Ruth Naidoo's New Body. May 2012

Ruth has not yet quite finished her transformation but she shares with us her journey so far....

Have you always been into fitness and exercise? What did you do before aiming for your first bodybuilding show?

I’ve always been sporty, in school I played netball, rockclimbed and did cross country running. While at University I did kickboxing and competed in running and cycling events. I competed in a few amatuer kickboxing fights and achieved my black belt in 2007. Basically I love working out, love the challenge of competition, and I love that the body and mind can be trained to achieve different objectives! It all went to custard (literally) when we moved to NZ and I started studying towards my Masters.

Pretty ironic as it was a Masters in Health Science (Sport and Exercise) but all the while I was getting fatter, lazier and more unfit! Due really to a combination of the stress of the move and immigration as well as studying and trying to fit in part-time work and adapting to a new place. We also opened a Mixed Martial Arts business that caused major strain. I lost myself and got into terrible junk food habits and bad routine and kept thinking I’d snap out of it (but it just got worse!).

Did you think you were overweight while you were in the moment?   

Oh yeah! I was miserable, nothing in my cupboard fit me and I refused to go out and buy ‘fat clothes’. Everytime we were about to go out I‘d spend ages trying to find something to wear and often end up in tears. This caused problems with my hubby, who just wanted me to be happy, he wasn’t too stressed about what I looked like, just wanted me to hold my head high! I couldn’t hold my head high knowing I was overweight and it just wasn’t me.

What made you get your butt into gear and chose a competition goal and when did you start serious dieting?

Originally I just wanted to lose 10kg – two major instigators which made this happen:

1.    The fact that my misery (caused by being out of shape and not myself) was affecting my marriage. Please understand my husband is not a terrible person who wants a skinny wife – but me being unhappy and depressed was not the wife he married and was not good for either of us.

2.    Tarren McCall who I call Guru Tarren, really made the hugest impact on my life. I’d ‘tried’ so hard by myself to lose the weight, I know the science and the rules and what I should have been doing, but I couldn't do it on my own. I’d get it right for 3-4 days and then get it horribly wrong for the next 6-10days (not a good formula!) I’ll never forget my first appointment with Tarren, I said “I need help” and she was so confident and just said “you watch, the weight will fall off”. That belief in me is truly what made me do it, it was so powerful.

Once the 10kgs were gone I was feeling so awesome, and really enjoying the clean eating, training and general healthy routine! Tarren encouraged me to consider competing, and although it took a while to convince me I love a new challenge and I’m super nervous but super motivated too!

What has bodybuilding taught you about eating, training and managing a healthy lifestyle?

Preparation is the key! I’ve learnt that there are actually more hours in the day than I thought! I’ve actually learnt too much to answer this quickly; including everything from the calorie content of various foods, to what a super heavy hack squat feels like, to the power of a positive mind!

left: April '12

You have revealed some good muscle underneath the padding, has this surprised you?

Yes, every week I see changes which is so exciting and motivates me to keep working hard! I believe the best way to lose weight is in combination with resistance training as the muscles are GROWING while the fat is GOING, resulting in a tighter body as well as increased strength and metabolism and all those good things.

What is your typical day in your pre contest training and cardio programme?

Cardio every morning for 45min, sometimes with abs after. As I get closer to comp I’ve added in some cardio after training most evenings.
Hubby Strini writes my programmes for me and we try to change it up all the time to keep the body guessing. In one workout he’ll include some high rep exercises but I do most of the sets in the 8-12 rep range. Every so often I go super heavy for 5-6 reps.

Monday – Legs (Quad dominant)
Tuesday – Back and biceps
Wednesday – Chest and triceps
Thursday – Legs (Hamstring and glute dominant)
Friday - REST
Saturday – Shoulders and calves
Sunday - REST

What is your typical daily eating plan?

Exactly what Tarren McCall tells me! (You’ll have to make an appointment, hee hee).
I have tons of food and its all yummy – I spend lots of time experimenting and have really enjoyed things like trying all sorts of veg that I used to ignore.

Have you found the training and eating regime hard and how do you get over your down days?

One thing I have to admit is that I love food, I love cake and chocolate and have a dangerous obsession with ice cream. The up side of this is that I’ve come to appreciate these foods like never before! But it's harder now as comp gets closer because theres no room for cheats! I deal with the down days by trying to focus on my goals and visualising the “on stage” product! I love the training so its actually harder for me when I’m told I have to rest!

Have you had a support network that has helped you along the way and how important have they been?

Yes and SO important! Strini, my husband is my ultimate fan, he is constantly supporting me. He wakes me up in the morning with a glass of hot lemon water, and even lifts me up to drink it! (yes I’m freaking spoilt). He helps me with the cooking, the gym work (with me crying through it at times!) and he is always telling me I’m a champ.

Guru Tarren’s support is immense and I couldn’t have got this far without her! Kerry, who I’ve trained for a long time, is the one who gave me Tarren’s number in the first place and helped me get into this sport. We give it everything in the gym and she’ll cry too but shes there with me and we boost each other up. It’s been awesome to have someone so talk to about things you can’t chat to with most people, like different protein powder flavours and how to make egg whites yummy – LOL. I’ve also started to make new friends in the sport and their support is amazing.

Has the journey been rewarding so far and in what way?

I’ve loved it, I’ve learnt so much about my body and my mind, how to discipline myself and how to stay strong and motivated. Its amazing to feel good in your own skin, not just for aesthics but to feel strong and able and energetic and positive. Feeling so much better about myself has meant that I’m more confident in everything I do, including my work and my relationships. There’s tough days but being able to overcome them is rewarding in itself.

What do you think its going to feel like to finally step on stage with your new body?
 
This is my ultimate motivation, I’m the most excited to see what I’ll look like! Maybe that sounds terrible but this is a completely new focus for me. In my sports the focus was always on points, or time or speed so this is quite different. I have full respect for bodybuilders as true sportspeople as this is harder than anything I’ve ever done. I’m really excited about the new challenge!

What advice would you give to women who want to compete?

While I’m still a real rookie (6 weeks out from first comp) these are factors which have helped me so far:
·    Get a brilliant nutritionist, and build up a strong support network.

·    Measure, assess, set goals, work hard....repeat....regularly! Being accountable to the calipers every 2 weeks has been imperative for me. Photos are great too.

·    Make time for preparation of meals, and general planning around training, eating etc.

·    If you like cake don't go into a cake shop  (unless its cheat day)

·    Don’t focus on the negatives, focus on the positives. There’s more postives to being fit, strong, and lean (even if a little cake deprived) than there are to being overweight, lethargic and miserable!