20 Questions with Cover Model Laurie Tanner

Laurie Tanner

1) Please introduce yourself? What makes you special? Who is
Laurie Tanner?

Hello, my name is Laurie Tanner. If you were to look at me, at first
glance, you might say: "There is a woman who takes pride in her
appearance." "A woman who carries herself with a certain confidence and flare."...and that is just at first glance. What makes me so special is I much deeper than what you see on the surface. I'm a very goal oriented person and I have a very systematic way of achieving my goals; I am passionate. Passionate about life, passionate about health and fitness and passionate about helping everyone I come into contact with feel motivated to achieve their goals. I truly believe in paying it forward and the more I help others achieve their fitness goals...I help myself.


2) Please tell us a bit about your family, friends and surroundings?

Growing up in a big family I learned very fast that If I
wanted something, I had to work for it. I am the middle of 5 girls.... no brothers!
I choose to surround myself with only the people who make me a better stronger person. The older I get the more I find that I have no patients for people who are negative and /or are not striving to be the best that they can be.

3) How did you start competing in figure?

It was my 2009 New Years resolution to get my body in the best shape possible. I hired one of the most respected trainers from my gym, and told him I wanted to compete in figure. He put me through some of the hardest workouts I've ever been through, and also had me on a strict diet. It was all worth it because I placed 4th in my class. To this day it has been one of my most rewarding accomplishments, and now I'm hooked.

4) What is your personal policy (not what the judges want) about conditioning and muscularity when coming into a show? Soft or hard?

My personal policy on conditioning and muscularity is that look of pure definition and hardness. It takes so much hard work, trial and error to get that perfect balance. I like to see a woman still look as feminine as possible.

5) What is your idea of what judges want in a Figure 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.

To this day I still don't know how the judges make their
final decision on one winner! I see the most amazing physiques on
stage and sometimes I think the judges have to finally just narrow it down to who has the best personality and stage presence.

6) For the next shows what do you think you need to work on
physique-wise/conditioning-wise? If anything!

I definitely have a lot of work to do! Every time I hit the stage I
get motivated to come back looking better and harder than before. I want to work on getting more definition in my quads, hamstrings, and glutes! For my next show I need diet a little harder and come in
leaner.

Laurie Tanner

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?

I like to mix it up when it comes to training so that I never get
board with my work outs and no matter what, I'm always doing something! I train with Sandra Augustine,one of the most inspiring women I have ever met in my life. boot camp is always a combination of body weight exercises and cardio such as: burpees, ball slams, pull ups, box jumps,etc. Heightened Yoga is just yoga suspended on the TRX bands. Cross fit training skills include practicing things like: hand stand push-ups, muscle ups, kipping pull ups, clean & jerk, Over Head squats, Ring dips, and the list is never ending!


Mon: AM cardio/ 30 minutes of interval sprints and core: my favorite core
exercise is hanging leg raises ( 4 sets of 20). They always have me sore
the next day
PM upper body/chest, shoulders, tri's usually 3 sets of
15-20 reps of 3 exercises per muscle starting with the larger muscle
groups
Tues: AM: Cardio/ 30 minutes of interval sprints
PM boot camp class and heightened yoga
Wed: AM cardio/ 30 minutes of interval sprints and core (Med Ball combo's)
PM Lower body strength training ( 3 sets of about 5 -6 exercises) a few of my favorite: weighted lunges, front squats, step ups, dead lifts, and cross back lunges
Thurs: AM: Cardio/ 30 minutes of interval sprints
PM: boot camp class and heightened yoga
Fri: AM cycle class and PM:upper body back/arms/ core (3 sets of
12-15 reps of 3 exercises per muscle)
Sat: Rest
Sunday: cross Fit training skills

Show time cardio is increased to 2 bouts of 30-45 minute cardio sessions/day

8) What is your pre-contest diet? (per day, 1 week before the show)

Breakfast: 1/3 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup fiber 1 Cereal, 1/2 cup blueberries
Snack: 4 egg white, 1 egg yolk omelette with spinach, zucchini, onions
Lunch: tilapia 1/2 cup sweet potato, asparagus or broccoli
Snack: chicken 1/2 cup sweet potato and asparagus or broccoli
Dinner: chicken or Tilapia over a bed of mixed greens: spinach,
cucumber, celery, red onion, broccoli, lemon juice and Balsamic
vinegar, lots of pepper!

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 usually start 7 days out. I drink 2 gallons all the way up to the day before the show.The day before the show is 1/2 gallon by noon and then only sipping when needed up until I get on stage. For my first show I started dropping my water 10 days out and saw great results. I may try that again for the next show I compete in.

10) What motivates you to train/diet and compete? Are there any competitors you looked up to?

I train and compete because I love the challenge of it. It is a lifestyle I have grown to love because I'm constantly learning how to improve my body and mind. I also love the encouragement and support I get from my family and friends that make me want to better with each show. I've mentioned her before but Sandra Augustine is truly my all time favorite competitor. Not only have I seen her in action, but she has put together my fitness routines as well as inspired me to continue to compete. She has an amazing gift to help others succeed all while continuing the many projects she has going on!

Laurie Tanner

11) Please tell us an interesting experience you had at a show
recently, be it a fun thing or something rather not so fun?

Well I think the most interesting thing I tried to pull off was
compete in fitness. I will never do it again! But looking back it was
kind of funny watching the video tape. I think I displayed the fact
that I have absolutely no dance experience pretty well.

12) What is your personal opinion about the figure, fitness,
bodybuilding industry we are in? Anything you would like to see changed?

I definitely have a new respect for the fitness competitors, seeing as how much time is invested in practicing and perfecting a routine that only lasts 2 minutes! I wish there were more fitness competitors out there, the last show I participated in there was only 1. I am starting to see more divisions in the competitions such as women's physique and bikini. When I first started it was body building, fitness, and figure. I like that there is more separation now.

13) What has been your hardest challenge to overcome either in your personal life or competing career?

I think my biggest struggle after I started competing was finding a
balance between hanging out with my friends drinking and getting up in the morning to train and focus on my diet. I use to bartend and found myself getting sucked into the night life and drinking all the time. After finally getting out of the industry I found myself feeling so much better when I put my energy into working out. Now it's all I can think about and drinking is the last thing I want to do, especially after all the hard work I put into training. I have so much respect for the women who compete that have to juggle kids, work and a husband!

14) Did you make any changes to your contest prep for your last show? Water intake, carbing up, etc...

I kept my water intake the same. I cut back on carbs the week before the show and because I was still not leaning out, I did not do any carb loading. However, for my first show I did carb load and felt like I  came in looking  harder. I will see where I'm at for my next show and let my coach decide if I should load up or not.

15) What do you think of bikini division?

The bikini girls definitely bring sass and entertainment to
the table. The girls were gorgeous, however I'm not sure that it
belongs with body building and the figure industry. These women seemed to have little to no muscle definition.

16) What are your favorite foods to eat right after you compete on a Saturday night?

I have to have a piece of chocolate fudge cake and soft serve frozen yogurt!!! I also love Mcdonalds french fries

17) Please tell us about how you were raised and did you have any interesting experiences while growing up?

I was raised in a very strict home and by strict I mean I was raised mormon! I wasn't aloud to even talk about boys in front of my dad!
Although I hated how strict my parents were when I was growing up, They thought me so many valuable lessons, like: Forgiveness, honesty, discipline and commitment. I now thank them for the tough love they gave me because it has shaped me into the person I am today.

Laurie Tanner

18) Do you have an athletic background? Gymnastics, soccer, volleyball or what?

I dabbled a little in soccer and gymnastic's as a kid. As I got
older I found a passion for kick boxing and for about 2/3 years that
was my training of choice. I even got my mom and sisters involved.

19) What is a typical day in the life of Laurie Tanner? From waking up to until going to bed?

Up by 6am with a cup of coffee and supplements then hit the gym for first round of cardio
7:30 -8:50am school
9:30- 12:30pm clients
12:30 eat lunch and study
2-5pm errands and more clients/ snack
5:30 Pm workout
7pm Dinner and prepare meals for the next day
8pm shower/ unwind/read a good book/ catch up on emails and
prepare workout programs for clients

20) What is your current occupation? Please tell us more about it, what do you specifically do in your job?

I am a certified personal trainer and coach. I help my clients set and achieve their personal fitness goals. I teach my clients the important aspects of nutrition and how living a healthy lifestyle can be easy and fun.

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