version of myself on stage the following year,” she says.
“I spent every training session thereafter lifting heavy weights, being consistent and working extremely hard to bring a better package to stage in 2016.
“Coming third gave me the drive and motivation to work harder to get that first place.
“In the 2015 championships I realised that my upper body was dominant so I worked more on my legs and that area.
“There is lots to take into account when competing in bodybuilding: being symmetrical, muscle mass, condition, diet, posing, confidence on stage, to name a few. Not everyone is right for bodybuilding.”
Sam returned in June 2016 to win the Miss Physique Scottish title. This qualified her to enter that October’s world championships, where she came fifth.
Again, she was her own worst critic: “I was disappointed with my result and decided not to compete the following year so I could focus on my training and again bring a much better package to the stage.”
‘There is absolutely no alcohol’
After competing in 2015 and 2016 she became good friends with World Champion professional bodybuilder Vicky McCann and her husband Guy Addison, who own The Body Academy in Perth. The pair also founded and run the BNBF.
Vicky has helped Sam with her diet and coached her for competing in 2018.
Sam has a high-carbohydrate diet, with a day-to-day core menu of porridge for breakfast and dishes of sweet potato, chicken, white potato, vegetables and her favourite protein, the Unrivalled Active Growth Formula.
When off-season Sam allows herself to indulge in the occasional glass of wine (she doesn’t have a sweet tooth) but from about 22 weeks ahead of a competition her diet becomes very strict and eats only the core dishes.
“If I am competing there is absolutely no alcohol,” Sam says. “It is a case of doing the same and being very disciplined.
“It has its challenges if you have weddings or social events and there have been times when I have taken my own food with me, but it’s been my choice to compete so with that comes dedication and discipline.”
Sam spent the following two years developing and trying to balance a more symmetrical appearance by bringing her weaker body part, her legs, more in line with her upper body.
Sure enough, in 2018 she bagged both the Scottish and British titles in women’s bodybuilding.
In late October 2018 she was runner-up in the DFAC World Bodybuilding competition, held in Miami, behind Devon-based Faye Brownjohn.
‘I may have another go’
As with so many other athletes, the Covid lockdown proved a frustration for Sam.
She did not compete in 2019, opting to focus on a tilt at the world title the following year – only for 2020 to be a write-off due to travel restrictions.
Last year there was no world championships so she didn’t compete for the British crown, but 2022 could be the year that she makes a return.
“I am going to see how I look,” Sam says. “As long as the training keeps going how it is at the moment I may have another go.
“Once you decide to compete your social life changes and you start to focus on different lifestyle opportunities. This, in return, provides you with much better health and wellbeing; the days of going out drinking at the weekends were pretty much saved for an odd night out.”
Personal trainer
After successfully transforming her physique, Sam has recently done the same with her career.
In February 2022 she finished her stint as a financial adviser and launched her own business as a personal trainer operating out of Breaking Point Gym Arbroath, whose owner Kyle Hill has been supportive.
According to her Facebook page, Sam Evans Fitness provides one-to-one personal training, nutritional advice and coaching.
“I have always been successful at work but it got to the point there was nothing new to challenge me,” Sam says.
“I had learnt a huge amount over the years and having studied and got the qualifications I decided it was time to start up Sam Evans Fitness.
“My main focus is to help people get into a better mindset. In the past two years people’s mental health has been affected badly so I want to help to get them back in the gym and feeling better.
“I have learnt so many skills in the past 22 years. After managing teams of people all over Scotland for over 13 years and looking after high net-worth clients for more than eight years, a role in changing peoples lifestyle habits and wellbeing is not so different, just that I am giving advice to people about their health and fitness.”
‘The first time in the gym felt very nerve-wracking’
One of her tips is to not be afraid of the nerves that come with beginning a fitness regime.
“Everybody gets nervous about going to the gym,” she says. “Even I was nervous the first time I went.
“I had to go in and see all those people lifting weights and the first time in the gym felt very nerve-wracking, but I became comfortable and got to know all the other people in the gym.”
Standing for election
Sam has also become politically active with Reform UK, formerly the Brexit Party, which has opposed lockdown policies.
She was a candidate in the 2021 Scottish Parliament regional elections for North East Scotland. The party collected 1,056 votes – 0.29% of the overall regional total.
“People aren’t talking about the damage done to children or elderly during the lockdown,” Sam says. “I am a grandparent and if I was in my 80s I’d rather see my granddaughter than die lonely.
“I have never dictated to anyone how they should live their life or what they should and shouldn’t eat or drink, so I did find it very concerning that I should be told at the age of 48 how to look after mine or my family’s health.
“People should always be allowed to make their own health and risk choices in life.”
Sam somehow finds space in her diary to continue to help the Reform Party and she remains determined to succeed in all of her endeavours.
“I have always been competitive, whether in sport or at work,” she says.
“I would like to see more people set themselves goals and push themselves further. It’s important for children to be competitive and leave school with goals and ambition.
“I decided to do bodybuilding for two reasons – to like how I looked and felt and also to give me a goal to strive to while enjoying the discipline bodybuilding demands.”
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