Cranbourne bobybuilder muscles in on new world title
Date: 11-01-2012
Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamAustralia |
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ABOUT this time in her training regime, Karen Flaherty begins to develop a craving for custard and bananas.
"Every time I diet I crave custard and bananas and I don't even eat them normally," she said.
Cranbourne's world champion bodybuilder is several weeks into training for a tilt at the one big title that eludes her - the Ms Universe title, which is up for grabs in Chicago this year.
She has every reason to be confident, having already won the world (Ms Olympia) title twice, in Greece and the US, and several national and state titles.
Her first Ms Olympia title came in 2007, just two years after she took up the sport, when the then 43yearold beat contestants half her age to win the open short class (under 160 centimetres).
Flaherty's no Amazon, measuring a petite 152 centimetres and weighing in at about 53 kilograms.
By the time she heads to Chicago, she will have dropped to about 49 kilograms and it will be all muscle.
She begins her preparation 16 weeks out from the competition. "It's full on - seven days a week, two to three hours of training a day. Lifting weights, treadmills, a lot of cardio work."
The food cravings are not so surprising after several weeks of chicken and broccoli five times a day. The only 'break' in the routine is breakfast, when she eats some rice.
While training, Flaherty eats no sugar at all and drinks no alcohol - "you've got to become a bit of a hermit".
The Cranbourne beauty therapist and personal trainer took up bodybuilding about six years ago, at the urging of a friend, but it was no transformation from dumpy housewife to elite athlete.
"I was an amateur jockey and I've always been a gym person. I love bodybuilding. I find it so satisfying. It's an achievement. I'm ultra competitive. I'm going to hit hard and I'm going to win.
"You've got to be positive."
