Becky Williamson

Born Rebecca Williamson in 1972, she is a riding instructor and personal trainer.

Xtr. Tell us a little about yourself.
Beccy. I have a fantastic son Hayden who is 5 years old. He's Britain's answer to Johnny Knoxville and Evel Kinevel!! My partner Al is a star in a local rugby team. Without both of my special men I could never have realised my dream of competing in bodybuilding.

Xtr. What hobbies do you have, if you have any time?
Beccy. Training, spending time with my "boys", my dog Zack and fast motorbikes and horses.

Xtr. How long have you been training?
Beccy. I've been training for 2 years, but only one has been serious.

Xtr. Where do you train?
Beccy. I train at Ironman Gym in Preston which is owned by the knowledgeable John Bridge.

Xtr. What made you start training.
Beccy. I wanted to lose weight and tone up. But I got hooked and went to college to finish a degree to allow me to become a personal trainer and work full time as a fitness instructor in a local gym.

Xtr. Tell me your contest history.
Beccy. My time onstage with other girls being judged was at the SPF in Edinburgh in May - a very scary experience! I won the Novice Class then went on to win my "local" Nabba North West contest which qualified me for the NABBA Britain finals where I placed 5th and was invited to the 2005 NABBA Universe at the end of the year.

Xtr. What was most satisfying about the whole experience?
Beccy. Most satisfying for me was proving to myself I was both mentally and physically strong enough to complete the requirements of whats needed to compete. To maintain the discipline and emotional balance would have been impossible without my boys and the support of my trainer, John Bridge (of Ironman Gym, Preston).

The physical changes in the last few weeks was incredible, I felt very proud to be walking onstage after the hours of training, weeks of dieting and self denial, learning and practising a routine to show my hard work off to the best of my ability.

Xtr. What are your plans and ambitions in bodybuilding now?
Beccy. My ambitions are to maintain balance between training hard and eating clean. I will hopefully defend my wins at the SPF and NABBA N. West then compete in the WPF European Championships and in the NABBA Britain once more.

Xtr. How long did you prepare for your contests?
Beccy. Training started June 2004, dieting Jan 2005 for contests in May 2005. I have had a month off but am now watching my food again and am training hard NOW for 2006!

Xtr. And how is it all going for you with your newly gained experience?
Beccy. Training is going well, my strength and stamina are getting back to their normal levels. It took some time for my body to settle down again to training and eating after the contests. I've had so many encouraging and positive comments from judges and established bodybuilders, this in itself has given me greater drive and enthusiasm than ever. I'm putting 150% into getting ready for next year.

Xtr. So what is your eating plan for the next year?
Beccy. Ha Ha, I've had a good month eating the foods I missed when dieting, and a few glasses of wine of course. I tend to gain weight easily and find staying lean hard but I'm eating clean again now, lots of protein and cycling my carbs and allowing the occasional treat too. I have found since dieting to compete I don't really want to eat lots of food which is detrimental to my goals, I'm now one of those silly cows who reads all the labels and carries a calculator round the supermarket.

I don't think I could have achieved what I already have without the help of Doug Black at Extreme Nutrition and the products he advised me to use over the last year, I saw my body change in ways I couldn't have imagined and at times when I was sick of chicken and turkey how good my Extreme Whey tasted.

Xtr. Whats your training like just now?
Beccy. Its very simple just now, 4 or 5 days in the gym hitting the weights and 1.5hrs cardio 4 days a week. I do 4 sets per exercise and go as heavy as I can manage so I can gain a bit more muscle and keep my bodyfat in check. I'm really enjoying my training just now, I have lots of support and guidance at the gym.

I believe I have good symmetry and balanced muscle groups and thankfully no particularly weak areas, I'd just like a little more mass. It would certainly help me with my 1 night a week rugby training!