Fitness champ—Northey overcomes injury for Canadian win

One arm pushups, split drops, death defying jumps—it’s all in a day’s work for Margo Northey.

The 43-year-old competed against more than 80 athletes at the Fame National Championships last month in North Vancouver. Winning the Fitness Pro division, the Tsawwassen business owner has tucked another national title securely under her belt.

It’s a sweet victory for Northey, who suffered a serious nerve injury in June which kept her from competing at World Championships in Montreal.

“It was very disappointing,” she says. “It is a huge amount of work and organization to make it to Worlds. I thought, at the very least, my execution might suffer but I never considered that the injury would actually sideline me.”

Northey is no stranger to the competitive scene. She competed internationally in aerobic gymnastics for 15 years, winning many national titles. She retired from aerobic gymnastics at 40 but felt as though something was missing.

Northey found herself drawn to the fitness competitions many of her compatriots had become involved in. Within the first year she received her pro card and hasn’t looked back. In 2008 she won bronze at the world championships and was going for gold this past summer when her injury crippled her the day before preliminaries.

“I’ve worked very hard since then to rehab and work within the constraints of my injury. As always happens, there is a silver lining. I have had to really focus on my static strength and this has actually improved my routines,” she says.

Northey recounted the events of the weekend at the Fame National Championships.

“There is always registration the night before and you try to find out who is there to compete against you,” Northey says with a laugh. “It’s not as though you are going to change things at that point, but I am not getting any younger and I would like to know ahead of time if I have to go up against some 21-year-old whippersnapper.”

Beyond training, Northey’s everyday schedule includes operating her business, Tsawwassen Massage Therapy Clinic, where she is a registered therapist, running her wine import agency (aptly called Great Legs), and teaching aerobics part-time for Fitness World.

One would think a national title merits some time off from training, but Northey disagrees.

“I am not training today (Sunday) and I’m going to have a few drinks and watch the hockey game,” she says. “But I’ll be back at the gym tomorrow. I’m a little sore from the weekend but some cardio and a stretch does wonders. What can I say? It’s part of my lifestyle. It’s all good!”

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