Diana Chaloux - WNSO Pro, FAME Fitness Model North American Champion, Personal Trainer, Co-Owner of Destined 2 Be Fit

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Diana's Training and Nutrition
What Does It Take To Compete?
 I get e-mails daily from both women and men looking for advice on their training routines, they want to know what I do and how I do it. For me it's simple, training for a show is a state of mind that I get into. It is a goal that I put a huge amount of my focus in. On days when I'm struggling or tired, I take some time to look through my favorite magazines such as Oxygen
or I surf around online and look at pictures of Figure shows to get me motivated. I listen to music that will get me psyched up. I do whatever I have to do to get my training done. I think of it as my job to stay fit. Lucky for me... I love my job;) Training for a show takes more than the average person is willing to give. But a competitors goals are different than the average person. I like to explain to people that first and foremost a competitors fitness goals are different, most people are not planning on standing on a stage in a bikini in front of a group of judges staring at your body. They usually just want to feel better about themselves, like what they see in the mirror, reduce their risk of certain diseases, fit into their clothes a little nicer. I don't want to discourage anyone from developing a fitness vision for themselves and then following through and achieving their fitness goals, so I'm hesitant because I don't ever want someone to feel that it is hopeless because they don't have the same amount of time to spend in the gym and in training as I do. Whatever your fitness goal is, as long as it is realistic for your body type, if you really want it it is attainable. I firmly believe this. I lost over 40 pounds in preparation for my first show, it took hard work, dedication and discipline. I loved the way I was able to change my body by envisioning what I wanted it to look like and then eating right and training properly to attain my goals! I think it's important for people to realize that getting in shape is something you have to work at, there's not a miracle pill, it's going to take time. It took time for me, it took time and a lot of hard work.

Here is a sample of my training routine!

I do cardio 5 days a week, twice a day when I'm pre-contest. Ranging from 30-45 minutes per session. I do my morning cardio prior to eating, so I get up pretty early to complete this routine. My p.m. cardio is usually around 5 -6p.m. I strength train 6 days per week. I do a split workout meaning that I train one body part per day. This makes it so my workout only lasts about 20 minutes or so, but I totally fatigue out whatever muscle group I am working. My rotation usually goes legs/shoulders/back/chest and abs/biceps/triceps and then repeat after a day of rest!
I usually perform 3-4 exercises for each muscle group at about 2-3 sets per exercise. I lift heavier but my focus is not on repetitions but on working the muscle to failure. I focus a lot on my core and stability training no matter what exercise I am doing. This actually makes my abs much stronger and I don't have to do as much work on them specifically!



DC's Nutrition:

I like to eat a clean diet all the time, when prepping for a contest I am much stricter with myself and weigh out all my portions so I know exactly what I am putting in my body. Off season I eat in a similar manner, but I eat a lot more veggies and I don't mind eyeing my portions as opposed to measuring everything and I allow myself a little more variety.

If you are interested in getting serious about weight loss or are thinking of competing I strongly recommend that you invest in a food scale. I think that the digital kind work the best. You need to know the size of the portions that you are eating, eventually you will be able to eyeball a serving size but until you feel you are proficient at doing this it is very likely that you are over or underestimating your portion sizes!

If you are going to compete I also strongly recommend hiring a nutritionist, especially if it is your first show and the diet is a mystery to you. There are unlimited resources available on the internet for sample diets and people telling you to eat this or eat that but none of that is really specific to you is it? Every body is different and each person's body is going to respond differently to a certain diet so in order to get things right for you, your best shot is to work with a professional and preferably someone who has worked with competitors before. I work with nutritionist Scott Trout based here in San Antonio.

O.k. so what do I mean by a clean diet? Well basically I have totally cut junk food out of my diet. I eat good clean carbohydrates such as oatmeal and sweet potatoes, lean fish and chicken or steak, tons of veggies and good fats from almonds, natural peanut butter or avocados. So it doesn't sound like a lot of variety right? You would be surprised at how many ways there are to mix and match your foods! Do I cheat on my diet? When I am prepping for a show I don't cheat on my diet. I find that all I need to do to kill a hunger urge is to think of my butt on stage in a bikini and that is motivation enough for me!

The most common thing that I hear from people who want to know how I have lost weight or how I keep it off is that they could never do the diet. They make it sound like it's torture or something, I like to think of it more like a game, when I started seeing my abs rippling that was motivation enough for me to stay away from the junk for good. When I first decided I was ready to get serious about competing I had to clean up my diet a lot, I thought this would be the hardest thing for me, but I actually found that I really liked a lot of the foods that I was eating. I had never been much of a cook before but I found that the more time I spent preparing my food the more I really enjoyed my time in the kitchen and the less of a hassle it is!

Tips to remember!
Stay Hydrated! Drink plenty of water!
If you are training for a competition keep photos that inspire you around, and keep constant reminders of your ultimate motivation in visible locations! When you are tempted to cheat, take some time to refocus and remember why you are doing what you are doing!

It is an amazing accomplishment to challenge yourself to compete, and actually go through with the whole process. It takes a determined and dedicated person. Regardless of placement you are a champion if you set this goal for yourself and succeed!