IFBB Fitness Pro, Erin Riley has been working her booty off in preparation for this weekend’s IFBB Houston Pro Show. I caught up with Erin days before she takes the stage. She’s been a pro for less than a year, earning her pro status at the 2007 Team Universe, but cracked the top 10 in her pro debut. With one sixth place finish under her pro belt; she’s looking to shake things up in the top 5.
Erin Riley’s pro earning performance in 2007.
How do you feel going into the Houston Pro?
I feel great! I have really worked hard for this show, and I’m very excited to be getting back on stage again. I can’t wait until Saturday!
What are your goals for this show?
My goal for the Houston Pro is to bring my best package to date, physique-wise, and to nail my routines. That is really all I can ask of myself. The rest is up to the judges…although I wouldn’t mind a top 5 finish In fact, that would be amazing, especially considering the strength of the lineup.
What can fans expect from you at this show?
Fans can expect a more full and balanced physique, compared to my pro debut last year in Atlantic City. I’ve really worked hard in the past several months to try to bring up my physique to be competitive with the top fitness pros.
As far as my routines go, well, you will just have to wait and see. I can’t give away any secrets! Lets just say I plan to “rock” it on stage, and I think the fans will enjoy my performances.
What did have you done differently since your last show?
I took a good 6 months off from dieting since the Atlantic City Pro last September so that I could really focus on building some quality muscle and re-shaping my physique. Last year, I dieted for 7 months straight without any break, so the long off-season was a necessity. My diet is pretty similar to what I’ve used in the past. I still work with Robert Samborsky. He knows my body and how it responds. So we have the diet formula pretty much down to a T.
As far as training, I have added some new full body conditioning training that uses a lot of “strongman” type exercises. These workouts have really helped my routines and my overall conditioning tremendously, AND they’re a lot of fun!
What advice do you have for other women thinking of trying their hand in fitness but not sure they can put together a routine?
I always encourage women to give fitness a try because it is just so rewarding! I think the idea that you need to be able to do gymnastics to be successful in fitness scares some women off. But there are so many great pros that do not have a gymnastics background, and yet they still put together some amazing routines! My best advice is to find what you are good at, whether it be dance, gymnastics, aerobics, cheerleading, etc- and build your routine from that. If you are comfortable and having a blast with your routine performance, the audience will see that, and they will love it!
Thanks Erin and Good luck! If you like to see what Erin looked like one week out and the training video she was speaking about, you can see it all on her blog.
Erin showing off her strength at the ’07 Team Universe.
