/
 
 

Issue #126

Contents

Editorial
by Juan Carlos Lope
z

20 Questions with Cover Model Ashley Weimer

Video Interview with Amateur Physique Ashley Weimer

Pictorials
Ashley Weimer, Paula Frega, Rachael Loftis, Rachel Strout & Julie Bonnett

Video Interview with Amateur Bikini Alli Mathys

Hair Tip of the Month
by Lindsay Fowler

Video Interview with Pro Figure Kanani Gonzales

 

20 Questions with Cover Model Ashley Weimer

Ashley Weimer

1) Please introduce yourself? What makes you special? Who is Ashley Weimer?

I am 30 years old.  I have only been competing for 2 years.  Competing/training is something my boyfriend and I do together.  We push and motivate each other to be better than we were yesterday.  I have done 3 national shows, one in figure (2014, 12th place) and 2 in Women's Physique (2015, 4th and 2nd).  I have am a very competitive, driven person.  I personally don't believe I am special, my coaches always told me that once you believe your own hype you are finished.  

2) Please tell us a bit about your family, friends and surroundings? 

My family consists of my extremely supportive parents who have been to every competition me or my boyfriend have ever been in (including out of state competitions).  I have an older sister and younger brother who I am very close with.  I live with my boyfriend and our dog.  Most of my friends are friends are friends from college and friends from the gym.  

3) How did you start competing in physique? 

I started competing in physique in 2015 after a year in figure. Between my prep coach, my posing coach and myself we decided that my body was best suited for the Women's Physique division. 

4) What is your personal policy (not what the judges want) about conditioning and muscularity when coming into a show? Soft or hard? 

I prefer to come in as hard and as dry as I can, as far as muscularity goes it all depends on how much muscle a girls frame can hold while still looking feminine and streamlined. I think there is no room for a soft physique on a national stage in the NPC in our division. 

5)  What is your idea of what judges want in a physique competitor? Do you think judges are clear enough with competitors about how they want you on stage? It seems in Europe they are very clear unlike in the USA and now in Canada things are confusing. 

I feel that the Womens Physique division is pretty cut and dry as far as judges expectations. Unlike bikini and figure there is less room for subjectivity in WPD. I think I tight muscular physique while maintaining a feminine appearance is what the division is all about.

6) For the next shows what do you think you need to work on physique-wise/conditioning-wise? If anything! 

I would like to gain a little more size for my next show (not much however) and keep my current proportions as I feel I am evenly balanced as of my last show. I would like to tighten up my legs as well. There is always something to improve, no one has a perfect physique. 

Ashley Weimer

7) What is your typical training routine in the gym (per day, include sets and reps!) How much cardio do you do before a show? 

Everything is dependent on how my body is feeling, I switch my splits up frequently as well as my reps and sets. I feel like repeating the same workouts over and over leads to a state of complacency and boredom in the gym, which leads to less than optimum training sessions. I normally do cardio twice a day in the weeks leading up to a show, I believe it plays a huge role in the conditioning I am able to bring to the stage. There is a new trend with competitors doing less cardio and I believe the work you put in (or lack there of) shows up under the lights.

8) What is your pre-contest diet? (per day, 1 week before the show)


So far I have done 4 shows and my diet the week prior has been different every time. I either see my coach or send update pictures and we make adjustments as necessary. 

9) How do you go about dropping your water before the day of the show? How much water do you drink the day of the show. Please be specific.


We taper volume back as the week goes on. Again every show has been different with this one too a lot of day to day adjustments here as water retention can be the difference between first and 10th place on a national stage.

10) What motivates you to train/diet and compete? Are there any competitors you looked up to?  

I really enjoy pushing myself to be better every time. After my first show I really caught the bug to do another show, and another...and another. I am naturally a competitive person but in this sport you really do have to beat yourself to keep getting better. I know it is cliche as all get out but it is the truth. You never know who will be on stage next to you and what package they are bringing so you just bring a better you every time. When I was competing in figure I really liked the look of Nicole Wilkins and Candace Keene and still do. However, now that I am looking to be successful in physique I adore the physiques of Jillian Reville and Juliana Malacarne. 

11) Please tell us an interesting experience you had at a show recently, be it a fun thing or something rather not so fun?

Honestly, I really enjoy the environment backstage. I feel like the Women's Physique competitors are more fun and supportive of one another than the other women's divisions. For example after Jr Nationals many of the top 5 competitors in every height class were walking around and congratulating one another in the expo area. The overall winner Brooke Walker even went through the crowd to find me and tell me she thought I looked amazing. That kind of support is unexpected but is always appreciated and makes you feel great. 

12) What is your personal opinion about the figure, fitness, bodybuilding industry we are in? Anything you would like to see changed?

I think the industry as a whole is great. There are crappy people in every walk of life and there is no shortage of people around the industry looking to take advantage of competitors especially women's competitors. But all in all I feel that there are more good people than bad. I am not a big fan of over posting on social media, especially pictures of some of the girls that show more than our suits do. To me those are people looking for attention, I like to let my hard work show on stage and garner attention in that manner. 

Ashley Weimer

13) What has been your hardest challenge to overcome either in your personal life or competing career?

BALANCE!!!! I am an all or nothing type of person. When I am competing that is what consumes me, making sure every moment is a step towards a better physique. I severely limit my time spent in non prep related activities. Outside of competitions whatever goal I may be chasing is a top priority and always gets a large majority of my time and attention. 

14) Did you make any changes to your contest prep for your last show? Water intake, carbing up, etc...

Every week of every prep is different. From cardio to diet to depletion to carb up my coach makes changes based on my body and how I am looking and feeling to make sure I come in better every time.

15) What do you think of bikini division?

I think there is a division for every body type in the NPC. There are bikini competitors that absolutely kill it in the gym just like every other division. As long as an athlete works hard and represents themselves with class, I have nothing but respect for them.

16) What are your favorite foods to eat right after you compete on a Saturday night?

The bigger question is what don't I eat!!!!! HAHA. Normally sweets play a large role in my post show meal plan :)

17) Please tell us about how you were raised and did you have any interesting experiences while growing up?

My mom was my gymnastics coach, I have always been disciplined in athletics and everyone in my family was active growing up. As far as interesting experiences go I traveled around the country with national youth gymnastics meets so I can say it kind of prepared me for some of this.

18) Do you have an athletic background? Gymnastics, soccer, volleyball or what? 

I did gymnastics for about ten years and competitive cheerleading in college. Those big group cheer events on ESPN those are the competitions we did. 

19) What is a typical day in the life of Ashley Weimer? From waking up to until going to bed? 

Wake Up: Morning Cardio
Work
Train/Cardio
Sleep
Repeat

Ashley Weimer

20) What is your current occupation? Please tell us more about it, what do you specifically do in your job?

I am currently a Professional Geologist with an Environmental Consulting Firm that specializes in groundwater remediation.  So what that means is a private client contacts us who has contaminated the soil and/or groundwater.  We figure out what is there, what the extent of the contamination is, and find a way to clean it up.  After a remedial design is in place, we sample the groundwater to make sure our methods are working.  I am out in the field about 60% of the time, and in the office working on reports the remainder of the time.  

 

Back to Issues

 

 
 
© 2004-2012 HardFitness Design All right reserved.