Time For A Pro Debut: An RX Girl Exclusive Interview With IFBB Pro Danielle Sereluca
The 2012 National Championships was a show packed full of pleasant surprises, none greater than Figure Class A winner Danielle Sereluca. This stunning beauty took stage and the competition by storm. Stepping onstage for only the third time in her competitive career, Danielle earned her pro card by presenting an incredible package of beauty and muscularity. Now, this hard working mother of two is just a few short weeks away from her pro debut and has given Rx Muscle fans an exclusive interview to give her thoughts on competition, training, and much more.
Q.) The last time we saw you onstage was at the 2012 NPC Nationals Championships where walked in a competitor, and walked out an IFBB Pro. Has life changed at all for you since earning your pro card?
A.)Not too much, I get a lot more recognition from magazines, websites, sponsors, friends and fans. I guess I don’t see myself as being an IFBB pro still. It’s still very surreal to me. But, what I do love more than anything is the emails I get from fans telling me that I inspire them to be great, to not give up, and to keep pushing. That to me is a win all in itself.
Q.) Away from the stage you have a family, including two young daughters, and work fulltime as an echocardiographer. How do you manage to balance the daily demands of family, work, and maintaining a home while still finding time to make it to the gym?
A.) I m
ade a promise to my fiancé that if I was to keep competing there had to be some kind of schedule/ balance at home, so I don’t miss out on my time with the family. There are days where life throws me a curve ball but I’ve found that I just have to adjust and keep pushing. I am a positive, energetic, fun loving person. I have a drive deep down in me that anything when I set my mind to something I will accomplish it and that includes my training. I think to be successful and not lose yourself in this sport you must have balance in life.
Q.) Could you give us an example of what a typical day looks like for you?
A.) Well, I get up at 4 am and I head to the gym at 445 am. I’m there until 6 am, go home get ready for work, then I get the kids up and moving and ready for school. Then, I head out to work at 730-430p before heading home to begin job two, being mom and taking care of the kids, followed by dinner, homework, baths and bed. I’m usually in bed by 10pm and back at it in the morning.
Q.) Let's switch gears briefly and focus on your diet and your training. What would you say is your greatest strength as a competitor?
A.) I’ have to say my will power and dedication. If I set a goal for myself, as I usually do in the beginning of my show prep, I am 110% on it. There is no cheating on diets or in the gym. I eat 7 meals a day. I even wake up at night to get that last meal in if I have to. I train 6 days a week and give myself 1 rest day in the middle of the week. My best body part has to be my shoulders/delts. I’ve built some boulder shoulders for sure (ha ha). A champion is made by overcoming his/her obstacles. Stay hungry for your goals and never be satisfied!
Q.) What would you say is your greatest weakness? Could you give us an example of a workout you use to try and bring it up?
A.) My greatest weakness has to be my legs. I work the hell out of them twice a week! I’ve tried everything, it’s just not in my genetic makeup to have killer legs like some figure girls so I try to bring them up and out by lifting very heavy. I love leg extensions, lying leg curls, hack squats dead lifts, leg presses (different placements) walking lunges and pile squats. To bring out the lines in my legs as I get closer to show time I use higher reps and lower weights along with a lot of sprints, jump squats, and the stepmill.
Q.) You earned your pro card after taking on the role of mommy and giving birth to your two daughters. Did you find had to modify your diet or training at all after having kids?
A.) My diet has always been made by my coach, I trust her with e
verything. She is spot on, so it makes my life easier to just listen to her and follow the diet with no thinking involved. Being prepared and food prep is my biggest success. As far as my training is concerned, I am very blessed with good genetics, but I had to put the work in. Nothing came to me easily, but it eventually did come and the results were fantastic! So I kept going and building my body to be perfect, or at least the best of my ability. I guess I did it right because I won my pro card!
Q.) You managed to earn your pro card despite a relatively short competitive history. Were there any aspects of the competitive side of the sport that were tougher than you expected?
A.) I won my pro card after doing three shows in figure. I was very blessed. I think sometimes when I look back it was the mental aspect of the training and dieting and sticking to it with no cheating. Also, putting in my time and getting noticed by the judges was important. Sometimes I also felt that in competitions it can be very political, and if you’re not associated with a team, you may never get noticed. I took my chances and went on my own with my coach. She’s the real person responsible for m
y success, she pointed me in the right direction and I put the work in.
Q.) When can we expect to see you on an IFBB stage?
A.) My pro debut will be at the Pittsburgh Pro on May 4th. I felt like this was a good place to start and show my thanks and respect to JM Manion for giving me this awesome opportunity to become and compete as an IFBB Pro.
Q.) Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
A.) I would love to give a big shout out to Phaedra Dunaway White and Andrea Holliday for being my coaches and helping me through my preps. Their guidance is truly priceless to me. I would also like to thank Aspen athletics for always having my back. To my sponsors FlexTillYourFamous, Cutting Edge supplements, ProTan, Trulene Xtreme, and my suite sponsor Decked in Diamonds I want to give a heartfelt thank you for believing in me!!
Danielle and her team are entering the final weeks of her prep with plans to hit the stage in Pittsburgh and stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best athletes in the world. Her dedicated approaches to her family, diet, and training have turned her into an inspiration for countless women. And, if her past is any indication of what’s to come, success isn’t an option. It’s mandatory.
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