Interview
with Swedish Pro FBB Klaudia Larson
1) Please tell us a bit about yourself?
What makes you
special from other competitors.
When it comes to specific body parts of
course my biceps are the most conspicuous part that stands out compared
to other competitors.
Other than this, besides obvious basic conditions such as good genetics
and a helluvalot of hard work for many years at the gym, I believe 2
qualities I have, specifically have been a great help for me in becoming
a successful Bodybuilder.
1. I have always been a very down-to-earth
kind of person. And I still am. I keep my both feet firmly planted on
the ground. Although I have achieved great success so far in my career
I am still very humble about this. I have stayed the same person as
was before I started to compete. I don´t walk around sturdy thinking
“I am somebody special”, being superior of others. (As unfortunately
can be seen in some people as they are moving up in their careers..)
2. I am extremely self critical!!!! Almost too much sometimes. I have
a tendency of downgrading myself (I hear that a lot..) some times. But
on the other hand this is what makes me keep on going, always trying
to improve myself, to become better and better. And this makes me never
be even close of being satisfied until I am really good!
2) What show did you get your pro
card and can you
tell us about that whole experience?
Well…. My Pro card.
I got my Pro Card, April 24th 2004 when I won the NOGP (Nutrition Outlet
Grand Prix) in Västerås here in Sweden.
My journey to get there sure was not easy… Only 7 weeks out of the competition
my fiancé at that time left me. ( classical story.. he had a girl he
claimed only being his friend.. but a week after he left me I was told
they were living together..) Sure, I was devastated at first. I thought
at least a couple of times to skip my plans to compete.. but I have
been through ruff times before so I decided during a morning cardio
walk I sure as hell wasn't´t going to quit this time either! I figured
nothing would change to the better if I didn't´t compete. So with a
lot of support from my friends I went through my diet and made it to
the competition. I guess this mess made me, if possible, even more focused
than ever!!
I cannot describe the feeling when I stood there on stage as the announced
winner of NOGP 2004!!!!
Klaudia Larson, IFBB Professional Bodybuilder! It was such a great feeling!!!
Against all odds! At that very moment I was also the only Female Professional
Bodybuilder in Sweden!
The competition as a whole was incredible!
The other competitors were all in fantastic shape! Normally we have
3 weight classes in Sweden, but this show was only one open weight class,
which made it even harder for me since I had to compete against heavy
weight girls as well. None other than Marika Johansson placed second.
This tells a lot about the class of the competition..
Today we are 2 Female Professionals in Sweden. Marika applied for her
Pro card shortly after the show and she got it approved! Personally
I think that is great!! This way we can help and support each other.
After all we are from Sweden both of us. And Marika is heavyweight and
I am a lightweight so we are not competing against each other as pros.
3) What has been the hardest challenge
you faced in
your competitive career and how did you overcome it?
I believe every competition is a challenge
in tself. But for me it seems to be a rule that some kind of bad things
always happens to me when I start preparing for a competition. Such
as problems in relationships, or even death in my family..
As I told you, my preparations for the NOGP sure wasn't´t easy. But
looking back at it now, I realize it only made me stronger! I really
have an ability to turn bad things into something good. This is the
key really to all things in life..! No matter what it is about! I have
a favorite expression.. to translate it directly from Swedish it goes
like this: “There is no bad things that doesn't´t bring something good
too!” And this is SO true!!! It is only a matter of being able to see
it. When you are in the middle of some kind of trouble or despair, it
can be really hard or almost impossible to see this. But I can assure
you… eventually it all comes clear.
Also it is from bad experiences I have
learned to trust my own intuition!! ( I still have to become better
at this though..) I do have a very good intuition. I seem to have an
ability to see through a superficial facade of false kindness.. (But
I also have a tendency of wanting too much to believe good of everyone..)
Many people act nice but it is only a fake facade they put on.
Because of this I have always said I prefer to have 3 really close friends
I can trust, rather than being acquaintance with 300 people.. ( this
might be a reason why some people say I am asocial)
4) What are some of the biggest
shows in Sweden? What
are the shows were you can get your pro card? Are there any differences
in the format of the competition
from the United States?
Up until this point the only Bodybuilding
competition in Sweden where you can qualify for a Pro card have been
NOGP. But I am not sure how things will turn out to be 2006. I know
the former owner of Nutrition Outlet has sold his company. I heard somewhere
that the new owner probably will continue promoting the NOGP. But for
now I have no confirmed facts about this.
Besides NOGP we have of course our Swedish Nationals! (Usually held
some time in October)
As I said, I am not sure what shows will be held next year.. But this
year 2005 , we had “Fitness Festivalen”. This event was held both in
May (Stockholm) and in December (Gothenburg). Fitness Festivalen is
a pretty big event (includes Bodybuilding, Athletic Fitness, and Body
Fitness/Figure, Strongman and a lot of other fun stuff).
We follow the IFBB rules and regulation on all competitions
in Sweden. But of course there is some differences in competing as an
amateur than as a Pro. For example as an amateur, Lat spread is not
included as a mandatory pose for Females. ( As it is for females on
Professional competitions.) Also we do not include the quarter turns
at amateur competitions in Sweden.
5) Now tell us your about your
training, what is your
typical training routine? (include sets and reps).
My training routine for the moment looks
like this:
Day 1: Back
Day 2: Hamstrings and Calves
Day 3: Chest and Abs
Day 4: Quads
Day 5: Shoulders and Abs
Day 6: Triceps and Biceps
I usually workout 3 days, rest for 1 day
and continue like this.
It is hard to specify how each and every workout looks. I always change
exercises and the order of them to keep variation.
I choose 3-4 exercises for each muscle group, and I do 4-5 sets of each
exercise.
The reps varies from 6-15 depending on if I am doing a heavy workout
or using lighter weights and focus on high reps instead.
Whether I use heavy low rep or light high rep depends on how I feel
that specific day. I believe there is no use of trying to force yourself
to stick to a bloody heavy low rep workout if you feel your body is
absolutely not up to it that very day. It is always better to listen
to your body and adjust your workout after how it feels. That way you
get variation naturally.
6) What does your on-season diet
consist of? (include
each meal, protein, carbs and fats)
I keep my pre contest diet very simple.
And very strict!
Basically I stick to very high protein and very low on carbs for 4 days,
and then have some more carbs for 2 days. In the beginning of my diet
I give myself one cheating day every Saturday, but the last weeks I
cut those out.
My protein sources are chicken breasts, lean beef, white fish, tuna,
salmon, some egg whites and protein shakes ( very low on carbs and fat!).
During my low carb days I only eat green salad, broccoli and some beans.
On the carb days I eat some oatmeal and rice or potatoes.
I am always very careful to eat extra supplements such as vitamins and
minerals, Omega 3, 6 and 9 and also my newest Nutritional supplement
made of Sea weed! ( See my website for more info)
7) What is your favorite body part
to train, and what
the least favorite body part to train?
My favorite body part used to be Biceps,
since they were so easily trained. But now I don´t have any specific
favorite It depends on that mood I'm in for the day. If I get great
contact I love every work out!!
8) From your perspective, how should
Ms. Olympia
should look like. Do you think the IFBB's judging is
confusing or straightforward?
Of course I am not the only one finding
the IFBB judging somewhat confusing some times.
I personally think it is a good thing they tried to put some focus on
getting the Female competitors to maintain their feminine looks. But
of course this is hard to put as a criterion, because everyone has their
own very personal views in what looks feminine and not.
First of all I think ALL criterions must be fulfilled
in order to be able to achieve the title Ms Olympia.
It should not be enough only to be massive. It should not be enough
only to be feminine with a great line physique.
It should be the competitor that keeps the best WHOLE PACKAGE all together.
Muscularity, mass, definition, separations, symmetry, proportions and
femininity
9) Please tell us about your experience
in competing
at the Europa Pro show.
My very first Pro show was the IFBB Europa
Supershow, in Arlington, Texas.
First of all I must give credit to Betty Pariso, promoter of this show,
who did an absolutely amazing job putting this all together!
My experience was mainly good. The event was very well organized.
And being my Pro debut I am very pleased with my 6th place out of 12
competitors in my weight class. The only thing, and I know others agreed
with me, was that it felt somewhat the results were made up in advance.
There really was not much of a comparison at all during the Pre judging.
A good thing is of course it all was done very quickly and smoothly,
but I think there really ought to have been a couple of more comparisons
in each class in order to achieve a completely fair judgment.
10) Finally, what are some differences
in competing in
Sweden and the United States?
This is basically the biggest difference
I experienced, competing in USA compared to Sweden, that in Sweden there
are LOTS of more comparisons in each weight class! But, it can almost
turn to an exaggeration instead. Too many comparisons is of course not
a good thing either.. It gets extremely exhausting for the competitors
and this might of course also be an affect of judges disagreeing too
much. Backstage and all things around the competing I must say I enjoyed
much more competing in USA! Most girls were very nice backstage! I made
a lot of new friends. Bodybuilding is really not a very big sport in
Sweden. In USA it seems to be more accepted and you get more appreciated
as an athlete, which is a great thing!
|
Klaudia Larson tops
Marika Johansson at the NGOP 2004 |
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© 2004