.. width="425" height="350" ..Fitness, bodybuilding, wrestling, powerlifting, strength training and performing strength feats, personal training, sound engineering, writing music, rollerblading, bike riding, theatre and live performance. I have a passion for fast cars and motor sports such as the World Rally Championship and Touring car races like Bathurst (Aus V8 Supercar race) and Formula 1. I'd love to drive in the World Rally Championship one day!!
Were you always strong or athletic? I was always fairly strong for my size and relatively fit but I was quite skinny before I started lifting weights.What other sports have you played? Tennis and basketball. I was good at swimming and sprinting in high school and enjoyed the fitness tests. We had two fitness tests per year and I managed to get gold awards for all except one of them. I set the record at my high school for the flexed arm hang too. I played tennis in local A grade competitoin for a number of years in my teens.When/Why did you start lifting weights: Getting my drivers licence at 18 reduced my fitness levels somewhat (I rode my bike everywhere before that) so I started lifting weights at 21 to get back in shape. A friend of mine wrote a basic bodybuilding routine for me and I’ve been hooked ever since.What motivates you to train? I love being fit, strong and healthy and have always admired women such as Cory Everson, Lenda Murray and Monica Brant. I remember first seeing women like them in fitness and bodybuilding magazines in the 80's and thinking, "That’s the look I want!". Perhaps my greatest motivation for strength comes from my childhood dream of having superhero powers just like SuperGirl!! I have never outgrown that dream and passion and am constantly striving to be the strongest I possibly can.I’m also very motivated by strongwomen like Jill Mills and my friend, Sharon Waters (Australia's Strongest Woman). Society tends to expect women to be physically weak. I like to prove that need not be the case and in the process, motivate other women to achieve their true potential. I'm also a bit of a showoff at heart and love having fun with that!!How do men and women react to your muscles? Most are positive and some are inspired. I’m often asked if I lift weights (doh!!) or bodybuild if I’m wearing something that shows my muscles. People generally tend to notice my arms and shoulders first. I do get the odd negative remark mainly from guys who aren't into muscular women but that tends to be the exception.What are your future goals? To remain fit, strong and healthy for as long as possible and to help and inspire others to do the same. My next competitive goal is to win the title of Australian Powerlifting Champion, which is growing closer. From December 2004 (my very first powerlifting competition) to December 2005 I have won a number of powerlifting competitions and set seven new state records and three national records, including an open womens National deadlift record!! Another of my goals is to achieve the biggest ever Australian deadlift by any woman regardless of weight class and age. That too is growing ever closer!!** Update - Click here for the results of my first powerlifting competition.Could you share some of your training routine with us: I've personally found that to increase size, strength and definition, it is best to keep maxing out to once every two to three (sometimes four) weeks. In the weeks in between, I stick to 8 - 10 reps and lighter weight. This gives my muscles enough time to fully recover and grow. When I'm training for an upcoming powerlifting competition, I'll do the three big lifts (bench press, deadlift and squat) in the 2 - 5 rep range. I only ever train each muscle group directly once per week.Here's an example of my current training routine (I change it about depending on my recovery) -Monday - Back day one, usually Deadlifts Tuesday - Back day two, typlically barbell rows and seated cable rows Wednesday - Chest / Shoulders, nearly always bench presses and barbell shoulder presses Thursday - Legs, Squats Friday - Arms and sometimes Abs, always with free weights and cables.As you can see, this is a simple oldschool routine designed to build quality, thick muscle mass and strength simultaneously. It may look basic but it is anything but easy and it works!!! Just ask people with names like Ronnie, Arnie, Dorian, Lenda and Renne. Or, you can just look at my pics, videos and powerlifting records :-)I always include heavy compound movements such as Deadlifts, Squats, Bench presses, Barbell rows and others. I do a combination of bodybuilding and powerlifting movements to focus on size, proportion and strength, focussing on the heavy power movements first in my workouts.
.. width="425" height="350" ..Electronic, funk, jazz, dance, anything that takes me on a journey. My musical tastes are really quite diverse. I could write a whole book on the subject. Aside from powerlifting and bodybuilding, music is my other great passion. Check out some of my songs and my new music project at www.superpuss.net
.. width="425" height="350" ..The Matrix, Charlies Angels, The Fast and the Furious, Terminator 2, The Blues Brothers, Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (I read the books first). I love sci-fi.
.. width="425" height="350" ..Baraka, Preaching to the Perverted, Skeleton Key, The Simpsons, Body Challenge, Stingers, Star Trek (Voyager and Next Generation), Red Dwarf