Wow, we have another interesting profile on the outstanding Mareike Miller. After a 10 year lay off, Mareike came back and pretty much conquered it all! Im so glad she has shared her story with the SA News page. :) How did you get into bodybuilding? I spent most of my twenties drinking, smoking, partying, eating junk food, and travelling the world. I was as far away from living a healthy lifestyle as you can get, and the most exercise I got was dancing in clubs all night! After a major health scare at the age of 28 I quit smoking, and promptly gained weight. I wanted to get in shape for my best friends wedding, and as my personality type is one of not doing things by halves I joined a weight loss group, signed up at a gym, and bought a bike. I lost a few kilos for the wedding, but caught the fitness bug big time, so kept going. I loved the look of the girls in Oxygen magazine (back then we only had the American one) - they were so fit looking, lean, and muscular, so I searched for a trainer to help me achieve the same look. I was lucky enough to meet Leigh Bednarz who became my trainer, mentor, and friend. I had been training with her for a few months when we went to the INBA state championships together in 2002, and after seeing the figure girls on stage I knew immediately that I wanted to do that!!! I wanted more purpose to my training other than to simply look better, so I set the goal to do what it took to step on stage the following year. I competed in 2003 and 2004, then again this year in 2014. Why the long break between contests? There were many reasons it took me 10 years to get back to the stage, as I only intended to have a break the following year to make some improvements in my physique and to relax mentally after doing two seasons in a row. But a lot happened in that 10 years that required all my energy, including some major back injuries that required three operations to fix, and I simply didn’t have enough left to dedicate to a contest prep. But I never let go of wanting to compete again, and this year it all came together for me. One of the big reasons I wanted to compete this year was because I needed to know that I was still capable. I needed to remember that in spite of being so broken physically, mentally and emotionally after my injuries, I had the strength and fortitude to go after what I wanted. From day one, it was only about undertaking the process - that was my actual goal, to do what it takes to make it to the stage. The contest dates were simply the end point. The journey was my destination, so I had already “made it” before even stepping one foot on stage. Because of that, I felt no stress or pressure whatsoever to perform or look a certain way, and I wasn’t hung up on winning or placing. Just being on stage and looking like I belonged there was reward enough! Because I wasn’t attached to any fantasised outcome, it freed me up to enjoy and appreciate every single second of contest day. This photo of me at the INBA Nationals, on the podium with two athletes I greatly admire, World champion Rose Black, and Kirsty Ray, says it all. I was having the time of my life; it was just a perfect moment. It was an incredible feeling! What are your achievements since starting? While I’ve been successful in achieving a number of titles and placings at the State and National level, my biggest achievements are those that touch me on a much deeper level. Enduring the difficulties and challenges of contest preparation have developed grit and tenacity in me, instilled great confidence in my abilities, and developed unparalleled strength of body and mind. On top of that, though, it is also very humbling and very much appreciated to be recognised by the judges for the hard work I do put in. 2014 Overall Figure Champion ANB National Championships 2014 1st Figure Open (tall) ANB National Championships 2014 1st Figure O’35 ANB National Championships 2014 1st Figure International Masters INBA National Championships 2014 2nd Figure International Open (tall) INBA National Championships 2014 3rd Figure Open (tall) INBA National Championships 2014 Overall Figure Champion ANB SA Revolution 2014 1st Figure Open ANB SA Revolution 2014 1st Figure O’35 ANB SA Revolution 2014 1st Figure Masters INBA State Championships 2014 2nd Figure Open INBA State Championships 2004 1st Figure Intermediate INBA State Championships 2004 1st Figure Open NABBA State Championships 2004 1st Figure Open (tall) NABBA National Championships 2003 1st Figure Novice INBA State Championships What was the highlight of your season? There were so, so many. In terms of recognition, definitely winning my Overall title at the ANB states and nationals as it was my first season with the ANB. Winning my first INBA national title and placing second and third was also huge for me. What is your training like on and off-season? At the moment, being the off-season, I’m putting everything I’ve got into my weight training because I want to make some physique improvements for next years comps. I train heavy and intensely with high volume 6 – 7 days a week, with each session lasting around 75 – 90 minutes. Weights and volume stay the same on and off-season in terms of exercises, sets, and reps, and I keep the intensity as high as possible throughout prep. The closer to stage I get though, the more depleted I feel which can affect my strength, so I use techniques like supersets, tri-sets, giant sets, and drop sets to keep the intensity up. When I’m prepping I do a lot of cardio, but I’m not doing any at all at the moment because I want to give my body a break from it, and also so when it comes time to prep again I can use it as part of my arsenal to get stage lean! I will be reintroducing a couple of HIIT sessions in a few weeks though to keep my fitness up. I’ve also recently started training with a strength coach, Elias Arcondoulis, because I want to get super-strong again through the posterior chain, which was weakened with my injuries and operations. This will improve the aesthetics of those areas I want to bring up like my hamstrings, glutes, and back thickness. What is your favourite exercise? Squats!!! Back, front and overhead. And deadlifts. I’m only just introducing them again since I’ve been training with Elias and I’m stoked to be doing them! And every type of overhead shoulder press you can imagine. What is your diet like on and off-season? Well, it’s a bit of a see-food diet at the moment! I’m enjoying having the mental freedom to eat what I want when I want without weighing and measuring everything. Yes, I still eat healthy “clean” foods that fuel my workouts, aid recovery, and support muscle-gain, but I’m also enjoying my favourites too with no judgement or guilt. I’ve gained a little more body fat than intended, but I’ve also gained some good muscle too, as my priorities this off-season are to grow in a few key areas to improve the overall aesthetic of my physique. I’m not afraid of hard work when I’m prepping, and like to do a long prep, so I’ve really been enjoying myself these past couple of months since my last competition. With that said, I’ll start tracking my macros again after Christmas so I know exactly what I’m taking in, and I’ll make adjustments where needed to ensure my calories are nice and high so that when I start prep in May I have a high baseline from which to cut. As for my diet when I’m prepping, I watch my nutrition very, very closely and weigh and measure everything. I have a plan, and I stick to it 100%, with no deviation whatsoever. I like to do a “traditional” prep and eat “clean” foods, that’s just what makes me feel good, so stick to the basics like chicken, kangaroo, fish, salmon, egg whites, rice, sweet potato, vegetables etc. I have a refeed every week or fortnight, depending on how I’m looking and feeling, and how far out I am from my contest. I drink about four litres of water a day and take a truckload of supplements, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to support the health of my body and metabolism while under stress. When you are feeling physically burnt out during training what thoughts do you use to motivate yourself? I rarely feel burnt out these days because I look after myself very well and make my health and wellbeing my top priority - as apposed to years ago when I was in a constant stressed state of fight or flight. But when I’m deep in contest prep yes, there are days when I do struggle big time both physically and mentally. During these times I remind myself of the reasons I started in the first place, and then have faith that what I’m feeling is all part of the process and that everything is okay and as it should be. I’m not motivated by winning, but what does motivate me is doing the very best I can, with what I have, at any given time, for ME. It’s MY journey, MY way. My entire experience of competing is deeply rewarding and fulfilling if I know that I did absolutely everything I could to be the best I can be. So I don’t want to be on stage with any regrets. If I bailed on a training or cardio session because I was tired, or ate something that wasn’t part of my plan because I was hungry, then I would regret it and be disappointed. I don’t want to be disappointed, so I do what’s required, when it’s required, whether I like it or not! What are your future plans in bodybuilding? I’m planning to do Season B next year with the ANB and INBA, and my goal is to get another step closer to the picture I have in my mind of how I want to look. I am over the moon happy with my results this year, and was happy with how I looked, especially at the last contest. But as a bodybuilder I’m not satisfied, and am driven every single training session, every single meal, of every single day, to realise the physical potential I see in myself!
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 09:27:32 +0000
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