Wendy Feth Interview

Wendy Feth competed in Bodybuilding in her twenties. Then it was to "declare her Independence from a lifestyle of fat. In her forties she started competing and doing well in Figure to "be the best athlete" she could be. She is doing a great job of that as you can see by her photos. The story of Wendy Feth is a story of inspiration and dedication, to being the best, and it's a story that has a lot more yet to be written.






Q: First, Wendy, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this.

Q: Can you start out by telling a little about yourself.
A: I was born and lived most of my life in California. Although I moved alot as a child, I stayed in Sacramento most of my adult life until November 2005 when me and my husband Jeff and children Charles, Christopher and Matthew moved to Montana. In 1998, I found out I was pregnant with twins and decided to take a leave of absence and go back to college. I graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business with an Accounting concentration. I graduated with honors. I currently work for the State of Montana as an Accounting Supervisor.

Q: Before the gym were you an especially athletic person? Play any sports or
anything?
A; I really had never considered myself to be an athlete although I did do judo and a little soccer in high school. In my early twenties I discovered bodybuilding and even competed once in the Golden Bear Bodybuilding Contest held at the California State Fair.

Q: What initially led you into the gym?
A: Well, like I said in the last question, I discovered bodybuilding in my twenties. I loved that I could do it alone and that my body took to it so naturally. I loved the results. However, after getting married and having children, I had tried and failed numerous times to get in shape and stay that way. Until I turned 44, and I went back into the gym and haven't turned back since!

Q: Was training something you picked up fairly easy? How long before you started
to see results?
A: Sorry, I seem to be getting ahead of you. As I said in the last question, My body did take to lifting very easily. When I return to the gym in May 2008, it really did not take long to see results. I went from a size 8 to a size 3/4 by the end of that year.


Q: What made you decide to compete for the first time?
A: Well, because I had competed in bodybuilding in my twenties, I thought it would be neat to go back and compete again in my forties. However, I decided I wanted to try figure instead of bodybuilding this time.

Q: Is competing something your family and friends supported?
A; My family is very supportive. Hubby takes care of the kids while I am at the gym late most weeknights.

Q: Was competing what you expected or did anything surprise you about it?
A: Competing is so much more than I expected. I just competed for my fourth time on April 9th at the NPC Big Sky. When I first started competing it was about declaring my independence from a lifestyle of fat. However, before I started preparing for this latest contest, it became about being the best athlete I could be, about being in peak condition!

Q: Can you share your contest history.
A:
*September 2009- NPC Northwest Tournaments of Champions -DNP
*May 2010- NPC Big Sky Figure- Masters- DNP, Class A 2nd
*May 2010- NPC Montana State Figure Championship- Masters 4th, Class A 4th
*April 2011- NPC Big Sky- Figure, Masters under 5'6" 5th place; Class A Figure 5th place.


Q: As far as body parts, what do you feel is your best one?
A: My glutes and legs are my best body parts.

Q: Do you have a part you most like to train or favorite exercise?
A: I love hack squats.

Q: What is your normal training routine and diet like and how do you alter it
for contest prep?
A: Well, I usually train 4 days a week during the off season and my diet is more balanced. During precontest, training eventually becomes 6 days a week, lots of cardio and the inclusion of metabolic enhanced training. Also, my diet becomes a ketosis diet with very little carbs and the exclusion of some food groups. Of course, lots of supplementation to keep me healthy.

Q: When someone sees your physique or hears you compete for the first time,
what is the most common reaction? More positive or negative?
A: I have found most people are supportive; however, they don't quite understand why a person would put themselves through such a demanding and rigorous training/diet program.


Q: When they see it that first time, what is the one question or comment you
are most sick of hearing?
A: This time around I got alot of people worried that I was going to disappear. They didn't like how skinny I became. They just didn't understand.

Q: What is the biggest misconception about women who train and compete or the
one thing you wish people understood?
A: I wish women understood that lifting weights is not going to make you bulky and less attractive.

Q: What is the best and worst part of training for you?
A; The best part is seeing what the body can endure and actually thrive on. I was eating around 800 calories and doing 1000+ body weight repetitions none stop near the end of my contest prep. Worst part is the aches and pains in the joints and muscles from training so intensely and being over 45 years old.

Q: Do you have any favorite competitors or any you admire?
A: Erin Stern, Cory Everson, Rachel McLish, and Ava Cowan...to name a few.

Q: Do you have a favorite cheat food?
A: Dark Chocolate Espresso Beans

Q: If another woman told you she wanted to start training, what is the one
piece of advice you would most want to give her?
A; Get a doctor's okay and then start slowly and built up. Too often men and women train to hard or intense or too often right away and hurt themselves or burn out.


Q: Do you think its becoming more common to see women using the weights in the
gym as opposed to just doing cardio and things?
A: I wish I could say yes, but honestly I still see more women in the aerobics rooms and cardio machines still. Those that are lifting, many are being shown how to do it by their boyfriends. I just wish more women were like me and taught themselves how to lift and train. Be your own person. Read everything you can. Be the maker of your own destiny.

Q: Outside of training, any other hobbies or activities you enjoy?
A: Ha, ha. I have many. I love to draw, paint, and quilt. I also love to ride my horses, hike and snowshoe. Oh, and I love to sing.

Q: Can you describe a typical day in the life of Wendy Feth.
A: Off Season:
6:00 a.m. Dress and get kids to bus and go to work
7:30 a.m. Work ( I may get in a couple one mile walks in)
6:30 p.m. Head to the Gym
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Train and do some low impact cardio
9:00 p.m. Home, check emails, update stuff on bodyspace.com, bathe, set out clothes for next day, and pack gym bag.
10:30 pm. Bed

Pre-Contest:
5:30 a.m. Cardio
6:00 a.m. Dress and get kids to buss and go to work.
7:30 a.m. Work
11:30 a.m. Gym for training session #1
1:30 p.m. Work
6:30 p.m. Gym session #2
9:00 p.m. Home, bathe, pack clothes and gym for next day.
10:00 p.m. Bed

Q: Describe Wendy Feth in five words.
A: Confident, Risk Taker, Tenacious, Winner

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
A: At age 44, I also started my own classic rock/contemporary country band Wendy and the Wild Side.

Q: Any set plans for the near future as far as competing or anything else?
A: Short term: Keep improving my body by adding muscle in my shoulders, and quad sweeps. Tummy tuck with in the next 3 years. Then, back to competing. 5 year goal: Become an professional figure athlete and who knows perhaps an amateur female bodybuilder too.

Q: Anything you want to take this opportunity to plug or promote?
A: I am currently in the April Vitrix Model Search. I could really use the votes. Vote for me once every 24 hours through May 14th. Here is the link: http://vitrixmodelteam.com/index.php?option=com_modelsearch&controller=contestant& userid=313&filter_contest=16&Itemid=156#photoid=3070
Also, look for me in Status Fitness Magazine's September 2011 issue, "100 Most Sexiest Fitness Models".


Q: Are you looking for sponsors? If so how can they reach you and what are they
getting in Wendy Feth the athlete and competitor?
A: I am definitely looking for sponsors. I can be reached by email at helenawf@netscape.net . With Wendy Feth, you are getting the complete package, I not only look very athletic and awesome in bodybuilding poses, but I also look very sexy in model poses. Furthermore, I have an amazing fan base. Currently over 3000 in bodyspace alone. Check me out : http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/helenawf/ I am currently in fourth place in the Vitrix Model Contest out of 32 very attractive women. You cannot ignore my potential to reach a large population of people, both young and old, male and female.

Q: Wendy, again, I thank you for taking the time to do this. Any last words
before you go?
A: I just want to recognize that I couldn't have gotten in the fantastic shape I got into this last competition without the awesome support and guidance of Master Trainer, Thomas Bermudez of Elite Training in Michigan.