Workouts
Were you athletic before you began lifting? Prior to lifting, I participated in sports such as soccer, basketball, and track, but I was never very athletically talented. My hand-eye coordination was about as close to non-existent as it could get ;). When did you start working out and what inspired you to do so? I began working out in December of 2016 at age 13 because although I wasn’t “fat,” I didn’t want to be “skinny fat” like most of my peers. I wanted to become fit, not only to look good, but to feel confident about my body image, and to prevent major health issues down the road. I believe that by starting good habits early, future mental and physical health problems can be prevented. Have you ever competed? How did you do? I competed in my first show, the NPC Megatron, November of 2018, at age 15. I placed first in the Teen Figure Division (although admittedly, I was the only competitor) and fifth in Figure Novice Class A (this one was out of 11 competitors, all of whom had at least 10 years on me). While I have not competed since, I have still kept in shape and hope to stand on stage again in the near future! Do you prefer cardio or weigts more? Why? I’m definitely enjoy weights more. Although I do cardio occasionally, I rarely enjoy it. Weight training, on the other hand, is mostly a pleasant experience. I love the feeling of accomplishment (and soreness that accompanies it) when I push myself to the limit. What is your workout plan like? Every couple of months, I switch up my schedule, but I usually lift 4-5 days a week, separating sessions by body part (push/pull/legs or shoulders/legs/back&bis/chest&tris). I do elliptical usually once a week for about 20-30 minutes, sometimes HIIT and sometimes moderate-intensity. What time of day do you work out and why? I prefer to work out in the mid-morning after breakfast (around 10:30 am) because I have the most energy and I don’t have to think about having something I have to get done the rest of the day, but most often I have to work out around 3:30 pm once I’m done with school for the day. Where do you work out (home, gym, studio, community center, etc.)? I began working out at a home gym, but eventually decided I was much more motivated by the energy of a public gym. For about a year, I worked out at the Planet Fitness near my school, but of course since COVID, I have returned to my home gym. What gets you pumped up the most right before a workout? Listening to my music get my the most pumped up before (and throughout) a workout. Do you prefer training alone or with a buddy and why? Honestly, I've only every trained by myself, so I'm not sure that this is a question I can answer. I love zoning out to my music, but I think having a workout partner would be more motivational and allow me to push myself harder. What music do you listen to when you work out? Why? I listen to rock music when I work out, not only because it’s my favorite, but also because it’s motivational. If I'm only picking a few songs (I'm not going to bore you by going through my entire music library), my favorite workout songs are probably “Devour” and “Burn it to the Ground” by Shinedown and Nickelback, respectively. Motivation When did you start working out and what inspired you to do so? I began working out in December of 2016 at age 13 because although I wasn’t “fat,” I didn’t want to be “skinny fat” like most of my peers. I wanted to become fit, not only to look good, but to feel confident about my body image, and to prevent major health issues down the road. I believe that by starting good habits early, future mental and physical health problems can be prevented. Who is your role model? Why? My role model is my mom. She was a personal trainer for a while before I was born, but let herself go once she had a child. My dad has always worked out since he was a kid, but I didn’t decide to commit myself until my mom did in November of 2016. She realized that she needed to make a change, so she did, and I followed behind her a week later. In November of 2017, she competed and placed third in NPC Masters Figure. After seeing her on stage, I was motivated to compete myself, and did so the following fall. Who has supported you the most throughout your fitness journey? My parents, Jennifer and Darren, have supported me the most throughout my fitness journey. They are the ones who got me to start, and they are the ones who push me to do my best. But they also know that I can be hard on myself, so when I’m feeling guilty or I don’t feel up to working out, they remind me of the progress I’ve made so far, and that it’s not going to kill my fitness game by doing or not doing something every once in a while. What gets you pumped up the most right before a workout? Listening to my music get my the most pumped up before (and throughout) a workout. |
Nutrition
What is your diet like? I follow the IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) diet, which sets no major restrictions and only requires me to work my food into my set calories and macronutrients for the day. By following the 80/20 rule (80% whole healthy foods, 20% "cheat" foods), I have lots of flexibility in my diet, which allows me to enjoy what I eat as well as stick to my diet long-term. I'm currently eating 1600 calories most days, with two high days of 1900 calories on Wednesday and Saturday. My macros every day are 30-35% protein, 35-45% carbohydrate, and 20-30% fat. What is your favorite cheat food? How often do you indulge? My favorite cheat food is sushi. Although it tends to be pretty healthy and have good macros, it’s so high calorie that I can’t work it in very well, so I count it as a cheat food. I “indulge” either never, or on a regular basis, depending on how you define the word. I follow flexible dieting/“if it fits your macros,” so I can basically have whatever I want, as long as I work it in. However, I only go over my calories by a substantial amount maybe once a month, and it isn’t even that substantial (400-ish calories) to people other than me. Every Friday or Saturday night, my family also does pizza night. Sometimes this puts me over on calories, sometimes it doesn't, but it always screws up my macros. Nevertheless, it's a really great de-stressor and allows me to easily stick to my diet by having a "cheat" meal worked in every week. What is your favorite non-cheat food? My favorite non-cheat food is edamame pasta. It’s extremely high protein and tastes so similar to regular pasta, and I love it, especially with mushrooms and lean ground turkey. We don't always have this around the house, though, so much more often I eat spaghetti squash, which is super low in calorie and amazing with low-calorie pizza sauce, chicken breast, and fat-free mozzarella. Do you do food prep on weekends, or mid-week? What are your go-to meals? I food prep on Sunday by cooking a bunch of foods for bowl-creation during the week. I love all types of bowls, and some of my favorite ingredients being forbidden rice, quinoa, or spaghetti squash as the base, with mushrooms, broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, chicken breast, lean ground turkey, or salmon mixed in. G Hughs' Low-Calorie Teriyaki and Classico Pizza Sauce are some of my favorite ways to add flavor. Advice What's your best fitness tip (this could be related to training, nutrition, personal attitude, fitness gear, etc.)? Don’t wait to get started. There is no reason to wait before pursuing your fitness goals. You don’t need to have a health crisis before you realize you need to get into shape. You don’t need to be “old enough” because being fit has no age restriction. What piece of advice would you give to a newbie in the gym? Stay consistent. Even if you don’t see changes immediately, it’s important to stick with working out and eating right until you notice results. Consistency is key and without dedication, accomplishments will be minimal and temporary. Other How do you balance career/school/social life and fitness? Time management is key to balancing anything, fitness included. I work hard and don’t get distracted while doing school work so that I can get my workout in and still have time to relax and get to sleep at a reasonable time. Have you had to overcome obstacles to get in your best shape? The biggest obstacle that I’ve had to overcome has been in my own mind. I’m extremely hard on myself and it has taken a long time for me to figure out how to regulate my food without being too strict, and how to not beat myself down after a non-ideal (but not detrimental) decision. What do you want to accomplish as part of the fitness industry? I want to motivate more teens to get involved in fitness. The world has so many health problems right now that are due to unhealthy lifestyle choices. I want teens to get involved in fitness and develop healthy habits that can prevent problems later, as well as boost self-confidence (which is always a good thing). Where did the name "FLATCHESTFLATABS" come from? FLATCHESTFLATABS comes from both the ideas of being young and of being fit. Having started working out when I was 13, I had a fairly flat chest, and of course the flat abs came from lifting and dieting. So, whether or not still true today, FLATCHESTFLATABS is about beginning to work out and get in shape, even a young age. |