20 Questions with Cover Model Fiona MacKenzie
1) Please introduce yourself? What makes you special? Who is Fiona MacKenzie?
I am a girl that is passionate about constantly bettering myself in every way in my life. I am passionate, dedicated, and full of positivity for the future!
2) Please tell us a bit about your family, friends and surroundings?
I am the youngest of 4 kids and we all have college degrees! My oldest sister has a 2 year old boy and he is the sweetest kiddo whom I adore. The secure loving family I had growing up has given me the strong desire to start my own someday. As far as my friends, I have close friends I have made who share my passion for dance and fitness! I have made some new acquaintances in the competition world and I think it is so wonderful to have those people to share the love of fitness and competing with.
3) How did you start competing in bikini?
I started working out after I graduated from college in 2014 and while working at a gym I met some competitors for the first time and was really motivated. I decided to set the goal for myself and commit to doing my first show, San Jose Championships in 2015. After doing that show I fell in love with it! I am a performer at heart, I loved doing my bikini posing routine.
4) What is your personal policy (not what the judges want) about conditioning and muscularity when coming into a show? Soft or hard?
When I have come into the 2 shows I have done I have tried to put the most muscle on before that I could but have always tried to get as lean as I can. But I am still learning my body and what conditioning works best so I have always come in softer.
5) What is your idea of what judges want in a bikini competitor? Do you think judges are clear enough with competitors about how they want you on stage? It seems in Europe they are very clear unlike in the USA and now in Canada things are confusing.
I think it is clear enough to just come in beating your own package every time. Bikini is about the complete look, so judges want to see it all coordinate together with hair, nails, bikini, jewelry and tan (plus physique!). But it is all opinion based of course so I just try and focus on doing it for myself because I love it!
6) For the next shows what do you think you need to work on physique-wise/conditioning-wise? If anything!
I know I need to put in more muscle and lean down more!
7) What is your typical training routine in the gym (per day, include sets and reps!) How much cardio do you do before a show?
My contest prep routine is 5 days a week different body parts each day, with 2 cardio sessions a day (60-90min).
8) What is your pre-contest diet? (per day, 1 week before the show)
My pre contest prep diet was following macros for my first show and rigid clean eating low carb diet for my second show. I tried ketogenic but my body hated it and clung on to fat instead of leaning down pretty close to my show.
9) How do you go about dropping your water before the day of the show? How much water do you drink the day of the show. Please be specific.
I don't do water manipulation I just try to not drink too much the day of the show to avoid getting bloated.
10) What motivates you to train/diet and compete? Are there any competitors you looked up to?
What motivates me is my personal drive to always be the best version of myself. Committing to a goal and following through is so rewarding for me! Beating myself and improving gives me motivation to keep on it when dieting gets hard or training gets tiring. I love to follow the inspirational women in the elite ranks of the competition world! Like Dia Salamon IFBB Bikini pro, Fernanda Duarte IFBB bikini pro, and Nikki Blackketter (YouTube vlogger).
11) Please tell us an interesting experience you had at a show recently, be it a fun thing or something rather not so fun?
An interesting experience at my show I did recently was that it was RAINING that weekend. We competitors have to pay a lot for that stage tan and it was added stress that day to keep the tan looking good and not splattered with raindrops. I armed myself with an umbrella and loose pants. Thank goodness for touch ups from the tanning company backstage!
12) What is your personal opinion about the figure, fitness, bodybuilding industry we are in? Anything you would like to see changed?
I think that what should be judged shouldn't be about politics or who is sponsoring the show, it should purely be about who really has the most top notch physique. Like if most of the girls come in softer, then they are compared to each other and maybe the most conditioned girl wouldn't place well. Judging seems pretty inconsistent to me!
13) What has been your hardest challenge to overcome either in your personal life or competing career?
One of the hardest challenges for me, it may seem strange to you, has been (and still is) my lack of natural energy. The struggle comes in because in prepping, so much time and energy goes to cardio, training, and diligent meal prepping and eating. When 9pm comes around I'm nodding off at the table trying to stay up to get all my meals in. It is so hard for me to stay awake and cook and pack my meals! Then getting up at 5am for cardio had me like a total zombie. Needless to say, coffee is my best friend!
14) Did you make any changes to your contest prep for your last show? Water intake, carbing up, etc...
Yes, some changes I made for my last show that were different than my prep for my first show, were mainly my diet and my peak week. My whole prep at least 16 weeks, was pretty strict consisting of chicken, tilapia, egg whites, yams, brown rice, white rice, avocado, and almond butter. My coach tried me on a ketogenic diet for a week, and my body was super resistant with no carbs. Doing low-carb's peak week helped and I didn't restrict water at all because my body holds onto water more when it is deprived.
15) What do you think of bikini division?
I think bikini division is really great, because it is ideal for women that want to compete but personally don't have the goal to put on a lot of size. It is more achievable to the average fitness girl who wants to look her best and achieve goals of always improving, and for the girly girl it is perfect!
16) What are your favorite foods to eat right after you compete on a Saturday night?
I crave desserts while on prep, so post show all I want is cookies, ice cream, and donuts.
17) Please tell us about how you were raised and did you have any interesting experiences while growing up?
I was born and raised in Northern California. One time when I was young my family went on a vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was the end of monsoon season and we were caught in torrential downpours that made puddles so deep my dad had to carry me otherwise I would have gotten stuck. We did get to have sunny days playing on the beach and in the mud, and we watched men scale coconut trees to gather them to serve breakfast! As we were leaving a camera crew pulled up in a boat and said they were making a TV special to bring more people to the resort. They asked if they could film us running around and playing on the beach! I pretended to gather shells and sticks. So if I made the cut, I was on Mexican TV possibly!
18) Do you have an athletic background? Gymnastics, soccer, volleyball or what?
Yes, I started gymnastics when I was 3 and then ballet when I was 8 and did both until I was 11. At that point I had to commit to one or the other and I have been dancing ever since! I did a little volleyball in 6-8 grade as well.
19) What is a typical day in the life of Fiona MacKenzie? From waking up to until going to bed?
My typical weekday starts with getting up at 6:50am and making coffee. Then I get ready to leave for work (which includes eating meal 1, and packing my prepped food into my cooler). I work full time as an office coordinator and admin to engineers. I'm on the computer a lot but use a standing desk because my hip flexors get too tight. I am able to eat a meal at each break, and after work I go home to change then go to the gym! I'll do my training and if I have time also do some cardio. Recently I've been loving doing cardio with a rope machine in which I continuously pull a rope that moves in a loop. It's fun to change it up from just the treadmill! I go home and eat my pair workout meal and shower. Usually I have a batch of food to cook but I always have my meals to weigh and pack for the next day. At night I also plan my future trips and organize what I need to get done! Like apply for more school to get a higher paying job. I eat my last meal of the day and then go to bed around 11-12pm.
20) What is your current occupation? Please tell us more about it, what do you specifically do in your job?
In my job I am one of two people that support a whole team of engineers. I am at the front desk checking visitors in and receiving and distributing mail. I also coordinate interviews and do expense reports for the managers. One of my favorite things to do is go on errands driving the company car which is a Volt Charger! I get groceries like fruit and snacks for the office. Every morning I wash and set out some fruit for everyone to enjoy. I also contact catering for company events and make orders for working lunches. Some data entry in excel is tedious but it is an essentially easy job for me. I have plans to further my education soon and become a dental hygienist however!
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