Deanne Thin

June 06. After 2 years absence from the competition scene, NABBA physique champ Deanne Thin is back with a vengence and will take on a tough competition schedule fo the rest of the year. Deanne, 28, has already competed at the South Island Champs (in which she won) and now she's got the NABBA Christchurch and the Nationals in her sights.

Deanne comes from a familty of bodybuilders. Her father Warren was a champion in his time. Her brother Hayden is also a competitor who's won numerous titles. Her stepmother Jayne Shadbolt-Thin was also an awesome figure competitor.

So with so much 'iron' around her, Deanne can't help but be immersed in bodybuilding and competition. She's been training for 8 years and she also works as an accounting technician; and Personal Trainer at the Fitness Studio in Timaru.

In this profile we find out how 'the family' have influenced her bodybuilding career and what changes she's made to her pre contest plan to get her her super condition this year.

Your achievements? Since 2003
2006 Nabba South Island - 1st place Physique
2004 INBA World All Female in Melbourne - 1st place Overall Physique
2004 Nabba Nationals in Auckland - 2nd place International Physique
2004 Nabba Pro-Am - 1st place Physique
2003 Nabba Words in Spain - 4th place Physique

What's the highlight of your sporting career so far? The 2004 INBA show. The overall title was best of 5 classes. Also going to Spain in 2003 was a great learning experience of how the body reacts to international travel while pre-contest.

What contests are you currently training for? Nabba contests between now and end of year.

Your father, Warren Thin, was a great bodybuilder in his time. What did you think of his competitions growing up and was it something you wanted to do from a young age? When I was growing up I didn't really think about bodybuilding as something I wanted to do. But I was always familiar with gyms and weight training through my father.

What age did you start to do weights and did he encourage you? I joined a gym during my last year at school with one of my friends but just doing circuit and aerobic classes. A couple of years after that I decided to get serious and asked my father to write me a weight-training programme. About a year later I entered a Nabba contest being held in my home town.

Naturally you're gifted with his genetics to put on muscle, do you have to work hard at putting on the muscle? I don't believe I'm particularly more gifted than anyone else at gaining muscle. I'm more motivated than most people and train harder than most people. I know what works for me in the gym and it all comes down to keeping it simple and pushing my body to the limit every time I train.

Does he help you with your pre contest training, eating plans etc? In the beginning yes, but now I pretty much do it all myself. Although sometimes I check in to make sure I'm not too far off track before contests with body fat and posing.

Do you have a training philosophy? Train hard, but look after yourself. Listen to your body and think about not just about today's training but next weeks as well. In other words eliminate injury and look after your joints.

How important is mental toughness in your pre contest plan? And how do you stay focused on your goal? Mental toughness - very important. You can be as organised as possible but if something unexpected comes up it all comes down to how mentally strong you are and how you handle the situation. I stay focused by organising my day to get everything done, preparing meals in advance, and getting as much sleep as possible - a clear head always helps.

What is your typical diet when you're dieting. 30 grams of protein every 3 or so hours, green veg at every meal. About 6-8 weeks before a comp I knock out the only carbohydrate meal of breakfast rolled oats. Coffee if I get too hungry between meals.

What is a typical day in your training programme? Typical Day: 60minute cardio first thing in morning, 45 minute or so weight training early evening, late evening 45-60minute cardio. I train one body part at a time 6 days a week. The cardio I do the same every day. The basic sets and reps for weight training are 8-12 reps for 4 or 5 sets per exercise. Most body parts I do 3 exercises for.

How have you approached your comp this year compared to your last in terms of diet and/or training. I've increased the cardio. I used to do just 40 minutes each session now I do an hour. I train each body part separately whereas I used to only train 4 times per week pushing some parts together.

Supplements you live by during pre contest. Whey protein powder drinks, evening primrose/flaxseed/deep sea fish oil and
a good multi-vitamin.

How much time off do you take between contests? I don't take any time off. I train all the time. Its just the diet that changes.

What's your contest weight. On stage weight around 67kg off season 74.

How much weight do you allow yourself to put on after your competition - and how do you maintain condition in the off season.
Keep up the cardio and be sensible about calorie intake - portion control is really important. By staying 5-6kg away from competition weight, you come in harder.

What do you think of the trend towards more women competing in Figure and lack of women doing physique? Figure is a good place to start as it takes a few years to grow into Physique. Hopefully some of the figure girls will move into physique class when they realize that it is possible to retain a feminine physique while still presenting a well defined muscular body.

Have you had a role model who's inspired you? My step-mother Jayne Shadbolt-Thin

What's your ultimate goal in Bodybuilding? To enter every competition happy with my pre-contest preparation in order to present my body in the best possible condition. And to enjoy the sport for as long as I can.

What advice would you give to girls and women who want to compete? Train hard, diet hard, cardio hard. Oh, and be nice to your partner.