Ryall Vasani’s Endurance Training for the 2013 Fitness International. Check out Ryall’s website and give her facebook page a “likeâ€. You can see her competition photos on bodybuilding.com. For more information on the Arnold Sports Festival visit www.arnoldsportsfestival.com and use #ASF2013 in all your tweets.
Ryall’s Road to the Arnold – Amping Up
February 3, 2013 by
IFBB Fitness Pro Ryall Vasani stops by to give us an update on her Fitness International prep. We’re under one month out from the big show in Columbus, Ohio. Read what Ryall’s up do and her hardbody state of mind.
Ryall Vasani – 2013 Fitness International Contender
Hi Hardbody fans! Anticipation is indeed building with less than 4 weeks to go until the Arnold Classic… I’m starting to feel excited now!
I had a very productive week in the gym. I’m still focused on building a wider back, fuller delts and calves and adding more volume to my outer quads. I’m very goal motivated – I’m go back to the drawing board after each competition to re-evaluate the feedback I received from my coaches, judges and fellow competitors. I use a training journal daily to keep me focused, on track and motivated to lift heavier than the week before. I’m currently consuming around 1800 calories/day and feeling really good with the fuel I have for the amount of training I’m doing. My last competition was just December 8th and since then I’ve stayed on track with my nutrition and training. It truly has become my lifestyle as I enjoy how I look and feel when I eat healthy. This has made ‘dieting for competition’ easier as I go – the more I live it the more it becomes a greater part of me and the less extreme my diet has to be for my preps. By staying in shape and not adding more than 5Lbs of body fat to my physique in the off-season works really well for me. Not to say I don’t enjoy the odd treat because OH YES I DO… I have a guilt-free indulgence when I feel I need it (usually every couple of weeks), however I’m very focused on keeping these moments in moderation and getting right back on track. Plus the more body fat I have the harder my routine practices are. It’s like flipping around with a permanent weight vest!
The past week my primary training focus has definitely been amping up the intensity of my routine. I find the endurance component is always my greatest challenge. 2 minutes straight of go-time – flipping, pushups, strength moves and holds (and doing them all with a smile!) taxes the cardiovascular system like nothing else. So in addition to skill training and routine practices (which happens 5 days/week) I’ve been doing 4 sessions/week of interval training with a variety of work to rest ratios to hit all three energy systems. I’ve also added an endurance drill after every routine practice and I’m telling you this is really hard to do AFTER a full routine session! There have been days I can barely finish these drills and I’m crawling across the floor in a pool of sweat to get it done – which is when I remind myself that if it was easy everyone would do it. I don’t believe you have to be better than everybody else. But I do believe you have to better than you ever thought you could be.
Here’s a clip from today’s crazy endurance drill.
Thanks for reading and for following my Road to The Arnold.
High-5!
Ryall
Check out Ryall’s website and give her facebook page a “likeâ€. You can see her competition photos on bodybuilding.com. For more information on the Arnold Sports Festival visit www.arnoldsportsfestival.com and use #ASF2013 in all your tweets.
Photo courtesy of Ryall Vasani.
Fitness Pro Ryall Vasani Road to The Arnold
January 28, 2013 by
Ryall Vasani was born and raised in Canada but now calls Barbados home. She’s working on a new fitness routine for her first trip to the Arnold. Ryall shares how she went from placing last to becoming a top contender in every show she enters. Find out more about hardbody fitness pro, Ryall Vasani.
Ryall Vasani – 2013 Fitness International Contender
Hi Hardbody! It’s Ryall Vasani here bringing you my news as I prep for my first-ever Arnold Classic.
A Little Bit about Me:
I was born and raised in Alberta, Canada but now, this transplanted Canadian girl, call the sandy beaches of Barbados home. In 2007, I competed in my first fitness competition (I was living in Bermuda at the time working as a Dental Hygienist) and won both the Bermuda National Championships and the Central America and Caribbean Championships to qualify for my pro status that same year. And so the dream began!
Reflecting on my 2011 Season:
I had just come off my most exciting season to date. I took 10 months off after 2010 to rest and put on some muscle. My season started in Sept 2011 and I competed in five competitions between that time and December. My results were greater than I had ever imagined…I had finally found the right team of coaches and found my own balance with training to make a difference in where I had been placing in previous years. The highlight was indeed finishing 7th at the 2012 Olympia. It was magic. It was my first competition that I truly soaked up every moment (I am typically a bundle of nerves!) and enjoyed the actual experience of performing. My last competition in Miami ended on a high note with a win in the physique round and an overall 3rd place finish.
My 2011 season was the first season I realized that I’m not just competing to win, I’m competing because it’s a huge part of the person that I’ve become. The other realization I had last season was how powerful our minds are in helping us to achieve our goals. This was the first year I believed, in my mind, that I could be a champion. Having faith in myself, working harder than I’ve ever worked before and keeping a positive attitude every day (not just at competitions) were key factors for me being the best ‘me’ ever. Win, lose or draw – I showed up with a positive attitude and brought my best. You can’t quit if you lose (I placed last in a competition in 2010) – you’ve got to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and set a plan for the next event.
My Prep for the 2013 Arnold:
I am beyond excited, honored and so thankful to be competing in the 25th Anniversary Arnold Classic. My preparation is in full swing as I’ve just returned from a productive weekend training session in Miami with my choreographer Renzo. I’m working very hard on a shiny, new routine with improved skills and a lot of energy. I also spent a week in November in Spokane, WA training hand balancing with Steve Atlas. This year I’ve restructured my training to include more skill, endurance and routine work, as this was my weaker area last year. I want people to remember my routines, to see how much fun I’m having up there and for my performance to leave them smiling and saying WOW!
As for my physique, my coach Tad Inoue has my body on track and I’m feeling really well at this time (on days when I get enough sleep!). I was delighted to receive some positive feedback about my physique last season, so now I’m working on fine tuning some areas and bringing an improved package to the stage. This is a really nice change from always needing more muscle and spending 5 days/week on heavy lifting sessions!
My greatest challenge right now is trying to balance my nutrition and fitness consulting business with a full time competition schedule. Some days I feel like a hamster on a wheel and it’s all I can do to hold on. I really love my clients and my work as helping others achieve success has been the greatest part of my success. I never want to give this up, so I’ve had to slow down a bit – I’m not really Wonder Woman! I’m learning what I can handle as I go. I’m also realizing that the illusive word ‘balance’ is very difficult to achieve in this sport. I know my challenges are small compared to many and I keep this in mind every day when I wake up. Attitude is everything!
With less than 5 weeks to go until the big show I couldn’t be more excited. I love to compete and I love pushing myself to be the best I can be every day. I am living my dream. For me I’ve already won!
Thank you so much for reading and for all of your support.
With love AND lunges,
Ryall
Check out Ryall’s website and give her facebook page a “like”. You can see her competition photos on bodybuilding.com. For more information on the Arnold Sports Festival visit www.arnoldsportsfestival.com and use #ASF2013 in all your tweets.
Photo courtesy of Ryall Vasani.
