Fitness Amateur Of The Week: Born To Be Built!

My Journey began at an early age when my father introduced me to the gym. I was daddy's little girl and loved doing things with him. He spent time in the gym and is still religious about it. The first gym I was introduced to was Pac West in Redmond, Washington. I still remember my first day in the weight room and my father told me I could lift when I got older.

Throughout childhood, I participated in gymnastics, horseback riding, and tried a multitude of other school sports, but moved around after my parents divorced. I was extremely shy and without confidence because I never got comfortable in my surroundings, so the gym became my escape.

When I grew up, women's impact in the fitness industry was starting to expand. There weren't as many women magazines or strong role models like today. My first influences were Cory Everson, Jane Fonda, and Monica Brant. Today people look to women like Nicole Wilkins and Erin Stern.

I dreamed to compete in my late 20s. I wanted to take it a step further, but was in many repeat offender bad relationships, had poor confidence, and endless numbers of bad trainers. At age 30, I started to think I could do it. Two years later, I was ready. It took commitment, dedication, a high level of motivation, and a good support system to head down the competition road.

Shortly after this reality check, I saw a picture of my friend on stage and found my inspiration. That day, I woke up and decided to make the commitment. Five months later, I hit the stage for the first time and took first in my class.

Now, I focus on conditioning as the base of my muscles mass for a more refined figure. I train six days per week and rest on Sunday. I don't mind cardio until contest prep when I do an extra 90 minutes per day. I hike 3-4 times per week to break up the cardio time at the gym. I live in Arizona, so the hikes are amazing and I don't get bored with the scenery.

My typical weekly training session is broken down into a variation of weights, plyometrics, and interval or HIIT cardio.

Prior to contest prep, my rep range is 15-20 to burn calories. During contest prep, it changes to 20-30 reps for additional calorie burn. My weakness is heavy shoulder and back work. For legs, I do high reps with moderate to heavy weight and mix in plyos.

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Bodybuilding.com honors amateurs across all categories for their hard work, dedication, and great physiques. Learn how our featured amateurs built their bodies and hit their goals!

Getting involved with figure was an enlightening experience and I was lucky to be surrounded by great people. It's cool to work out and feel good by yourself, but it's better to step on stage and put on a huge smile for an audience. Bodybuilding is like building a house; you start from the ground up and design it to the top. That's where my personal slogan comes from: "Born to be built."

I've looked in the mirror and didn't like what I saw. I'm learning that good food helps my mentality, energy, and confidence. It shows on the outside. I wake up full of energy and am excited to hit the gym. The reaction I get motivates me to make people around me feel good.

I pick out a picture of a woman who competes, put it on my phone, and look at it all the time. I have daily fitness quotes pop up on my phone when my alarm goes off that tell me to get up.

I plan to compete 2-3 more times this year. I dedicated this year to see where it takes me and enjoy my new circle of friends. After the year, I'm not sure where I will move to, but getting a pro card would be an awesome reward.

If you want rewards, be ready to make a solid commitment to the end goal. It's about you, not anyone else. You will like who you become.

Nicole Wilkins. I'm built with a similar frame. Based on what I read about her, she's great at what she does and is educated and humble about her achievements.

I love Bodybuilding.com for the forums, training education, and the load of information at your fingertips. When I was between trainers, I always went back to Bodybuilding.com for tips on training and nutrition. BodySpace is great to track my goals and ordering from the store is easy.

1. "Catch My Breath" by Kelly Clarkson
2. "Fortune Days" by The Glitch Mob
3. "Lights" by Ellie Goulding
4. "Satellite" by BT
5. "Timebomb" by Pink

Thanks

• To my dad for teaching me the ropes.
• To my boyfriend, Tim Krieg, for being my support system and giving me strength.
• To Doug Lang, my coach and personal trainer, for teaching me how to reach my goals.
• To NPC fitness competitor, Kayce Gorman, for assistance with posing and support.