Amy Boeckmann is a Personal Trainer who works out of the Clinton County YMCA and her home. She is mother to two beautiful children and is an amateur figure competitor. She will be competing this March 2010 at the Arnold Sports Festival in the Amateur Figure Competition. Pretty impressive! I wanted to ask her a few of the questions I know most women are curious about when they see someone in such great physical shape.
This post can also be found at my other site livingpositivelywell.blogspot.com
Hope you enjoy!
Photo of Amy Boeckmann and me
Q: Can we ask how old you are?
A: Of course, I am 33.
Q: Have you always been athletic?
A: Somewhat. I played softball growing up and throughout high school. I began teaching aerobics right out of college and still currently have classes. I started weight training about four years ago.
Q: Have you ever struggled with your weight or eating?
A: No, I have never been overweight. However, every year older I get, I have to work harder to remain the same weight.
Q: How long have you been training clients?
A: I have been training clients full time for two years.
Q: Why did you start training for figure competitions and how long have you been training?A: After my son Kale was born (he is four), I decided I would hire a personal trainer to get myself back into shape. I worked with her for about a year before making the decision to compete. My trainer is an IFBB Professional and a truly motivating and positive influence in my life. When I told her my interest in competing, we picked a show date and I never looked back!
Q: How do you stay motivated?A: Wow, this is a hard question. Some days I am not sure! With every competition, I consider myself a winner if I train and diet to the best of my ability. I wake up, praising God for even just the physical ability to train. Some days it is most definitely a struggle to fit in my workout, but it is now simply a part of my routine. I usually ask God for focus and energy on those days!
Q: You are also a single mother of two? How do you juggle motherhood, clients and competing? You must be extremely busy all the time. How do you fit in your own training and food prep?
A: I do have two wonderful children, Taylor, 8 and Kale, 4.They are both very inspiring and don’t think twice about it when I am on the treadmill for the third time in one day. Taylor actually said to me today – “momma, you woke up too late to do your cardio this morning!” It is a busy schedule, but I believe that you make time for what you want to do. I do most of my cardios first thing in the morning before they get out of bed and I am fortunate enough to be able to do my weight training between clients at the gym. I also try to prepare most of my food for the week on Sunday afternoons. Fitting in the time to train is challenging so I try to keep myself and my clients as organized as possible.
Q: You have begun training some of your clients for figure competitions. One of them has been doing quite well. Tell us about that…
A: I have a few clients that have been competing. It is very rewarding to see these girls set their goals and push themselves until they reach them. One client in particular, Cynthia Merchant has done extremely well competing. Cynthia is very focused and works really hard. It is so exciting to see her, along with the others, on stage doing something they are passionate about!
Q: What is the best advice for someone new to training?
A: I want to see people make health a priority in their lives! God only gave us one body and I believe that He meant for us to take c
are of it. That doesn’t mean having to spend hours in the gym, but that does mean setting aside time each day to focus on improving our health. I have three pieces of advice to give to someone who is new to exercise. 1) Do not expect results too quickly. It took more than a few weeks to get your body out of shape, it will certainly take longer to get it back into shape! 2) If you are starting a brand new program, limit the time per week that you workout. This will keep you from getting burned out before it has time to work. And lastly, continue to vary your workouts. Your body adapts easily and needs to constantly be challenged if it is going to continue to change and improve.
Q: Can you give us some tips on working out smarter or harder?
A: I am a big fan of short, high intensity cardio workouts and focused weight training sessions. I recommend that all my clients keep changing up their workouts to keep their bodies guessing and on the path to continually improving. Of course all workout programs need to be followed with a clean diet! That is the answer my clients like the least!
Q: Everyone wants to know how a figure competitor eats. Can you share an example of what you would eat in a day?
A: A competitor’s diet is made up of several small meals per day. A typical day might look like this: egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast, a mid morning protein shake and an apple, grilled chicken salad for lunch, tuna and green vegetables mid afternoon and grilled fish and green vegetables for dinner. The diet is very clean with no sugar and limited in sodium.
Q: Why do you do this – train clients and compete?
A: I love this job! I love helping people reach their fitness goals, I love making a difference in their lives and encouraging them to do things they never thought possible. I get very vested in my clients, because I truly want to see them succeed!
Q: Who are your role models in the fitness industry or otherwise?
A: One of my role models in the fitness industry is my trainer and dear friend, Latisha Wilder. She is a wonderful person and has a deep rooted faith that I think has enhanced her career. She was the one that taught me that if you work and train as hard as possible each and every show then you are already a winner!
Thanks to Amy for being so candid!
If anyone is interested in training with Amy or just learning more, please contact the Clinton County YMCA at (937) 382-9622. Other trainers are available as well!
