Quick Stats

Name: Ashleigh Frost
Age: 25
Height: 1,63 m
Competition weight: 50 Kg
Current weight: 55 Kg
Current city: Pretoria, South Africa
Occupation: Personal trainer

How long have you been training consistently for and have you always lived a fit and healthy lifestyle?

I have been weight training for the last 7 years, only seriously for the competitions etc. for the last 3 years. When I was 14 I was quite ill and often had fainting spells and was always fatigued; after a few tests we discovered I was hypoglycaemic and had low blood pressure and as a result of that I have lived a healthy lifestyle in terms of diet and staying active since then.

What sparked your interest in competing?

When I joined a gym, I joined because I wanted an atmosphere and my aim was to do the classes. I was introduced to weight training and absolutely fell in love with it. After about 2 years I heard about the shows and decided to give it a go, being a dancer and all, I love to perform, so after my first show experience I just wanted to do more and more.

“Once the competing bug bites, you really can’t get enough.”

Motivation and consistency are the 2 things that people seem to struggle the most with. How do you stay motivated and consistent throughout everything you do?

I too sometimes struggle with these things. After all, we are only human and daily factors get in the way sometimes but I always take a moment for myself if I feel my motivation is down, and regroup.

“I visualize the reason I decided to start, the journey I have already travelled and how wonderful the end result will be, and then I am fired up again.”

I believe you can only really rely on yourself for that type of motivation, you are the one that has to do the work and at the end of the day you are only accountable to yourself, you just have to hold on to that burning desire deep inside.

What are your future plans?

This year I am aiming for a top 3 placing at the WBFF worlds in Las Vegas, with the World Champion title being the ultimate goal.

I have a few small projects in the pipeline that I am wanting to get started and running too. I also recently just got married so 2014 has been and is still going to be an incredibly exciting year, you’re all just going to have to watch this space and follow my social media profiles to see what’s cooking!

Take us through an average day of yours:

• Typically I wake up at 4am
• Train from 5am to 6:30/7am then go to my clients until about 12am.
• I then have some free time to do the things I need to for my other projects.
• Then I have clients again from 3pm-6pm, after that I usually go train again (depending on where I am in my prep).

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your diet, pre contest and during the off season:

I firmly believe in ‘everything in moderation.’

Especially “off season”, I believe that you need to maintain a balance, although I never overdo it and never stray far from competition shape. Because I have been aware of correct nutrition from such a young age I know how vitally important it is for me to get the correct number of meals in merely just to get through my day without having a fainting spell or ending up with a severe migraine.

So food (diet), really is a way of life for me. Pre contest the diet is obviously a lot more tied down and strict, but it is always enough (although sometimes closer to competition day when the metabolism is at its peak I sometimes add 2 or 3 smaller protein meals in my day just because I get so hungry! Lol)

What are some of your top nutrition tips?

• Never ever ever skip breakfast!
• Always eat real food before you opt for the convenient route of a shake.
• Always make sure that you are eating ENOUGH, it doesn’t help if you’re eating clean if you aren’t eating enough.

Have you encountered any setbacks in your life and how did you manage to overcome them and stay focused?

As I mentioned earlier, from a young age I was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia and low blood pressure as well as low iron levels, all conditions that cause fatigue. It sometimes poses a big problem because it can cause me to be extremely tired and cause massive headaches when I am pushing myself so hard. I overcame them by deciding to not be a ‘victim’ of my own body.

“I took control of it by doing what I needed to do for optimum results and health without ever taking a pill or medication as I refused to be on tablets for the rest of my life.”

What do you think are some of the biggest mistakes or myths that many girls fall prey to when starting out in the gym?

“Its no secret that girls always think they will become bulky or masculine if they do weight training, and we all know this is a myth.”

I think the real problem though is that many beginners are either too shy or scared to walk into a weights section because they do not have the correct information or knowledge to take their training to a higher level, so they spend endless hours on the cardio machines.

Do you manage to stick to your training, and dieting all year round or do you believe in scheduling some time off during the year away from the gym?

In all honesty it is VERY difficult to stick to your prep diet all year round,its also not very practical either. But when we are not prepping for shows we do always make the effort to still do meal prep with enough protein and good complex carbs for the heavy off season training.

There are usually more protein shakes involved off season. I do believe in scheduling time off from diet as well as training, to give your body as well as sanity a break, but due to my low sugar levels I always try to stick to the basic guidelines to avoid any hospital emergency room visits. lol

You recently competed with the WBFF here in SA as well as in Las Vegas and you managed to secure your pro card. Tell us a bit about that whole experience and why you chose the WBFF over other federations.

WBFF is just an experience on its own. There are no words to describe how amazing Worlds in las Vegas was, the people, the atmosphere, the friendships that were created, everything made all the dieting and training so worth it.

I had competed in other federations before and because WBFF was new to SA I was definitely going to do it. My husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, was already a WBFF Pro and encouraged me to do it. He helped me with all the rules and guidelines as well as all the things I was to expect and what was expected of me. After receiving my Pro Status I was made aware of a whole new world of amazing. The Wbff organizers, the president, Paul Dillett and his wife, Allison, they speak to you by name and make you feel part of the family. Even your fellow athletes welcome you with open arms, the camaraderie and support in the WBFF is unmatched to anything I have ever experienced.

What does your supplement regiment look like?

I do believe and acknowledge that at our level of training you cannot go without the essentials.

And those are your:

• Glutamine
• BCAA’s
• CLA’s
• Omegas
• And a good Whey Isolate.
• I also only recently started training with a pre-workout, which helps me just to push through the end of the workout… especially on leg day.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your training and on average how long do you workout for?

“I believe that your training needs to be you-specific. No two people are the same so you need to find a program that works for you.”

I personally love to train with high reps and medium weights, volume training till failure etc. However I do mix it up and sometimes do high reps with heavy weights and then low reps with heavy weights. It also depends on whether certain muscle groups are progressing faster than others. This is why its so important to keep track of your progress and stay in tune with your body.

I don’t spend longer than 90 minutes on a workout, and if i have things I still need to do I split it up into 2 sessions.

How do you measure your progress? And how often?

I don’t often do body fat measurements and very rarely weigh myself. If I like what I see in the mirror and I feel its better than before then I am happy. However when it comes to being more serious with prep, we measure every 4 weeks and then adjust the training and diet accordingly.

What’s your take on cardio?

I believe cardio is important, but not in large amounts. You end up doing more damage than anything else. I enjoy plyometric based cardio, short bursts etc. I sometimes do a lot of supersets with my weight training so in the end it becomes like cardio, lol, but when it comes to show time we up the cardio to 45 mins a day.

What’s your secret to your shredded mid section and abs? What exercises would you recommend?

“You can do 1000 crunches every day but if your diet is bad then you will never have shredded abs. Abs really are made in the kitchen, what you put in (your mouth) is what you get out (abs), you can never out-train a bad diet.”

By simply cutting out simple carbs, refined sugars, alcohol and carbonated drinks I guarantee you will see a difference in just 3 weeks. I don’t do a lot of ab training, I do maybe 3 sessions a week that don’t last longer than 30-40 mins.

What are some of your strategies for the final week before a photoshoot or a competition? Do you believe in the hype of using sodium and water loading/de loading to look more shredded?

Unfortunately if all the players are playing the game that way then you have to consider it, yes. However, there are different, less harmful ways of doing these things. So you really need to have a good mentor/coach that has your health in their best interest because they will guide you in the right way of doing it.

Fitness models or bodybuilders?

Male fitness models

Favorite female fitness icon(s):

Jen Jewell, Jamie Eason, Jennifer Nicole, Michelle Preston.

Favorite Quote:

“Logic will get you from A- Z, but imagination will take you anywhere” – Albert Einstein

What competitions have you competed in and your placings?

2013

• NABBA Pretoria Classic | Miss Bikini
• WBFF SA | Miss Bikini Champion & Pro Status
• WBFF Worlds | 11th world ranking

2012

• Body beautiful | Miss Bikini Classic
• Fitness America | Miss Bikini | 2nd World ranking

Advice for someone wanting to change their lifestyle and achieve their ideal physique?

I would tell anyone looking to change their lifestyle to evaluate why they want to make the change and then to understand that they must do it for themselves and have a passion and a real desire to want it, and then to give it your all. Because, at the end of the day, you are the only one responsible for your results. I always tell my clients that.

“I have them for 1 hour out of 23, what you do in those other 23 hours when I am not there is your responsibility and if you cheat, you are only letting yourself down.”

Its not easy to be motivated and driven every single day, but the “yes” thats burning inside of you needs to resonate in everything you do. And when you have reached your goals, it was all you, no one can take the hard work that you put in away from you.

Where can people get hold of you?

• Facebook: Ashleighfrost
• Twitter: @Ash_Fitspo
• Instagram: @ashleighfrostwbffpro
• Email: info[at]fitspiration.co.za