On Sunday evening, Dec. 10, Michelle Johnson of Little Egg Harbor was still coming down off her high from the weekend-long NPC National Championships at the Irving Convention Center in Texas, where the 37-year-old bodybuilder won big in both the physique and figure divisions.

“I am now a professional athlete,” she said, the triumph audible in her voice. As an IFBB Pro League qualifier, the event earned her two pro cards. “Not just one, two!” she said. She described the feeling as “incredible.”