My name is Amanda Wesley, I am 26 years old and I live in Fairfield, OH. I grew up playing softball and basketball. I have been in the fitness field for a year and a half now and I am getting ready to take my test to become a certified Personal Trainer. I could not ask for a better job! I love to make people feel great about themselves and give them the results they are looking for and believe me, I am all about the results!
Amanda Wesley – Fitness Model Statistics
- Name: Amanda Wesley
- Height: 5’0″
- Weight: 105 pounds
- Date of Birth: April 29, 1984
- Hair Color: Dark Brown/ Burgundy
- Bust: 31
- Waist: 28.5″
- Hips: 33.5″
- Location: Fairfield, Ohio
- Email: amanda.wesley3@yahoo.com
Amanda Wesley – Fitness Model Interview
How did you get started in the fitness field?
I was hanging out with a crowd that liked to go out and party every night during the week and one day I realized that this lifestyle was going to take me nowhere in life. I decided to make a complete change and join a gym. Three months after joining the gym I was not seeing any kind of results so I was getting upset, then I decided to get a personal trainer who I am still training with. It only took a month of working with my trainer for me to see great results. I was hooked and I realized how much I enjoy fitness. So I went from being in a bar every night, eating fast food everyday, and no physical activity to working with a nutritionist, working out 6 days a week and gaining 12 pounds of lean muscle mass since I have started a year and a half ago. I love my lifestyle now!
What is the #1 thing you like best about being into fitness?
I love seeing changes! I love working hard at what I do! Sculpting your body is like a work of art. It develops over time and in the end you will see all the dramatic changes.
What has been your biggest accomplishment in the fitness field?
On a professional level, it was when a modeling agency contacted me for a project. On a personal level, it was making a 360 degree change in my lifestyle and making a career of changing other people’s lifestyles.
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?
From my experience so far I would say submitting photos to a photographer and agencies. That way the can see for themselves and then decide.
Please describe a typical day for you. What is your daily routine like?
I wake up @ 6:30am, Workout from 7:30am to 9am doing a weight workout plus abs or calves, go to work from 10am to 6pm. Then its back to the gym at 7pm for my 30 minute cardio session or kickboxing/spinning. Normally, I am in bed by 11pm during the week.
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?
My answer would be sprinting or jogging but since that is very taxing on your body I would rather recommend a spinning class for 30-60 minutes
How much weight (pounds) should I focus on losing every week? What is a safe amount to make sure I keep it off?
A safe weight to lose is 1-2 pounds a week. The faster you lose it, the faster you can gain it back.
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?
This is an example of what I do. For my evening cardio workout I eat a low carb meal 2 hours before my workout, I take glutamine 15 min before my workout and drink a casein shake after cardio. For my morning workout I drink a whey protein shake 30 minutes before and directly after, I also take glutamine during my weight workouts.
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.
My nutritionist changes my meal plan every month according to my results. When I get a sweet craving I eat a bowl of sugar-free Jell-O and for my salt cravings I eat pickles( I know it sounds weird, but it really works for me).
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?
Chicken Breast, Fish (Tilapia or Salmon), Egg Whites, Eggs, Brown Rice, Nuts, Sweet Potato, Fresh Vegetables, Frozen Vegetables, Grapefruit, 96/4 Ground Beef, 93/7 Ground Turkey.
I’m about 35 pounds overweight. 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?
Start small and then go bigger. Start by walking 30 minutes a day, eventually increasing your speed and distance. Once you have mastered this it might be a good time to join a gym. After joining a gym try lifting at least 2 days a week and cardio 2 days a week, eventually working your way up to 3-4 times a week and just cardio on days you don’t lift. Start reading fitness magazines like shape for exercises.
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?
I would start looking at their menus online before you go there. Pick the meals lowest in sugar and dietary fat. This might require a little bit of planning on your side but it sure pays off!
What exercises do you recommend for getting a bigger, rounder and fuller butt?
Squats! Barbell squats, body weight squats and dumbbell squats. Vary your repetition range some days and do higher reps like 20-30 and some days do lower reps like 12-15.
What is the most challenging thing you deal with about consistently staying in top shape?
I love the working out part. To me that’s the easy part. Now, the nutrition is a different story for me. It’s a daily challenge but I know that nutrition makes up 90% of what you look like, so I have quickly learned to think about pretty flowers instead of juicy burgers!
Please describe your normal diet. What do you eat in a typical day to stay in shape?
- Breakfast: 1 cup egg whites, 1 whole egg, ½ cup oatmeal
- Mid-Morning Snack: Smoothie made out of plain greek yogurt, splenda, and berries
- Lunch: 1 can of chicken and a grapefruit
- Mid-Afternoon Snack: Pure Protein Bar
- Dinner: 150g Chicken Breast, 1 Cup Brown Rice, 1 Cup Vegetables
What type of exercises do you include in your routine to stay in shape?
- Strength Training Exercises: Barbell Squats, Leg Press, Leg Extension, Bench Press, Cable Flys, Pushups, EZ Bar Curls, Dumbbell Curls, Cable Curls, Military Press, Lateral Raises, Front Raises, Lat Pulldowns, Rows, Skullcrushers, Body weight dips, etc.
- Cardio Exercises: Spinning 3 times a week, 30 min steady state the other 3 days.
- Additional Training: Calves 3 times a week, Abs 3 times a week, Sprints 3 times a week
What are the top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend for developing toned and defined arms?
1. Dumbbell Curls/ Hammer Curls
2. EZ Bar Curls
3. Concentration Curls
4. Cable Curls
5. Eat Lean Protein / Moderate Carbs / Moderate Fat as you lose body fat you will see more definition in your arms.
What are your top 5 tips for losing unwanted body fat?
1. Cardio at least 20 minutes a day
2. Nutrition! Try to eat clean every 3 hours to maintain your metabolism.
3. Weight Lifting (Strength training) at least 4 days a week.
4. Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night
5. Remember you are only in the gym 2 hours out of the day most of the time, So the rest of the work gets done outside the gym.
What are your top 5 tips for gaining lean muscle mass?
1. High Protein diet in order to maintain a positive nitrogen balance
2. Lift as heavy as you can for 8 to 10 reps
3. Eat every 2-3 hours
4. Make sure you have sufficient clean calories ( + 500 energy Balance)
5. Have a good workout split where your muscle groups don’t interfere with recovery time.
What are the top 5 tips you recommend for staying motivated on a fitness plan and truly making a healthy lifestyle change?
1. Change your exercise routine weekly
2. Change your nutrition plan on a monthly basis
3. Incorporate fun activities like going to the park and playing Frisbee or speed walking on a scenic trail
4. Workout with a training partner
5. Involve your spouse/ boyfriend / girlfriend on your fitness journey, they will become your biggest motivators if you involve them.
What is your training routine like? (Please include a few details – training split, sets/reps, exercises, types of cardio, etc.)
MONDAY:
- Quads: Extensions, Leg Press, Front Squats 4 sets each 5-7 reps
- Hamstrings: Roman Deadlifts, Seated Leg Curls 4 Sets each 5-7 reps
- Calves: Standing Calf raises, Seated calf raises 4 sets each 5-7 reps
- Cardio: 20 minutes of Steady State cardio
TUESDAY:
Back: Pullups, Chinups, T-Bar Rows, Bent over barbell row, 4 sets each 8-10 reps- Biceps: Ez Bar curls, Hammer curls, Concentration curls, Cable curls 3 sets each 8-10 reps
- Cardio: Spinning Class for 30 minutes
Back: Pullups, Chinups, T-Bar Rows, Bent over barbell row, 4 sets each 8-10 repsWEDNESDAY: Off Day
THURSDAY:
- Shoulders: Dumbbell Military Press, Front raises, Upright rows, Lateral raises 4 sets each 7- 10 reps
- Traps: Dumbbell Shrugs, Barbell Shrugs 3-4 sets 7-10 reps
- Cardio: Spinning class for 30 minutes
FRIDAY:
- Legs: Lunges, Leg Press, Barbell Squats 4 sets each 8-10 reps
- Cardio: 20 minutes of steady state cardio
SATURDAY: Off Day
SUNDAY:
- Chest: Barbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Incline, Hammer Decline, Cable Crossovers 4 sets each 6-8 reps
- Triceps: Body weight dips, Straight bar cable pushdowns, Rope pushdowns, skullcrushers 3 sets each 6-8 reps
- Cardio: Spinning Class for 30 minutes
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?
1. Losing abdominal fat is directly related to losing body fat percentage.
2. As you decrease body fat % you will get smaller all over including your midsection.
3. The lower your body fat % the more visible your abs will be.
4. I recommend doing ab exercises to strengthen the abdominal area which would increase your core strength, which will lead to heavier lifts like Squats, Bench Press, Etc.
5. Include a variety like Bosu balls, Swiss Balls, and Floor exercises
What are the top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend for toning the thighs, hips and butt?
1. Nutrition the better your diet the leaner you will get so you will look very toned.
2. Lunges, Body weight Squats
3. High rep training for females
4. Sissy Squats
5. High Intensity cardio for example Spinning classes or sprints on the treadmill.
