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Coming
Soon to a Stage Near You!
Cara
Philips
by Asha Menon, Associate
Editor
Name:
Cara Phillips
Discipline:
Class: Tier One Figure Tall
Next
Competition:
ABBA Provincial Figure, June 23rd, 2007
Where do you train?
Hardcore
Health and Fitness
Trainer / Nutritionist:
Big Ron Partlow
If you've
met Cara Phillips, then you know she's a live-wire. She has
a great sense of humor and she's a lot of fun to be around.
She has an infectious personality, and has developed several
lasting friendships since coming onto the bodybuilding scene
a few years back. Cara sat down long enough to answer some
questions about her past successes and future goals in this
sport.
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Cara, like many other female competitors, started
out with the goal to get lean. She initially worked
with Shara Vigeant, who got her on track with an
introduction to lifting and dieting. This
experience pushed Cara to want more. "I needed
something to push me that extra mile." After
attending a couple of Figure shows – and admiring
the lean, muscular physiques – Cara decided she was
going to give it her all. That's when she hooked up
with her current trainer, Big Ron Partlow. "I had
never been athletic or really lean, so I thought
doing a show would give me more confidence and prove
to myself that I could do whatever I set my mind to
do." And she hasn't looked back.
After some introspection, Cara has since
re-evaluated her goals. "I want to improve on last
year and bring the best package I can to the
stage." Aside from wanting to step on stage with
more muscle than ever, Cara also wants to be strong
and athletic all year – a very admirable, and often
difficult, goal. And this figure athlete isn't just
in it for herself. Cara wants to be an ambassador
of the sport, opening the door to the general
population to inform and educate them about the
positive aspects of bodybuilding, fitness and
figure.
And
let's not forget the BIG goal that Cara has set out
for herself! "My fiancé is competing at Northerns
this year, so my goal for us is to make it through
dieting together without killing each other."
Good luck, Dwayne!!
(left - Cara
Philips photographed by David Ford at ABBA
Provincials) |
I asked her
what she considers to be her greatest features, physically
and otherwise. Her answers? "My strength of will and
determination. And as far as my body goes, I think it would
be my back. I have worked really hard on it this year."
We are all
striving to improve somewhere, and Cara's self-proclaimed
weakness is her stage presence. "My lack of confidence in
myself killed me on stage last year. I was scared out of my
mind and it showed. Going from never having worn a bikini
in public (HEY, ME TOO!) to wearing a posing suit on stage
in front of all those people… scary." Cara is working hard
on that aspect this year, and is already feeling more
confident about what she's bringing to the stage.
As
all competitive athletes know, it's essential to embrace the
challenge of the journey. "People don’t realize what a
mental challenge it is. The physical challenge is there too-
training on low calories is always tough!" And there are
many who can't quite make it: It's estimated that 800
athletes set out to compete on an annual basis. But when it
comes down to it, only about 200-300 actually step foot on
stage. That shows you what kind of dedication it really
takes!
Like many
other athletes, Cara struggles with the off-season. The
unrealistic expectations that others have of how she
should look, the incessant comments about how she looks
and what she's eating. Many of us have faced these demons,
but Cara was able to come to terms with it. "My own
expectations were hard to deal with, but I had a lot of
support from friends who had competed before. I think it's
really important for trainers to make their clients aware of
what happens after the show. I'm lucky to have Ron, who is
truly concerned with the physical and mental well-being of
his clients, both before AND after the show.
Here are
some more Cara facts:
Favorite
body part to train:
Shoulders
and Back
Least favorite body part to train:
"Calves. And it shows!"
Favorite cheat food:
"On season, as soon as I get a cheat meal, I head to
Starbucks. I am a latte-addict. Off season, breakfast with
my girlfriends (Smitty’s International breakfast is the
greatest invention ever)."
Your motto:
"What you get by
achieving your goals is not as important as what you become
by achieving your goals (Zig Ziglar). Or, a bit simpler-
“Do or do not. There is no try” Yoda.
Thanks for
sharing, Cara. Good luck this year both with your
competition(s) and your upcoming marriage!
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