All figured out: At 42, Stephens turns back the body clock with victory at major figure and fitness event
Date: 06-09-2010
Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamUnited States |
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New fitness champ Linda Stephens’ motto?
“I feel that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself,” she says.
And presto chango, Stephens has got living, breathing — perspiring — proof bouncing right back at her off the mirror.
“I’m a 42-year old mom who competed against 20 and 30-year olds, and kicked their proverbial butts,” Stephens, a 15-year Darien resident, said with a cheery competitive edge — and one well earned.
The first-year competitor didn’t do it, though, without first knocking herself out, with training that set time streaking backwards for her.
Only this summer did she decide to try her luck at figure competing, within the National Physique Committee as well as the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation.
“I’ve been extremely successful in the three competitions I’ve attended,” she said. “We just really started hitting it hard.”
In June Stephens was runner-up in the Novice division at the NPC Bev Francis show.
Later that month she took first in her height class in the masters and then won the overall event at the NPC Empire States in New York.
“I’ve always been into weight training and cardio and going to the gym,” Stephens said. “But — it was a little bit of a snowball effect — it started last year (when) I did a photo shoot for a fitness magazine.
“Then after that I decided I wanted to compete.”
The snowball continues to roll.
“I have my sites set for the Arnold Amateur next March in Ohio,” said Stephens. “ I believe that I’ll be attending the show with two time Ms. Fitness Olympia and two time Ms Fitness International, Jennifer Hendershott. This is an experience that I’m extremely looking forward too.”
Category’s run, fitness — girls that do routines — then figure, which Stephens competes in, and body building, then bikini for girls who are mostly lean.
“That’s a little bit more of a beauty pageant,” Stephens said. “The figure girls are supposed to have muscle definition, and be lean, and definitely have muscle tone.
“A little bit softer than the body building women.”
Stephens, originally from near Boston, has already begun preparing for what’s ahead — serious fitness now a way of life.
“I officially signed onto Jennifer Hendershott’s team (Phat Girlz) in order to start prepping for the Arnold Amateur,” she said. “She is a huge fitness/figure champion and it’s an incredible honor that she asked me to join her team of competitors.”
Stephens also plans on competing once more Oct. 30 in the NPC Gold’s Atlantic Bodybuilding show.
Then she will focus on, relaxing a bit, and working towards the Arnold event while scoring a masters degree in clinical nutrition at the University of Bridgeport and working as a personal trainer.
So much for relaxing.
Stephens credits her coaches.
“Anthony Hatrick is my strength trainer and Gretchen Werda is my posing coach — both are employed at Darien Equinox,” she said. “Also, Jennifer Nash is my diet prep consultant.”
It’s a happy team that includes a happy home.
“I couldn’t have accomplished any of it without them and of course, my husband, Bryan who comes to every show and hangs around for a minimum of 12 hours during prejudging and the night show,” Stephens added. “And (he) carries all my gear and puts up with my crankiness from lack of food and water!”
Stephens has given her companion a wide berth, letting the competition wait until now.
“I always wanted to compete when I was younger, and in my 20s,” she said. “I wanted to do the fitness competition — those are the girls that do the backflips and the one-arm push-ups. But I was working full-time and it was hard.
“Then in my 30s I had my children, and so now it just sort of hit me — I think I need to do one competition.”
She is in the gym six days a week working one, or two body parts per day — lifting heavy weights to max out with between eight and 10 reps.
She does three to five sets for each body part.
“And then I’ll hop on, to do some sort of cardio for 30 to 40 minutes after that,” Stephens said, either putting the treadmill at the highest walking incline at 3.8 or better, or doing the rolling stairs.
“When I feel like relaxing I take an hour kick-boxing class.”
Dieting does not enter into it, much.
“I literally have to eat something every two hours,” said Stephens. “I have to fuel my body every two hours. That’s food, protein shakes, supplements. Lots of different things.”
Stephens’ moment of truth in taking first place, at first, tried to tell her a little fib.
“At the last one, when I won, it was interesting because they brought us out — they break it up by height class,” Stephens said. “So I am usually competing at my height class (5-7). I’m pretty tall for doing these competitions — most of the girls are like, 5-4. Most of them are shorter.”
Most of them are short.
“They brought us out by height, and I won my height class,” Stephens said. “And then as we were getting ready to exit the stage, they said, ‘you’re staying, we are going to do the overall (prize) right now.’”
She was about to be overwhelmed.
“So I was a little bit floored, you know, it really didn’t register at first,” she said. “And then the other girl came out — and I really didn’t see who won the short class because I was still backstage.
“So, then she came out and she was absolutely adorable. She was probably 20. And I am standing there thinking to myself, ‘OK, we know what’s going to go down here...but that’s cool, because, I’m here, I’m up here, and being here is an honor...’”
Then the honors truly rolled.
“So they had us turn a couple of times and the MC said, ‘we have a winner!’” said Stephens. “And she kept looking — the MC kept looking at this little cute girl, on my right. So I’m thinking to myself, ‘alright...she keeps making eye-contact with her...she totally pulled it off.’”
Not quite.
“And when they said, ‘first place overall award goes to No. 10 Linda Stephens,’ I was like, Oh my...!”
Cue her fans.
“I had a lot of gym friends there, and everybody was just screaming,” she said. “It was like an out-of-body experience.
“The best moment ever.”
And the best momentum builders ever?
“I just need to say thank you to all my Equinox friends who’ve supported me and travelled far to come and cheer me on,” Stephens added. “I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help!”
