|
Fitness Models Questions & Answers - Siobhan English
Diet Exercise Advice
Siobhan English - Fitness Model Statistics
 Name:
Siobhan English
- Height: 5'4"
- Weight: 136 pounds
- Date of Birth: February 20th, 1970
- Hair Color: Black
- Bust: 38 inches
- Waist: 28 inches
- Hips: 38 inches
- Location: Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada
- Website: Coming Soon
Siobhan English - Fitness Model
Photos
  
  
Siobhan English -
Fitness Model Background
How did you get started in the fitness field?
Answer:
I joined our local gym in October 2006 to lose a couple of extra
pounds, you know, the kind that miraculously appear out of nowhere
(no doubt due to the Ukrainian perogie eating Capital of the world
where I live). The first time I ever picked up a set of dumbbells,
I was addicted. I just knew that this would be "my thing".
It gave me a tremendous sense of control and feeling of inner
power, and this slowly intensified as my body started to change
shape and I realized that I was doing this. ME! I couldn't get
enough. My eight-week punch card was punched each Saturday for
a continuous 8 weeks. That's right, even I find it hard to believe
that I would go to the gym just once a week. As soon as that ran
out I progressed to a full membership. I've never looked back.
What is the #1 thing you like best about being into fitness?
Answer:
The control that fitness gives you over both your body and your
life is amazing, the ability to deal with stress, sculpt your
body and have fun all at the same time. The constant learning
about food and exercise and how it affects your body is an ongoing
journey, I feel I've come a long way, but I'm still learning and
feel I always will be learning, there is still a long way to go.
What has been your biggest accomplishment in the fitness field?
Answer:
I've competed twice. My first bodybuilding competition was just
18 months after I joined the gym, in March 2008. I won 1st place
in Masters and 1st place in Lightweight. In 2009 I entered Provincials
and won 1st place in Masters and 2nd place in lightweight. Obviously
there always has to be a goal, so 2011 will be Nationals.
Siobhan English -
Fitness Model Questions & Answers
Fitness Question #1 - What is the best
way to get started in the fitness modeling industry? Should I just
contact the photographers directly or should I use an agency?
Answer:
Honestly, I don't know. I don't class myself as a fitness model.
I was fortunate enough to have a photo shoot with Duane Ryz, who
is the photographer this year for MABBA competitions, they were
progress shots and he did an incredible job. So I would think
that if you have good photos, let people see them, send them to
fitness sites, and magazines, it's all about getting yourself
noticed.
Fitness Question #2 - Please describe
a typical day for you. What is your daily routine like?
Answer:
 My
day usually starts at about 5.30am when I'll roll out of bed,
find my runners (helped by the dog) and get out to the park for
a 30 to 40 minute walk/jog, it helps me wake up and energizes
me. If the weather's not so good, I'll sneak down to my basement
gym and get some core work and stretching done. Then I need to
wake up my mini monster and make sure he gets to school on time
and at about 8am I'll leave for work. After a day in work (and
occasionally working at the gym in my lunch hour) I'll head home
and get ready for "ME" time at the gym. Gym time is
usually 5.30 to about 7.30, but varies depending on the work hours
(which vary during the months). Then come home and do whatever
needs doing, and get organized to do it all over again the next
day. I'm usually in bed by 10-10.30pm! Plenty of time for my muscles
to grow :)
Fitness Question #3 - I don’t
have that much time during the day to workout, so I really want
to burn major calories in a short amount of time. What is the #1
“bang for the buck” cardio exercise I should do to burn
serious calories?
Answer:
The stair-climber is deadly, I've only maxed it once and I thought
I was going to die! It elevates your heart rate, burns the calories,
works your legs and butt super hard, and just seems to shock the
snot out your body! After 30 minutes your legs are like Jell-O.
Although I have to confess that I tend to opt for the treadmill,
raise it to maximum incline and walk to my hearts content.
Fitness Question #4 - How much weight
(pounds) should I focus on losing every week? What is a safe amount
to make sure I keep it off?
Answer:
I would recommend losing no more than 1-2lb/wk using a combination
of exercise and healthy eating (I hate the word DIET).
Fitness Question #5 - What type of
food or supplements should I take before and after my workouts to
help me see results in gaining lean muscle and losing fat?
Answer:
 Supplementation
isn't always necessary. A lot of people feel they should be supplementing
due to huge advertising claims. I do struggle to meet my personal
protein demands, which is why I have opted to supplement with
Whey Protein, (only the chocolate one - its delicious). I have
one portion mixed with my Oatmeal in the morning and a another
portion in my pre-gym shake. Most people would use a protein shake
AFTER their workout, but that's supper time so I have to compromise
somewhere. I also mix Creatine and Glutamine in with my gym drink
(1 liter), which I consume during training. At the end of the
day, it's finding out what works for YOU! We are all unique and
everyone's bodies respond differently to supplementation.
In addition, make sure you don't go to the gym too soon after
eating a meal. Leave at least an hour and preferably two. Your
bodies oxygen and blood supply are needed to meet the extra demands
that exercise places on them and therefore your food won't be
able to digest properly, as well as making you feel uncomfortable!
A pre-gym snack is great, a fruit, yogurt, rice cakes.
Ideally, after your workout would be an excellent time for a
protein shake in order to replenish those muscle supplies!
Fitness Question #6 - How do you deal
with cravings for junk foods, sweets and salty food? I can stay
on a diet for maybe a few weeks but I eventually get really bad
cravings and binge on snacks and fast foods.
Answer:
It's strange, but once your body gets so finely tuned with all
the yummy healthy foods, you rarely have cravings. I'm not saying
they disappear altogether, but they definitely become few and
far between. I find chewing gum helps and also Jell-O. Jell-O
is awesome. You can even throw some fruit in there before it sets,
or add some low fat vanilla yogurt just before you eat it and
occasionally, I'll put a sprinkle of dry oatmeal on top of that!
Quite the combination, but honestly, it tastes great. I strongly
feel that if you're craving something, its ok to indulge now and
then. Go and buy that chocolate bar (even better if its one of
the 100 calorie ones), or eat that slice of pizza, as long as
the indulging is the exception and not the rule it's not going
to hurt.
Fitness Question #7 - I’m trying
to create a healthy shopping list to stick with. What are some of
the main foods I should include to maintain a lean and muscular
physique?
Answer:
Brown rice, whole wheat bread, yams, fruits, veggies, low fat
dressings for salad (lemon & poppy-seed is awesome) sauce
(I love honey garlic sauce - its soooo versatile), fish, chicken,
lean meat, eggs (lots of eggs for me), yogurt, rice cakes, almonds,
olive oil, garlic, ginger and chili flakes.
Fitness Question #8 - I’m about
35 pounds over weight. I have never started an exercise program
and really don’t know where to start. What tips can you give
me to get started on the right track?
Answer:
Walking would be an excellent way to start, its fun, it will
elevate your heart rate, burn calories, get you outside and introduce
you to new people whom you might not otherwise have met. Start
slow and steady, just 20 minutes every other day at first and
slowly progress to 30 - 40 minutes each day at a faster pace.
Tell me that you don't feel amazing after you're done!
Fitness Question #9 - I tend to eat
out most of the time and really don’t know what healthy foods
to order from the menu. What tips do you recommend for eating out
at restaurants to make sure my diet will not suffer?
Answer:
I rarely eat out, by choice you understand. I always have great
expectations of someone other than me preparing my food and I'm
usually very disappointed! However, if you do eat out, a lot of
restaurants now indicate which meals are low in carbohydrates
and which are low fat, helping you to make an informed decision.
If in doubt ASK. Watch out for the hidden extras, the sauces and
the dips! You can't really go wrong with steak and baked potato,
it's the extra's you put with it that will sabotage your "diet".
Fitness Question #10 - What exercises
do you recommend for getting a bigger, rounder and fuller butt?
Answer:
Squats and lunges are the key exercises to raise that butt and
get it firm! Work to fatigue. Glutes are pretty big muscles and
they'll take a lot. Work them smart and hard!
Fitness Question #11 - What is the
most challenging thing you deal with about consistently staying
in top shape?
Answer:
The necessity to be organized and the amount of continual planning
involved. If I am unprepared everything seems to suffer for it.
I always have a ton of fresh veggies prepared for super quick
snacks or supper. Home made protein bars are always on hand, rice
cakes, almonds etc. If they're not there, I will eat whatever
is available and trust me, that's not a good thing. In addition,
I always have to know what exercises I'm going to be doing the
next day, what time I'll be doing them and whether there are any
social events on the agenda. If so, my workout will be planned
around these events and NOT DITCHED! If I have to get up at 5am
because that's the only time I am able to work out - then I will!
Fitness Question #12 - Please describe
your normal diet. What do you eat in a typical day to stay in shape?
Answer:
 Breakfast:
Oatmeal with a teaspoon of cinnamon and a portion of chocolate
whey protein powder.
Mid-Morning Snack: 2 x chocolate chip rice cakes and possibly
some almonds
Lunch: 2 x eggs on 2 x whole wheat toast followed by either a
protein bar or a pro-biotic yogurt
Mid-Afternoon Snack: 2 x rice cakes, or fruit
Pre Gym Snack: Protein shake
Dinner: Stir fry (chicken and veggies and garlic and ginger)
or a giant omelet that's like eating pizza, again with veggies
and chicken., or a salad with a low fat dressing.
Fitness Question #13 - What type of
exercises do you include in your routine to stay in shape?
Answer:
Strength Training Exercises: A combination of free weights
and weight machines, depending on my workout schedule at that
time, which I cycle.
Typically:
Chest: Chest press, regular, decline, incline. Dumbbell
chest presses, push-ups (varied).
Biceps: Barbell curls, incline dumbbell curls, high arm
cable curls, hammer curls, preacher curls, cable curls, body pull-ups.
Triceps: Skull crusher, dips, kickbacks, overhead extensions.
Back: Chin ups, regular and wide grip, t-bar rows, barbell
rows, dumbbell rows, lat pull-downs, standing cable push downs,
seated rows
Shoulders: Front arm raise, side arm raise (varied positions),
wall-crawler, Arnold press, standing row, cable front arm raise,
shrugs
Legs: Squats, lunges, leg press, hack squat, straight
leg lifts, leg extensions, hamstring curls.
Cardio Exercises: Minimal - usually walking and/or jogging
- I chose not to do too much cardio because my goal is to gain
muscle. However, for the 12 weeks prior to competition, I'll hit
that treadmill hard in order to burn 1000 calories a day.
Additional Training: Lots of stretching! I can't overemphasize
how important stretching is.
Posing: I have integrated posing as part of my workout
so that it feels "natural" to pose (which if you've
ever tried to pose, you'll realize how completely unnatural it
actually does feel) and just give my worked muscles that extra
little pump at the end of a workout.
Fitness Question #14 - What are the
top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend
for developing toned and defined arms?
Answer:
 1.
Nutrition is hugely responsible for any body part to appear toned.
So healthy eating! A well-balanced low fat meal plan enabling
you to lose unwanted body fat. Some advice, not all fat is bad
for you. Your body needs good fats like olive oil and the oils
found in fish and almonds, don't be afraid of them.
2. Hit the weights, work those biceps and triceps, chose about
3 exercises for each and complete 2 sets of 12 - 16 reps.
3. Rest! Most people neglect this. More isn't always better!
Your muscles are growing when you rest!
4. Cardio will ensure that you're using up that stored energy
supply often referred to as my biggest swear word "F.A.T."
5. Work to fatigue, always work to fatigue. If 2 sets of 16 doesn't
tire your muscles its time to up that weight! You can do it!
Fitness Question #15 - What are your
top 5 tips for losing unwanted body fat?
Answer:
1. Healthy eating, incorporating a low fat diet.
2. Cardio, cardio and cardio.
3. Incorporating active living into your lifestyle.
4. Weight train to increase your metabolism so you're even burning
more calories when you sleep.
5. Drink lots of water!
Fitness Question #16 - What are your
top 5 tips for gaining lean muscle mass?
Answer:
1. Ensure your protein demands are being met.
2. Work with high weights and low reps and I find it helps to
do the compound exercises first, followed by isolation exercises.
3. Consume about 10% more calories than your body needs in order
to gain weight, but ensure they are good calories in order to
maximize muscle growth.
4. Again, hydration, keep drinking that water!
5. Get plenty of rest!
Fitness Question #17 - What are the
top 5 tips you recommend for staying motivated on a fitness plan
and truly making a healthy lifestyle change:
Answer:
1. Tell everyone about your plans, they will encourage and support
you and if possible find a friend with similar goals who would
like to share this experience with you.
2. Keep things interesting. Don't let your exercise routine become
stale, change things periodically!
3. Music, good music and LOTS OF IT is a HUGE motivator.
4. Record your progress, weigh, measure, take pictures, whatever
works for you in order to monitor your progress.
5. Subscribe to a motivating magazine, or join an on-line fitness
site. Keep finding new exercises, recipes and ideas to keep things
fun!
Fitness Question #18 - What is your
training routine like? (Please include a few details - training
split, sets/reps, exercises, types of cardio, etc.)
Answer:
This is a tricky one, mainly because I cycle my training on a
5 - 6 week basis, but I'll give you an example of one of my cycles,
it's a 3 days on and 2 off, and I LOVE it. All of these are worked
in sets of 3, with the reps between 8 and 12.
Monday: BACK, BICEPS & ABS
Bent-over Barbell Row
One Arm Dumbbell Rows
Lat Pulldowns
Standing Barbell Curls
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
Cable Crunches
Tuesday: CHEST, SHOULDERS & TRICEPS
Chest Presses
Incline Dumbbell Presses
Chest Dips
Barbell Overhead Presses
EZ Bar Upright Rows
Dumbbell Lateral Raises
Skull Crushers
Overhead Dumbbell Extension
Wednesday: LEGS, GLUTES & CALVES
Squats
Leg Press
Leg Extension
Straight leg deadlifts
Leg Curls
Calf Raises
Thursday: REST
Friday: REST
Saturday: REPEAT DAY 1
Sunday: REPEAT DAY 2
Fitness Question #19 - What are the
top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend
for losing fat around the stomach and developing a toned and defined
midsection?
Answer:
This is a common misconception and one of the most asked questions
that I have encountered. There is NO SUCH THING as spot reducing!
However you can do the following:
1. Cardio in order to reduce excess body fat. (You're abs are
hiding right there, you just need to let them shine).
2. Strengthen your core by performing abdominal exercises and
of course, don't forget to balance that with the back strengthening
exercises.
3. Low fat, healthy eating.
4. Plenty of water.
5. Weighted abdominal exercises like the cable crunch, weighted
incline crunches and oblique crunches, just beware that this might
just add an inch or two onto your waistline, after all, weight
training encourages muscles to grow in size and your abs are no
different. If you don't want to add those extra inches to your
waist, keep the weight low and the reps high.
Fitness Question #20 - What are the
top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend
for toning the thighs, hips and butt?
Answer:
1. Absolutely low fat eating!
2. Squats
3. Lunges
4. Cardio
5. Adduction and Abduction exercises.
|
