A new breed of female athlete has arrived in Squamish.
Locals are used to hearing about the exploits of women tearing up the trails on two wheels, running miles on the soccer field or climbing the granite cliffs, but an emerging group of females has taken over what was once considered the most masculine of sporting areas – the gym.
They can clang iron with men, last longer on cardio and push their bodies to the max – all while strutting in high heels.
The Sandra Wickham Fall Classic, occurring in New Westminster on Nov. 8, brings together hundreds of toned, tanned and hard bodies competing in bodybuilding, fitness, figure, physique and bikini divisions – and in 2014 it will have a uniquely Squamish flavour.
For months, six locals – Sage Bigler, Amy Christian, Kim Grewal, Britt Jonat, Jessica Lamarche and Angela Rajnforth – have been lifting, toning, dieting and fine tuning their bodies in advance of the big show. Bigler, Grewal, Lamarche and Rajnforth are all making their bikini competition debut and said a lot of the motivation to participate came from seeing Christian and Squamish resident Amanda Bazette prepare for past contests.
“I saw Amy and Amanda in the gym when they were training for a show and I was just so inspired by these girls,” Grewal said. “Amy told me I should do it and I thought maybe in a year or two, but they kept coming up to me and I was already working out so it gave me something to work towards.”
Grewal says it’s developed into a true passion.
“When I signed up I thought it was just going to be like a bucket list thing or just something for myself, but it has turned into something I really like and want to keep doing,” she said. “I may not always be in the shape I’m in right now and I wanted to see what my full potential was and how I could transform my body.”
For Lamarche, weightlifting was an interest before talk of the Wickham Classic, but the competition has forced her to elevate her training.
“I’ve been lifting weights for about two consecutive years now,” she said, noting that the more intense training for the show began about five months ago. “We all came into this solo. Then about four months ago we realized we were all training for the same thing.”
“I wanted to do this for myself – I’m my own competition,” Lamarche said. “I love being in the gym and being healthy, it is my passion.
“Bodybuilding is something that’s become important in my life, so the competition is really just doing something I enjoy and love.”
Christian and Jonat are the more experienced members of the group, with past shows under their belts. Christian said the group came together and it’s been a natural fit.
“I have been training for contests for about a year now and a group of like-minded girls from the gym stuck together,” she said. “The team evolved organically from our mutual interest and drive.”
Bigler was a later addition to the group, as she joined the other five 12 weeks out instead of the 16 that is normally recommended.
“They were always telling me I should do it, but I was hemming and hawing about it and then I finally decided to do it,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in weight training and started last year, but I didn’t really know what I was doing and was educating myself on YouTube. I wasn’t getting the results I wanted then, so I think this has been a really good education in a way because now I know how to eat properly and how to train.”
And it’s the eating and training that win or lose competitions at the Wickham Classic. The women’s routine is challenging – a different body part is targeted each day with a lot of additional cardio. The diet is specific and offers a lot less selection – and fat content – than the extra value meal at McDonalds.
“There’s a lot of weighing food,” Bigler said, laughing. “I’ve been living out of Tupperware – I haven’t had food off the plate in… I don’t know when.”
The meal plans vary slightly for each girl, but typically it’s about a cup and a half of egg whites, with oatmeal and a banana for breakfast. Every two to three hours it’s necessary to eat some sort of combination of 130 grams of chicken, turkey or white fish along with vegetables like asparagus, green beans, spinach or broccoli.
“Before workouts a cup of rice is allowed for carbs to burn off, and following the workout, protein shakes are downed. At night, it’s another shake and combinations of the meat and vegetables.
Grewal said the strict diet can make for some interesting experiences when dining out.
“Going out and ordering food can be tough,” she said. “Some people judge when you ask them for some of the specific things we have to eat. I’ve had some servers say they can’t measure or that it’s not part of their serving size. Servers are interested and ask questions sometimes – I’ve been asked if I’m a model or anorexic – you get judged in a way sometimes, but you get used to it.”
The lifting and cardio work for each woman has increased in order to make their muscles more visible and pop for the judges.
“Right now I’m at 65 minutes of fasted cardio per day,” Lamarche said. “Three days of weights on and one off, and training a different body part every day.”
Experienced competitors Jonat and Christian have slightly more specific and detailed workouts.
“My workout routine is split into body parts so I have a heavy leg, chest/shoulders and back day, then I also have lighter secondary leg, shoulder, arm and back days as well,” Jonat said.
“I am on a split workout and I train various muscle groups on different days,” explained Christian. “Day one is hamstrings and glutes, day two shoulders and abs, day three back and bi, day four quads and glutes and day five is chest and tri.
“I sprinkle some cardio in for good measure, time is dependent on where my body is at. I don’t really need to lean out much now, so I do about 30 minutes of cardio daily.”
Results can be a huge motivating factor and that’s the case with this group. Improvements have been noticeable and help make the hard work and tedious diet seem worth it.
“I’ve noticed the most improvement in my mid-section,” Jonat shared. “I’ve always wanted to have visible abs and my mid-section is where I store the most of my body fat so seeing them peek through is a big fitness accomplishment for me.”
“Shoulders were my biggest thing,” Grewal said. “Before this, I would work hard on my legs and liked doing cardio and abs, but arms weren’t my focus. I didn’t realize how much effort it takes to build up your arm muscle. It has been the hardest thing for me but when I walk away from this I’ll be so happy about how much muscle I was able to put on my shoulders.”
Increased strength and energy has also been a nice benefit for the competitors.
“For me, I’ve noticed a lot of strength gain in my upper body,” Lamarche said. “I was never able to do a triceps dip or a pull up before. Now I can do five to 10
of each.”
“I’ve definitely leaned out substantially and I also have more endurance and more energy – as long as I get enough sleep,” Bigler said.
Training for a competition like this can be all encompassing and that is one of the true challenges for the girls. Balancing work and social life with the demands of the competition can be taxing.
“Some days I’ll be battling exhaustion and it’s not just the diet and training, but the combination of doing a full-time job and maintaining family and friendships on top of the competition,” Bigler said. “It’s all about balance, you get the hang of it after a while, but its super overwhelming at first. If you have any free time I’ve learned to make chicken or weigh out protein powder or something.”
“Finding a balance between the gym, social life, work, relationships, family and everything else in normal life events can be difficult,” Lamarche said.
On top of everything else, in the bikini division you’re not only judged on your physique, but also your presence on stage. Poses must be completed to show off muscle while wearing high heels.
“You’re judged 50 per cent on physique and the other 50 is your presence – how you walk, hair, make up and how you hit the certain poses,” Grewal said. “You have to be very graceful and smooth in between the poses, but also be somewhat sassy and have a good stage presence.”
Regardless of how they place in the competition, a bond has been formed between these six athletes and a support system has been built. They all admitted that it would have been a lot tougher without each other’s support.
“It’s helped to have the other girls to train with for moral support,” Jonat said. “There are some days that you just don’t feel like going to the gym, so having someone there to motivate and push you when you don’t feel like pushing yourself is really helpful. To do this competition you have to push yourself hard and that can be emotionally and physically draining, so having someone there to talk to who understands what you’re going through makes the whole journey a bit easier.”
“It helps me to have a group of girls who genuinely understand and can relate to me,” Christian said. “Many friends and family do not understand and can become frustrated with the rigidity of this temporary lifestyle.”
It has been a blessing having the other girls around to train with,” added Lamarche. “People always assume that we’re so competitive and try not to help each other, but it’s completely opposite. We’re all so supportive of each other and keep one another grounded and focused. I have gained some great lifetime friends through this competition.”
“We keep each other sane,” said Grewal. “One day one of us might be having a meltdown and the next someone else might be, it’s been a great support system and we’ve become kind of like a family.”
When it’s all done on Saturday, several of the girls are looking forward to eating foods that they’ve not been allowed to even think about.
“I told my fiancé when I come off that stage I need lasagna and a Triple O’s veggie burger,” Grewal said, laughing.
Christina is looking forward to a big breakfast with no restrictions, while Lamarche is pining for peanut butter
and Nutella.
“I want a fat slice of vegan choc cake from whole foods or maybe a Zephyr cookie – definitely something extravagant,” Bigler added.
The girls offered a few words of advice to anyone looking to follow in their footsteps.
“Go for it,” Grewal said. “There are some days that are hard, but it’s worth it. It shows you what you can do with your body and how much strength, determination and will power that you have.”
“You need to have a healthy and realistic view of your body beforehand because it is so hard to be judged subjectively,” Christian said. “Plus your body will never look as toned and tight as it does on contest day. If you are too consumed with always having that body you will be forever unsatisfied. A competition body is not sustainable year round.”
“As long as you have a passion for bodybuilding – do it,” Lamarche said. “Trust me, some days it is not easy, but you must trust the process and not give up. The end result is worth it.”
The 2014 SWFC goes down on Nov. 8 in New Westminster and on that night carbs and sugar will finally make it back onto the dinner and dessert plates of these women… until the next competition.
