Sarah Raynor – IFBB Bikini Athlete
Cover photo courtesy of PWG PHOTOGRAPHY
Set a realistic goal or have something to aim for to keep you motivated. Training for a competition or special event really gives me motivation!
1. Be consistent – Consistency is the key!
This applies to clean eating and training. You have to be steady and consistent with both to achieve your competition body.
2. Get your form right – Ask!
Bad form can give you minimal results and cause injury. If you are putting effort into training, you want to make sure your form is right to achieve the best results!
Seek advice, ask questions, get an experience trainer to watch over you often to make sure you have it right.
3. Trust the process
Have faith, be patient, keep going, push through even when you don’t feel like it and watch your body amaze you!
I generally don’t socialize much at the gym – I find it distracting and can cause you to slack off and rest too much between sets due to too much talking!
Distraction can also cause injury. When you are working out, especially with free weights, you need to stay focused.
My days start with 45 minutes cardio or horse riding (my other passion) early in the morning before breakfast as it’s the best time to burn fat!! I hit the gym at lunchtime for weight training. I find lunchtime the best time to go as it breaks up the day – and I have more energy than I do in the evenings after a long day at work – it enables me to really keep the consistency.
I work fulltime and run my small business HairExtend.co.nz, so I need to be organised and ensure that I get plenty of sleep so I can fit it all in! – Being organised with your meals preparation is crucial to succeed.
Every Sunday I do a big meal prep for the coming week and keep prepped meals at work and home so that there is always clean food readily available to eat so I don’t cheat (too much)!!
My cupboards are full of clean snack foods such as eggs, tuna & rice cakes – no bad food so I can’t be tempted.
I find you definitely need to set a realistic goal or have something to aim for to keep you motivated. Training for a competition or special event really gives me motivation as it’s something to work towards.
I’m very critical of my stage photos. I suggest you get hold of as many of your stage photos so you can look back and see how far you have come, once you start seeing those results, feeling and looking amazing – that becomes motivation itself!
Form is crucial so seek advice and instruction initially and start with low weights and gradually increase the weight as your strength increases.
The biggest misconception women have is that if they lift weights they are scared they are going to become big and muscular – that is not the case!
You burn three times as much fat if you combine weight training with cardio – and you will not bulk up, you will become leaner faster and develop a great body which cardio alone won’t give you.
Girls don’t be scared or shy to get amongst the free weights at the gym!
Free weights give you far better results than machines and chicks that lift have the best bodies!
It can be a bit daunting and scary at first, but just get in there! – you will get over it pretty quick.