Figure Contest Success in 4 Different Countries – How I Did It

Age: 33

Occupation or Education: Air Force Weapon System Supply Management Specialist

Family: Married 9 years to my best friend, Zack. We have 2 amazing daughters, Ryah (7) and Ella (5).

Current Residence: Shiloh, IL (near St. Louis, MO)

Years training: For competitions 3 years; for general health about 10 years

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 120-122 off-season, 115-117 contest

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: It has to be my egg white and veggie (onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and tomato) scramble with a bowl of oatmeal and strawberries.

Favorite Supplements: Without doubt BI’s Ultimate Muscle Protein both chocolate and vanilla. I use UMP as a source of well-balanced protein supplement to help support lean muscle gains.

There are so many ways I include UMP in my diet. The most convenient is just a 2-scoop shake with added water to my desired consistency. I will drink this after my resistance training session or as a meal later in the day. I also like to make pudding using 1 scoop at a time mixed with enough water to create a pudding consistency to enjoy with a spoon. I also make protein pancakes - 3 egg whites, 1-2 scoops UMP, cooked oatmeal (½ cup measured prior to cooking), water, cinnamon and vanilla extract to taste. Combined and made like pancakes topped with sugar free maple syrup. As a small dessert at night, I mix vanilla UMP, 1 tbsp PB2 with water or unsweetened almond milk until pudding like, topped with 2 Tbsp fat free Cool Whip. I actually crave this! These are just a few examples.

Figure Presentation tip: Don’t compare yourself to the other competitors, that’s the judges’ job. Accept that you are nervous but be confident!

Most Inspiring Book: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, Ph.D.

Hobby: I love to cook and bake and find new healthy recipes. I am putting together many of my own recipes to someday publish a cookbook for busy moms and dads who want to be fit and healthy and give their family the same advantage.

Words to live by: In my own words. “Excuses are like bad manners, we all have them but it doesn’t mean we should use them.”

I have been in the military for 15 years, currently holding the rank of Master Sergeant, E7. I am a Weapon Systems Supply Management Specialist at the Air Force Global Logistics Supply Center at Scott AFB, IL. My husband, Zack has also committed himself to the Air Force. We have spent 10 years overseas at 3 different bases, moving back to the States January 2012. Outside of the military, I am a Certified Personal Trainer with NASM and AFAA, a Speed and Explosion Specialist with NASE, Group Cycling Instructor, Group Fitness Instructor, and a Fitness Nutrition Specialist. I have a Logistics Management Degree, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, and a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, and I am not done yet! I have more educational pursuits in sight. Over the years, health and fitness has become my passion and I love to help others reach their health and fitness goals and to promote total well-being. Along the way my passion grew into more and I began competing in Figure competitions in 2009:

British Natural Bodybuilding Federation (BNBF) Ultra Bodies Competition
Women’s Figure, 1st Place Open Class, Best Abs Award, 2009
International Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation (INBF)
USAG Stuttgart Germany Bodybuilding & Fitness Competition, Women’s Figure, 1st Place Short Class, 1st Place Overall, 2009, earned WNBF Figure Pro Card
Muscle Mania Northern Italy Regionals, Women’s Figure, 1st Place/Overall, 2011
NPC Kentucky State Championship, Women’s Figure Class B, 2nd Place, National Qualifier, 2012

I have worked with Women’s Fitness Specialist, Julie Lohre, for all of my competition prep. Living in Europe, I was not able to work with her face-to-face, but Julie set up all my training programs in an easy to follow format. I can see a tremendous transformation when comparing pictures from 3 years ago, and I owe it all to Julie for her fitness and diet guidance, as well as her overall support and encouragement. Also, Julie is the one who introduced me to the Beverly International products, so thank you, Julie!

DIET

The best way to implement a plan such as this is to make your meals ahead of time. It is easier to stay on track when the right foods are available. Even more importantly, I do my best to cook clean for my family as well. At first, I would make “their dinner” then “my dinner.” Until one night I looked at the 2 different meals and saw a big problem. My family was eating processed while I was eating a healthy clean meal. Why was that food okay for them but not for me? Why was I taking in all the wonderful nutrition while they weren’t? So, I began incorporating clean diets for my family. Now when we sit down at the dinner table we all enjoy a healthy meal together.

PREPARATION TIPS

I cooked 1 lb of ground chicken to last the whole week for my breakfast. I also cooked egg whites up to 3 days in advance and keep them in separated containers in the fridge. I add 2 oz chicken to each egg white container so I can easily grab it and take to work. At work I store a container of quick oats oatmeal, a ½ cup measuring cup, a bowl and make my oatmeal in the break room at work.

Every Sunday, I buy, wash, cut, and store all my fruits and vegetables. I build one very large salad with all my desired veggies and store it in the fridge. This stops me from having to build a new salad every day, I just serve a couple handfuls and I am good to go! I bring my salad to work in a freezer bowl to keep it cold.

I keep several must-have items at work so I don’t have to carry them back and forth from home: oatmeal, Uncle Ben’s individual microwavable brown rice servings, utensils, red wine vinegar, Splenda, salt and pepper.

TRAINING

Split Routine over 6 days. Each session targets 2 muscles groups with under-trained areas addressed twice a week. The exercises remain the same for 4 weeks with each week changing variables such as rep, sets, intensity, and/or rest periods. No matter how the program is designed, there are always plyometrics involved at least 1 day. Sample:

Monday – Glutes and abs

Tuesday – Back and chest

Wednesday – Delts and abs

Thursday – Glutes and hamstrings

Friday – Biceps, triceps, and abs

Saturday – Legs

Sunday – Rest

TIME MANAGEMENT

Everyone’s experience is so unique and everyone encounters different challenges. For me, my hardest obstacle to overcome during contest prep is time management. Managing all of life’s day-to-day aspects gets harder when you add consistent training, prepping meals, posing practice, so on and so on. So I would like to share this with No Nonsense readers who are wondering how they can do it. This is a small segment I wrote to share with my FB page followers that reveals my dearest secret to accomplishment:

Mental compartmentalization: This is truly my “secret” weapon to living a military life, raising children, maintaining my health, the health and happiness of my family, and finding time for self-improvement. I mentally compartmentalize my entire life by breaking it down into the main areas:

Family/Home Life/Religion
Fitness (Gym/Exercise Time)
School/Education
Social Relationships
Work

Each of these areas is important to me so I groom them separately. Of course they overlap each other at times, but helping them flourish takes extra effort and we have to give each the individual mental attention they need to do so. For example, when I first decided to compete, I was working full time, in school full time, my husband was deployed, I was raising 2 very young toddlers in Europe with no family near, and I was going to train for a competition. I had to tackle each area separately. Here’s how. When I stepped into work I did my best to block out the other areas. I didn’t worry about what assignment had to be accomplished for school or what workout I was going to do later. I focused on work and work alone. When I left work, I left thoughts of work there as I stepped out of the office and into the gym. In the gym all I focused on was conditioning for the competition. Yes, many times I heard people saying I was stuck up in the gym, but socializing was not on the top of my list at the moment. When I left the gym and picked up my kids, my focus for the evening was all on my 2 year and 3 ½ year old daughters (favorite part of my day). As soon as they were in bed, I opened up my laptop and school books and thought about nothing but how I was going to rock out this A-paper. When I could not concentrate another second, into the kitchen I went to prepare all my food for the next day, got all our bags lined up by the door, caught my 7 hours of sleep and by 6:15 am, the girls and I were out the door for another day just like the previous. Two of the best feelings of my life were walking across the stage graduating from college with honors, and then 2 weeks later walking across the stage accepting 1st place in my first competition! Although my husband was not there to witness either, he was so proud!

My point is that we all have “stuff.” List your “stuff,” weed out what is not important or makes you unhappy and put the rest into categories. Then find a way to arrange your categories into manageable areas of life. At times in our lives this will be easier or more difficult. But it can be done. Prioritize. If it is truly important to you, it can be done and it should be an area of your life.

You notice I did not list “health” as an area of my life. That’s because it over shadows all areas of my life. Health is not an area of my life; it is the result of my life.

Pro Ball To Olympic Weightlifting

Age: 26

Occupation or Education: Sports Performance Coach/ Supplement Representative at Superior Athletic Advantage

Residence: Barrington, Illinois

Years training: Trained periodically for college baseball. I have been consistently training about 2 years.

Height: 6'

Weight: 220

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: Turkey burger and mixed nuts

Favorite Supplements: Super Pak and Muscle Synergy. I take Super Pak every day with my first meal. I drink Muscle Synergy first thing in the morning and in my post workout shakes. Super Pak helps me run on all cylinders and Muscle Synergy helps with explosive strength and recovery.

Music: Tool and Skrillex

Most Inspiring Book: Tony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within

Hobby or interests outside bodybuilding: Baseball and drums

Words to live by: Every man dies. Not every man really lives.

I was raised in the Chicago area and played baseball my entire life. I attended Augusta State University on a full baseball scholarship where I also studied Exercise Science. During that time I lifted weights periodically, but did very little sport specific exercise. After college I signed with a professional team, the Normal Cornbelters (www.normalbaseball.com), where I continued playing baseball until I suffered a career ending torn rotator cuff diving headfirst into home plate.

With my baseball career over, I found my way to Superior Athletic Advantage, a strength & conditioning facility in Barrington IL. I started as an intern studying under former Olympic weightlifters and Division 1 strength and conditioning coaches. Superior Athletic Advantage incorporates Olympic weightlifting as a tool to help athletes develop explosive strength. I really liked the fact that weightlifting, unlike baseball, is an individual sport where you have much more control over your success. The more I learned, the more interested I became in Olympic lifting.

TRAINING

Olympic weightlifters train very different from bodybuilders. For example, I perform squats and a variation of the classical lifts (snatch, clean and jerk) almost every day, where a bodybuilder would typically not train the same body part two days in a row. In weightlifting there is less emphasis on the eccentric (negative) portion of the movements, which causes the majority of muscle damage. This allows Olympic lifters to perform the lifts more frequently. Many Olympians often perform the same lifts twice a day!

My training can almost be described as a split routine, but instead of splitting up body parts, I am splitting movements by working them from different positions. For example, Monday I might do snatch pulls from the floor and on Wednesday, snatch pulls from the high blocks. That way I am able to work the same movement more frequently without overtraining. Another benefit of working the lifts from different positions is that you can focus on a weakness. Maybe you have a very strong pull off the floor but lose your form once you pass your knees. If I am coaching someone with this problem I may have them snatch from the blocks to eliminate the first pull. This will help the lifter gain a better feel for the second pull. [ed.note - Olympic lifts like the snatch and clean are broken down into “2 pulls” for training purposes]. My philosophy is pretty simple… Work the body in pieces, prioritize your weakness, and then put it all together!

I generally will do about 3 weight progressions with 2-4 sets at each weight (6-9 sets total per exercise) and reps ranging from 1-4. Start at 50-60% and add 10-15% each progression working up to about 85-100% of 1 RM.

Here is an example of a typical week of my training.

In order to move big weights in weightlifting, you have to be able to squat and deadlift a higher percentage than what you are trying to achieve in the classical lifts. This leads to great strength, big legs, a thick back, and monster traps.

My advice to any bodybuilder would be to prioritize heavy compound movements like bench, squats, and deadlifts. Then incorporate variations of the Olympic lifts for higher repetitions in order to achieve more hypertrophy. Performing these lifts will also help your body achieve better symmetry. Also, fast, heavy, compound movements activate more fast twitch muscle fibers, which have more potential for growth. I normally don’t do cardio, but on my lighter days I take shorter rest periods to get my heart rate up.

DIET & SUPPLEMENTS

My main focus is to make sure I take in enough calories. I train at a very high intensity and my metabolism is like a furnace. I try to take in as many good calories as possible. When I have trouble taking in enough calories, I make due with protein shakes and sip on Glutamine Select throughout the day.

Breakfast: 2 cups of oatmeal, 2 scoops of Muscle Provider, 1 cup of mixed nuts

Lunch: 2 chicken breasts and 1sweet potato

Dinner: steak, bag of mixed vegetables with cheese

Since starting weightlifting, I have been part of three competitions. I placed 2nd twice and 3rd in the other. My goal is to be ranked first in the country…and after that who knows. My advice to anyone is to keep training hard, keep learning, and surround yourself with people that are going to support you. I am very excited to see where this new sport takes me as it is my new passion in life.

My current best lifts are:

Squat: 235kg (517lbs)
Clean: 182kg (400lbs)
Jerk: 173kg (380lbs)
Clean and Jerk: 170kg (374lbs) Snatch: 133kg (293lbs)

*** All of my lifting videos can be seen on the Superior Athletic Advantage Facebook Page!!!

My First Bodybuilding Contest

Age: 31

Occupation or Education:B.S., M.S., Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, currently a Space-craft Mission Design Engineer at the Applied Physics Laboratory

Residence: Columbia, MD

Years training: 15

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 215-220 (off-season), 186 (contest)

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: Muscle Provider/peanut butter pudding

Favorite Supplements: Ultimate Muscle Protein, Muscle Provider, Glutamine Select, Density, Ultra 40

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before: 1) Try Ultimate Muscle Protein Chocolate. If you’re not sold after 1), then proceed to step 2) Try any other protein powder in existence. You will quickly return to 1). In all seriousness, in 15 years of trying every protein powder under the sun, UMP ended up naturally finding its way as my personal favorite. It also cooks into many great recipes, such as vanilla/pumpkin UMP bread or pancakes.

Music: Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Armin Van Buuren, The Arcade Fire, Daft Punk

Most Inspiring Book: The Fountainhead

Hobby or interests outside bodybuilding: Working on a pilot’s license, getting an MBA, scuba diving, and improving my golf game.

Words to live by: "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." Vince Lombardi

I never thought that I would be the one sitting here writing an article for my favorite supplement company, Beverly International, following my first ever body-building competition. Until recently, I was unsure that I would ever gain the confidence to "take the plunge" from a recreational weight training enthusiast to the next level. I'm hoping that I may be a lot like some of you who read this article. I was the guy that read all of the bodybuilding magazines, had grown up idolizing the Arnold, Stallone, and Van Damme 80's flicks (including no less than 100 viewings of Rocky IV and Bloodsport a piece on cable TV), and had wanted to emulate those physiques myself at a competitive level.

Unfortunately, my lack of confidence in stepping on the bodybuilding stage was conveniently replaced with excuses for many years. I had many false justifications that I would feed myself throughout my 20's - "I'm too busy with my 9-10 hour workdays", "I don't have enough size yet", or the "my symmetry is not good enough", and oh wait, wait, let's not forget my personal favorite, "all of these bodybuilders are personal trainers in their day jobs, somebody with a sedentary desk job like me could never compete.”

Excuses, excuses, excuses. I even started to believe my own words after a while. The pattern persisted from my sophomore year of college at Penn State ("an engineering curriculum is too demanding!"), through grad school at Purdue ("I could never write a thesis and train for a show!"), all the way up to my job at the Applied Physics Laboratory.

I was on a fast-track to creating a lifetime of excuses until I started dating my girlfriend Sandy. Sandy was the anti-me. Sandy caught the weight training bug from me, and in October of 2011 she got her own itch to compete. She learned of an OCB contest being held in April of 2012, and promptly signed her name on the dotted registration line for the bikini division. A few days later she had begun her contest preparation. "What????" my inner-self said. "How could she??? She hasn't even been training close to as long as me!" This jealous internal rambling gradually changed to the self-realization that Sandy possessed all of the confidence that I didn't, and that it was time to find inspiration in her choice rather than jealousy. My competitive spirits that were previously buried six feet under for the past decade were finally unearthed to the point that I was ready to get off my excuse-happy high horse. I would prep right alongside Sandy for my first ever bodybuilding experience! In hindsight, it's really amazing how we fed off of each other and pushed each other to make this journey.

NUTRITION

OK, Great! I've decided to compete, now what? As a lifetime bodybuilding fan, I knew that a rock solid diet plan was essential, and I needed to come up with one in a hurry. It was late November, and at 218 lbs. with a stage goal of roughly 190 lbs., I needed to diet for 15 weeks to be ready for the show. After analyzing my past attempts to “lean out” I decided that to successfully compete, my best bet would be to consult with a coach. Enter David Johnston. David was an amazing prep coach and immediately set me on a dietary path that yielded the results I desired.

If you've ever read the NNN, you'll find his first suggestion was obvious – I would rigorously weigh all food, log all macronutrients, and would not skip any meals! Although I thought I knew a thing or two about nutrition, I learned from David that part of the key to dieting is (1) conditioning the body to a known nutrient profile, (2) patiently tracking the changes, and (3) then introducing small reductions as needed to continue the gradual weight loss.

The hardest part for me as a first-timer was establishing a good baseline diet. It took about 4 weeks to get the food intake precisely "locked in" for optimal fat loss, so if you too are a first timer, whatever you plan for your prep timeframe, give yourself a few extra weeks of buffer time to account for errors like this! David recommended a carb-cycle diet. The carb days were strategically bracketed around my weight training routine (see the Training section) to give me enough energy to make it through the heavy power days and the high volume hypertrophy days. Another important note about my diet was that I customized it to my 8:30-6:00 work schedule. I consumed meals 2-4 at work. Meals 2 and 4 worked well as quick pre or post-lunch snacks, and meal 3 fit in nicely with lunch so that I could still eat with my friends like a normal person.

Here is a sample of my contest prep diet at roughly 6 weeks out. At this point, my body was responding really well and dropping 1-2 lbs./week, so I stayed very close to this plan all the way up until contest day.

Note: I began each day with fasted cardio and then started with meal 1. I trained with weights between meals 4 and 5. I was at home for meals 1, 5, and 6, and at work for meals 2-4. For fluids, I consumed 1.5-2 gallons of water over the course of every day.

One final note about my diet is worth mentioning. I did not cheat. Think about it: There are plenty of times in your life to give in and eat things that are a bit unhealthy, but a bodybuilding contest is not one of those times. Rather, this is the one time in your life that you are going to put yourself in the best condition of your life - why not bite the bullet, stick to the plan and do it right? It may be hard, but in terms of nutrition, at the end of the day you'll have the clear conscience of saying you gave it every-thing you had when standing on stage.

SUPPLEMENTS

Having taken Beverly International's products since 2007 with great results, I knew I wanted to take my pre-contest supplementation seriously. I went to their website and found their supplement recommendation chart. Included, among other programs, was a full listing of supplements for the male pre-contest bodybuilder. The only other question was supplement timing. For this, I took advantage of the useful information from successful Beverly bodybuilders of the past who had posted their winning formulas in previous No Nonsense Newsletters. From there, I devised the following routine:

Super Pak: One every morning upon completion of fasted AM cardio.

Density: Three with each meal.

Ultra 40: Four with each meal.

Lean Out: Two with each meal.

7 Keto Musclean: Three upon waking before cardio. Sometimes I would take three before weight training if I felt like I needed the energy boost, but not always.

Quadracarn: Three with meals 1, 3, and 5.

Glutamine Select + BCAA's: 2 scoops following fasted AM cardio and 2 scoops following any weight workout.

Muscularity: Began taking at the 4 week out mark. Four caps following each meal.

Bev ZMA: Three at night before bed.

TRAINING

As a lifetime natural bodybuilder that had tried many different weight training programs, I took some time to reflect on what I felt had worked for me in the past. While everyone may be different, I came to the conclusion that for me, heavy compound powerlifting type exercises were my bread-and-butter movements for obtaining mass, while mid/high repetition hypertrophy exercises worked well to supplement the power movements. Interestingly enough, I found that IFPA professional bodybuilder Dr. Layne Norton had implemented both of these features into his training regimen known as Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training (PHAT). PHAT involves two days of essentially powerlifting of the entire upper and lower body, followed by three days of higher-repetition hypertrophy training of the entire body. Essentially you train your entire body twice per week, incorporating BOTH the "power-building" style and traditional bodybuilding. I believe that the low-rep, heavy compound weight that I moved during the Sunday and Monday power days helped me maximize my muscle preservation over the 14 week haul. In fact, I was even setting a few personal records until about week 10, where my strength actually held even for the most part. My weight training schedule was as follows:

Sunday: Lower Body Power

Monday: Upper Body Power

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Chest and Arms Hypertrophy

Thursday: Lower Body Hypertrophy

Friday: Back and Shoulders Hypertrophy

Saturday: Off

PRESENTATION AND DAY OF THE SHOW

At the start of my prep, I participated in hour long weekly posing sessions with my coach, David. At the 10 week out mark, I was also posing on my own 3-4 days a week for about 20 minutes after work and documenting with pictures. Do not under-estimate the importance of this practice! Trust me, you will look at your pictures from week-to-week and be amazed at the presentation improvements that you'll continue to make. As the days drew closer and closer to the show, I felt that the most important strategy was to keep everything simple and stick to the plan. I didn't panic or make any drastic last minute changes, but I kept the training intense until the last week before the show. During this final "peak week", however, I did throttle back the training and circuit trained for 40-60 minutes on Monday-Wednesday, stopping each set 3-4 reps short of failure. Cardio was also cut to 20 minute sessions. On Thursday and Friday I stopped training altogether, aside from posing practice and visualization.

The day of the contest was like a celebration of all of my hard work rather than a stressful event. The hardest days were behind me. I was well prepared and competing "for the love of the game" rather than to beat other competitors. In the end, I was fortunate to walk away with four total trophies at the OCB Eastern Regional in Baltimore, MD, taking first place in Debut Heavyweight class, first place in Novice Heavyweight class, first place in the Novice Overall, and third place in the Open Middleweight class. Sandy also had a great first time showing and finished fifth place in the Open Bikini division. The highlights of the day were definitely sharing the experience with Sandy, the posedown that I had to do for the Novice Overall, and getting shouts of "Crab Most Muscular" from my friends in the audience! Standing there on the stage at your physical peak, surrounded by many of the people you care about in life, you realize that every minute of the preparation is truly worth it.

&hbsp;

CONCLUSION

Today, I remain an interesting anomaly in my every day work place. My day job involves planning and designing robotic spacecraft missions to asteroids and planets like Mercury and Pluto. That said, it probably comes as no surprise when I tell you that most people in my field do not spend their time moving 500 pounds on deadlifts, or dieting on grilled chicken, oatmeal, and protein shakes for weeks on end. Nowadays, my novice overall trophy (a smily golden muscle-man flexing his biceps) that sits on my desk is an eyebrow raising, conversation piece when a co-worker walks into my office and asks me a question about orbital mechanics. Sandy remains committed to improving her physique to compete in figure competitions, and I hope to beef up my legs and compete for some open overall titles in the future. I hope you find some small pieces of useful information in my story that you may take with you in your own fitness journey someday because I'm sure I will continue to be inspired, amazed, and educated by the stories of others in the NNN in the future.

Out Of Shape For 20 Years, Now I’m In The Best Shape Of My Life at 44

Age: 44

Occupation: Director of IT

Family: wife Tracie

Residence: Fishers, Indiana

Years training: 5

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 175

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: My bedtime snack and favorite meal of the day is 1 scoop UMP Cookies and Cream, 1 scoop casein protein, 1 tbsp peanut butter or almond butter mixed into a pudding (or use walnuts instead of nut butter). I also mix in BCAAs, Glutamine, and Creatine.

Favorite Supplements: UMP, Muscle Provider

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before: Start with Ultimate Muscle Protein, you’ll be hooked!

Music: Lecrae, Tedashii

Most Inspiring Book: Joel Osteen, Become a Better You

Hobby or Interests Outside of Bodybuilding: Duathlon, triathlon, martial arts with Gary Hoyd at Elite Martial Arts in Indianapolis.

I REALLY enjoy competing and pushing myself to be better each show. But, having spent years abusing my body in a number of ways, I also appreciate my renewed health and peace of mind. I want to be healthy and fit more than I want to "get huge". I want to build as much muscle as I can without risking my health. Therefore, when I decided to get back into weights, I knew that I would NOT use steroids or any other unhealthy means of building my body.

I have learned that there is no single workout, supplement, food, or tip that is a magic bullet. Making dramatic changes to your physique and maintaining those changes (for the average, drug-free person) requires a lifestyle change that includes consistency, hard work, and daily dedication to diet. Nothing truly good in life comes easily (if it did, we wouldn't appreciate it!!). However, good quality supplements can be a tremendous help, and you may never reach your full potential if you don’t find the right ones! I started using Beverly supplements in 2009 and have made major improvements since that time!

Preparation for a Contest

I normally don’t make drastic changes before a contest. I stay lean year round, so I normally only have to lose 6-10 pounds for a show. My first couple of years competing I’d gain 20-30 pounds in the offseason and then had to diet for 20-30 weeks to lose all the fat. I found this was unnecessary and borderline unhealthy.

Now I alternate shorter cycles of building up and leaning down, staying closer to my competition weight. For example, in the off season I might concentrate on building mass for 6 weeks and then lean down for 3 or 4 weeks to trim off any extra fat I’ve gained. I try to stay between 6% and 10% percent bodyfat, so I look better year round. In the 4 weeks before a show, however, I get below 6% and I have to lighten up on the amount of weight I lift. My primary diet change during the final 4 weeks before a contest is to eat less in my big post-workout carb meal.

I eat 8 or 9 times a day, shooting for 30 grams of quality protein at each meal. I use 1.5 times my bodyweight as the measure for the number of protein grams I shoot for each day. To illustrate, at 175 pounds I make sure I’m getting (1.5 x 175) or about 260 grams of protein daily. Sources include tuna, chicken breast, salmon, and a quality protein shake such as Beverly Muscle Provider or UMP. I eat lean beef once or twice a week. I use Beverly UMP mixed with casein before bed (mixed into a pudding with organic peanut butter or organic almond butter).

I eat moderate amounts of carbs with each meal. I have a slightly larger carb meal for breakfast (my breakfast carb of choice is oatmeal), and I usually stick with broccoli or carrots at each of the meals during the day. Post workout, I have dextrose and honey on a sweet potato to facilitate a good insulin surge, as well as growth hormone release. Both of these hormones are critical for muscle growth. They help increase protein synthesis and hypertrophy as well as decrease protein breakdown and excretion.

As an alternative post workout meal, I sometimes have dextrose on rice cakes with peanut butter and organic raw honey. As you can see, the bulk of my daily carbs come post-workout.

I get quality fat sources through 100% peanut butter or almond butter (organic), walnuts, or almonds. Whichever of these I choose, I usually mix them into my UMP pudding at night before bed or I will have some with a meal or two during the day. I also drink 2-3 gallons of water each day, mostly through huge 48oz protein shakes (wa-ter mixed with Beverly Muscle Provider or another hydrolyzed protein depending on the time of day).

Each week, I have cutting and build-ing days. On days when I train my better body parts or cardio only, I restrict carbs but keep protein at my usual amount to retain muscle. Then on the days when I train my weaker body parts (or those I am specializing on) I will have a surplus calorie day by eating more carbs, particularly post workout.

Here is an example of a "build day" for me right now. This assumes I did a 45 minute run in the morning and a solid 60 minute weight training workout in the evening with an additional 20 minutes on a cardio machine.

6 AM: Pre run 1/4 scoop protein shake

6:15 AM: Run 4.5 miles (between 40 and 45 minutes)

7:20 AM: 1 1/4 scoop Beverly Muscle Provider in 48 oz water, 3/8 cup oatmeal

9:30 AM: 5 oz can tuna, 4 oz carrots

Noon: 1 1/4 scoop Beverly Muscle Provider in 48 oz water, vegetable stir fry or a large salad

2 PM: 5 oz can tuna, broccoli or garden salad

4:30 PM: 1 scoop Muscle Provider in 32 oz water, 4 oz carrots

6:45 PM: Cardio machine for 10 minutes, followed by weight training for 45-60 minutes, followed by 10 more minutes cardio.

8 PM post workout: 1 scoop hydrolyzed whey mixed with 48 oz water, 1 sweet potato with dextrose and honey.

10 PM: 1 scoop UMP, 1 scoop casein, 1 tbsp peanut butter or almond butter mixed into a pudding.

I know my weekday foods are pretty boring but I eat what is convenient for me to take to work. On Saturday and Sunday I rarely eat tuna, and I eat more variety. I might eat out or cook some salmon or lean steak.

Sample Training Schedule

Over the past year I got away from a regimented periodization program and just started really mixing things up. I have even gotten to the point where I rarely if EVER do the same workout twice. I train twice daily (cardio in the morning, anaerobic and cardio in the evening). Mixing it up and using a wide variety of techniques, rep ranges, tempos, and volume seems to work very well for me as I have made more progress in the past year than ever, and I have been injury free for the past year.

My contest plan for this year includes competing in Pro Qualifier shows in the Masters division. I am continually learning about training and diet and I hope to bring an improved physique to the stage again this year. I am having a good off season so far and I hope to be in even better shape in 2012!

This can be a very selfish sport if we allow it. Thanks to my wife Tracie for helping me keep my diet clean and for all she has endured and sacrificed. I am working hard to be less self-centered. This year I plan to live a more balanced life and to grow in my relationship with God. I want to be a better husband, son, friend, and person.

I have a great desire to help people overcome obstacles in their life, achieve their goals, and be the BEST THEY CAN BE!!! I recently earned my NASM Certified Personal Trainer certification and I am now working on my Certified Nutrition Specialist certification. I have a great desire to help people overcome obstacles in their life, achieve their goals, and be the BEST THEY CAN BE!!!

Please feel free to visit my website at http://itsallpossiblefitness.com/ or email me at bill@itsallpossiblefitness.com with comments, questions, or requests for training.

Thanks to all of the inspiring people in my gyms that also compete and have been encouraging to me along the way. Thanks to God, as I truly believe that
with Him all things are possible!

Thoughts on Joining the “Sexty” Club

Well, I just enjoyed my 60th birthday and my husband, Brian, says I've officially joined the "Sexty" club.

Starting sixteen weeks out from the big day, I committed to getting in competition shape – not necessarily to enter another contest, but to compete against my former best condition. A planned Florida vacation about the time of my birthday helped with additional motivation. My bodyfat was 21.5%, and my goal was to get down to 10% while staying healthy and strong, LEAN and MEAN! (I mean "mean" in the nicest way.)

I did all my training in our home gym. My husband, Brian, and I converted our 24' x 24' garage into a gym three years ago. Enjoying the freedom of having our own place to train and work with our treasured clients is such a blessing. We are so thankful for the handful of clients we retained throughout COVID. And now all of our previous clients have returned along with some new ones to "Simpson's Gym".

My Food Plan to Achieve My "Sexty" Goal

Workouts and cardio are important, but without a NUTRITION PLAN… you'll get NOTHING…AS FAR AS RESULTS GO!

Planning and preparing my meals have become part of my lifestyle. I followed pretty much the same food plan for the entire 16 weeks.

Meal One
4 egg whites, 3oz turkey or turkey sausage, 2oz red potatoes, veggies

Meal Two
UMP protein shake (usually Chocolate or Strawberry) with a handful of blueberries, one rice cake topped with chunky almond butter

Meal Three
Healthy Choice power bowl (I add 3-4oz of extra protein)

Meal Four
UMP protein shake, 1 rice cake with almond butter

Meal Five
6oz chicken, 1 cup cottage cheese, green veggies, 2 rice cakes

Notes: If I trained early in the morning, I'd switch the order of meals 1 and 2. The order of the meals is totally up to YOU, depending on your daily schedule. I also add a CARB LOAD meal midday once a week
(oatmeal, red 'taters', cup of veggies, ¹⁄₂ banana).

My "Sexty" Workout Plan

Daily: Abs, Cardio, Yoga
I do abs daily, mixing in a couple of these exercises each day:

Crunches (200-300 total reps)
Hanging Leg Raise (5x20)
Ab Wheel (3x20)
Medicine Ball Crunches (3x20)

There is a lot of variety in my cardio workouts. I do one or more of the following each day, Monday – Saturday:

Jog – Run – Power Walk on an outdoor trail
Treadmill – 40 or 50 minutes
Boxing Training (jump rope, heavy and light bags)
Zero Runner or Stationary Bike
Yoga – I teach a Saturday morning Yoga class for our gym (might be inside, outside, or on our trail). I also practice Yoga throughout the week.

Workout Split
Monday: Glutes, Biceps, Calves, and lots of walking lunges on our trail
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Chest, Abductors & Adductors Thursday: Quads & Biceps (heavier sets than Monday) Friday: Triceps & Glutes
Saturday: Shoulders
Sunday: Off Day

A Life In Bodybuilding: Natural Pro Bodybuilder, Prep Coach, Gym Owner, & Promoter

Age: 42

Occupation or Education: Gym Owner/ Personal Trainer, M Club Fit Transformation (two locations in Lexington, KY)

Family: Wife (married 21 years), no children, 1 dog (Oliver), 1 cat (Rooney)

Current Residence: Lexington, KY

Years training: 25 years

Height: 6’0"

Weight: Off Season 195, Contest 175

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: Breakfast (Egg Whites, Oatmeal, Berries)

Favorite Supplements: UMP and Muscle Synergy

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before? Definitely use UMP (all flavors are amazing)

Music: Praise and Worship

Most Inspiring Book: Bible

Hobbies or interests outside Bodybuilding: Motivational Speaking

Words to live by: "It's in your moments of Decision that your Destiny is shaped" ~Tony Robbins

Fitness, nutrition, and athletics have always been a passion of mine. Growing up as a kid from eastern Kentucky, I had a dream of becoming a professional bodybuilder. Even from a very young age, I always had a desire to exercise and eat healthy. I remember asking my dad at the age of 6 to teach me how to do push-ups and sit-ups. I can also recall always seeking healthy foods for my nutrition. I avoided sugary foods and only wanted to drink water. As I grew older, I became heavily involved in sports and recognized that training and proper nutrition had given me an advantage.

Career

Fast-forward several years; I graduated from Morehead State University with a degree in Exercise Science. I was excited to begin my career as a personal trainer. After gaining some experience, I learned that much more goes into this profession than writing workout programs and meal plans. I knew early on that effective workouts and meal plans alone were not the only secret to success. I had to find ways to keep my clients focused and motivated. I had to help them develop self-discipline and teach them its rewards. It does a client no good to have an effective program if they do not have the focus and self-discipline to follow through. I began to ask myself, what makes people successful? How can I implement proven success strategies with the many different personalities
I work with every day? I realized that I must first believe in them for my clients to succeed.

Keys to Success

It is vitally important that I instill a strong positive mental mindset in my clients. Here are the keys I use every day with them:

I must Believe in my client
I must Instill Discipline in my client
I must keep them focused
Have a specific Outcome in mind
Have an effective Action Plan (and adjust it accordingly)
Have a Deadline on when the goal is to be accomplished
Have the clients on a good supplement plan
Clients must surround themselves with a good supportive network of friends.

After seven years of personal training in local gyms, I decided to open my own business, which I originally called Transformation Personal Training. It's still going strong eleven years later. It's now named M Club Fit Transformation. I feel very privileged and honored to have worked with each client. Not only have I had the benefit of helping them achieve their goals, but each of them has helped me in more ways than they will ever know.

Bodybuilding Career

In March of 2006, I competed as a bodybuilder for the first time. I won the open middleweight weight class at that show, and I was hooked ever since. I fell in love with the sport. I continuously wanted to train and compete. I have now competed in over 25 shows with 15 class titles, earning my NGA pro card in 2014. I currently have four pro show wins. Because of my passion for natural bodybuilding, I couldn't help but share that passion with others. So in May of 2013, I promoted the state's first natural bodybuilding contest as a non-sanctioned event. I sanctioned the show with the National Gym Association (NGA) the following year. I am now the NGA state chairman for Kentucky. I promote two Natural Bodybuilding shows a year, the NGA Pro/Am Kentucky Natural Classic held every April in Lexington, Ky, and the NGA Pro/Am Bluegrass Bodybuilding Championships held every September in Lexington, Ky.

As a promoter and coach, it's important that I teach the true value of bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is so much more than just standing on stage. It is about who you become in the process. To become an elite competitor, one must develop character, discipline, and focus. Once this process is mastered, the same success principles can be utilized in any area of life.

Breakfast
1 cup liquid egg whites, ¹⁄₂ cup of oatmeal (measured before cooking), ¹⁄₂ cup blueberries
Calories: 392 - Protein: 37g - Carbs: 43g - Fats: 11g

Snack #1
16 almonds, 1 grapefruit
Calories: 185 - Protein: 6g - Carbs: 22g - Fat: 10g

Lunch
8oz of Tilapia, ¹⁄₂ cup Quinoa, 1 cup broccoli Calories: 337 - Protein: 45g - Carbs: 28g - Fat: 6g

Snack #2
2 Scoops Muscle Provider, ¹⁄₂ tbsp peanut butter, 2 rice cakes
Calories: 337 - Protein: 46g - Carbs: 24g - Fat: 5g

Dinner
8oz chicken, 6oz sweet potato, 10 asparagus spears
Calories: 425 - Protein: 57g - Carbs: 28g - Fat: 6g

Snack #3
2 scoops Ultimate Muscle Protein (UMP)
Calories: 250 - Protein: 43g - Carbs: 4g - Fat: 7g

Daily totals
Calories: 1,916 - Protein: 231g - Carbs: 155g - Fats: 45g
Drink 1-gallon water daily

Cardio

Three days for 25 minutes

Chest and Triceps (Monday/Thursday)
Barbell Bench Press 5x5
Incline Press 3x10
Dumbell Flye 3x10
Cable Cross-Overs 3x10
Dips 3x10
Triceps Pressdown 3x10
Skull Crusher 3x10
Dumbell Triceps Extensions 3x10
Bench Dips 3x20

Back and Biceps (Tuesday/Friday)
Pull-ups (3 sets to failure)
Lat Pulldown 3x10
Low Row 3x10
1-Arm Dumbell Row 3x10
Hyperextension 3x15
Barbell Curl 3x10
Alternating Dumbell Curl 3x10
Cable Curl 3x10

Legs and Shoulders (Wednesday/Saturday)
Squat 5x10
Leg Press 3x10
DB Walking Lunges 3x20 steps
Romanian Deadlift 3x10
Leg Extension 3x10
Leg Curl 3x10
DB Shoulder Press 3x10
DB Rear Delt Flye 3x15
DB Lateral Raise 3x15

Abs
Six sets of 30 reps of floor crunches/ or any abdominal exercise of my choice after each workout.

In Closing

I have earned a lot of titles - gym owner, competitive bodybuilder for 15 years and counting, show promoter, contest prep coach, and NGA state chairman. I have worked with many people in the fitness and bodybuilding industry, and it is an honor to have a part in the success of so many people. I must say Beverly International has always been a major contributor to my success and the success of my clients. I have always advised my clients to use Beverly International because they are the best quality supplements on the market. They have stood the test of time!

New Men’s Physique Division Was My Ticket To The Stage

Age: 37

Occupation or Education: Personal Trainer, Quality Control Specialist, BS exercise science, multiple certifications

Residence: Lexington, KY

Years training: 19

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 210 (off-season), 195-200 (contest)

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: Grilled tilapia with grilled brussel sprouts

Favorite Supplements: Glutamine Select - before, during, and after training. Quadracarn - three times per day. UMP - my protein of choice, before bed and anytime I can’t get in a solid meal. ZMA 2000, and fish oils.

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before: Glutamine Select is a must have, and UMP is the best protein supplement available. Most people don’t like the taste of protein supplements at first, not the case with UMP, it tastes amazing, no matter how you use it.

Music: Derek Trucks Band, or something about quantum physics

Most Inspiring Book: Heaven by Randy Alcorn

Hobby or interests: family, quantum physics, nutrition and meal planning

Words to live by: If you tell someone you will do something, do it. Always be the best you can possibly be and be very proud of that.

I’ve always been interested in athletics and competition. That’s probably just a part of growing up in Kentucky. it’s one of the unwritten rules. we tend to be very proud of our sports teams and will go down swinging in support of them. I played basketball and baseball growing up. I always tried to train my body to become better at sports. Running drills over and over until muscle memory could do them without any thought. it wasn’t really until college that I started learning about biomechanics and nutrition though. This was eye opening and I absorbed every piece of information like a sponge. I started to realize that not only could you become faster, and stronger, but you could actually take command of the way your body looks. This was all I needed to decide that exercise science was the path for me. I got my foot in the fitness industry managing and training at a gym in Campbellsville. This was the perfect place for me to start and develop my skills. My clientele has increased geometrically and I now train everyone from executives to competitive athletes.

Bodybuilding has always been a big interest for me. I always followed the big shows and went to the local contests. Until the addition of the Men’s Physique category though, I didn’t feel like I was cut out for the stage. The Men’s Physique category is all about aesthetics and stage presence. This was the perfect fit for me. at 6’1” I can compete at 195-200 lbs.

My Take on Men's Physique

Obviously to be a top physique guy, it’s necessary to be lean and have nice abs. Abs are crucial to the physique competitor. If you don’t have a clear six pack, chances are you probably won’t get much of a look from the judges. With that said, the most important part of the equation is the elusive “stage presence”. What exactly is stage presence? How can this be more important than your physique? Well to break it down in simple terms, stage presence is bringing a bit of electricity to the stage from the moment you walk on, until you hit the stage exit. It has a lot to do with being prepared with every detail of your performance. After that, I would say confidence is on top of the list. For me, that means practicing my walk, as well as going through my poses for weeks in preparation.

Pay attention to every angle as you are preparing yourself. Believe me, when you leave something to chance, it can go very wrong. It’s very important that your posing routine becomes muscle memory, while at the same time looking calm and confident. Another thing to consider, is the amount of time you are going to have in the spotlight, and total time being onstage.

My Training Philosophy

Training to be a physique competitor is similar to bodybuilding training, with a few exceptions. Obviously, overall mass is not the objective. It’s about having great symmetry and looking athletic. I prefer to keep my workouts to less than an hour and focus on higher intensity. Most of my focus is on compound movements and working through different rep ranges. I prefer to train antagonist muscle groups as well, for instance, chest and back, triceps and biceps. Research has shown this to be effective, and I like the way it feels. I train abs every workout as well. See below for an example of my training split:

Training

Chest / Back Day

Incline Dumbbell Press for 6
Barbell Incline Press for 12
Incline Fly for 20-25
Parallel Bar Dips to fail after all other sets are done as a finisher

Weighted Pullups for 6
Dumbbell Rows for 12
Seated Cable Row with Rope for 20-25
Straight Arm Pulldown to fail after all other sets are done as a finisher

Legs

Barbell squat for 6
Walking Lunges for 12 per side
Leg Wxtensions for 20-25

Single Leg Hamstring Curl for 8
Romanian Deadlift for 20-25
Standing Calf Raises for 75 total reps stop as necessary then begin as fast as possible
Seated Calf Raises for 75 total reps same idea

Arms

Weighted Dips for 6
Decline EZ Bar extensions for 12
Rope Pressdown for 20-25

Barbell Curl for 6
Incline Dumbbell Curl for 12
High Cable Curl for 20-25

Shoulders

Seated Barbell or Dumbbell Press for 6
Seated Lateral Raises for 12
Incline Lateral Raises for 25

Dumbbell Shrugs for 6
Barbell Shrugs for 20-25

Abs

Weighted Hanging Leg Raises for 12 or non weighted for 20 (alternate days)
Weighted Decline Russian Twist for 20 or non weighted for 40
Decline Crunch extending arms overhead

High Intensity Day

Always changes but a recent one is
5 sets of stair sprints (28 stairs per set)
50 kettlebell swings
50 Russian Twists with kettlebell
50 v ups with kettlebell

Take 1 minute rest

Then 4 sets stairs
40 everything else

1 minute rest

3 sets of stair, etc down to 1 set and 10 reps on all

Cardio

If your nutrition is put together properly and you follow the plan, you won’t need to do a significant amount of cardio. I do cardio five times per week for 30 minutes leading up to the last 3-4 weeks of my prep. Up to this point I only do cardio for general conditioning and to keep my heart strong. once the final weeks approach, 30 minutes of cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is a staple. This is great for fat burning because your body turns straight to bodyfat for its energy source. I always use glutamine select before fasted cardio as a safeguard to keep from breaking down muscle tissue. i will add in a session at night before bed if I miss my morning session or when I need to burn that last little bit of bodyfat. I prefer to keep my heart rate around 120 for cardio. That level is perfect for me to burn fat without tapping into hard earned muscle. Other than that, my high intensity day workouts get the job done.

Final Tips About Men's Physique

The shorts you choose will be of paramount importance. Consider the fit as well as how they will look when you are tanned and under the stage lighting. Try to buy them as close to the show as possible. If you get them too early, they may not fit. Also consider having them sized to fit you.

Smile and have fun. The great thing about the physique division is everyone is eager to help everyone else. It’s a new category and we are still trying to define exactly where it is headed. So if you do everything you can to prepare yourself, you are a winner, even if you don’t place. Be proud of your hard work and learn from the experience. It’s really about the journey, not the final result.

Nutrition

Most physique guys fall into two categories. First, guys who were bigger and have to cut down to have the desired physique. I fell into this category. I was around 230 lbs when I first decided to get into physique. I normally will compete around 195. at first its really hard on the ego dropping all the weight and losing some hard earned mass. Once you get in shape though, you will look back at your former self and be amazed how much better you look and feel. The key for going from a bigger guy to a physique guy is strictly following the nutrition plan and doing a little more cardio. I rarely did more than 20 minutes of cardio 3 times per week before I decided to get into physique.

The other category is guys who have great abs and classic shape but need to fill out the chest, delts, and upper arms. It takes some time and a lot of dedication to get the full rounded look with muscle density. My advice for these guys is to work hard and make sure your nutrition is on point for optimum recovery. Make sure you are getting plenty of quality protein in your diet and don’t expect everything to happen overnight.

The key component of any physique program is the nutritional plan. I do my own nutrition and have a few tips that should help almost anyone interested in eating for health or for competition.

First, high quality supplements are extremely important. This is where I fully trust Beverly international. I simply do not trust a lot of the supplements on the market. Buy the best supplements you can afford, a low quality protein, glutamine, or omega just doesn’t give the same results.

Staying lean year round is important to a physique athlete, so my nutrition plan is high protein, low to very moderate carbs, and plenty of healthy fats. Try to consume most of your protein from organic lean sources, for example chicken, fish, turkey, lean beef. Yes, I believe “organic” is important. The last thing you want to introduce into your body is chemicals that were injected into non organic chicken, or beef. This is probably the single most important tip I have. The next thing to consider is a high quality fish oil. They have an impact on everything from fat burning, to helping control inflammation. Fish oils in conjunction with carnitine have a profound impact on our health as well as how we look and feel. I love Quadracarn. it has four different forms of carnitine, including acetyl-l-carnitine. it is shown to not only impact body composition, but brain function and serves as an antioxidant as well.

A typical day from my nutrition plan looks something like this:

The Big 5-0, Planning to be My Best

Age: 50

Occupation or Education: College Professor, Gym Owner, Online Coach, Ph.D. Student

Family: Partner of 6 years, Luke; sons-Connor, 22 and Carter, 17

Current Residence: Salem. VA

Years training: 25+ years

Height: 5’8"

Weight: Off Season 145-155, Contest 130-135

Favorite Fitness Meal: Chicken with egg whites, one whole egg, with “Everything Bagel” seasoning

Favorite Supplements: UMP Rocky Road made as a pudding at nighttime, sometimes topped with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter or sugar-free Cool Whip. Right now, I am also loving Muscle Synergy and Up-Lift during my training!!

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before? Start with UMP! It is THE most amazing protein and can be used not only in shakes but also in baked goods and pancakes and waffles. You can honestly trust Beverly for whatever goals you have in mind! I love them so much that I became a rep!

Music: Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica, and most 80s “hair metal” bands are my favorites!!

Most Inspiring Book: Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Harris

Hobbies or interests: There are so many things I love to do, but summertime and water (especially the beach) are my favorites.

Words to live by: If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. Every time you go through something hard, it makes you a stronger person. When you are dealing with significant struggles, just remember to hold on, and everything will get better-have faith In God; he will get you through it.

Contact:
IG: @fit_with_holly
Website: www.fitwithholly.com
FB: www.facebook.com/fitnessbyholly

So… this is a BIG year for me, as you can see from my bio!! My goal in life has always been to be my very best. But to get a glimpse of my whole story, we must go back several years.

I played sports as a kid, mainly softball and basketball, and continued those in high school but also played volleyball during those five years (we didn’t have middle school-high school was 8-12). When I went to college, I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I decided to major in psychology. After my first year (it was rough-my grades were terrible), I found the PE department and major of “Commercial Fitness.” While taking my basic “wellness” classes, there were several sections, and one was strength training. I absolutely LOVED it!! I was determined to lift regularly, but the college fitness center was ALWAYS packed, so I convinced my dad to buy me a membership to the little gym in town. This was truly an “old school” gym with magazine pictures of the bodybuilding greats all over the walls!! I think my friend and I were the only female members.

Fast forward to six years after graduation-I had lifted that whole time, but never really with a plan or goal. My first son was born in March 1999, and after his birth, his dad was closing the local grocery store that had been in his family for years and building a brand new IGA supermarket in our town. I decided that the old “Mick or Mack” grocery store would be an excellent place to develop my first gym. We renovated the old grocery store, and in April 2000, my first gym opened. About the same time, I learned of a new bodybuilding category, Figure. It was just what I needed to push me to a new goal. Even with a new baby, I had the drive and determination (or maybe I was just a little crazy) and competed in my first figure competition that same year. At that time, there was still a one-piece and a two-piece round. I had no idea what I was doing but read as much as possible and became more knowledgeable for the next one. I competed again in 2001 and 2002, but nothing spectacular. That was SO long ago; I don’t even remember the exact dates and shows. Sadly, I had to close my first gym in 2002 and took a teaching position in Health/PE.

Luckily, there was a great weight room outside the PE office. A fellow teacher and I lifted together after school. That’s where I learned about Beverly International supplements. I began using UMP, Mass Aminos, and Ultra 40. WOW! All I can say is once I tried them, I have never found anything to compare. I competed again in 2004 with some real improvements to my body, primarily due to my Beverly supplement regimen.

In 2010, I competed in the NPC Northern Kentucky. That’s where I met Sandy and Roger in person. I also made the BIG decision to commit to reaching my goals and dreams by putting everything into my training, contest prep, and offseason! I have spent many years in competition, 2010-2012 was in Figure, then in 2013, I switched to Women’s Physique.

In 2015 after my husband suddenly passed away, I was literally in a fog for months. I was in a terrible place, but lifting weights kept me somewhat grounded. I kept training hard and eventually met my current boyfriend. He had just gotten into lifting, but his enthusiasm and support helped me set new physique and competition goals. I competed in the 2018 NPC Elite Muscle Classic and the 2020 NPC Max Muscle NPC, VA.

I have found that competing every other year allows my body to get a little better in muscle growth. As a natural lifter of over 25 years, it became tough to gain anything between shows when competing every year. Right now, I plan to do another competition in April 2022. No matter what, I know that I will always be chasing the gains, and I would never consider doing it without Beverly.

I tell people often that this IS truly a lifestyle! It isn’t something you can jump in and out of, or you will never see progress. Once you have been doing it a while,
it’s also hard to see a lot of progress, but do not QUIT! Consistency is the key!!

I am currently a professor at a local college teaching Fit for Life courses, and I also still run my gym as well as online coaching and personal training. I am also in the final phase of my Ph.D. and working on my dissertation.

One thing I have learned in being so busy is that you HAVE to make a plan (for everything), or it will likely get pushed aside-there is always something else to do; it is just about what you make a priority. In addition to training clients and teaching while also working on my YouTube channel and podcasting each week (Fit with Holly-YouTube, Women’s Body & Power Podcast). I love to interview competitors to talk about their experiences and just discuss fitness and nutrition.

Adding Muscle in the Off-Season

One of the most challenging components of gaining quality muscle, especially as a natural competitor, is consuming the correct number of calories while still focusing on quality nutrition.

Diet Plan (you need to be sure you are in a caloric surplus to gain lean muscle!)

I typically eat 5-6 meals year-round, typically 3 larger meals and 2-3 smaller meals. I focus on keeping about 50% of my total carbs (25% pre-workout and 25% post-workout) around my training.

I use a macros-based nutrition plan which allows me some flexibility in my food choices.

Top priorities are

Hitting protein goals
Having 3-5 servings of fruits and veggies daily
Keeping processed carbs to a minimum. I follow the same principles in both off-season and competition prep; the calories are adjusted according to my goals.

Here’s a sample of what a day of eating might look like for me in the off-season. This is just a sample plan; I always try to have LOTS of variety, especially to get a wide assortment of nutrients every day.

My goal is to hit my daily macros-when building, I am typically around 2200-2500 calories and constantly working on increasing those numbers while keeping body fat gain to a minimum-however, some extra body fat is necessary (as opposed to being competition lean) to be at the best place hormonally to gain muscle.

Meal One
1 egg, 100g whites, 2 slices turkey bacon or turkey sausage crumbles added to the egg whites, 2 slices flax (or high fiber) bread or 40g oats, 1 tbsp nut butter or plant-based butter, sliced tomatoes or berries
(about ¹⁄₂ cup of one or the other-usually I have berries with oats)

Meal Two
1 scoop UMP, 4 oz Greek yogurt or ¹⁄₂ cup cottage cheese
Plain Greek yogurt is excellent mixed with UMP Rocky Road or UMP Chocolate - tastes like chocolate cheesecake-this can also be done with cottage cheese if you have a bullet blender or immersion blender.

Meal Three
3-4oz chicken breast, large chopped salad

Meal Four (pre-workout)
¹⁄₂ c oats or 1 serving cream of rice, ¹⁄₂ scoop UMP mixed in (extra “toppings” like berries, crushed walnuts, or dry cereal for crunch)

Meal Five (post-workout)
1 scoop Mass Maker Ultra, ¹⁄₂ scoop UMP. Mass Maker Ultra is excellent for post-workout recovery during the building season.

Meal Six
4oz cooked lean ground beef or steak, sweet potato or baked potato, vegetables (broccoli, roasted brussels sprouts, etc.), whole grain bread, sourdough, etc. (I usually have more carbs left at night, and this is where desserts can often fit in as well)

Mass Aminos and Ultra 40 are the fundamental supplements for adding muscle in the off-season. I recommend 12 of each per day
(divided into servings of 3 or 4 at a time) for most women.

Training Plan

During this past off-season, my training plan consisted of a new hybrid training program I created and used for many months.

Full Body Push (Day 1)
I always begin with compound movements and include at least 1-2 warmup sets. Typically, I increase the weight on each set if possible, and reps will usually go down.

Squat variation (3-4x 6-10) try to increase weight each week on the final set

Bench Press or DB Press (3x8-12)

Front Delt Raise (3x12-15)

Overhead DB Extension or Tricepes Pressdown (3x10-12)

Leg Extension (4x15-20)

Calves (Standing or Leg Press Machine) (3-4x 15-20)

Full Body Pull (Day 2)

Deadlift variation (traditional, trap bar, or trap/deadlift machine) (4x6-10)

Pullups or Lat Pulldown (4x 10-12)

Cable Row or Machine Row (3x10-12)

Rear Delt (either Reverse Pec Dec or Rope Face Pulls) (4x15-20)

Upright Row (3x10-12)

Machine Curl, EZ Curl, or DB Curl (3-4x12-15)

Hamstring Curl (3-4x8-10)

Lower Body (Day 5)

Leg Press (3-4x 10-15)

KB or DB Front Squat (3x10-heels on a plate)

Lying Leg Curl or Barbell Romanian Deadlift (4x8-10)

Smith Machine Split Squat (3x10-12 per side)

Lunge variation (2 Sets x 20-30) -usually walking or reverse alternating with DBs

Leg Extension (3x10-12)

Seated Calf Press (3x10-12, slow and controlled with fairly heavy weight)

*1-2 x per week-abs (2-3 varied exercises of 15-20 reps per set, 3 sets each)

Day 6 Off

Repeat, or if feeling particularly tired, take 2 rest days before repeating.

Cardio

I will do 4-5 cardio sessions per week off-season, simply for heart health (often just 30 minutes of walking or the bike).

When contest prep time comes around, I increase my focus! I add interval sessions and total time as needed to make sure I am hitting my fat loss goals. Remember though; nutrition is the most vital factor in losing fat- you cannot out-train a bad diet!

My Contest Prep Supplements

3 servings of 4 tablets of Mass Aminos and Ultra 40 each day. At 4 weeks out, I switch to Density instead of Mass Aminos.

1-2 scoops UMP per day throughout my entire prep, typically post-workout and evening (favorite is Rocky Road made as a pudding at nighttime- sometimes topped with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter or sugar-free Cool Whip)

7-Keto MuscLean and Lean Out stack; I also use Lean Out in the off-season, but I add 7-Keto when I am getting to the point where I am doing daily cardio as it really helps give me some added energy. I take two or three 7-Keto Musclean before cardio and maybe again at lunch or pre-workout. 1-2 Lean Out are taken before cardio and then again with each meal (at least 4 per day).

Also, Energy Reserve is invaluable during competition prep!!

In Closing

The best advice I can give anyone trying to change their body is to be consistent! Even if things happen and you need to slow down, that is ok! You can adjust your workouts or make modifications, but just don’t STOP- think of pushing a boulder uphill- it might slow down, but it is way harder to get it rolling again if you let it come to a complete halt.

First Hit The Stage At 45, And I’m Just Getting Started

Age: 46

Occupation: Lawyer

Family: Ava 15 and Edwin 12

Residence: Ft. Thomas, KY

Years training: 4 years

Height: 5'1 3/4"

Weight: 115 (off-season), 109 (contest)

Favorite Fitness Meal: Breakfast! Cream of wheat and a burger made with ground sirloin (no bun). Second favorite: orange roughy and asparagus.

Favorite Supplements: UMP, 7 Keto and Lean Out.

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before: Wait no longer, I have been pleased with all the products. Check the website or Beverly’s Supplement Recommendation Chart to coordinate your goals with the supplements.

Music: Pitbull, AC/DC, Aretha Franklin, Daddy Yankee, with a lot of Salsa and Reggaeton

Favorite Book: Charms for the Easy Life, by Kaye Gibbon

Hobby or interests: My children

Words to live by: “That’s how we do it.”

Shortly after I turned 45, I gave myself a hard look in the mirror and was very discouraged with what I saw. The size was ok and my weight was not a problem, but everything was soft and, very frighteningly, I could see the beginnings of “the mom butt.” The tush had most definitely begun to droop. It was a sad day.

I said to myself, “Is this it???? Is it just time to give up and let nature do its damage?” Turns out, it was not time to give up. Six months later I competed in my first figure competition, and came home with some hardware. That was a great day, and things kept getting better. Clearly, my fun as a figure competitor had just begun.

At the time of the sad day, I had recently been released to resume physical activity following 5 months of recovery from surgery. Prior to that time, as an adult, I had been very active with running, teaching group fitness and dancing. I did work out with weights as part of an overall fitness routine, but I was just guessing at what was right. I wanted to recover properly and see what I could do before I just totally gave in and invested in mom jeans. So, for the first time ever, I contacted a personal trainer.

My goal was very specific, lift the booty. From the first training session, I was loving it and learning more and more. Very simple instructions at first: eat more, lift heavier. It was not long before I was seeing changes that propelled me on. Since high school, when I would go in and out of working out, I had always admired the women bodybuilding pioneers such as Rachel McLish and Lisa Lyon. (Yes, this would have been in the 80’s). Their bodies were beautiful and muscular and symmetrical. Reaching that level was always a far, far away impossible dream, one that I certainly did not think was attainable at 45.

Then, three to four months into the training, sometime in August of 2011, my fabulous trainer turned fabulous friend, Brenda Gabbard, commented that we should work to get me on stage. I gasped and tears welled up in my eyes. It was one of the nicest things I had ever heard and I jumped on it! “Really?? Me??? You think I can do that????” Yes, said she. We teamed up with another fabulous trainer and fabulous friend, Marie Gibbon, to train for the competitions and for me to learn to pose. We were off with a diet and workout plan to get ready for the NPC Monster Mash at the end of October 2011.

My First Contest

Following a trail of chicken, tuna, sweet potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, four thousand gallons of water, Beverly UMP, Lean Out and 7 Keto, my trainer and I made our way to Harrison, Ohio, for the Monster Mash. So many amazing bodies, beautiful suits, fancy shoes, and the earrings!! My purpose there was to learn and to observe and to enjoy the process. Surviving the challenge of the pre-competition diet and
all the other contest prep was satisfying in and of itself. It was a personal challenge simply to do the competition.

I was not nervous, or so I thought, partly because my expectations were not high and partly because walking across a stage was not a new thing for me. Having been a Theater major and dancer in college and a lawyer for a profession, I have performed a lot and have been in the hot seat many times. So, walking across stage and doing a few key poses, with no lines to speak, no songs to sing, no choreography to remember, and no client to represent, I thought the stage presentation was the easy part. However, when I got to the middle of the stage, I forgot which way to turn and which hip to hike up! I was a bit befuddled, but I made it through and just laughed at myself for my boo boos.

I did not expect to place and certainly not to win. Did not even know what “first call out” meant until I was backstage and someone told me I was in the first call out. I had thought they were being nice to let me try again because I was so clumsy the first time. To make a long story longer, yes, I was in the first call out for all three categories in that competition. I placed second in Masters 40+, second in Pure Novice and fourth in Figure Open Class A. I smiled from ear to ear for days following that competition, and I was ready for more.

After the Monster Mash, I went on to compete in the NPC Kentucky Muscle in November, 2011. IFBB pros also competed at Kentucky Muscle, and that was amazing to see. Also, it was a much larger competition than the Monster Mash, so in my mind again, it was a learning experience. I was thrilled to carry home some more swords that day for first place in Masters 45+ and third place in Figure Open Class A.

The next round of competitions came around in the spring. I had just started a highly stressful job and was not sure I could pull the discipline needed to make it through. However, after I was written up for taking an extra break to get in my fourth meal of tuna and asparagus at some odd time in the afternoon, I was determined to see it through. After all this effort, I was not going to back out because of a can of tuna. The NPC Cincinnati Natural was first up in March. It was a smaller competition, but the competitors were fantastic. Giving much credit to my trainers, I was lucky again: First place in Class A Open and first Place in Masters 45+.

The Northern Kentucky and Derby Festival

The Beverly International NPC Northern Kentucky was a week later. This one was huge. From the size of the convention center to the number of competitors, it was a big one!! The competitors looked beautiful. By this time, I was seeing familiar faces which made the process even more fun. I was lucky again and placed first in Masters 45+ and second in Class A Open.

I was happy, more than happy, but exhausted. My dear sweet children were also ready for a break. The plan was to not compete for a while, and to eat, rest, and work out hard. That plan lasted for two weeks. My trainer and some other friends were planning to compete in the NPC Derby Festival on April 24 and watching them work got me jazzed to go again. Two weeks out, I jumped back on the diet and the 4:45 a.m. cardio train. Things worked out well, placing first in Masters 45+ and fourth in Class A Open. It was a great competition with positive people all round, which made the entire experience all the better.

Now, I am really on a break. Due to scheduling conflicts, I have changed trainers and I am currently working with Brian Wiefering and the folks at Wiefit. They have a wealth of knowledge and never let up, which is what I want.

Nutrition and Supplements

My nutrition and supplement program evolves depending upon where I am with training and how my body is responding. This is the basic pre-competition diet I have followed previously at about 4 weeks out.

Supplements stayed the same through the competition prep until the last week or two prior. The staples of my supplements are always Beverly International products including 7 Keto MuscLEAN, Lean Out, Glutamine Select, GH Factor, Quadracarn, Energy Reserve, UMP and Muscle Provider. My favorite is vanilla UMP. That stuff is wonderful any time of day or night. I also include vitamin C, B-12, B-6, and a multivitamin.

Training

As with the nutrition, my workouts would alter the closer I got to competition. The basic schedule included 30 – 40 minutes of morning cardio at least six days a week. I’ll alternate my morning cardio choices among step mill, walking and walking lunges on an incline, or 30 minutes of 2 minute sprints.

I lift four days a week; do high intensity cardio and/or plyos two days a week (later in the day in addition to my lower intensity morning cardio) and rest one day. Below are listed the various exercises I do. However, when I am working with a trainer, I do what they tell me. That can include some of the same, but often something entirely different and more challenging than what I do on my own. I am far from perfect; I follow the plan and do most of these exercises most days of most weeks. Much of the time I am able to get it all in as planned. However, there are some days family or work will claim my attention.

Saturday: Shoulders, Triceps and Lats
3 sets of 10-12 reps each, superset pairs of exercises, set of 25 abs reps in between supersets Wide Grip Pulldowns
Seated Row Machine
Cable Row - alternate close and wide grip Alternating
Front Lateral Raises
Bent Rear Delt Flyes
Leaning Side Lateral Raises
Overhead Triceps Extensions
Dumbbell Press
Double Triceps Kickbacks
Barbell Shoulder Press

Sunday: Legs, high reps lower weight
3-4 sets of 20 reps each, superset 2-3 exercises together in between supersets
Walking Lunges, 30 lbs
Curtsy, 30 lbs
Jump Lunges, 20 reps
Split Squat, 30 lbs
Leg Press
Hamstring Curls
Adductor/Abductor
Butt Blaster Machine Bev

The Future

I am looking forward to competing again in the fall in a few yet to be determined competitions. I don’t know what to do with myself if there is no diet plan on the front of my refrigerator. Even more so, I find that the discipline for competing carries over into the discipline to do my best with family and work. Once you become accustomed to that level of focus, it becomes a part of your life. I am 46 and with triceps as hard as a brick, I’m not going back.

Each competition was different and fabulous. By the time I would actually get to the competition, my objective was to enjoy the process, enjoy the people, and do the best I could. It is impossible to predict who is going to show up right next to you, so I saw no reason but to simply give all you’ve got and make it fun. I’m often the wacky one backstage, getting psyched and trying to make others smile with crazy dancing (as much as I can without disengaging the bikini bite!) and cracking jokes. Next time, join me, it’s good to smile and laugh before taking the stage.

My Figure Competition Dream

Age: 38

Occupation: Group Exercise Director at Baptist Family Fitness for 12 years.

Family: Married to Tony for 15 years. Two children ages 9 and 13.

Residence: Corbin, KY

Years training: 19 years of training

Height: 5'3"

Weight: 125-127 (off-season), 117 (contest)

Favorite Fitness Meal: 4oz chicken, ¼ cup brown rice over a bed of spinach and cauliflower, 1-2 tbsp hot salsa, ½ avocado

Favorite Supplements: UMP chocolate protein is by far my very favorite supplement. I mix mine like a milk shake using water and ice. The consistency is amazing and the taste reminds me of chocolate cake batter. I use UMP most mornings and always at bedtime.

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before: My very first recommendation is the UMP. It is the tastiest way to add extra protein to your diet. It is easily blended and works great in a shaker cup. This makes it very portable for on-the-go situations. I’d tell that Beverly International has been a huge part of my dietary success. I don’t think I would have made it past my chocolate cravings had it not been for UMP. I believe in this company. I trust their products and love the fact that I can pick up the phone at any time and get good-sound advice from the professionals who work there.

Music: Nickelback, Pitbull and LMFAO

Favorite Book: I couldn’t say that I have much time to read, and when I do it’s usually for fun. But my favorite series of books would be the Twilight series.

Hobby or interests outside fitness: My life is pretty simple. When I am not working or training, I am spending my time at the ball fields with my two children. My 9 year old daughter plays basketball and is on four baseball teams. My son is also active in sports and has recently taken up exercising at home on our Bowflex.

Words to live by: “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ~Michael Jordan

For as long as I can remember, I have always been an athlete. I was always up for a challenge and was hardly a “Barbie doll” type of girl. I was obsessed with movies like Rambo, Rocky, Conan the Barbarian and The Incredible Hulk. It’s funny now, to look back on the fact that I watched the icons of bodybuilding before I even realized my future passion.

I joined my first gym nearly 20 years ago. I loved weights and I wanted to learn as much about it as I could. 3 years later, I had my first secret thought of someday competing. I never told anyone of my “competition dream”, instead I just ignored it for fear of failure. A year later I became pregnant with my first child. At this point, I was hit or miss at the gym, and I gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted. On August 17, 1998, the day Hunter was born, I weighed 200 pounds. I was completely at a loss. I didn’t see any hope for ever being 125 pounds again. I worked a full-time job and spent every free moment with my baby. I felt disgusted with my appearance and I even questioned my husband on how he could possibly still love me. Of course, he supported me and loved me no matter what size I was. It was at this point that I knew I had to make changes. I started training again. I became an animal in the gym, hitting the weights and cardio with a vengeance. By the summer of 2000, my goal was met! I had finally made it back to the mid 120’s. We went to the beach that summer, but I still found myself wearing shorts over my bathing suit. I’ve just never been comfortable in my own skin, and especially in a bathing suit.

So, fast forward to January 23, 2003, the day my daughter was born. After a pregnancy of continuous exercise, weight training and healthier eating, I delivered Kaylee at about 180 pounds. It was unbelievable to me that I had still gained over 55 pounds with her. Four months later, my daughter was diagnosed with Bacterial Meningitis and we almost lost her. She was near death when they took her off in the ambulance to UK Pediatric ICU. Those were the scariest two weeks of my life. She did recover, and is now 9 years old and perfect in every way.

Now, I was overweight again, but consumed with “mommy guilt” about hitting the gym. My only exercise was when I taught my group exercise classes. Years passed, with me once again feeling down on the inside about my appearance. I gradually started to add weight training back in to my routine, but not with the same passion that I had in the beginning.

It was a planned Florida vacation in 2009 that finally sparked my passion again. My goal was to be as lean as the women featured on the cover of Oxygen. I “secretly” went on a competition diet that I found online and by the time we left for our trip, I had managed to reach 126 pounds. While on vacation, I exercised every morning at sunrise. I ran the stairs of our condo, 25 floors, multiple times. Then at 7am, the gym opened and I circuit trained for another hour. I actually came home from our trip weighing 3 pounds less than when we arrived.

I finally decided to enter a Figure Competition. I picked a show, discussed the details with my husband and set my plan into action. I had 12 weeks to get ready. I continued to follow my now, “not so secret” diet plan and made tremendous progress. I stepped on stage at 112 pounds and took two overall titles (Masters and Open) at the East TN Expo in Knoxville, TN. My next show was seven days later where I placed 5th at the Tricky Jackson Classic, an NPC National Qualifier in Lexington, KY. I was hooked! I’ve continued to compete ever since and just got home from the Arnold Classic Amateur where I placed 4th! Pretty much a dream come true. As you can probably tell by now, I am in love with the sport, and the stage and I plan to compete for many years to come.

Now, I’d like to share some insight into my nutrition, cardio, and training with you. I hope it will help you to start or advance your own journey into fitness.

Nutrition

My meal plan was developed by “Fit To Be In Your Kitchen” and Ruben Sandoval. I eat 7 small meals every day. I implement a carb-cycling plan where I do two low-carb days, then a medium carb day, followed by three low-carb days, followed by a high carb day. My calories during my Arnold Classic show prep ranged from 1650-2050 throughout the week.

My low carb day looked like this:

3:45am: Wake up, three Fit Tabs (previously called Ultra 4), one scoop Glutamine Select, two Lean Out and three 7-Keto

4:30am: Workout and posing practice

8:00am: UMP chocolate with ½ cup of strawberries and another scoop of Glutamine Select

10:30am: 4 egg whites and ¼ cup of oats plus 1 tbsp natural peanut butter and two Lean Out

1:30pm: 3 egg whites and one granny smith apple

4:00pm: 4oz chicken, ¼ cup brown rice, ½ avocado and lots of veggies plus 2 Lean Out

6:00pm: Quest bar, 2 Lean Out and three 7-Keto

7:30pm: 4oz Tilapia (pan fried in 1 tsp of olive oil), 7 asparagus spears, a bit of cauliflower and a tbsp of salsa, 1 tbsp of Chia Seeds sprinkled over Tilapia, lemon juice squirted over everything and 1 tsp of Parmesan cheese sprinkled over everything

9:30pm: ¾ scoop of Chocolate UMP and 1.5 tbsp of natural peanut butter, two Lean Out and three Fit Tabs

On my medium and high carb days, I have a variety of recipes including egg pancakes, slow-cooker chicken tacos, egg muffins, and a quinoa, chicken and spinach meal that is really tasty. I also get to use some mayonnaise!

I prep my foods in advance. I boil a big pan of chicken, after it’s finished, I place individual servings into sandwich bags and add seasoning. I make a whole box of brown rice at once as well as many servings of Tilapia. I keep two days’ worth in my fridge and place the rest in the freezer. As I need more, I remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw inside the fridge. The key is to be prepared! I know what I am going to eat every day, and plan accordingly. I pack all my foods in a cooler if I am working or at ballgames with my children. I even pack my digital scale everywhere I go just in case I need to measure anything. I am very diligent about my food measures, it’s the only way to know exactly how many calories you are consuming. I drink at least one gallon of water each day. It’s healthy and a good way to help control hunger pains. I use sea salt enriched with iodine on most of my foods as well as Mrs. Dash seasonings.

Supplements

Chocolate UMP is the bomb! I will NEVER use any other protein powder. It’s my chocolate fix every day. Glutamine Select is what I call my “magic potion”. I train very hard, and without it, I am dragging. It helps me recover faster so that I can push just as hard with every single workout. I love Fit Tabs, it’s the new name for Beverly’s original Ultra 4 multi-vitamin, it doesn’t make me sick like most vitamins. When I don’t use Fit Tabs, I get cramps in my legs. I use Lean Out and 7-Keto to keep my metabolism up and to mobilize stored fat for energy.

Cardio

I am a Group Exercise Instructor. I teach 4 days of classes per week including Indoor Cycling, Step and Bodypump. I’m lucky to be able to use these classes as my cardio. My only other cardio is one extra day of treadmill hill climbs or outdoor stair running. The Group Exercise classes are a great way to burn a lot of calories and have a ton of fun. The atmosphere is motivating and the participants are encouraging to one another and to me.

Presentation

I practice my posing at least 4 days a week, starting at 6 weeks out from the show. I visualize myself on stage. I hold each of my poses at least 30 seconds and repeat multiple times. I practice my walk, my smile, my model pose and even my curtsy. I also video myself once per week and use it to see where I need to improve or make any corrections. When on stage, my goal is to appear super-confident and relaxed. I think it really makes a difference if you take your posing practice seriously.

In closing, I would like to say to everyone that the journey to being healthy and fit is not easy, but it’s so worth it. The feeling of meeting your daily goals, each and every day, is very powerful. I strive to lay down every night, proud of what I have accomplished that day. I sleep sound and wake up excited to do it all over again the next day! Maybe you too have a secret competition dream. Set small goals, take it one day at a time and be an example to those around you. Competitions may not be for everyone, but feeling good in your own skin is, and that’s a trophy in itself.

Training

I usually start show prep with a split routine where I weight train 5 days a week, working one muscle group each day. I train each muscle with 5 exercises doing 4 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise. I hit abs at least three days a week. Hanging knee raises is one of my favorites. As my show gets closer, I train 6 days a week. I do full body, circuit style weight training on four of the days. On these days I utilize supersets, tri-sets and quad-sets. I like to train at a fast pace, keeping my heart rate high, and breaking a good sweat during these sessions. On the other 2 days, I focus on legs one day and shoulders the other. These are two of the most important

Figure Contest Success in 4 Different Countries - How I Did It

No Nonsense Magazine 2014 Collection

DIET

PREPARATION TIPS

SUPPLEMENT SCHEDULE

TRAINING

CARDIO SCHEDULE

TIME MANAGEMENT

Pro Ball To Olympic Weightlifting

No Nonsense Magazine 2014 Collection

TRAINING

DIET & SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENT SCHEDULE

My First Bodybuilding Contest

No Nonsense Magazine 2014 Collection

NUTRITION

SUPPLEMENTS

TRAINING

PRESENTATION AND DAY OF THE SHOW

CONCLUSION

Out Of Shape For 20 Years, Now I'm In The Best Shape Of My Life at 44

No Nonsense Magazine 2014 Collection

Preparation for a Contest

Supplements

Sample Training Schedule

Thoughts on Joining the "Sexty" Club

No Nonsense Magazine Vol 24, #4

"Sexty" Supplements

Two of My Favorite Recipes:

My "Sexty" Workout Plan

In Closing

A Life In Bodybuilding: Natural Pro Bodybuilder, Prep Coach, Gym Owner, & Promoter

No Nonsense Magazine Vol 24, #4

Career

Keys to Success

Bodybuilding Career

Sample Meal Plan / Supplement List

Supplement List

Workout Plan

Cardio

In Closing

New Men’s Physique Division Was My Ticket To The Stage

No Nonsense Magazine 2014 Collection

My Take on Men's Physique

My Training Philosophy

Training

Cardio

Final Tips About Men's Physique

Nutrition

The Big 5-0, Planning to be My Best

No Nonsense Magazine Vol 24, #4

Adding Muscle in the Off-Season

Training Plan

Cardio

My Contest Prep Supplements

In Closing

First Hit The Stage At 45, And I'm Just Getting Started

No Nonsense Magazine 2014 Collection

My First Contest

The Northern Kentucky and Derby Festival

Nutrition and Supplements

Training

The Future

My Figure Competition Dream

No Nonsense Magazine 2014 Collection

Nutrition

Supplements

Cardio

Presentation

Training