Spotlight On: NPC Bikini Competitor: Frida Sjöström
Competitio
n History:
Fitness Britain Championships, Muscelmania, Great Britain (2012), 2nd place Bikini tall class
NIFMA Championships, Northern Ireland (2012), 1st place Miss Swimwear, Overall winner Miss Swimwear
NPC Ironman Magazine Naturally Championships, Los Angeles, USA (2013), 4th place Bikini class B
Loaded Cup, Ringsted, Denmark (2013), 1st place +163 cm, Overall winner Bikini fitness
NPC Tournament of Champions, Culver City, USA (2013), 9th place, Open Bikini class
Swedish National Championships (SM), Västerås, Sweden (2013), 1st place Bikini fitness +163 cm
Nordic Championships (NM), Tallin, Estonia (2013), 1st place Bikini Fitness -168 cm
World Cup Bikini Fitness, St Pölten, Austria (2013), 4th place Bikini fitness -168 cm
Would you please tell us a little about your workout schedule?
I do weight lifting six times a week. Because I am working as a personal trainer it’s easier for me to find the time to train. My focus is to develop my lower body, so I train legs two times a week. I work at a few different gyms so I am on my bike 1-2 hours a day in the weekdays, so there I have my cardio. In the weekends I go running or take long walks combined with the gym. I take every chance to work out and because I have small kids I work out with them as well.
What do you feel is the WORST part of contest prep?
The worst is that it takes so much time, both with food planning and the cardio. One of the worst parts is also that it’s hard to be healthy to your body while on a diet and training hard. After a competition it takes a while to get back in balance and it’s also a mental challenge to realize it’s not possible to be in competition shape all year round.
If you could change one thing about this sport what woul.jpg)
d it be?
In Sweden bodybuilding doesn’t get any publishing in the mainstream media. We have very good and successful athletes from our country that have won medals all around the world but the sports magazines and sports news never says anything about it.
This is a growing sport and nowadays almost everyone has a gym membership. I understand it is partly that the sport is associated with steroid use, but isn’t it the same problem in any sport? So I wish that the attitude from the society could change. This is a serious sport and we work just as hard as the athletes in other sports that are more socially accepted.
What are some motivational strategies that have worked for you?
I find my motivation by training with friends or trying something new in my training schedule. Pictures and YouTube videos with my favorite athletes like Nathalia Melo, Anna Virmajoki, and Ashley Kaltwasser also works for me. Sometimes I rest from the gym for a few days because the body is just tired. It also helps to look at old pictures from my competitions or my trophies.
Tell us how you first discovered weight training.
I have done horse riding since I was six years old. After I quit this activity I needed to find a new source to release my energy upon, so when I was 19 and tried weight lifting for the first time, I got hooked right away.
Later when I was 21 I decided I wanted to work with health and training and started studying public health science at the university. After my pregnancies I got more and more into training and got in my best shape ever. When my youngest was 1 years old I entered my first competition.
What’s your favorite cheat meal?
I have to say granola with vanilla yogurt!
How did you come to the decision to enter your first competition?
As long as I can remember I have always been the sporty one and people around me would often asked why I didn’t start competing. I have always found the figure/body fitness ideal too muscular for me, so when I discovered there was a Bikini category I entered a competition in UK 1-5 year ago.
The category didn’t exist in Sweden at that time. I didn’t know how to prepare for a competition so I went there to try just for fun and didn’t know what to expect. Nobody k
new I was going there in case I would end up at last place! It went well even though I made some beginner’s mistakes and ended up 2nd. My first trophy and I was hooked.
Favorite Motivational Quote:
Don´t be upset with the result you didn´t get with the work you didn´t do!
If you could switch your life with a famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Dalai Lama. He seems to have an inner peace – something I have to admit I am still searching for.
What do you do in your free time?
Training and taking care of my kids takes most of my free time, but before I had the kids I enjoyed singing and dancing. I love being on stage and I love training, so Bikini fitness felt like a natural step! Cooking and having dinner with my friends is my way to relax. I love creating healthy recipies with lots of veggies and protein!
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I have been sure for a long time that I will keep on helping people to find more healthy ways of living, but maybe not as a personal trainer. The focus for me has always been that it’s more important that I like what I am doing – more than how much money it brings. But of course my goal is also to work less for more money. I doubt I am still competing in five years, but who knows? I believe I will keep on training though.
When you have two kids, how do you find time to train, do c
ardio, and prepare for competitions? Do you also have any advice to people who want to get in to shape but who say they don’t have time because of their work, family and kids?
Because of them I almost never lay down in the couch. I stay active, which I like. There is always something they need or want so they are my small personal trainers. :) In Sweden we have a whole year off from work when having a baby so that is a great opportunity to start or continue training.
In bigger cities there are many gyms that take care of the kids while you exercise. Instead of sitting at a cafe while the baby is sleeping you can go for a walk or run with the stroller. Small things are what make big differences in the end. Now when my kids are a little bit older (3 and 5) they sometimes come with me to the gym, swinging in the TRX while I am doing some weights.
I think that the key is to do things together with the kids which they also can enjoy. They also learn that eating healthy should be natural and a part of life. During my diet periods they eat what I eat but different amounts. Chicken, rice and broccoli is good food for them, too, so I just try to make it as easy as possible. And I always have food prep on Sundays for the week so the freezer is full of ready food. Everything is about planning and dedication!
Are you planning to compete during 2014?
My next competition is the European Championships in May and after that I hope to participate at the Olympia Amateur Europe in Prague. I love competing in the U.S., so I hope there is time to go there again and compete after the summer. My dream is to be the first Swedish IFBB Bikini Pro!
In closing, who would you like to give a shout-out to?
My coach and friend Said Alghifary, an experienced athlete (CBB and Men’s Physique) with a lot of knowledge and with a good attitude.
Contact and website: www.fridasweb.com
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