Becoming a Better Me!
No Nonsense Magazine Vol 23, #2
By: Susan Ramsey
At a Glance: Susan Ramsey
Age: 36
Occupation: Radiologic Technologist and Certified Personal Trainer
Family: Married to my high school sweetheart, Clint. We broke up senior year and reunited 10 years later! We have two sons, ages 6 and 3.
Current residence: Montgomery, IN
Years training: 5+
Height: 5'4"
Weight: Off Season - 125 lb, Contest - 110 lb
Favorite fitness meal: 30 grams old fashioned oats mixed with 1 scoop UMP Cookies & Crème. Or 4-6 oz lean meat, 130 grams sweet potatoes, steamed asparagus and Brussels sprouts.
Favorite Supplement: UMP! The shakes taste like a milkshake and help curb any sweet craving. My sons even love UMP shakes (especially chocolate)! I also like to take a small spoonful of the chocolate UMP and mix with my coffee. Tastes like a café mocha.
What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly? If you have never used Beverly products, I highly recommend starting with their protein powder. Beverly UMP is hands down the best tasting protein powder out there! It does not leave a nasty aftertaste, and it legit is like having a treat. You can also bake healthy goodies with it.
Music: I like a wide variety, but I am a huge George Strait fan.
Most Inspiring Book: The Bible
Hobby or Interests outside bodybuilding: Hanging with my family, reading, watching Dateline, and tending to my flowers/garden.
Words to live by: Every opportunity is an experience to learn.
I have always enjoyed fitness, but it was mainly cardio and only occasionallylifting a light dumbbell. After having my first son in 2012, I decided to get my body in shape. That’s when I discovered weights and fell in love with them! My body started changing, I finally began to see some muscle tone. For years I would scroll through social media, jealous of the women who were on stage and wishing I could be like them.
In 2015, while I was very pregnant with our second son, I expressed my desire to compete to my husband. Without hesitation, he encouraged me to go for it as soon as I could after having our baby. So in 2016, I competed in my first show. (I went to a show in a different state so no one would know me). I placed and since then have fallen in love with the sport. I love the idea of working on becoming a better me and seeing the results! My latest competition was May 4, 2019; I competed in the Indiana Muscle in Evansville, IN. I placed 3rd in Masters, 2nd in Bikini Novice B, and 2nd in Bikini Open B.
When the word got out that I was a competitor, women began asking about my workouts. Throughout the years my husband and I had turned half of our basement into a home gym. With both of us working full time and having two small children, going to a gym was not doable. So I thought, "Why don't I start training women here?" I trained my first group session on January 3, 2017. I only had a few women in the beginning, but I absolutely loved it! Soon after, I became a certified personal trainer. My clientele has grown thanks to word of mouth, and I now have 50+ clients. The past two years I have been working full time and running my fitness business part time. After a wonderful 13 years working in radiology, I resigned in May, 2019 to focus on my growing personal training business. It brings me so much joy to see the women I train become more confident, stronger, and learn to live a healthier lifestyle.
My classes are strictly strength training. I have found that most women do not feel comfortable lifting weights in the gym and will just go to the cardio machines. My goal is to educate them on what to do and give them the confidence they need in order to achieve their goals.
I thank God daily for blessing me with this opportunity. I preach to my clients, fitness is a lifestyle, not a seasonal hobby.
In the remainder of this article I will discuss my own personal competition training, diet and supplement programs. I hope that you will be able to incorporate them into your own physique improvement plan.
Training
I wake up at 4am every day to get my workout in. It is important to have that time to work on becoming a better me. Plus, I sleep better at night! Here’s a workout that has given me great results!
Monday:back
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Lat Pulldowns | 4 | 12 |
| Seated Cable Row | 4 | 12 |
| Bent Over DB Row | 4 | 12 |
| Pull-Ups | 4 | Failure |
| Close Grip Pull Downs | 4 | 12 |
| Rower- As fast as I can for 15 minutes |
Tuesday: Glutes and Quads
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Leg Extensions | 5 | 10 |
| Wide Stance Leg Press | 4 | 12 |
| Squat | 4 | 10 |
| Hip Abductions | 4 | 15 |
| Barbell Hip Thrusters | 4 | 15 |
| Cable Kickbacks | 4 | 12 |
Wednesday: Shoulders
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 4 | 12-15 |
| DB Shoulder Press | 4 | 12 |
| Cable Upright Rows | 4 | 15 |
| Plate Front Raises | 4 | 12 |
| Cable 1-Arm Laterals | 4 | 10 |
| Rear Delt DB Fly | 4 | 12 |
Thursday: Triceps and Biceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps Press Down | 5 | 10 |
| Triceps Bench Dips | 5 | 10 |
| 1-Arm Triceps Pulldown | 4 | 12 |
| DB Overhead Extensions | 4 | 12 |
| Biceps Curls | 4 | 12 |
| Cable 1-Arm Curls | 4 | 10 |
| Hammer Curls | 4 | 12 |
Friday: Chest and Core
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Bench Press | 4 | 12 |
| Seated Chess Press | 4 | 12 |
| Incline DB Chest Press | 4 | 12 |
| DB Flye | 4 | 12 |
| Hanging Leg Raises | 4 | 12 |
| V-Ups Holding A Weight | 4 | 15 |
| Crunches | 4 | 25 |
Saturday: Shoulders, Glutes & Hamstrings
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| DB Lateral Raises | 4 | 12 |
| Kettle Bell Upright Rows | 4 | 12 |
| DB Shoulder Press | 4 | 12 |
| Barbell Hip Thrusters | 4 | 12 |
| Hip Abductions | 3 | 20 |
| Romanian Deadlifts | 4 | 12 |
| Hamstring Curls | 4 | 12 |
| Bulgarian Split Lunges | 4 | 12 |
Sunday: Rest
Cardio
Off season I do cardio 25-30 min 2-3x a week. During competition prep I will spend my lunch hour getting it in. I do walking on an incline or the elliptical. I have found that strength training is what gives me the best results. When I used to concentrate on cardio and restrictive eating, I had little results. Speaking of eating…
Diet
I track macros, and I love making my meals healthy, yet fun. I allow one cheat meal a week, and I drink at least 1 gallon of water a day. Meal prepping is so important to me! Every Sunday I prep my foods for the week, and it helps me stay on track. Consistency is the key, and I train and eat well all year round. Here’s a typical pre competition diet day.
Meal 1: 30 grams old fashioned oats with 1 scoop UMP Cookies & Crème (optional add 1/4 cup blueberries)
Meal 2: 1 cup egg whites, 1 whole egg, handful of spinach plus 3 slices turkey bacon, and 1 slice Ezekiel raisin bread toast
Meal 3: 4-5oz lean ground turkey, 130 grams sweet potatoes, 85 grams steamed Brussels sprouts, and 50 grams steamed asparagus
Meal 4: 2 rice cakes with 2 tbsp natural peanut butter or a honeycrisp apple
Meal 5: 4-5oz chicken breast, 1 cup steamed veggies, 40-50 grams avocado and either 1/2 cup rice or 65 grams potatoes
Meal 6: Protein shake using 1 scoop UMP Angel Food Cake, 8-10 oz water, handful of ice, and 4-5oz frozen strawberries
UMP Protein Waffle
Here’s one of my favorite recipes – and it’s good off season or pre-contest.
- 1 scoop UMP Angel Food Cake
- 1 whole egg
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Add a small spoonful of unsweetened applesauce or a splash of low fat milk.
Mix really well with a spoon. The mixture will be a small, sticky blob, but after you place it in a heated waffle maker it expands into a nice waffle!
I sometimes add fruit to my mixture. Make sure the waffle iron is well heated and sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray before you start!
Supplements
I don’t think I could have had the success that I’ve had without Beverly International supplements. Here’s my daily “go-to” supplement regimen.
UMP: I love making protein waffles, adding UMP Cookies & Crème to my morning oatmeal, and making protein shakes using frozen fruit.
Lean Out: I use Lean Out throughout my entire competition prep. I take 2 capsules 3 times a day with meals. It definitely helps me burn fat and “lean out” for the stage.
Glutamine Select (my favorite is their NEW flavor, Wild Berry): I love drinking a scoop or two of Glutamine Select post workout and between meals. Tastes so good!
Ultra 40: Building muscle does not come easy for me. Ultra 40 has helped me put on mass where I needed it, and it gave me the endurance I needed for my workouts. I take 9 tablets a day, 3 with 3 of my meals.
Muscle Synergy Powder: I love drinking this on my arm and shoulder day. It helps give me a good pump plus I really like the lemony taste.
In Closing
My advice to those who are wanting to compete is to know going in that the last few weeks of contest prep are mentally and physically tough. Also make sure you are ready for the self-discipline to be patient and trust the process. Finding time to get all of your workouts and cardio in while having a family and working can be tough. I recommend giving yourself one hour a day to dedicate to your training. As prep goes along, the cardio increases, and that is when I would squeeze in what I could during my lunch break or just 20-30 minutes at night.
Finally, my health is very important to me. Cancer runs strong in my family. I lost my mom to ovarian cancer. I know that to keep my body healthy, I have to make it a priority to take care of myself. There is no excuse to not move your body and eat well. If you feed your body crap, you will feel like crap. Besides maintaining a healthy diet, I fuel my body with Beverly supplements. I am a huge fan of the Beverly products because they are natural and they have really helped me achieve my goals.
I know that most women are busy with work, family, and just life in general. I am here to show you that you can make time to work on a better you. I offer online personal training to those who are not able to attend my classes. My contact for online training is susanramseyfitness@yahoo.com.