Emily Zelinka and I worked together in 2009 during the period she was preparing for her first ever appearance at the Canadian National Figure Championships. Despite being relatively new to the sport (she had only competed in three shows up to that point), Emily had already accomplished more than most physique athletes achieve in a lifetime: 

  • 1st place figure tall and overall champion, London, On. Championships: November 2007.
  • 1st place figure tall, South Central Ontario Championships: May 2008.
  • 2nd place figure tall, Provincial Championships (Ontario): June 2008.

As a result of finishing 2nd in the Provincial Championships, Emily earned an invitation to compete in the Nationals the following year. Clearly, Emily was an up-and-comer in the sport, but as is often the case when attempting to become elite at anything, there is always room for improvement.

This desire to improve led Emily to ask me to look over her contest prep diet. As part of her contest diet review, I also asked Emily to give me a detailed account of what she normally eats. When I compared her diets, two things stood out:

  1. Emily loves to eat.
  2. Her contest prep diet seemed overly restrictive.

The fact that Emily enjoys eating and routinely eats a healthy number of calories was actually a huge plus. It is far more common to have female figure competitors come to you looking for diet advice on how to lose body fat, but they've only been eating 1000 kcal a day for the past year.

The sad reality: you can't get blood from a stone, nor can you produce body fat losses in someone whose metabolism has down-regulated to accommodate a really low-calorie diet.

For any female trying to lose fat on a chronically low-calorie diet my best advice is this: spend the next 6-12 months getting your caloric intake back up in the 2000 kcal range. After that, if you reduce calories in an intelligent fashion, your body will respond quite well.

If this is your idea of a reasonable diet… you are delusional

Clearly, having a sluggish metabolism from eating too few calories wasn't Emily's issue. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Emily has a naturally high metabolism, which is a great thing. But giving someone who loves eating an ungodly number of restrictions on what they can and cannot eat is just a recipe for failure.

Emily on a drastic low-calorie diet is going to be very moody and unpleasant to be around (if you don't believe me, just ask her trainer and now husband, Brad Fowler), and won't do a whole lot to accelerate her fat loss.

So contrary to the diet advice she had been given, we actually came up with a diet that contained far more calories and lee-way than she'd been operating on previously.

Just how much lee-way you ask? Well over her 12-week "get ripped" diet, Emily had regularly scheduled days where she was allowed a hearty plate of nachos and a few beers**.

**Note: these were always planned in advance and we factored in her progress from week-to-week. However, this does highlight that many foods can be part of a lean lifestyle, as long as they are included strategically.

Obviously beer and nachos aren't going to help most people get lean but Emily has the metabolism that requires a large amount of energy. Her strong metabolism, coupled with a propensity for unplanned bingeing if she felt deprived, meant that including more variety and semi-regular re-feed days actually accelerated her progress.

Fast forward to August '09 and Emily stepped on stage at Nationals looking for a top 12 finish. We were hoping for top 12 since this was her first ever appearance at Nationals and it's rare that a virtual unknown places well.

Unfortunately, we made a serious miscalculation of being content with a top-12 finish… because Emily placed third in her class! This awesome showing earned her a trip to the North Americans where she was one of the few Canadian competitors to come away with a top 10 showing.

Since that time, Emily has gone on to finish 2nd in the Arnold's, one of the largest figure and bodybuilding competitions in the world. She is currently gearing up for return trip to Nationals and hopefully, a chance to win her pro card. I recently sat down with Emily to find out what she's been up to.

Emily, thanks a bunch for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat. Just what does the schedule of a Nationally ranked fitness competitor look like?

Haha, I wish I could say that I get paid to train all day. Unfortunately, the day-to-day life of a figure competitor is pretty much like it is for for anyone else. I work (Emily is a paramedic), train and just recently moved into a new home, so that's been occupying a lot of my time. In fact, I spent all of yesterday fixing up the yard and got quite the awesome tan that will need to be fixed before the next show.

Ohhh the dreaded tan lines, the bane of figure competitors everywhere. Speaking of competitions, when is your next show?

Well I'm going to be competing in the CBBF National Championships, scheduled for August 28th, 2010 in Toronto. The show will be taking place at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and pre-judging will begin at 9 AM and the finals are slated for 6 PM.

This show will be a big one for me because after finishing 3rd last year, I'm hoping to win it all this year. I did really well at my last show, a 2nd place at the Arnold's in March. This strong showing even got me a little write-up in MuscleMag: Amateurs Shine at the Arnolds.

Fingers crossed that I can bring a killer physique into Nationals. Last year's winner, Kim Tilden, was awarded her pro card, so I'm hoping that a win in my class would result in the same for me. It really would be a dream come true to get my pro card.

GT's note: Finals tickets are only $55 and Emily would greatly appreciate tons of fans and supporters come help her in her quest to win her pro card. For more infomation on the show, check out: http://www.cbbfnationals2010.com/

Ahh the illustrious pro card, exactly what kind of benefits come with getting your pro card?

For starters, you get to travel and compete internationally, which is pretty sick. And who can turn down the chance to compete for prize money?

But you are also exposed to a whole new world of sponsorship opportunities. Although the opportunity for international travel is exciting, there is a little matter of having enough funding to be able to do so. Currently, I am sponsored by PVL and Darrin Robinson through Team Emerge, but as any competitor will tell you, you can never have too many sponsors!

I know you've had Darrin help you with your posing for a while now. How important would you say posing practice is for a figure competitor?

It can easily make or break your competition. Although so many people think you can just look at a few picture online and get an idea of what to do, there's so much more than goes into it. Knowing how to hold your hands, which muscles you need to be flexing while relaxing others, staying poised and smiling as you go from pose-to-pose, it's surprisingly challenging.

Typically, I'll meet with my posing coach several times before a show. I have really great shoulders, arms and abs so those are definitely body parts we try to highlight with how I pose.

It's important that all figure competitors remember that your body keeps evolving from show-to-show. Just because you had the proper poses to highlight your figure for your last show, doesn't necessarily mean that those same poses will best accentuate your physique for your next one.

Excellent point. What kind of advice would you give to girls new to the sport in terms of posing?

Practice, practice, practice. Knowing how best to present yourself on-stage is both a science and an art. I typically recommend that for your first show, you initially meet with your posing coach 4-6 weeks before going on stage, then spend ample time posing in front of a mirror, as well as without a mirror.

Discovering what you look like in a mirror is important, but equally important is having the muscle memory and confidence to hold your poses when you aren't getting that visual feedback.

Awesome advice. Judging by the work you've done helping a few new competitors already, I'd have to say you are one of the best resources a figure newbie could have.

Awww…. thanks. Yes, I've always understood and valued the hard work that goes into some of the behind-the-scenes details for show prep. What most girls don't understand is that it's not enough to simply get a good training and nutrition program, but understanding how to apply your tanning products, getting properly made-up, hair-style, jewelry… you are being judged on all these factors and if you haven't worked with someone who knows what the judges are looking for, you are putting yourself at a competitive disadvantage.

Very good points, do you have space for any new clients?

Always! I have a very busy schedule but I love working with girls who are just getting into the sport and I think I have a lot of valuable information to pass on their way. Anyone wanting to get in contact with me for show prep help can always reach me through my website: http://www.emilyzelinka.com/.

Any other advice you can share for people just starting out?

Certainly. The biggest mistake figure girls make is they have a total lack of balance. Their lives revolve around over-training and micromanaging their food. I mean, it's good to have a goal but when that goal costs you all of your friends or the ability to enjoy life, well at that point figure competitions no longer become something you do for fun.

Contest prep dieting will never be confused with a vacation, but if you hate your life every step of the way, is it really worth it?

And another thing, you can't think you are going to walk around all year with a 6-pack and a stage-ready physique. I love looking shredded, but also realize that that look is temporary and that I'm going to gain weight back after a show. I just make sure I regain 10 lbs… and not 40 lbs like some other competitors.

I couldn't agree with you more. So what is your body weight and training like off-season compared to when you compete?

Three years ago before I started competing, I was 128 lbs and 18% body fat. Now in my off-season, I weigh 154 lbs and I'm 14% body fat. Then for a show, I'll drop down to around 136 and come in around 7% body fat.

But my big focus with off-season training is to try and continually get leaner by building more muscle mass. So most of my training consists of heavy lifting.

When you mention lifting heavy, that would be…

The usuals. Right now I would be doing:

  • Deadlift: 5 x 205
  • Squats: 5 x 225
  • Chin-ups: 5 x body weight + 25 lbs

Crap, I know a lot of guys who can't move that kind of weight.

Haha, I know. But let's face it, the only way to keep getting leaner is to add muscle mass and building muscle mass requires heavy lifting. I've added 25 lbs to my frame since I started competing more seriously and it has only continued to help me get leaner. Personally, I'd much rather lift weights than do cardio.

I hear ya. Just how much cardio do you do during the off-season?

None. Well that's not entirely true, I lead an active lifestyle so I'm always on the go, but if you are asking about hopping on the treadmill or elliptical? That'd be a grand total of zero minutes.

Mind you, I do incorporate a few cardio sessions every week when I'm getting ready for a competition. But outside of that, I focus more on weight training and eating enough healthy foods to keep me lean.

Amen to that. Well we are about out of time, any partings words?

For sure, I just want to remind everyone that Nationals are Saturday, August 28th in Toronto. So if you are in the area, I'd love the support. I'm trying to organize a group ticket purchase, so if you'd like to come and sit together as part of a group, please get in contact with me ASAP: drop emily a line.

I'll spread the word. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to share some of your experiences and here's wishing you nothing but the best at Nationals!

Graeme is a high-performance nutrition consultant and university lecturer based out of London, Ontario. Graeme offers both in-person and distance coaching for physique competitors, elite athletes and those individuals looking for aggressive, yet sustainable fat loss. To learn more about his services, use the "Contact Me" tab in the main menu bar.
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