Surfer, bodybuilder, university professor: meet the real Greek Wonder Woman Alexandra Kolla

Alexandra Kolla: An athlete of all professions

“Competitive surfer” is just one of the many hats Kolla wears every day.

In addition to her surfing career, Kolla is also a professional bodybuilder and university professor theoretical computer science and quantum computing.

Kolla comes to campus two to three times a week give lectures. She also does research work from her home office and surfs during the breaks – sometimes even with her students.

Bodybuilding competitions are also on her agenda several times a year. To be ready, and to stay fit in general, Kolla usually spends money an hour in the gymfive days a week.

Although her workouts at the gym are often grueling, Kolla says this is the easy part of being a professional bodybuilder. The hardest part is the diet. There are strict calorie counts and the menu – chicken, rice, turkey, vegetables and oatmeal – can become repetitive.

Adhering to such a uniform, oil-free regimen is even trickier when Kolla travels to surfing competitions, as was the case at the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games.

“The last time I was in El Salvador, I had a (bodybuilding) competition or something the next week,” Kolla said. “So I literally I cooked all my food and froze itput it in a backpack, brought it here and microwaved my meals the whole time.

Luckily for Kolla, that strict diet is only necessary during competition season, and she usually tries to fit all her bodybuilding events into the span of two months.

Although surfing is her main focus, she has also seen progress in her bodybuilding results lately. In May, she achieved her best professional placing to date when she finished fourth at the IFBB Professional Miami Pro – Masters Bikini.

Kolla weaves between beaches, gyms and lecture halls and has a busy schedule that could keep three people busy. Still, she has no plans to get anything out of it.

“Surfing, I will never give up. It’s my lifestyle,” Kolla said. “My job pays the bills, so I don’t want to drop it either. Bodybuilding, I feel like I bored at the gym without having a goal, and I know that in old age the gym is necessary to be an athlete. So instead of just going to the gym, I happen to associate it with bodybuilding competitions.”