Hard work, training to win 'figure' competitions "Ariana Kasparian" |
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With rock music blasting in the background and the smell of sweat wafting in the air, Selma resident Ariana Kasparian lies down on a bench and starts lifting a pair of dumbbells which weigh 25 pounds each. Shortly after this, Kasparian moves on to what's called cable flys, a pulley contraption where she pulls a set of cables in a hugging motion toward her chest. Amid all this, Kasparian lets out a series of grunts, making it clear to anyone watching that this is an intense workout.
"This kind of training brings out more definition," says Mike Jackson, her trainer of Fresno.
On this particular afternoon, Oct. 17, Kasparian and Jackson are at a Gold's Gym in Fresno.
Within the next hour, Kasparian will continue to do what's called a "giant set," or a series of weight lifting exercises aimed at trying to exhaust the muscle fibers of a particular body part. This afternoon, she's focusing on her chest.
For Kasparian, a 22-year-old Selma resident and native of Fresno, this extensive workout is just one part of an intense regimen she follows for 12 weeks before she heads off to a women's figure competition.
"It's a whole other lifestyle, it's pretty insane," said Kasparian, a senior studying health science at California State University, Fresno.
As an activity that she's participated in for the last year and a half, Kasparian says women's figure competitions are like toned-down versions of bodybuilding contests.
"It's more of a physique contest," she said. "It's more or less how lean you are, how symmetrical you are and your body proportions, versus how big you are and how much muscle you have."
Jackson, her trainer, breaks it down even more.
"Figure is a nice venue for the female who doesn't want to get very, very muscular, but wants to have some muscle, attractive muscle," he said. "And have a competitive outlet and be healthy, too."
At the competition itself, Kasparian said it consists of walking out on a stage in a swimsuit and high heels, posing and doing quarter turns. Judges will then make their decisions based on the symmetry of the contestant, their proportion, as well as their bodies' leanness.
And in just the short time Kasparian has been involved in the athletic activity, she's already garnered awards. Last year, she won second place in her class at a bodybuilding and figure championship competition. On Oct. 11, Kasparian won the same accolades at a competition in Hayward.
And in a little less than two weeks, she'll be heading up to Sacramento to compete at another figure contest.
Still, it took a lot of hard work, training and discipline to get this far, Kasparian said.
During her "on season," or when she's training for a competition, Kasparian follows a regimen for three months that includes weight training and cardiovascular workouts that last for about three and a half hours a day. She does these workouts six days a week.
On top of this, Kasparian follows a strict diet in which she must eat the same meal six times a day. The meal consists of high protein and low carbohydrate foods including chicken, fish and an assortment of vegetables.
Admittedly, Kasparian says it can be hard for some to follow such a strict lifestyle.
"It takes dedication and self control," she said.
Even her trainer, Jackson, admits to the fact.
"It's just a really taxing lifestyle and it takes a lot of commitment...it takes a special kind of person that has that drive and commitment," he said.
But during the rest of the year, when she's not training for a competition, Kasparian says she can level off a bit on the strict diet and frequency of intense workouts.
At the end of the day, though, she said her interest in this is purely a hobby.
"This is not my main priority, school is my main priority," Kasparian said.
Because of that, she's not sure yet if she'll compete again next year. She said it all depends on where she's at with her life.
At this point, though, Kasparian said she's sticking with a pastime that can at times be stressful, but which is ultimately satisfying.
"To me, it's good to enjoy this," she said. "And it's good hobby for me rather than a bad hobby, it keeps me busy."
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