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Q: What motivated you to join the competition for the second time? A: After last year's disappointing results, I decided to give it another shot again as I was still learning how my body would react from the diet and training then. Obviously I had no idea how to lose the body fat while simultaneously improving my muscle tone. I dieted on too little food and calories, so I ended up losing a lot of muscle along with the body fat. Come contest day I looked soft and unhealthy. So this year was another opportunity to prove to myself and my critics.
Q: How does a competitor in Body Fitness differ from women’s bodybuilding? A: Body Fitness is judged based on muscle balance, tone and definition, not on muscle bulk like bodybuilding. So it is critical not to get too big. It is much more appealing and accepted by the general public. I also feel it retains all the femininity in a female athlete.
Q: What mistakes did you make last year that you made sure didn’t surface again this year? A: My major downfall last year was basically not having a proper plan. I had no idea on what exactly to eat and how to structure my training in terms of weight training and frequency of cardio sessions. Although I applied some tips I picked up from magazines, they didn’t work for me as we all respond differently to nutrition and exercise. So what works for one person, may not work for another. The ultimate decision was to get help from an expert to guide me through the process meticulously, step by step. I know it was going to be challenging but I was looking forward to seeing my physique change.
Q: Word is you got Adrian Tan to guide you with your contest preparation from the start. What made you choose him? A: Well for one thing, he’s been winning contests since he started his career, so this is the best person to guide me through. He has the magic formula to get anyone in fabulous shape so this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from him. He’s very knowledgeable in terms of training frequency, food planning, what to eat, what to avoid and also how to peak perfectly and look your best on contest day or a photo shoot. Q: What were the fundamentals of his training / conditioning program? A: What I liked about Adrian's approach is his no nonsense attitude to everything, from training to meal plans. He doesn’t like excuses and is very strict about me following his diet and not missing training sessions. He also monitors my progress constantly - every 3 to 4 weeks. He will tell me exactly how much more cardio I need to do if I still got 5kg to lose or what to eat and drink during the last few weeks prior should I need to lose more body fat. Q: Did his food plan differ from the normal diet you’ve been following for the last competition? A: Definitely! He altered the ratio of carbohydrates to protein. I was dieting on moderate to high carbs for my last competition. This time round, I was eating only one to two carb meals a day, which was a big change for me but worked wonders in burning my body fat. He also advocates fluctuating the carbohydrate intake throughout the entire week, varying from individual to individual.  Q: In terms of gauging your progress over 3 months, how was it done? A: Adrian measured my body fat by using a body fat caliper as well as taking photos of me every 4 weeks. This became more frequent during the last month. Taking photos is imperative as we are our worst critic. It is sometimes difficult to gauge our progress, especially since we look at ourselves in the mirror everyday. Having an objective view from him plus the comparisons in the photos, makes it less stressful on my contest preparation and not having to worry unnecessarily. Q: Any special tricks of the trade that you learnt from Adrian that you want to share with those yearning to change their bodies? A: One secret Adrian taught me was how to manipulate my water intake and also fluctuate the potassium and sodium in my foods a week prior to competition. It made me burn that last ounce of fat and lose the water retention which was obscuring my definition. It totally transformed my physique and made me look a lot leaner. It also brought my body fat to the lowest - from 28% 3 months before to 15%. Q: What’s your advice for people who may have 10kg or more to lose? A: Have a plan, dedicate 3 to 4 months to your program and the most important thing is to be consistent and stay motivated. Be willing to experiment with your diet and training. No one plan suits every one, so don’t be afraid to seek advice and deviate from the norm. |
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