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 By: Leigh Penman
For top IFBB competitor Dena Westerfield, you could say that the seeds for a successful career in bodybuilding and fitness were planted in extremely fertile soil. Her growth (no pun intended) has been phenomenal over the years. When she made her debut appearance on the bodybuilding stage back in 2000 at the Women's Tri Fitness show, her third place sent a strong message to the world of women's bodybuilding, "I have arrived, and I am not leaving until I reach the top!" The following year she walked away with the heavyweight and overall title at the NPC USA Coastal Championships powerfully reinforcing that initial message.
   Click Image To Enlarge.Dena Westerfield At The 2008 New York Pro. View More Pics Of Dena Westerfield At The 2008 New York Pro. However, for Dena, life isn't just about competing, it is about living a lifestyle devoted to health, fitness and total well-being. Her focus has always been on creating a successful career out of her passion for health, which led to her becoming a neuromuscular therapist at the Humanities Center in Pinellas Park, Florida. This was followed by a move to St. Louis to attend Logan Chiropractic College where she graduated in April 2004 and thereafter opened her own practice - Westerfield Health Center.
Her full contest history (and believe me it is 'full') can be found by visiting her website and it has given her the experience to land her in a very favorable position for her next challenge... The 2009 Arnold Classic. Dena is now into her second year of sponsorship by Species Nutrition (the brainchild of Dave Palumbo and Colette Nelson) and, with Dave's priceless input has constructed a diet, supplement and training regime that has allowed her to stay in great shape all year round.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Dena's Diet, Supplement & Training Regime Allows Her To Stay In Shape All Year. This means that when the final tweaks of contest dieting are added, the results should be enough to scare the striations off the quads of her fellow competitors!
Then at about 10am I head off to the gym and do a second round of cardio. This time it's 30 minutes on the hand bike or stepper, work on posing routine for 45 minutes to an hour and then back home for a nap. I usually nap from 12/12:30 until 2pm.
  Click Image To Enlarge.Dena Westerfield At The 2007 Europa. View More Pics Of Dena Westerfield At The 2007 Europa.
On the light side, I'd say it's about 5 hours a day of preparation for a show, but really it takes 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to maintain this body.
I train chest, shoulders and triceps and then back, biceps, rear delts and legs twice a week. Abs and calves are trained every day.
Last time at this level I placed 14th, so an increase will be nice. I have no control over anyone but me. We all look different. I have a small structure and can't compare to some of the top girls although, in the big picture, I am one of the top girls too!
  Click Image To Enlarge.Dena Westerfield At The 2007 Jan Tana Pro. View More Pics Of Dena Westerfield At The 2007 Jan Tana Pro.
For women the look of 'figure' competitors is the most sought over appearance. There is a select group of men and women who are driven and motivated by the muscular look but it is not large scale enough to make an actual income out of. As far as I am concerned, I do it because it challenges me personally and it says something about who I am. Overall though, I think we are going to see a trend towards smaller physiques for both sexes in the next couple of years.
With regard to the women, I think they should reduce the number of classes and this would in turn increase the amount of prize money available. Personally, I lose money competing. At the end of the day though, I try not to get involved with things I have no control over!
  Click Image To Enlarge.Dena Westerfield At The 2008 New York Pro. View More Pics Of Dena Westerfield At The 2008 New York Pro.
I think I will be in the 140 lb range on stage. I'm 143 right now at four weeks out and Dave (Palumbo) is making a couple of diet changes that will help push me to the top of my game!
One thing Dena certainly does have control over though is her diet and by following a healthy diet all year and staying in good shape she can look forward to stepping on stage in her best condition to date. Also, by utilizing some of the highest quality supplements available today from her sponsors, Species Nutrition, you can be sure she is going to surprise both the judges and her fellow competitors when March comes around.
On the subject of diet, Dena is currently following a 2-day protein/veg, 1-day protein/fat regime which incorporates the range of supplements produced by Species Nutrition. A typical protein/veg day looks something like this:
On the protein/fat days Dena adds two yolks to her eggs, macadamia oil, peanut butter and raw nuts. Dena also uses the Species Nutrition products 'Omegalyze', 'Fiberlyze', 'Lipolyze' and 'Somalyze' and is quick to point out that they have played a very important part in her diet, helping her to maintain a full, lean and tight physique throughout the year.
Although she is now firmly ensconced in the pre-contest regime outlined earlier in this article, this year's off-season saw her training her legs as much as three times a week. Prior to the start of her super-charged contest program, her training looked something like this:
One thing is for sure, by the time the calendar hits the month of March, Dena is going to provide a serious threat to her competition. The fuse has been lit and Dr. Dynamite is about to carry out some surgical extractions... eliminating the competition one by one!
 Click Image To Enlarge.Dena Is Going To Provide A Serious Threat To Her Competition.
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