Fit At 46: Fitness Model Belinda Benn Talks With Simplyshredded.com

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

A bikini company sent out a promotion for the Flex Online Bikini Model search. I thought “why not”. Because it was a bodybuilding site I thought they were looking for muscley girls. I went on this insane 8 week transformation program where I started lifting weights and leaning out. At the end of it my boyfriend said I looked like “a ripped piece of barbed wire”!

When the competition went online I was devastated to realize they where looking for boobs and butts – and I was just about all muscle. But the good news is the photos spread through the internet and led me to where I am today.

Sorry but we have to ask, how old are you – really?

I turned 46 this year. Every day I wake up feeling like am 26! Even people who meet me in real life don’t believe me. Weight training really has the potential to turn back time (in fact it has been scientifically proven). When you work out hard, it’s also a motivator to take other things in moderation – like alcohol, unhealthy food and late nights. So at the end of the day, this healthy lifestyle keeps you looking younger than your chronological age.

Belinda Benn: Panamá Beach Shoot

Where does your motivation come from?

Everyone wants to look and feel great, so that’s a motivator. But it goes a lot deeper. Being physically strong gives you great inner confidence. It makes you mentally tough. That’s a powerful motivator.

What workout routine has worked best for you?

For building muscle, dividing my training into lower and upper body, each twice a week works best. I start with basic compound exercises then progress to more isolated ones. I mix up my routine all the time. Sometimes if I am training really heavy it’s just 3 times a week.

When I am leaning out, I like to use circuits which keep my heart rate elevated or do 2 or 3 exercises that target the same muscle or muscle groups with high rep sets, back to back – so I really feel the burn.

If you have to pick 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

The Squat: The ultimate bodybuilding exercise. Done right it builds muscle quickly. There are so many variations it never get’s boring. And it’s a huge mental challenge. I still remember the day I free squatted my own body weight. I was on a high for a week!
Triceps Pushdown: It feels great and get’s results.
One Leg Cable Kickbacks: Awesome for building a great butt and your hamstrings. It’s amazing how much weight you can kick back if you work on it. Flexing your butt at the top of the kick just makes everything pop. OK, maybe it’s a girl thing but it works!

What is your diet like?

For building muscle I follow the traditional bodybuilding diet, with the weekends off. For leaning out it takes a little more discipline to get everything just right. I get asked about that a lot so I decided to write my Get Lean Program – you can check it out at www.getleanprogram.com

OK, plug your program then….

OK if you insist! The Get Lean Program is a 90 day, 3 phase fat burning nutrition plan – based on the science of leaning out. It’s for anyone who wants to lose weight and reduce their body fat percentage.

It can be adapted according to whether you are male or female and depending on your physique goals.

They say that the pre and post-workout meals are the most vital for the day, what do yours consist of?

Great question! When I am trying to gain muscle, my pre-work out meal is usually a small serve of oats with sunflower seeds, figs and yogurt. Post-workout is a protein shake with any fruit including banana, flax seed and cinnamon. Sometimes I will also eat some extra protein like eggs or chicken. When I am leaning out, I have a small serve of chicken and brown rice prior and then a protein shake afterwards with half a banana, flax seed, cinnamon and glutamine.

What trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

I mix it up. I like to swim, skip, elliptical and bike. Swimming, skipping and bike is usually interval training and elliptical is just about getting my heart rate up and keeping it there (read – a great itunes music mix!).

Belinda Benn: Competition Preparation

What is your supplementation like?

Pretty basic. Protein powder, branch chain amino acids 30 minutes prior to training, creatine when I am building, glutamine powder when I am leaning out. Sometimes chromium picolinate and l-carnitine right at the end of my leaning out process.