Trudy Wood - Before and After......a journey into competitive figure bodybuilding!
PLEASE NOTE THAT OTHER INSPIRING SOULS AND THEIR STORIES MAY BE FOUND ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE MENU ON THIS PAGE - CHECK OUT NICK BOUCHER AND GARY ALBRECHT'S STORIES TOO!
INTRODUCING TRUDY WOOD!
Trudy's story is remarkable and her before and after pictures are simply astounding!. She's a woman with incredible drive and determination and has the kindness and generosity of an angel and belts out true down to earth humour. Born in New Zealand and living in Manchester England, this positive breath of fresh air is a total asset to the natural bodybuilding stage and her journey would be hard pressed not to be inspired by! And another thing - she has the same trainer as me too - the legendary Jo Stewart.
I was lucky enough to be able to interview this refreshingly honest and amazing figure competitor and her daily life is enough to take anyone's breath away. My interview with her below reflects what natural bodybuilding can do for ANYONE and how positive and incredibly rewarding this sport can be and why nutrition company 'Smart-tec' have just sponsored this very inspirational soul.....click on each image to enlarge:
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BORN: 15 May 1980, Middlemore Hospital, Auckland New Zealand
LOCATION: Manchester, England
OCCUPATION: Secretary
HEIGHT: 1.68cm
WEIGHT BEFORE: 77kg (170lbs)
WEIGHT AFTER: 60kg contest (132 lbs), 65kg off-season (143lbs)
TRAINS AT: Virgin Active, Didsbury
A: So, tell me a bit about yourself! Were you a sporty kid growing up? Have you always been into bodybuilding?
T: I was always a sporty child from a very young age. I was always trying my hand at different sports like gymnastics and ballet when I was very young - I lived in a cul-de-sac with lots of kids and there were a couple of girls that were quite a bit older than me and my friends. We were about 7 and they were about 14/15. They took ballet and used to come home and teach us what they learned and us younger girls would pay 20 cents per 'class'! He he! I started playing netball very young and continue to play to this day - albeit I've had the last year off to rest my knee. I played rugby, touch rugby, tennis, hockey, volleyball, basketball, squash and pretty much anything else I could get into at school that involved a ball. Playing all these sports is what lead me into the gym. Every day after school I would have some sort of team training for whatever sport was in season at the time and every night my Dad would pick me up from school/sport field on his way home from work. Three times a week when he picked me up, he was also on his way to the gym. Early on I would just sit there at the table watching everybody going in and out of the gym until one day I decided to try and join in. And I have been going ever since.
The first bodybuilding show I ever went to was when I was very young - maybe I was about 8 years old? My uncle was competing in a local gym competition, and I remember thinking it was all very bizarre that he was up on a stage in his undies dancing to music?!! Ha ha. I remember my Dad had a bodybuilding book; it was a huge one with a black cover and a 'muscleman' on the front. I remember I used to sit on his bed and flick through the pages looking at it. The Incredible Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) was in there and Arnie...I didn't really know who anyone else was at that time though. I think he still has the book actually!
A: So what was it like before you actually got into bodybuilding? What was life like? How did you see yourself and how did you feel?
T: Before I started training for competition, I didn't really think I was that overweight. I was in the gym most days and played netball three times a week. I knew I was carrying a little more body fat than I should have been, but I was happy in myself and it didn't really bother me at the time. It wasn't until I decided to take the step to compete and took the 'before' photos when I really noticed how I had let myself go.....it was like someone had planted funny mirrors in my house! I always found it hard to find clothes, especially trousers. I could never find anything to fit my small waist and fit my big hips at the same time.
A: How did you learn to train and eat properly?
T: Initially I picked up training techniques off my Dad. I trained with him for years so learned the 'old school' way to train. I started working at the gym part time while I was doing my Personal Training course and every week I would come to my Dad and say, "Dad you know, you shouldn't be doing it like that because....." and "Dad, you should do that exercise first...." had ha! Talk about role reversal! I think he used to get a little annoyed but was secretly proud of me at the same time. He used to tell me "I've been doing it like this for this long and there's nothing wrong with me!".
With my diet, I just picked things up from reading books/muscle magazines and the internet. Trial and error. But now I have someone who really knows what they're doing with my diet!
A: How long was it beforeyou REALLY started to see physical results? Describe how your physical transformation has changed other aspects of yourself?
T: I couldn't really notice the results happening but I could feel my clothes getting looser. But I still saw the same person in the mirror. It wasn't until I sat down with all of my progress photos side by side and saw exactly how far I had come.
I think my weight loss has made me a more confident person. I was never a shy person but I feel much more confident around people now. I was always a tomboy and I feel more feminine now as I feel more comfortable wearing girly clothes. I used to stick to wearing the same sort of clothes but now I'm trying to be a little more adventurous in what I wear. I say if you've got it, flaunt it!
A: How has competing influenced other areas of your life ie: work and the attitudes of those around you?
T: I'm not too sure really. It doesn't really affect me at work - other than the fact that my eyeballs are hanging out just before a show and I am constantly going to the toilet! Ha ha.
A: What's your most proud moment on stage and why?
T: I think my most proud moment on stage was my first show ever at the 2005 BNBF Northern show. I was so nervous and I couldn't believe I was standing up on stage! Only in January earlier taht year (5-6 months prior to her first show) I had been overweight and now I was standing on stage in a bikini showing people my muscles!
Onstage during her routine
A: Who is your inspiration and why?
T: My Dad is a great inspiration to me. He had polio when he was very young and was told that he should give up playing rugby and that he shouldn't play any sports at all. They warned him if he didn't that he wouldn't be able to walk by the time he reached 15 years old. I think the doctors thought that doing any form of exercise would shorten the time he had the use of his legs. But, he gave them 'two fingers' and kept on playing, got into the gym and now he's 52 and he's fine! Just goes to show that the doctor doesn't always know best! Keep doing what you love; afterall, you might not have very long to be able to keep doing it.
A: What are some of the things you do to keep you motivated?
T: I am constantly reading muscle magazines, looking on the internet at pictures, that sort of thing. Every now and again I'll look back at my 'before' photos to see what I used to look like - and I NEVER want to look like that again. I'll browse websites of top figure pros to see the sort of shape they're in and what I'd like to aspire to.
A: What kind of 'lessons' did you learn as a result of your transformation that may help other people?
T: That things take time. You want to lose weight sensibly and at a steady pace. None of these silly fad diets like two bowls of cereal a day or Weight Watchers - its ridiculous. Although they do have their place for people who find it hard to diet, it doesn't teach you anything for the long term. You can't go eating two bowls of cereal a day for the rest of your life and you don't want to spend the rest of your life counting 'points'!
And also, that with dedication, self control and hard work you can change the way you look and that you don't have to keep blaming your father's Samoan genes! He he!
A: Give me a run down of your daily diet.........
T: My pre contest diet is roughly this:
Pre Cardio (6am) - Coffee, 10g L-glutamine (5g before cardio/5g after cardio)
Meal One (after morning cardio) - 50g oats, 1 scoop Smart-tec Whey FX, 1 tbsp Udos oil, multivitamin/mineral, greenlipped mussel extract, antioxidant, vit-C, CLA
Meal Two - 100g sweet potato, 140g chicken/turnkey OR 5-6 cooked egg whites
Salad/veggies
Meal Three - SAME AS MEAL TWO
Meal Four - 140g chicken/turkey OR 5-6 cooked egg whites
Salad/veggies
Meal Five - SAME AS MEAL FOUR
Pre Evening Workout - Smart-tec XCELR8
Post Evening Workout - Smart-tec Whey FX
Meal Six - Pretty much the same as meal four!
I'm not a big fan of fish but every now and again for dinner I will have a salmon fillet grilled with veggies or I'll have a lean steak at least once per week. I also supplement with creatine so will add this into my diet depending on whether I am loading or during a cycle phase. I'll try and drink at least 3 litres of water per day, increasing my water intake up to 8 litres the weeks leading up to a show.
A: Do you ever 'cheat' on your diet? How do you overcome the temptation to slack off from training and dieting?
T: I let myself have one 'treat' meal a week. I see it as a reward to myself for having a clean week of eating and training hard. I will usually stop this about 2-3 weeks out from a show depending how I am looking. I think the extra calories can be good when dieting as the calorie peak helps keep your metabolism guessing. If I am tempted to have a treat (outside of my treat meal) I ask myself 'would my competitor be eating this right now?' If I feel like stopping cardio early or doing one less rep I tell myself, 'I bet your competitor is doing that extra rep!'
A: How often do you train throughout the week? How much does it vary between contest season and off season?
T: I'm in the gym every day during the off season. I love training. I will occasionally have a Saturday/Sunday off if I'm tired or busy. During contest season I stick to a strict training program going every day and from about 12 weeks out I will go twice a day, doing cardio in the morning and then weights in the evening followed by a minimum of 20 minutes cardio - building up to an hour as a show gets closer.
A: In an ideal world (or I suppose even a dream world!) how would you most like to live your life? What are your ultimate dreams and goals?
T: Ooooooh, good question! My ultimate dream is to one day be a Natural Pro Figure Champ and promote bodybuilding in New Zealand and around the world. I'd love to one day own my own gym and help people live the fitness lifestyle. As long as I am fit and happy though, I don't mind where life takes me.
A: How does your lifestyle affect those people around you? Like your husband, flatmates, family and friends?
T: My social life goes out the window! I'm always tired or can't go out because I need to get a training session in. During a 'typical' contest week a day would look like this:
5:30am - Get up, have coffee etc, get bag ready for work etc and then get to the gym!
6:30am - 45mins - 1 hour cardio
9am - 5:30pm (work!)
6:30/7pm - Straight to the gym after work for more training
8:30/9pm - Home from gym. Cook mine and David's dinner - "he's not on a diet!" - and prepare my meals for the next day. Put my gym clothes in the wash etc.
10:30/11pm - Go to bed!
On the weekends I have a sleep in and will get to the gym about 8am for my morning cardio before heading off to watch David play rugby in the afternoon and then Saturday night I nip back to the gym for another evening weights session. I don't let my non-social life get in the way of David's though - if he wants to go out I 'let him'! I don't expect him to stay in with me. Sunday is another morning cardio session and then I spend the rest of the day with David. Sometimes we go to the movies or just spend a lazy day on the couch, followed by another weights session for me and a recovery session for him and then a jacuzzi........that's the best part!
Trudy - with her pro rugby player hubby David - happy on honeymoon!
A: Who is your favourite competitor and why?
T: I don't really have a 'favourite'. Although female competitors I look up to are Jo Stewart and Jenny Lynn.
A: If you could meet 2 people in your life, who would they be and why?
T: I would love to meet Charles Glass and glean as much knowledge off him as I possibly could! I think I'm supposed to put something sort of philosophical in here but I can't really think of anyone! Would be pretty ace to meet the big guy, Arnie though - just 'cos he's a legend! He he.
A: Do you think there is ever a chance you will revert back to old habits?
T: Probably. It's just like a smoker who has given up on smoking. There's always a chance that one day they might get 'the urge'. As long as I'm still competing or helping others to compete I think I'll stay on top of things.
A: What advice would you give to someone that wants to become a figure competitor or a bodybuilder or just someone that wants to get fit and healthy because they re stuck in a rut?
T: Go for it! The longer you put it off, the less time you have to be a better you. Everyone needs to start somewhere.
A: Is there anything else you would like to share? I hear you have recently had some 'surgery'?!! (Trudy has just had breast augmentation - implants):
T: Yes! I love my new boobs. Before I started competing I had never been too worried about them. They were perky, just not big. That didn't really worry me too much. Once I lost a lot of my body fat though my boobs shrunk and although I put some weight back on after I did my first show, none of it went back on my boobs! That was when I started thinking about surgery. I'd look at other women, whether it be on stage next to me or some of the figure pros on the internet and I would think they looked so much more feminine with their boobs. So after a lot of research and thinking, I took the plunge and I couldn't be happier! Even something as simple as a t-shirt looks heaps better with boobs! I can't wait to diet down for my first show and see what they look like on stage.
A: And finally, what do you think competitive bodybuilders need in order to succeed in this crazy sport?
T: Determination. Great support from family and friends and self control. And a great bikini! He he.
Always a happy face!
NOTE: Trudy's own personal website is http://www.kiwifigure.com/index.html Visit her site to keep up to date with her up and coming contest history and all things 'Truds'! She also has her own advisory column on the BNBF forums. Check it out under 'Trudy's Female Talk' http://forums.bnbf.co.uk/index.php for all things girly related to bodybuilding!
Trudy is also a big fan and contributor to the Jon Harris forum: http://jon-harris.net/forum/index.php
And from me Truds.....if I can be half the competitor you already are and one day be standing on stage next to you, I would be so proud. Thank you for your friendship, your attitude and what you give to the sport as well as what you give to your fellow competitors. I look forward to watching your figure career develop and shall celebrate each highlight as a proud fellow Kiwi. Good luck for all that you venture to achieve. What you get rewarded with will be well deserved!
Anita.xx