Ravenna mom crosses 'compete in fitness contest' off list of goals

Date: 30-08-2010 Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamUnited States

Brenda Skala's goals before she's 30 may mirror many people's.


Try 30 new foods.

Run a 5K in under 23 minutes.

Learn to juggle.

But one thing Skala, 29, has already conquered might not be on a lot of people's lists: Entering a national fitness and figure competition.

On Aug. 7, Skala, a stay-at-home mother of two from Ravenna and a personal trainer, entered the tall category of the National Physique Committee Fitness Figure and Bikini Championship in Omaha.

Her trainer, Lauren Kennedy, 28, of Kearney entered the short competition.

Entering was something Skala had wanted to do since she worked at a Florida gym where her boss entered a similar competition.

"I wanted to enter one but never really gave it much thought," she said.

That was until May, when she met Kennedy, a personal trainer and competition trainer. Skala contacted Kennedy, who has been competing since 2004, and the duo got to work.

Skala, also a certified personal trainer, followed a strict high-protein and vegetable diet with minimal carbohydrates. Much of her training was at home in a small gym in her basement, although she met weekly with Kennedy to see what improvements she could make, where to focus her training and to practice posing.

Skala's regimen was lifting weights six days a week and also doing some form of daily cardio exercise - running, recumbent biking or plyometrics for 45 to 75 minutes - for 12 weeks. She also took nutritional supplements.

Skala's husband, Loren, and daughters Emma, 3, and Lucy, 20 months, were supportive and understanding when Skala went downstairs to her gym it was to train.

"We had an understanding that Mommy was going to do this," she said. "You definitely have to make time for yourself."

Within 12 weeks of meeting Kennedy, Skala was competing on the stage in Omaha.

"It was perfect timing," Skala said of being introduced to Kennedy.

Unlike bodybuilding competitions, Skala and Kennedy were judged in two rounds on their muscle tone, overall firmness, healthy appearance, athleticism, leanness, makeup and skin tone. Figure competitions appeal mostly to women who want to compete but want to avoid bodybuilding demands for heavy muscle mass.

Skala finished seventh of 14 competitors, while Kennedy finished third of eight competitors in her division.

"She did amazing," Kennedy said of Skala. "It's mentally challenging as well as physically challenging. For her first show, this was extremely difficult. She looked amazing. I couldn't have asked anything more for her first show."

The training, Skala said, made her a better personal trainer.

"The whole competition was an amazing experience, including the prep. It was hard work and took serious dedication," she said. "I learned a lot about myself and now know what I'm capable of doing."

At the time of the competition, Skala had 11 percent body fat, compared to the average of a 19 percent to 30 percent for women, depending upon age.

"Somehow with kids and summer, taking them to the pool, the library, I made it," she said. "But I'm not anywhere near that now," she joked of her body fat percentage.

After the competition Skala returned to her regular workout routine in which she lifts weights three times a week and does cardio five times a week. She also has five clients she trains, and she's already making plans to compete again next year.

Now, she's working on the next item on her list, finishing a 5K in less than 23 minutes, before she turns 30 in December.

"I'll do it," she said.