One On One With Online Fitness Coach, Jenna Brust, Who Recently Competed In Her First IFBB Show

Name: Jenna Brust
Current city: Johannesburg, South Africa
Occupation: Online fitness coach

What made you get started with training and living a more healthy lifestyle?

I’ve been active since a young age. I like feeling good and healthy as well as eating clean, so I adopted these healthy habits to stay feeling good about myself. When I feel good and look good ( mentally and physically) I feel more confident.

The more results I see, the harder I work at it, it’s motivation for me. When I train I feel happy, and gym is my favourite part of the day where I can relieve my stress and focus on myself.

What made you enter your first show and when was it, and how did the prep and competition go?

After school I wanted to carry on being an athlete and I wanted to continuously work towards something. I wanted to start doing shows because I loved everything about them, it sparked a really big interest for me because I could do fitness and modelling at the same time.

I therefore trained to achieve a goal and because I love it, so it was right up my alley. Prepping for a show is never easy, diets make me tired because I’m in a calorie deficit, but it’s worth it at the end of the day. My first IFBB show this year went very well with me taking home the crown, and it motivated me to push harder and achieve more.

Who has been your biggest influence/support in your life and how did they affect you?

My mother has been my absolute rock. She has pushed me to do my best, at times given me constructive criticism that I didn’t always want to hear, but needed to. In fitness and shows, my coach has also been an amazing support system and motivation for me. Lastly my boss has also given me tremendous amounts of support and helped me reach a lot of my goals, by allowing me to take off a bit earlier for gym and someone I can talk to and take advice from as well.

How did you manage to balance all the aspects of life with your training and prepping? Was it ever difficult to?

It has been difficult at times, as it’s a life consuming lifestyle. I love it and enjoy being busy, but sometimes I wish there was more time in the day to do everything. I manage my time by preparing for the week ahead and I schedule times for everything and work accordingly.

How has it been throughout lockdown keeping to your training? What have you been doing to keep fit and active?

It wasn’t easy to keep a healthy diet during lockdown, as well as not being able to go to the gym. I trained at home with resistance bands and became creative, using furniture like chairs to complete some of my workouts. Lockdown took a bit of a toll not only on my physical health, but my mental health as well.

What are your future plans?

My fitness website just launched – MISS FEISTY FITNESS which I’m excited to get started on, I hope to grow and see results from my clients. I will be competing in the future too.

Take us through an average day of yours:

I wake up at about 6:30 latest every morning, I get ready for work, pack all my pre made meals for the day.
Set out my gym clothes for later on and then I leave.
I work from 8 – 4 earliest, eating every 2- 3 hours depending on how hungry I am and depending on my diet plan.
I go home then get ready for gym and leave immediately.
When I arrive at gym I make my shake and then I train for a minimum of 1.5 hours.
After gym I go home and usually make dinner if it hasn’t been pre made and use that time to relax and watch Netflix or I carry on working if need be.
I always enjoy a bubble bath to take away the days stresses, then I catch up on social media and go to bed.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your diet:

My diet mainly consists of a lot of protein with low to no carbs. I have 4 meals a day with 1 snack (usually a protein bar).

Do you count your calories? Do you think it is necessary?

I count my calories when I’m prepping, I think it helps me stay on track (especially since I need to be in a calorie deficit) and it’s a good way to control what you’re consuming.

Do you think, to generally lose fat one needs to be super strict and repetitive, as strict as a diet for a bodybuilding competition?

I think you need to have self discipline with a healthy low carb diet and be consistent with your training. You must be strict on yourself and definitely form a healthy routine.

Have you seen any common mistakes that ladies may make when trying to lose fat or gain muscle?

Yes, ladies tend to think that doing or lifting weights will make them look like men. I want to break this thought, as it is not true. Lifting weights actually helps tone you up a lot quicker, alongside with cardio. Just doing cardio might help you lose weight but it wont tone you up as fast.

What process do you follow when it’s time to start getting ready for a competition/photoshoot?

I cut out junk food first, definitely, along with reducing my carbs slowly. I keep to my training routine, as I always push hard in the gym. I drink more water or at least try to get as much water in as I can throughout the day and leading up to a competition or shoot I start the water dropping process.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your training schedule:

I workout for a minimum of 1.5 hours a day. I think it’s good to create a good balance between cardio and weight training daily. 4-6 days a week depending on what you are training for.

What are a few of your weight training tips for the ladies?

Start off light and gradually increase to your liking.
Make sure you have correct form so you don’t get injured.
If you start off with light weights do more reps, the heavier you go do less reps.

What are your essentials that are always in your gym bag?

My npl supplements are always a number 1 (amino burn/pre workout and bcaas for before and after gym)
A gym towel
My resistance bands
My air pods (because who doesn’t love listening to their own favourite music in the gym)

Do you advise using supplements, and do you use any yourself?

I do think supplements help, but you need to do 98% of the work as they are just there for a boost or assistance. I do take supplements myself. I think you need to find a brand that works for you personally. My ultimate favourite is NPL (nutritional performance labs). Their supplements taste really delicious and it works really well.

What are your 3 favourite exercises?

I don’t have favourites as I enjoy a range of different versions of the exercises, but if I had to choose:

My ultimate favourite is squats. This is good for the glutes, core and upper legs like quads. I like it because it’s a combination exercise and I like working on my booty.
Bicycle crunches. This works the core. I like it because I feel the burn when I’m doing this exercise and it never feels easy.
Donkey kicks. This exercise also works the glutes and is more of an isolation exercise. I think it’s a fun exercise and although it doesn’t burn immediately, you definitely feel it the next day.

Can you give a few tips to training legs and glutes and what sort of exercises do you favour the most when doing them?

I favour all forms of squats and lunges. I prefer using weights when training glutes/legs. The biggest tip I can give is to worry about keeping your form correct to work the specific muscles properly without injury. I would also advise using slightly heavier weights each time you train legs so you can either build or tone up.

Do you do a lot of cardio with your training? How do you schedule cardio and when?

I do 20 minutes of cardio daily, whether it be walking, jogging, cycling, stair climbing. I usually do a small cardio warm up, and the rest after my workout.

Favorite male Fitness models or bodybuilders?

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Michele Morrone
JP Hoon

Favorite female fitness icon(s):

Off the top of my head:

My coach, Stephany Delatour
Tammy Hembrow
Lauralie Chapados

All for different reasons as they all have different builds.

Favorite Quote:

“Winners never quit and quitters never win.”

What is the most common question you get asked?

If my bum is real haha, my common answer is “ask the squat rack.”

I also get asked advice on toning a lot, with my answers staying the same with incorporating a balance between cardio and weight training, as well as a balanced diet.