Quick Stats

Name:  Luly Guerra
Age:  40
Height:  5′
Competition weight:  104 lbs
Current weight:  105 lbs
Current city:  San Antonio, USA
Occupation:  Nutritional coach

Give us a brief background on how you got into competing in Ironman competitions?

I have always been a gym enthusiast since high school. I really got into seeing myself as an athlete after completing a half marathon after I had my third child. I was suffering from post par-tum depression and running became my escape. Soon after, I started training for my first triathlon, which then became half Ironman races. I knew I wanted to become an Ironman and I then became an Ironman finisher in 2012.

Following that, I wanted to go back to another one of my goals which was to become a bikini competitor. The reason being when I was trying to get back into shape in 2009, after my third child I read all the fitness magazines and followed the nutrition and training plans. The competitors in the magazines were my inspiration and motivation.

How do you stay motivated?

“Motivation is something I learnt is extremely vital on bad training days or when your life gets complicated.”

I find my motivation from women around me. I have always had the gift of uplifting or motivating other people. When they are uplifted it in turn motivates me to be a better version of me.

What do you love about triathlons/Ironman competitions?

I love that it’s three sports: swimming, biking, and running. Using the powerful vessel we are given to do these three sports and the challenge of juggling three sports in training!  It’s freedom. Ironman to me represents the holy grail of triathlon. I get chills whenever I watch one. Finishing an Ironman was a beautiful experience, I cried on and off the entire day.

3 tips for someone entering their first Ironman?

1. Have a support system (coach, loved ones)

2. Keep life in balance

3. Make sure you keep up on your nutrition throughout your training

You’re a women over 40 with three kids. What would be your response to the women your age or younger who are mothers and use their age or the fact that they have kids as an excuse for not exercising? How do you manage everything?

Well, you just have to make the time for it, carve it out and stick to it. I plan my days around my training not the other way around. I taught elementary school full time and I woke up early to get my training done. I also trained a lot running stairs outside my apartment door. But I do give up a lot of other things in exchange like social events or outings for instance.

What are your future plans?

One of my dreams is to become an IFBB Pro so that in the big picture I can support other women to become empowered, strong, and independent. I hope people will see that they can hit the reset button at any time in their lives.

Take us through an average day of yours:

• I wake up for fasted cardio, then eat my breakfast.
• Work; I do my weight training either during my lunch or evening depending on my work schedule.
• Then it’s home for organizing meals for the next day, chores, time with loved ones.
• Sleep Zzzzz

What type of eating plan do you follow?

I prep my meals on the weekends. I eat 6 small meals a day.

Have you encountered any major setbacks in your training or in your life and how did you deal with them and move forward/keep moving forward?

Yes, I was diagnosed with Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) syndrome during my Ironman training. It is a genetic nerve disease that has resulted in severe nerve damage in my lower and upper extremities, and muscular atrophy. Running has become less frequent and so has high impact cardio. Frustrating is an understatement but I am more stubborn than it is!

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

The biggest one I see is they want things to come QUICK and EASY. Results take patience and time.

What has been your greatest accomplishment to date?

Four things: Each one of my three children and becoming an Ironman, in that order

Is there anything that you would have done differently in your career to date?

“I can become so focused and driven, I wish I was more balanced during training.”

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

I train 6 days a week; a cardio session and a weight training session.

How different is your training when training for a fitness competition as opposed to a triathlon?

It is very different! Bikini training is 24/7 and the training takes more gym sessions. The nutrition component is different in that my meals are VERY planned and CLEAN with no room for error.

Triathlon training however is tricky when you have to get out for your long bike rides.

What’s your favorite form of cardio?

Running, hands down, however it is now shorter and less frequent due to my disease.

What are your 3 favorite exercises?

1. Squats

They make beautiful glutes while burning calories.

2. Deadlifts

Create gorgeous hamstrings and glutes.

3. Leg press

There are so many variations of foot placement to work different areas of your legs and glutes.

What are your top training tips?

• For cardio, I like to do Hiit training (high intensity interval training)
• I hit weights everyday even if my time is limited.
• If I have to choose because my time is constrained I choose weights!
• And lastly, you can’t out train a bad diet.

Favorite female fitness icon(s):

Jaime Baird and Ava Cowan

Favorite Quote:

“She believed she could, so she did.”

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

I would first advise them to completely revamp the way they view food; that food is fuel for the body, and you’re eating for a purpose. To allow themselves during this change one cheat meal a week. That if they find themselves weak, to self-talk, ie. does this short term satisfaction meet their long term goal?

I also kept motivation pictures of physiques I admire, still do, to keep my eye on the prize. Drink lots of water and green tea at every meal also helps with weight loss. Which reminds me the only sweetener I use is liquid Stevia.

What competitions have you competed in and your placings?

• Calaveras Duathlon | 2^nd AG
• Memorial Hermann Ironman | 70.3 finisher
• Longhorn Ironman | 70.3 finisher
• Ironman Texas | 140.6 finisher
• Natural Bridge trail run | Overall female | 1^st
• Battle of the Beach | Masters | 4^th
• Texas Shredder | Masters | 15^th
• Adela Classic | 16th

Where can people get hold of you?

• Instagram: @lulymguerra
• Facebook: Luly Guerra
• Email: lmgconsul[at]gmail.com

Photography credits

• S.L. Smith Photography
• Dirty Dolly Photography
• Rosetti Glamour Athlete Photography
• J.M. Manion Photography
• Lift Studios Photography
• Chris Pichado Photography

Luly Guerra Gallery

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The post One on One With Ironman Athlete And Bikini Competitor, Luly Guerra appeared first on FitNish.com.

Quick Stats

Name: Justin Rossouw
Age: 28
Height: 1.74 m
Competition weight: 83 Kg
Current weight: 89 Kg
Current city: Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Occupation: Personal Trainer

Your transformation is truly phenomenal! Tell us a bit about how you were before, and what made you take the plunge and change your life?

Well, I’ve always been into weight training since high school but never thought about doing competitions. In 2008, a friend of mine took part in a bodybuilding show, and I went to support him. I was way out of shape.

“After seeing the show for the first time, I was very motivated to get into that condition. So I told myself, I think I should enter a show because I never saw my abs lol.”

From there on after winning my first show, my whole lifestyle changed. I continued seriously with my training and watched my eating habits.

What do you love about it and what keeps you motivated?

As a personal trainer, I love doing the things I do and that is to inspire and change people’s lives.

“I think my passion for the things I enjoy doing keeps me motivated. Seeing client’s smiling and having fun, telling me how great the feel or even helping a random member in the gym makes me become a better trainer and athlete.”

What competitions have you competed in and your placings?

• IFBB Eastern Province Novice | Welterweight U 75 Kg | 1^st
• IFBB SA Novice | U 75 Kg | Top 6
• Shameen Classic | Senior Men | U 90 Kg | Top 5
• IFBB Eastern Province Champs | Middleweight U 85 Kg | 1^st
• Friendly City Classic | U 90 Kg | 1^st
• WBFF | Muscle Model

Advice for someone wanting to start competing?

Go watch a few shows and see what it’s all about. Look at the condition of the athletes so that you get an idea of how your competition would be. Decide which show you are going to enter and plan accordingly. And remember you are your own competition.

Free weights versus machines?

I enjoy doing both but I prefer free weights over machines.

“Free weights help with strengthening the core and stabilization muscles that’s why you won’t find me on the floor doing isolated core exercises. Machines allow you to isolate the muscle group you are working and bring out detail.”

What are your future plans?

On a competitive level, I want to compete at the worlds and represent my country.  I also want to open a lifestyle center which will have different divisions such as fitness, food, and therapy.

Do you follow periods of bulking and cutting down or manage to stay lean year round?

In the past I use to, but since the beginning of 2012 when I started prepping the Shameen Classic, I basically tried to keep 70 percent of condition throughout the off season. That way it makes my prep so much easier and also allows me to see my lean muscle gains.

Dirty bulking is out; I try to eat clean in the off season and do cardio. My body fat in the off season stays between 7-9 percent.

What’s the longest break you ever took from training? Do you think you need to take a break, or can you manage to train year round?

Longest time off I would say was a week; rest is good. I believe rest is important for recovery especially from doing weight training. Elbow and knee joints work overtime with most movements which take a lot of strain. I go for my regular massage every month which helps with muscle stiffness, circulation and relaxation.

Take us through an average day of yours:

• I wake up 4 am Mondays to Fridays
• My first client is at 5 am and my last client for the day is 7 pm
• I will make time for myself to train between clients or some days I train with them because they like to challenge me, which is a lot of fun and motivation for them
• It’s a very long day so most of my day is spent at the “office”…the gym lol
• When I get home I need to prepare food for the next day
• So I will be in bed at around 10 pm

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

My off season I keep my diet pretty clean, except for weekends, I do have a cheat meal, but I try to stay away from too many fast food places.

“So 70% of what I do during pre-contest, I do during the off season.”

I don’t do the whole “I’m bulking” thing. I want to see my gains in the right areas of my body especially where you need to make improvements, by maintaining a low body fat percentage.

I keep things very simple during pre-contest, I’m not very scientific, you have to figure out a formula that works best for you.

What supplements do you use if any?  Does the timing of supplements play a crucial role in their success?

I’m sponsored by Supplements SA, so I only use their products.

Timing does play an important role if you want optimum results.

I use:

• A clean protein with no carbs like 100% Whey Isolate
• BCAA’s for recovery
• ZMA
• Vitamins and minerals

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

My training in the off season is the same as during contest prep. Only change during contest prep would be to up the intensity, like shorter rest periods, more reps, drop sets, etc.

I do cardio both off season and during prep.

Weight training sessions would normally take me 45 minutes to complete, then I will do 20 – 30 minutes cardio afterwards, or I will split my session into morning cardio and weights in the evening, vice versa.

What’s your favorite form of cardio?

I don’t do high intensity cardio. I enjoy doing the stair climber or walking on an incline at a moderate pace. I do enjoy functional training as well.

What would you say are the three best exercises you can do to really focus on and build your quads?

1. Squats

2. Leg press

3. Walking lunges

“Barbell squats should never be excluded from your quad workout, that’s a gym rule I live by.”

After my squats I like to blast my quads at the leg press machine doing high reps ranging between 20 – 40 reps per set using a moderate weight like 240 – 300 kg for 5 sets. Walking lunges to add detail and separation between your hamstrings and quads.

Favorite bodybuilders:

Jay Cutler, Kai Greene and Victor Martinez.

Which do you prefer and why.  Today’s bodybuilders like Jay Cutler and Phil Heath, or the smaller physiques like Frank Zane.

Much respect to the new age bodybuilders like Jay and Phil, but I like the more aesthetic physique like Frank and our local hero Jaco De Bruyn.

Favourite Quote:

“Don’t be afraid of failure for it is a necessary step on the path to success.”

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

Create a mental picture of how you want your physique. Thinking is already an action and believing you can, takes you already halfway there.

Start setting short term goals, like cleaning up your diet (cut out junk food, instant meals, sodas etc.) and track your progress weekly. Patience is very important, I tell that to my clients. It didn’t take you overnight to get fat, so does dropping a dress size.

So it’s a continuous process, just keep going, you will get there.

Where can people get hold of you?

• Facebook: Justin Cuts Rossouw

The post One on One With Personal Trainer And Muscle Model, Justin “Cuts” Rossouw appeared first on FitNish.com.