20 Questions with Cover Model Beth Hagendorf

Beth Hagendorf

1)  Please introduce yourself? What makes you special? Who is Beth Hagendorf?

I am Beth Hagendorf an actress, TV personality, and fitness competitor. I started performing because of the positive energy and rush I got from being on stage competing in bikini. Competing in bikini changed my life in such a positive manner and gave me the direction it was lacking or maybe what I was destined for.

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

In 2011 I was 29 years old and moved to CA.I lived my entire life in TX. I was board with my corporate job and surroundings. So I sold my house picked up and moved to San Diego for no other reason that it ranked high in a great place to live.

3)  How did you start competing in bikini?

Here in CA is when I dedicated myself to getting a fit beach bikini body, I was alays 20 lbs over weight throughout the years and wanted to look hot and fit again. My friend Spencer Aiken took me to a fitness show to watch. There I saw the bikini girls and was immediately star struck! I was in complete awe and adoration!

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

Well I have a softer physique but I would prefer to have a harder leaner physique. I guess you may always want what you can’t have.  A softer physique helps me in the commercial world though. On many casting and auditions I promise that I will not show up too lean or hard. I’ve learned for most modeling or casting assignments to keep my fitness competitions under wraps because it may scare the client into thinking I will show up looking too hard and vascular.

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.

If you read the NPC or INBA definition of what they look for in binkini it says “a good complexion, skin tone, and no vascularity”. Which I think is hilarious since we wear pounds of makeup, spray paint our skin tone on, and most of us or at least the ones wining are completely vascular. So it comes down to the athlete personally asking the judge for their critique. At that point in time they will be very clear as to what it is they are looking for from you. I think “what” they are looking for can be completely changed and disregarded only if you come in; in the absolute best physique possible for your body (I myself have not done this yet and may never do so). Right now there are 2 large teams of girls that all prescribe to the same diet and training by a coach and you can see that they all do have a fine tuned certain look to them (it’s absolutely gorgeous). Right now primarily that look is winning in both amateur and Pro.

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

Per my discussion with the judges, my quads are too big, I need to lose muscle there by sprinting , jumping anything HIIT. Then overall conditioning everywhere with tighter diet followed for 12 weeks instead of 6. 

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? 

The last 4 weeks my cardio would go up to 30 mins - 1 hour a day. I would continue to lift up until Tuesday before the show. My routine changes but a general layout for my lifting is I train my glutes shoulders and abs. I typically try to get in 4 exercises in at least 3 or 4 sets of 12 -25 reps.  I also would train abs everyday that I do lift and would only do 1 ab exercise with 4 sets. All my other upper body muscles are developed enough already and are well maintained by simply just focusing on my shoulders. My legs need to lose muscle which is why one day a week I need to focus on sprinting or lower body plyometrics which these high intensity training also is key for last minute weight loss we want to capitalize.

Beth Hagendorf

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

A lot of people will including myself will carb load and deplete.  I usually will wake up contest day and look really flat. D’OH! Then start eating a ton of carbs and doing sit-ups. Lol It took me 8 contest to figure this out...I know I always look my best Mon and Tues of the show week when I am usually low carb and full of water. So I now prescribe to not changing anything at all the week of the show. Just coast on into the show because you already should look good and no need for hocus pocus. That being said, the week of the show I would eat almost the same meal every day so I will give two example days.
Day1: coffee, cream and sugar, breakfast: steel cut oatmeal, snacks: almonds, rice cake w/ peanut butter, lunch: tilapia and asparagus, snacks: cheese, carrots, quest bar, protein shake, supper chicken and mixed veggies and glass of wine
Day2: coffee, cream and sugar, breakfast: turkey meat w/ veggies, egg whites, and salsa, snacks: almonds, rice cake, lunch: sweet potato or quinoa chicken, snacks: protein shake, carrots, spinach leaves, quest bar supper: asparagus and pork fillet

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.

The majority of us do it however reading what I wrote above about waking up flat and wishing you just looked the same as you did the last week, more people are trying different things with their water. Generally I would cut water the day before the show and sip as needed up until the show. However I believe I am one of those types that lean out just fine without cutting my water.

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

Seeing pictures of other bikini girls totally lean with massive obliques and glutes was my main motivation. I really appreciate a woman’s physique and just seeing how beautiful we can train them to be was enough for me. I did look up to a lot of the bikini athletes that I watched online to help me practice my posing. If she looked amazing posing I loved her. Long before Nathalia Melo was big I already loved her for her genuine personality and heart. Also because I’d like to think we have similar physiques, if I ever trained my body to be its best I would like to think it would look like hers. J

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

I dont think people realize how hard it is for female competitors to go potty while tan. If water touches us it messes up the tan immediatly. Well you can't have that! So we generally pee in cups. Once I did everything right but the damn toilet had an automatic flusher... a nightmare for us! I was like nooooo and sure enough it was a flusher that spits water out and my entire back side was ruined 10 mins before stage time at The Olympia. :( Panicking I ran and showed the rest of the girls my back side thankfully one had Jantana tanner. She fixed me up as best she could. We girls also help each other out, I've lent out extra heels and extra bikinis last minute too. 

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

This is a cult sport, meaning a small portion of the population follow it and more people in others countries than compared to the US. So for sure there is is room for improvement. Like most industries in life you need to make a name for yourself first before you can attain success or win. I would like to see in the pro league specifcaly if a new pro card holder comes in and looks the best… well I think they should win. I hate showing up to the show and I can literally guess the top 3 who will win the show in all classes and divisions. For once just judge it on who has the best physique, as if the competitors were wearing bags on their heads. I say this because a new pro card holder can and does look just as good as the veteran pros but even the newbie themselves knows they gotta put in their time make a huge name for themselves before they will even be considered to start placing.
  
13) What has been your hardest challenge to overcome either in your personal life or competing career?

I struggle with my diet the most. If I compete again I will join one of those lovely two big teams I mentioned mainly to know what and (very important) when to eat. I also am a terrible cook I HATE my food. So when I think about competing I get depressed sometimes when thinking about eating my terrible food. Two ways to get around this time to learn how to make better food and money to buy the food premade already. Those two things I don’t have. J

Beth Hagendorf

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

I did, everyone always says they look much better the next day after binge eating after the show. So I did just that I ate junk and whatever I wanted the day before the show. I still woke up the next day flat as a pancake. Why because I had cut my water. I probably should not have cut my water. Bodybuilding is trial and error, tweaking it each time, and taking note of what happens.

15) What do you think of bikini division?

I think it’s great. I also think if we took ALL the time we put into training and our diet into other facets of our life we would be a lot more successful and better off financially. The sport yields very little financial reward. Also I wish more competitors looked at the likelihood of them winning their pro card before they set out and say this truly is my lifes dream and destiny. Lets say they give out 20 pro cards for NPC/IFBB in your height class a year and there are over 2,000 women in bikini. Well you have a 1% shot at achieving your life’s destiny. Those odds suck! However those are the same odds I have at making a living as an actress in Hollywood but I don’t let that deter me or stop me for one second! 

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

An Amber beer, pizza, french fries, and a cheeseburger, ice cream and brownies. I usually order all of it in one sitting too! I share it with my other bikini girlfriends!

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

I was raised in a small town in TX. I grew up on a large cattle ranch my family owns, my dad is still a rancher there. I was a huge tomboy growing up on 4 wheelers and swimming in the river. In high school voted class favorite and all that jazz because I’m super friendly.

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

I do, I competed in 5 sports in HS. Powerlifting was my favorite and my introduction to my love for the iron! I also was in cheerleading, basketball, tennis, and softball. I actually excelled in all 5 sports the only reason I didn’t play in college is I wore myself out in H.S. therefore sadly binge drank my college years away.

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

Every day starting at 5am I focus on what I need to do next to be successful. What is success for Beth… when I earn a living performing!
I wake up acess my social media which includes damage control of online idiots and scheduling my post to go out that day. I either hit the gym or go straight into work. If I skipped the gym that morning then I go on my lunch break. If I have a free lunch I use it online to work on my entertainment career. Which entails hours of endless emails, casting submissions, and correspondence for jobs within entertainment,  and even answering interviews like this one. ;) After I get off work I run errands then return home. I enjoy supper and TV with my roommates, while Im glued to my computer working. I then retire to my room and every night is the same I fall asleep with my laptop on my chest working.  The weekends are no different I use them to actually get in all of my entertainment career things like photo shoots, castings, auditions, youtube videos etc. I have not dated anyone in long over two years. I find most of my fun and pleasure in my work. 

Beth Hagendorf

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

WARNING reading this will cause your eyes to glaze over: I audit and analyze reports with data of auditors and underwriters who mediate mortgage loans in default. I determine if the error is human, system, or logistical then access and address the write parties and protocol to remediate the error. In laymen terms I fix shit. 

21) What is next?

Now that I am in the off season I have time to focus upon my acting.  I currenlty just applied to several acting agencies and in the process of narrowing down which one I will work best with. Meanwhile I've been enrolled in the best acting school in the US, The Rehearsal Room. I look forward to the challenge of auditioning for roles and all the hope that accompanies auditions!  I also spend alot of time focusing on my TV Personality career as well. I'm excited that a show that I may host may finally get picked up by a major network after some time of development. If that takes off I will be filming in Hawaii soon. Im forever optimistic so I am really hoping a big door will open in 2013 and I can quit my lovely job above. ;) Again this was all made possible from my start in body building. 

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