Kristy Wilce Interview

Q: First, Kristy, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this.
A: Thank you for the opportunity Jason.

Q: Can you start out by telling a little about yourself.
A: I was born in San Jose, California, a true California girl! I have been married to David for 27 years and we have a 17 year old son, Cooper. I work full time at San Jose State University as an Assistant Director of Housing.

Q: Before the gym were you an especially athletic person? Play any sports or anything?
A: I was not athletic all all when I was young. In fact, both of my sisters were on a swim team and every morning they would get up to go swim in the cold outside pool, I chose to stay home and watch TV! But then in high school I fell in love with dance, particularly modern dance. I became a "student teacher" for the younger dancers and spent half my day dancing. Each year we had a couple productions, and each year I would get reprimanded for my performance (or usually the attire). The last one that came to mind was a witch doctor, I came out in a skin colored leotard with only a fur loin cloth. People talked for months about the scandal!

Q: What initially led you into the gym?
A: As I grew older I realized I had to start some form of exercise to maintain my weight. I got into running, and was training for a marathon. I soon developed plantar fasciitis and once I finished the marathon, couldn't run for a few years so took up weight training to fill in the time as I healed. I fell in love with the weights and I never went back to running.

Q: Was training something you picked up fairly easy? How long before you started to see results?
A: I think I was a very fast learner, mainly because I was hungry to learn and felt I had no limits. I was often the only female in the weight room and I felt just fine with that. I would develop friendships with the other lifters and they would offer advise and help me along the way. I started to see results fairly quickly and that made me even more excited to expand my knowledge in the gym. I so think that I saw results fast, in a matter of a few months.

Q: What made you decide to compete for the first time?
A: I had been seriously training for several years and quite often would be asked "Do you compete?". I really didn't have any idea what people meant, I thought that there were Bodybuilders and that was it. I had no idea the sport of Figure even existed. So, as I was asked and asked more often, I decided I needed to look into it. What was the look that made people ask me this? I started to research on the Internet, I started looking at the magazines that were geared more towards Bodybuilders, I sought out people who could help me. I found a nutritionist who was a Figure Competitor herself, and explained to her that I wanted to see if I could just look like a Figure Competitor, I had no desire to compete, I only wanted to try to look like I did. Two months later, at the age of 47, I was on stage and went home with my first trophy.

Q: Is competing something your family and friends supported?
A: My family has been completely supportive of me from day one. They are very, very proud of me and know how hard I work. Friends are in awe and amazed that I can work full time, have a family life and still have time for my sport. They too support me, making sure that special events are planned around my dieting, or they make foods they know I can eat, and never criticize my choices. I have developed more friends through my sport, and we support each other.

Q: Was competing what you expected or did anything surprise you about it?
A: No it was not what I expected at all. I had never attended a show as a spectator until after I actually competed! I thought it would be very organized and that "people" would be there to tell me what to do all along the way. I thought there would be instructions, I mean how on earth does one know all the necessary steps without instructions? I was told by a seasoned veteran that I should stick to myself, the women are "catty" and I should just take my iPod and quietly listen to my music backstage. I didn't take her advise. What surprised me was the wonderful generosity of all of the other competitors! They helped me with everything. They actually seemed to look after the new competitors. Although we could actually be competing against each other, we were all in it together, we were all nervous, hungry, tired, hot or cold (depending on the season), scared, elated, excited and most of all very, very deeply proud of our personal struggles and achievements.
I developed friendships at each competition and still stay in touch with some of the other women. We support and motivate each other. It takes a special breed of person to compete, and unless you are a competitor yourself, you will never really understand all that it takes to get on that stage.

Q: Can you share your contest history.
A:
*2011 NPC San Francisco Bodybuilding, Fitness, Men's Physique, Figure & Bikini Championships- Figure Class C 3rd, Figure Masters 50+ 1st
*2010 NPC San Francisco Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships- Figure Class C 4th, Figure Masters 45+ 3rd
*2010 NPC San Jose Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships- Figure Class B 5th, Figure Masters 45+ 2nd
*2010 NPC Contra Costa Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships- Figure Class C 7th, Figure Master’s 45+ 4th
*2009 NPC San Francisco Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships- Figure Class B 2nd, Figure Masters 45+ 2nd
*2009 NPC San Jose Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships- Figure Class B 3rd, Figure Masters 45+1st
*2009 NPC Contra Costa Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships- Figure Class B 14th, Figure Master’s 45+ 2nd

Q: As far as body parts, what do you feel is your best one?
A: My shoulders, I think they get wide and very round, They look good all the time, but close to a competition, they really pop.

Q: Do you have a part you most like to train or favorite exercise?
A: I enjoy shoulder day the best! I feel powerful when training shoulders. I think because so many women shy away from trying to build up their shoulders, and I like to be a rebel. My favorite exercise has nothing to do with shoulders, it is the Glute Ham Raise. Most commercial gyms do not have this piece of equipment and it is one of the most effective pieces that one can use.

Q: What is your normal training routine and diet like and how do you alter it for contest prep?
A: I train 7 days a week and am at the gym everyday at opening, rain or shine, work day or weekday. Three week days a week I go in and do 20 minutes of cardio, abs and stretch. Those days I meet my trainer after work and lift. He has his own facility, he is not affiliated with my gym. The other two weekdays I lift in the gym on my own in the mornings. Saturdays and Sundays I lift and then add cardio, I will run stairs and jump rope at lunchtime when I am at work.
For competition prep I will add in more cardio, doing it everyday after work. I try to do sprints or stairs instead of steady state cardio then. I have a track across the street from my home, so I go there after work.
The typical meals are:
Meal replacement upon waking. 1 cup egg whites and 1 serving starch for breakfast (oatmeal)
Meals 3 and 4 are 4 ounces lean protein, 3 ounces starch, 1 1/2 cup vegetables.
Meal 5 is the same but starch is reduced to 2 ounces
Meal 6 is 1 cup egg whites
My diet doesn't typically change too much. I eat 6 times a day, year round. During competition prep I am of course, much more strict with the diet and snacking. During prep I eat no fruit, no dairy, no fatty meats, no bread or pasta and I reduce starches at every meal. When I am not prepping I will enjoy some dinners out, some wine and treats now and again.

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: Oh definitely positive! They usually get wide eyed and start asking questions. The typical person probably doesn't know even one woman who competes, so we are somewhat of an oddity to most people. The most common questions are related to what exercises I do to look this way, they don't realize it's more about the diet.

Q: When they see it that first time, what is the one question or comment you are most sick of hearing?
A: I never get sick of hearing any questions, I love the attention! I work hard and to be recognized is wonderful. I am asked most often about my arms, what it takes to get arms like mine.

Q: What is the biggest misconception about women who train and compete or the one thing you wish people understood?
A: I think the biggest misconception is that the general public only knows about Bodybuilders, so when I say I compete they think I am a Bodybuilder. I have to explain the difference between Bodybuilders and Figure Competitors. They also assume that we all take drugs to get muscles. I wish they understood that it takes a good diet and dedicated training. I also wish people could grasp that it takes time to develop a good physique, it doesn't happen over night. People seem to get discouraged as they want instant results.

Q: What is the best and worst part of training for you?
A: The best part is I am healthy and I feel great everyday. I look forward to waking up because I can go to the gym and lift! I rarely get ill, I have no aches and pains, I feel accomplished everyday that I walk out of the gym. The worst part is all the laundry since I train two to three times a day, I have a lot of gym clothes to wash and hang out to dry.

Q: Do you have any favorite competitors or any you admire?
A: I really admire all competitors who have the guts and determination to do what we do. As far as physiques, I admire Dana Linn Bailey, she is what I am striving for.

Q: Do you have a favorite cheat food?
A: I have many but peanut butter must be number one!

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: I would tell her to first write down her short and long term goals. Be realistic and seek out as much support as possible. Hire a trainer who is completely supportive of her goals, not their idea of what she may need, and hire a nutritionist and learn how to fuel her body properly.

Q: Do you think its becoming more common for women to use the weights as opposed to just doing cardio and things?
A: Thank goodness that it is! The cardio queen is on her way out and I think that more and more women are learning that the way to look good and be healthy is with weight training, not endless cardio. Women tend to flock to group type exercises though, whereas men prefer lone events. Because of this, I think we will always see more women doing the cardio type exercises. They also still have the misconception that weights will make you big and bulky. It is so hard to bulk up! Women just don't have the testosterone in their bodies to get super big without really working hard at it.

Q: Outside of training, any other hobbies or activities you enjoy?
A: My husband and I are home wine makers and have been for about 20 years! My husband is the main winemaker, I lift and hoist barrels mainly. He has won many ribbons for his wines. My son once said "Dad, your hobby is a lot easier than Moms. She has to diet all the time and lift heavy weights, you sit around and eat cheese and drink wine" LOL!
I also love to cook, and am quite good at it. I write a fitness and health blog everyday that takes up quite a bit of my free time also.

Q: Can you describe a typical day in the life of Kristy Wilce.
A: I wake at 4:00 a.m, have a meal replacement drink and read emails, check my blog. I am at the gym at 5:00 a.m. for a little over an hour. I work full time at a University, where I have been for 17 years. Some days I meet my trainer after work. I then go home and prepare dinner and lunches for the following day. Often I will eat a different meal than the rest of the family, but will prepare foods for them still. I am in bed early, sleep is vital to growth and success in this sport.
Weekends are a little more relaxed, the gym opens at 6 a.m. so I sleep in a bit. I will spend several hours on one weekend day prepping foods for the week, I cook and weigh out portions and freeze them so I always have what I need on hand. I get produce twice a week and prepare and eat a lot of vegetables. You could say my life really revolves around food and fuel. I love to relax with a cup of tea at the end of the night.

Q: Describe Kristy Wilce in five words.
A: Driven, Focused, Determined, Tireless, Happy

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
A: Although I seem to be on a diet most of the time, I love to cook and eat. I can taste any dish and reproduce it myself. I once won first place for the Western United States in the Build a Better Burger contest for my Gorgonzola Beefburger with Sun Dried Tomato Relish.
Also, that I am 50 years old. Not many women my age are doing this!

Q: Any set plans for the near future as far as competing or anything else?
A: Yes! I plan to move into Women's Physique and am super excited about it! I have been training and eating to gain as much mass as possible, in fact I have been experimenting with a new diet and it has been very successful I think. I have reduced starches by 8 ounces a day and increased lean protein by 12 ounces a day. I have gained 13 pounds in 6 weeks and very little is fat. I need to bring up my quads so that is my focus now. The feedback I received from the judges was that my shoulders overpower my legs, so I need to bring up my quads and calves. My next competition would be May of 2012 in the Women's Physique division and not Figure.

Q: Anything you want to take this opportunity to plug or promote?
A: Yes, I would love to promote my trainer, Roy Ganju and his facility BodyComp Personal Training Gym in San Jose. Roy is very knowledgeable and supportive and has helped me to sculpt my body to look it's best.
Also, my personal blog Ready In 5 Weeks. I write daily and explain my training and diet and provide motivation and healthy recipes. I have a lot of faithful readers and think that anyone interested in this sport would enjoy it and learn from me.

Q: Are you looking for sponsors? If so how can they reach you and what are they getting in Kristy Wilce the athlete and competitor?
A: I am definitely looking for sponsors. They would get a motivated and positive woman who would promote their product effectively because as a wife and mother who holds a full time job, I represent real women everywhere. I am an example that with hard work and determination, all women, regardless of age can succeed. I can be contact at wilcekristy@gmail.com

Q: Kristy, again, I thank you for taking the time to do this. Any last words before you go?
A: Thank you for this opportunity to share a little about myself with your readers. I enjoy reading about the other motivating women on your blog!