Debora  A. Wendte,

I do offer competition level training, but the journey is most likely the most challenging one you will ever undergo.

Basic exercises (a minimum requirement) include:

1. Body weight chin-ups

2. Body weight pull-ups (all grips)

3. A healthy, athletic female should be able to perform at least 50 push-ups in a row (non-stop)

4. All dead lifts (sumo, Romanian, Bulgarian, hex-bar, etc.)

5. Loaded Squats (front squats, back loaded squats, etc. and they do not count unless they are slightly below parallel!)

6. Bench press (at least 80% of your own body weight)

7. Multipalanr Lunges

8. Advanced Core Stability Work

The training is extremely intense and therefore requires a full commitment as far as recovery protocols and nutrition are concerned. If lifting is not your passion, then this sport may not be for you.

A sample precompetition training day (4-5 months before a national show; unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of taking time off before a show. I work on commission 6 days/week and support my family.) for me would look something like this:

4:00 a.m. wake-up and jump rope for 15 minutes straight

4:20 a.m. breakfast: 5 egg whites, 1 yolk, 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 grapefruit, lots of water! Shower, dress and get ready to drive to the gym.

5:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. - work (I'm a full-time trainer; so, some of this time is spent teaching group exercise classes, as well) During this time, I would have eaten small meals in between training sessions/classes; e.g. 7:00 a.m. small protein shake, 9:30 a.m. 8-10 almonds with raw veggies, 12:00 p.m. orange roughy, raw veggies, brown rice, flax or hemp oil and ,of course, lots of water (all day long). I also supplement my diet with a multivitamin, fish oil, amino acids and ZMA.

I do my weight training, posing practice and routine practice between clients (if I have a gap in my schedule). I spend no more than 1 hour at a time weight training (I train so hard that it is not possible to spend more than an hour working out!) I always time my nutrition for an energy-boosting pre-workout meal and a recovery-enhancing post workout meal.

My training session looks something like this:

• 8 sets Romanian deadlifts (working from moderate to heavy)
• 8 sets Bulgarian dead lifts (working from heavy to light)
• Superset: 6 sets of front squats with stability ball single leg hamstring curls (full hip extension, folks!)
• Giant set: 6 sets of lunge jumps, lying hamstring curls, leg extenensions and (the oh, so boring) calf raises

2:30 p.m. talapia, raw veggies, brown rice

3:30 p.m. cycling intervals (high intensity)

(prepare files, etc.)

4:00 p.m. chicken breast, raw fruits and veggies, 8 almonds

5-6: client

6-7: sports conditioning training (Turkish get-ups, plyometrics, general sports training) followed by a recovery shake with superfood and mixed organic greens (yum!)

7 p.m.: back to work at the gym!

10 p.m.: rush home and get into bed after eating some egg whites, 1 yolk and more veggies

The Question Is: How Hard Are You Willing To Work To Reach Your Goals?

The Next Question Is: How Dedicated Are You To Allowing Your Body To Recover From Training?

Competitive training also requires an athlete to be smart about her training. Weight training should NOT hurt your joints or cause repetitive injuries.

As hard as I work, I also train to prevent muscle-imbalances, try my best to get enough rest, eat the most nutrient-dense foods available, stretch, foam-roll and get massages on a regular basis.