SimplyShredded.com

Jamie Filer from simplyshredded.com got the opportunity to have a chat with the amazing Isabel Norton-Lago discussing her Training/Nutrition/Supplementation and much, much more.

How did you get started with Bodybuilding?

I was first introduced to BB in 2004. I attended the Tampa Bay Classic a mere six weeks after Layne & I met. Although I have always been active and athletic, I played volleyball, surfed, swam and did weight training. But it wasn’t until Layne & I met that I started lifting consistently and regularly. It took some time to get use to the eating and working out. I didn’t have much knowledge of the sport then and through the years I’ve attended quite a few shows. As well as watched my husband prep for shows. While I was in the audience I would sit there and I would tell Layne who I thought would be first, second, etc. So in 2005 I test Judged with the OCB at the Midwest States show in DeKalb, IL and started judging after that.  After being involved in the sport for so long and having helped a few people with feedback after shows, I decided to try it out for myself. I wanted to walk in their shoes and really understand what they would go through. So in 2009 I did my first series of shows and loved it! I competed in three very though shows in the figure open tall classes. The adrenaline rush is addicting and I love the stage, I am very comfortable there, as I when I was younger I did runway modeling. The one thing that I was not ready for was the nerves. Those kicked in right as I hit the stage but after a few minutes they went by the way side.

What is the training routine you use to achieve your physique?

I was utilizing a power/hypertrophy split. It consisted of a 5 days split. The first two were power days: Legs & Upper Body.  In these days I would go as heavy as I could for 3 sets of 5 reps doing a variety of different exercises to target different muscle groups. It started out by gradually increasing my weights week to week until I would push to break some personal records. The other days I would split my upper body workouts into shoulders/arms, back/chest & finally legs. These days I did a lot of sets with a higher rep range (10-12).

Sometimes while doing some exercises I would do negative reps as well.

During contest prep I was doing one day of low intensity cardio (35-60 min) and one day of HIIT. I would also do HIIT on my legs days. I chose to do it before I did weights because my main focus was to lose as much body fat as I could from my legs. It was brutal but I saw some great results by doing it this way.

When trying to cut down, do you prefer HIIT or steady state cardio?

I have to go with HIIT. The time seems to go by so much faster while doing HIIT. I am not a fan of cardio so anything to make it go faster works for me.

What is your diet like? Does that change offseason to pre-contest?

My diet does change from the offseason to pre-contest. During my offseason I try to increase my calories gradually while trying to maintain a healthy weight. The goal is to slowly but consistently increase my calories so that when it comes time to cut we have plenty of room to cut from.  During contest prep I started out with consuming 1435 calories in my lower carb days and 1610 calories on my higher carb days. During the offseason I was consuming anywhere from 2000-2100 calories.
My diet is very balance in terms of food choices.

I love carbs! Being a native of Puerto Rico I grew up eating beans, rice and chicken. So carbs are a must for me. So I would get creative when it came time to prepare meals to make sure all my cravings were being met.  I would eat oats, low carb bread, brown rice, a ton of vegetables, 100 cal popcorn (I have to say that I would make sure to leave room for that popcorn bag-it was so filling!). When it came to protein sources I would use whey isolate (Scivation’s vanilla whey-LOVE IT!), lean meats like chicken breast, extra lean ground beef, tilapia, sirloin steak, etc. A lot of my fat came from my meals as a whole but also from peanut butter & almonds.

The Latin Assasin Episode 1

Is it difficult to prep with your husband as your coach?

I get that question a lot and to be completely honest, no it was not. There were days that I am sure I tested his patience, but being the incredible man that he is, he always knew what to say & when to say it. Without his support & guidance I would have never been able to go through this experience.

I think the fact that he has competed as well as prep other people to compete helped a lot.

He knew exactly what I needed to hear in order to get motivated and at the same time pushing me to do better. He also knew when to back off. It definitely made our relationship stronger. We know we can count on each other for anything. I am looking forward to returning the favor this year as he gets ready to compete.

What was the experience like competing in your first figure show? Anything you would’ve done differently?

You know looking back at it, yes  & no when it comes to have done something different. Simply because I learned so much about myself and what I am capable of doing, if I had done something different would the outcomes be different? Who knows? But I am extremely grateful for each and every experience that I had, the good the bad and the ugly. It made it that much rewarding at the end of the day. It was the most challenging thing I have ever done to date. It challenged my not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

What does the future hold for you?

Since I competed I have taken a whole new approach to life in a lot of aspects. I have made the change in my career and started personal training as well as teaching aerobics classes.  I have a new found respect for all competitors and what they go through. I have begun to help other female figure competitors with their posing and presentation.  I will continue to train hard and continue to improve my physique as much as I possibly can. I have also started to do some fitness modeling here and there,  I have a lot of fun doing it and it keeps me in shape.
I want to compete again:

I am hoping to do so in 2011, as I will be supporting my husband as he makes his big pro debut later this year.  A lot of great things happening within Team Norton this year, we are really excited as well as ready for whatever the future holds.

Bodyspace: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/aloha_izzie/

Website: www.biolayne.com

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