Quick Stats

Name: Andrina Santoro
Age: 21
Height: 163 cm
Current weight: 60 Kg
Current city: Zürich, Switzerland
Occupation: Personal Trainer

Have you always lived a fit lifestyle? How did you get started?

I was always a skinny girl but I never cared that much for sport and was never satisfied with my body. I wanted to have a fit body!

“I reached the point where I decided to visit the gym regularly and changed my nutrition completely.”

After a while I saw the first results which motivated me even more to get my dream body. I wanted it so bad and got addicted to the fitness lifestyle. Now, I can’t imagine a life without clean eating and weightlifting!

How do you manage to stay motivated and consistent throughout your training and eating right?

Progress. Setting small goals for myself is one thing that keeps me motivated. After I started my journey into the fitness world, I also became addicted to helping people. The spark in their eyes when they achieved their first results; nothing is greater than that feeling.

“In return, this motivates me to push my limits and to show people that IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING.”

 What are your future plans?

I want to work as a fitness model and want to help other people to get in shape. That is what I’m working towards now.

 Take us through an average day of yours:

• 6:00 am:     Wake up and prepare my meals for the day.
• 7:00 am:     Breakfast (the most important meal in a day)
• 9:30 am:     Snack
• 12:00 pm:   Lunch
• 3:30 pm:     Snack
• 6-8 pm:      Working out at the gym
• 9:00 pm:    Supper
• 9-10 pm:    Rest before going to sleep

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

I get very good results with my low carb/high carb (alternating) diet. This variation stimulates the metabolism and so you will burn fat.

My fridge is always stocked with lean protein (chicken breast, lean beef, ground turkey), salad, fresh & frozen veggies, eggs and berries that are nutrition powerhouses and are naturally healthy. I never leave my house without my tupperware and I make sure that I eat every three hours. Furthermore I’m a big fan of VEMMA and have the BODE drink twice a day. I feel more fit and healthy and it helps me with my diet because it curbs my hunger so I feel fuller for longer.

Do you ever get cravings for a certain food? How do you deal with them?

I must say that I love Pizza, Burgers, Ice-Cream etc. So once a week I eat something ‘bad’ to clear my mind and to simulate my metabolism.

What are your top Nutrition tips?

• Weigh your meals so that you have an overview of what you are eating during the day.
• Make sure that you have the right balance between protein, carbs and healthy fat.
• Prepare your meals for the day. That helps you to eat clean (you will not get into temptation to buy junk food).

Do you weigh all your food and track the numbers when it comes to calories of everything you eat? Do you think it is necessary?

It is very important to weigh your food as you have to know how much protein, carbs and fat you eat during a day. When I’m doing low carb / high carb it’s extremely important that you know how much you eat because the volume of the nutrients has a big impact on you.

Do you believe in using supplements?

Yes I do, especially since they help you recover faster and gain more muscles. At the beginning it was really hard to find a good product and something that tasted good. Now I’m so happy that I found one!! For the past year I only use supplements from my SPONSOR AMERICAN NUTRITION. The products taste really good and you don’t get problems with your stomach or with your skin (typical problems by using bad products).

I use the following products:

• OMEGA 3 (Source of  ‘good fats,’ base of fish oils).
• Whey Isolate (nature’s purest and most effective protein for supporting lean muscle gain as well as maintaining overall health and fitness).
• After Fuel (Directly after training; most effective Muscle Recovery Formula).
• Glutamine Powder (Glutamine levels are greatly depleted in your body during training, which decreases strength, stamina and recovery).
• Pro 5 (Take before I goto bed, protein which is absorbed slowly).

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

I love my workouts. I go to the gym 4-5 times a week.

My Training plan:

• Monday:

  • Chest, Shoulder, Abs & 40min Cardio Interval

• Tuesday:

  • Legs

• Wednesday:

  • Rest

• Thursday:

  • Back & 40 min Cardio Interval

• Friday:

  • Arms, Abs & 40 min Cardio Interval

• Saturday:

  • Rest

• Sunday:

  • Glutes (Optional)

Do you do much cardio with your training?

I always do cardio but it depends if I’m dieting strictly or not. When I’m dieting I do cardio intervals a minimum of three times after my regular training.

“Cardio increases your stamina and health.”

What are your 3 favourite exercises?

Hmmm that’s a difficult question, I love so many exercises 🙂

But I can say I definitely love the following exercises:

• Cable shoulder raises

Because I love the pump in my shoulders.

• Leg press

I do it at the end of my leg workout after that my legs burning so much.

• Split squats

I love that exercise because it really works my butt.

What advice would you give the ladies to developing great strong legs and a great butt?

Start with an very good warm up!

Examples of good exercises for both thighs and gluteus muscles are squats, lunges and leg presses.

Focusing on the gluteus (butt). You should consciously squeeze the gluteus hard while performing lunges and squats. This will help the muscle to contract and the fibers to develop. Put your mind into your exercise, rather than just going through the motions. While doing the leg press, push with your heels and not your forefoot area. While walking, squeeze hard and push with your gluteus and always take heavy weight to build muscles.

Whats your take on stretching and flexibility? How did you get to be so flexible?

A while back I was a dancer. For 11 years I danced Ballet and that’s the main reason why I’m so flexible and for sure I do always stretch after my training sessions to keep my flexibility.

Any tips for beginners?

• For training, lift heavy and do HITT.
• Eat clean and on schedule.
• Last but not least you must be dedicated, patient and motivated!

Favorite female fitness icon(s):

My favourite fitness models are Larissa Reis, Michelle Lewin and Paige Hathaway.

Favorite Quote:

“LIVE FOR NOTHING OR DIE FOR SOMETHING.”

What’s the most common question you get asked?

Most people ask for nutrition tips but I can’t really answer this question accurately, because first I need to know what his/her goals are as well as their personal details such as their weight, height etc.

Therefore I recommend that they should check out my nutrition plans on my website: http://www.andrinasantoro.ch/shop/personal-training/

Have you entered any fitness competitions? Would you consider doing any in the future?

I haven’t enter any fitness competitions yet, but I think I will do at least one. Just to have that amazing experience on stage.

Where can people get in touch with you?

• Website: www.andrinasantoro.ch
• Email: info[at]andrinasantoro.ch
• Instagram: andrinafit
• Facebook Fanpage: andrinafit.santoro
• Twitter: @andrina_santoro