Sherry Winslow is my close friend, a training partner, a figure champion and an inspiration to me.  She recently won the Masters Overall Title and a 2nd place trophy in the Open in a Figure competition at the Orange County Muscle Classic XXXV (NQ) Bodybuilding, Figure, Men’s Physique, Bikini & Fitness Championships.

Sherry and her trophy!

Below is my interview with her. It’s a (fun) glimpse in the mind and life of a Figure champ!

Sumi: Congratulations on your recent figure win! What an amazing accomplishment.  First place and the overall title in the Masters division and second in the Open.

Tell me about them (the trophies)!

Sherry:  They’re hot!  They make me HAPPY!  And they inspire me to keep working
hard!

Sumi: We all know how hard figure athletes work.  The dieting, training with
 weights, and cardio. It takes enormous discipline, self-motivation, drive
 and tenacity.
So how long (how many weeks of dieting and training) does it take to get
 from A to B?
Sherry: Well, it all depends on where your “A” is!  Some gals stay pretty close to
 stage ready,  so they could get to B in 6 weeks or so.  Most gals, however
 pick a show that is 12-16 weeks away so they’ve got plenty of time to
 prepare.   It never hurts to start your prep early and then coast into the
 show. Also remember you have to have a suit made and that can take 6-8
  weeks.

Sumi: There’s so much mystery surrounding the way figure athletes and body
builders train.
Was your training any different from how you trained before? If so, how?
Sherry:  There is this idea that Figure athletes train differently than other 
athletes. It just ain’t so!  A winning Figure physique is identified by
 excellent symmetry from head to toe – and that should be the goal of any
  bodybuilder.  Nice full shoulders, a great v-taper, tight waist, full but
 not huge quads, non-bouncy glutes and clean, tight hamstrings.  Calves
 should be nice and full too.    I didn’t change the way I trained, but I did 
put more emphasis on my upper body this time so that I could come in a 
little fuller than I had in the past.
Sumi: Non-bouncy glutes eh? Fascinating. On to stuffing the pie-hole. 

Nutrition is extremely important when trying to obtain a lean physique.
Describe a typical day of pre-contest eating.
Sherry:  Eat, eat and eat some more!!!    I think the food aspect of the contest 
prep is the most challenging.  While drinking a gallon of water daily and
 eating every 3 hours might sound like a treat, it’s not – it’s a lot of
 work!    Keeping healthy food with you all of the time means hours of work
 in the kitchen preparing food for the next few days or even the entire week 
if you travel.  Once you get your food cooked, you absolutely must stick to
 your nutrition plan in order to see results.  Again, there is no “typical”
 because everyone eats for their own body.  I personally need at least 2500 
calories during my entire prep in order to remain at my ideal contest
 weight.  So I am eating a little over 400 calories each meal, six times a 
day.   Meals include oatmeal, almonds, eggwhites, chicken breast, lean beef,
fish, lots of green veggies, brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes and lots of
 herbs and spices.  Since I am an ectomorph, I can keep those same calories
 all the way through to the show.  If I miss a meal, everything suffers.  My body needs every bit of those calories to keep me on top of my game.

Sumi: And cardio?
Sherry:  I still do my morning 20-30 minutes of cardio daily and put in about 70 minutes of weight training 5-6 days a week.

Sumi: Aside from nutrition and training, what do you think about the role
 supplements and genetics play?

Sherry: Supplements or “supplements”?  I am an advocate of supplements such as 
l-glutamine, a post workout recovery drink, l-carnitine, creatine, and a
 multivitamin and mineral.  Other “supplements” just are not necessary in my  
opinion.  Eat your food, stay hydrated, put in the hard work at the gym, and
 rest – that’s everything you need to have a strong and healthy body.

 Genetics are a factor of course. However, I know for a fact that absolutely
 any body can be transformed into a healthier one by eating right and doing
 resistance training.  No excuses!  If you want it, go get it!

Sumi: NOW THE BEST QUESTION. Tell us about that post contest treat meal!

Sherry:  Is there a law against marrying sizzling steak fajitas?  I tell you, it
 tasted sooo good I wanted to be alone with it, especially that guacamole!
 Yummy!

Sumi: What was the best part about this journey? The hardest?

Sherry:  Besides the trophies???  I’d say the best part of the journey to the
  Figure stage is when you look at yourself in the mirror on the morning of
  your competition and say mission accomplished!  You know that you look and
 feel the way you do because 1) you set a personal goal, 2) you established a
  success plan, 3) you stayed on that plan, and 4) you achieved your goal.  If 
you do those four things,  you’re a winner before you even step on stage.

  The hardest part of the journey to the Figure stage is what I call “staying 
in your bubble”.  That means letting your friends and family know that you
 have set a goal for yourself and that you need to stay on track and do everything right in order to achieve that goal.  They need to understand that this is a real goal, an important goal for you and that you need their support.   So many of our social activities revolve around eating and drinking what usually are fun party foods and not healthy ones.  When you are preparing for a competition, those are not good choices for you. Stay away from situations that tempt you to stray from your success path.
Winners make good choices.

Sumi: Anything else we should know? Any words of encouragement for our future figure athletes out there?
Sherry:   I encourage any female to go to a competition and see what it’s all about before jumping in head first.  Watch the top girls and see what sets them apart from those who don’t make the top five.   Objectively ask yourself where you would fit in.

Do you have the stage presence and confidence to shine up there?  Do you have the intestinal fortitude to be judged on a brightly lit stage in front of 100s of strangers?   Can you take the judges’ feedback and make improvements for the next show?

Can you dedicate yourself to your goal for however long it takes to get your body ready for a show?  Do you have the expendable income to cover the food, supplements, tanning, suit, shoes, fees for coaching, show fees, tickets for your friends and family,  NPC fees, travel expenses and other incidentals?

ARE YOU DOING THIS FOR YOU?  If your answer to those questions, especially that last one,  is YES, then what are you waiting for?  Pick a show and let’s go.  If you want it, it’s yours!

Sumi: I feel like signing up right now for show. Anything else for the record?
Sherry: Yes, I want candy.

I want to thank Sherry for taking the time out of her busy schedule to do an interview with me.