What have you been up to since the Biogen Face Of Fitness 2020?
Being part of the Face of Fitness really helped me step out of my comfort zone as well as helped me to start focusing on building my own personal brand, through which I have worked with some amazing brands and met lots of people in the fitness industry. Since that time, I did my first fitness show, did a few photoshoots for well-known brands, and through doing Face of Fitness I was also lucky enough to study and become a qualified personal trainer. Since then I have been working at Train Station Gym and I absolutely love it. I am now currently working on launching my online coaching.
Your most recent stage time was competing at the SunFest bodybuilding show, how was that experience?
Absolutely amazing! Although I had already done one show – being the Fitness Runway Model, Sunfest was completely different and a lot more challenging for me personally. Not only did I have to focus on my prep but also the posing specific to the IFBB federation. Even though being amongst so many amazing athletes, it was rather intimidating at first. I really enjoyed being on the stage, and loved that everything was super organized and everybody there was willing to help and calm down those of us who were anxious prior to going on stage. It was also lovely meeting some other ladies in the fitness industry.
What made you decide to compete again?
After doing FRM in 2021 I knew that I definitely wanted to do another fitness show one day. I love that I can combine my passion for fitness and being on stage. Every person who competes has their own reason as to why they’re doing it and for me it’s about so much more than just training hard, eating right and getting on stage. For me, one of many reasons is about everything that I’ve been through to get me to where I am today and to be able to realize that I am capable of achieving so much more than I ever thought I could. Due to various setbacks it did take a bit longer for me to get back onto the stage, but nevertheless I’m so grateful to finally have competed in my first IFBB show.
What would you say is the most challenging part of prepping?
There are definitely many challenging aspects that come with prepping. For me it’s definitely comparing myself to others. I’ve always struggled with this and especially with something like competing, you’re constantly looking at other people and their journey and always comparing the way that you look to them. I’ve realized that it’s so important to focus only on your journey and goals and I am constantly trying to remind myself that everyone is on their own path and that comparing yourself to others will only make your prep harder.
Do you plan on doing any more shows this year?
Most definitely! I am grateful to have received an invite to compete at the Arnold Classic Bodybuilding show in two weeks’ time, so you will definitely see me there. After Arnolds I will take a bit of time off and then my coach and I will decide when the next show will be.
Can you give us an example of how you eat during a day of prep?
I think that what I ate throughout my prep looks a lot different to what most people would eat. I have always struggled to gain weight and even in my “bulking phase” I was not able to gain as much weight as I needed to. Therefore we only started dropping my calories very slightly at about 4 weeks out, and even then I was still eating A LOT. A basic overview of what I ate as I got closer to show consisted of the following:
• Eggs, baby spinach, avocado, salted pretzels and sweet potato.
• Mince with jasmine rice & greens.
• Egg whites & oats (made into yummy pancakes) with raw honey and mango.
• My choice of protein with jasmine rice and then my dinner which consisted of protein, veg and avocado.
What do you think the most important aspect of prep is?
Your mindset and knowing what your reason is for competing (your why). You can train as hard as you want and try to eat everything on your meal plan, but if your mindset isn’t strong enough, I promise you that your prep will be a lot tougher than it already is. The most important thing to remind yourself of, especially on the days you may be struggling, is to remind yourself of your goals and how far you’ve already come. This is what helped me most.
What has been the hardest part of prepping for you?
Having to give my all in every training session no matter how tired I was after work or how sore my body was, the posing practice, getting in all my meals and having to eat my prep meals on fun weekend trips away while everyone was having the most delicious food.
Any quick #loadshedding meal prep tips?
Probably best to invest in a small gas stove! However, I always try to make sure that the majority of my meals are prepared beforehand or sometimes have smoked chicken instead of normal chicken and have some ready-made packets of rice in the cupboard to just heat up quickly and minimize the amount of cooking time if you know that the power is going out soon.
Having pasta cooked and kept in the fridge is a great idea as you can add any protein and salad etc to make a quick pasta salad.
Could you put a rough financial value to competing (if comfortable). Outside of food prep / gym / coach – how much of an investment does one need to be prepared to make it to compete?
Competing is quite the expense, especially for us ladies. I have not calculated exactly how much this show cost me (but I do know that it was a lot). These are the main expenses that you would need to set money aside for other than your coaching, food (which probably costs the most) and gym fees:
- Your bikini and stage heels (Dress & mono-kini if you’re doing fitmodel)
- Any supplements & vitamins that you may need to use
- Hair, makeup and nails
- Registration and affiliation fees
- Jewelry
- Spray Tan
With all you’ve pushed hard to achieve, what advice would you give your younger-self?
Never ever stop believing in yourself, do not ever limit your capabilities and don’t be so harsh on yourself. I learnt this especially after making top 6 for the 2020 Biogen Face of Fitness as I never thought I would be good enough to even make top 32. As little as I may believe in myself at times, I am always still reminded in various ways of my worth and that no dream is too big to achieve when you have your heart set on something.
Yay or Nay – what does Chante say?
Protein bars – Yes, in moderation! Protein bars are great and tasty to get some extra protein and a quick snack in, however they shouldn’t necessarily be used as a substitution to natural protein sources (especially not while prepping for a show).
Cheat meals – Yay! I usually get 1 or 2 refeed meals a week depending on how my coach feels about my condition. (Up until about 2 weeks out from show)
Training everyday – No. It is essential to give your body 1 or 2 days to rest and recover, especially when training at an intense level. Throughout my prep I would have 2 rest days per week.
Running – This depends entirely on each person. For me personally, any form of cardio is a no go especially while I’m prepping. (Definitely not complaining though.)
Diet protein – I personally do not use diet protein, but rather Biogen’s Iso-Whey. I do, however, think diet protein is a good way to get in some extra protein for those of you who may struggle to get all your meals daily
Quick stats
Age: 27 years old
Occupation: I am a qualified Dance & musical theater performer and personal trainer, as well as a fitness model.
Sponsors: Biogen, Ryderwear, Gary Rom Hairdressing and coaching by Shelby Neves (CoachedbyTZ).
Achievements: A few that I’m extremely grateful for:
- Dancing in the South African Tattoo show at the Sun Times Square Arena
- Being an ensemble dancer and singer in Jonathan Roxmouth “The Musicals in Concert” at Monte Casino Teatro.
- Receiving a talent based scholarship to study Acting for Film at New York Film Academy
- TOP 6 Biogen FACE OF FITNESS 2020 & featuring in Fitness Magazine
- 2nd Place for Female Model at Fitness Runway Model 2021
- Shooting for various well known fitness brands & being on my first billboard
- Placing 1st for Fitmodel at my debut IFBB Bodybuilding show and receiving an invitation to compete at the Arnold Classic 2023.
Author: Tanja Schmitz
Founder and Editor of Fitness Magazine. You’ll find her behind her computer or on her bike, dreaming up new ways to improve or create content for you.
Leave a Reply