Figure Archive
Congrats to our very own personal trainer and fitness competitor Paige Oliver for her impressive achievement at the 2009 NPC Junior Nationals! Paige qualified for this contest by winning a regional qualifier in 2008. After months of preparation and hard work, Paige traveled to Chicago, IL from June 19-20 to compete in this prestigious event along with 21 other competitors who had also won regional competitions to qualify for this very competitive field. Paige competed in the Fitness Class A against 10 other competitors and knocked the judges’ socks off with a 2nd place showing! Paige has stayed in contest shape since then and will be competing in the IFBB North American Championships on August 28-29 in Cleveland, OH. Good luck, Paige!
On January 7th, CBS 5 visited Personal Training 101™ to interview Tabitha, MJ and John about figure competitions. The segment will air on Better Arizona, from 10a – 11a on Wednesday, January 21st. Tabitha has completed and placed in a figure competition herself and she trained and coached MJ to pair of 1st place awards at November’s NPC Western Regional Figure Competition.
While only around for a few years now, figure competitions have, in terms of popularity and participation, become the ‘new’ beauty contests in a sense. But while attractiveness is a plus, the women are judged on the conditioning, proportions and symmetry of their figures, along with presentation and stage presence. The judges are looking for muscular firmness and tone, but not the bulky or striated muscles that are desirable for bodybuilding.
If you think you might have what it takes to compete in figure shows, make sure to watch the spot on Better Arizona, then give us a call and we will be happy to talk to you and give you an honest assessment!
Trainer Maria “MJ” Mandler has always kept herself in good shape but in mid-July was encouraged by Tabitha, new to PT101 at the time, to challenge herself and compete in the 2008 NPC Western Regional Championships Figure competition on 11/1/08 at the Chandler Center for the Arts. She strictly followed Tabitha’s advice (Tabitha herself placed in the 2006 Arizona Natural Figure competition) and trained under her direction at Personal Training 101™ for 13 weeks in preparation for the show.
MJ, 42, was entered in the Jr. Masters division (ages 35 to 43). She was up against some very fit women from Arizona and several other Western states, most of whom were seasoned competitors. There were about 12 women in Jr. Masters Short Class and MJ took 1st place. She also was entered in the Open class (no age limits), which was very competitive. There were about 50 women, divided into height Classes A to E. MJ was one of 13 women in Class C and again won 1st place. What a great debut! MJ plans to compete again in March 2009.
Be sure to congratulate her and Tabitha on a job well done when you see them at the studio.
