Muscle Talk

Editor's Note: I was never formally introduced to Jenn Caron. Her profile would pop up all the time on my Facebook and Instagram feeds partly because we're in the same industry, and partly because everyone was talking to or about her. What compelled me to want to talk to Jenn, was the fact that she is one of the most multi-dimensional athletes I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. As a bodybuilder-turned-Crossfit athlete, I've come to appreciate the feeling of accomplishment, but also the hardships, that arise from trying to balance many different (often competing) goals. Jenn took on every endeavour like a champ, and thrived in whatever she pursued. Jenn is living proof that you can have whatever you want, as long as you go after it with a whole heart and an open mind.

Jenn's Story

I live, breathe, eat, and sleep a good challenge. I like setting the bar high and working my way up to achieving it. That is by far the most rewarding and self-fulfilling feeling ever for me, and I can honestly say I have become addicted to that feeling.

Health and fitness has always been a big part of me. I started 18 years ago racing in half marathons, which then led to full marathons; I’ve completed over 10 marathons in total. Once I achieve something, my brain starts going, “So what’s next, Jenn?” This led me to trying triathlons back in 2000, starting with a “try a tri” race (and almost drowning—for real, I had to take swimming lessons). This was challenging for me, and goal driven, I worked my way up to doing an Olympic-distance race, which led me to compete in my first Ironman triathlon a few years later, in 2003.

I’ve always admired a muscular build on athletes. It defines beauty! To me, it shows nothing but constant dedication and hard work. As a fitness competitor, I know how much work it takes to build muscle. So that was my next project: hitting the stage for my first figure competition back in the fall of 2003. Having fallen in love with the sport, I really had to work hard at building more muscle and symmetry over the years due to the fact that I was still competing in triathlons, which is a sport that kept me fairly lean and hard to put on muscle. In 2012, finally, with all my hard work and dedication, I made it as a National-level figure competitor.

I met an amazing coach along the way, Danielle Ruban, who took one look at me and said, “Physique. You need to do physique.” I was hesitant at first since I was already at a National level and the thought of starting all over was a little discouraging. But it clicked in: “Another challenge? Okay, let’s do this.” I got focused, and I did my first regional show in spring of 2014, placing first.
During my contest prep, I recall seeing several posts on Facebook, which really caught my attention, of these amazing women powerlifting. I found it so intriguing … I mean, how do they lift so much weight? What strength. I wanted to do this.

I was introduced to Craig Bongelli of Lil’s Gym, and he took me through one session of how to powerlift. My form was way off, and I learned how it is so important to activate your lats during a bench press, how breathing into your core has everything to do with a proper squat, and how sitting back and activating your lats is the key to a good deadlift. Amazing. I needed to do this.

After a few weeks of research and coming across the god of powerlifting and flexible dieting, Layne Norton, I reached out to him. I needed to work with this man. I can honestly say that Layne has changed my life. As we all know, the effects of the post-competing blues can leave you in a very dark place: loving how lean you are, but unable to diet any longer, leading to constant yo-yo dieting and binging. It’s a constant struggle and emotional rollercoaster to somehow find balance.

Layne introduced me to counting macros, flexible dieting, and, most importantly, reverse dieting after my competition. Wow—that’s all I have to say. I was slowly increasing my total calories every week in conjunction with training for my first powerlifting competition. Since the lifts are quite taxing, I noticed how strong I felt due to the increase in carbohydrate I had worked up to. I was consuming over 200 grams daily. The best part is, I still remained lean.
I started working with Layne on January 9, 2014, and signed up for my first powerlifting meet on June 13, 2014. In four months, I went from doing a 115-pound squat to 250 pounds, a 135-pound deadlift to 295 pounds, and a 95-pound bench press to 150 pounds. I competed in a raw classic 52 kilogram/ 114-pound class. I was and still am shocked today that I won my class, as well as the best lifter award, and to top it off, I broke a Canadian record. This bumped me up to a pro level, giving me an invitation to the 2016 Arnolds. Amazing!

After this competition, I took a bit of time to allow my body to rest. I have to admit I struggled with starting to diet again for physique Provincials. I just loved all this food I was eating! I really put it on the back burner until I had this crazy dream. Needless to say, it was a sign that I needed to step on that stage. Five weeks out, I contacted coach Danielle Ruban to work in conjunction with Layne Norton and get me ready for Provincials on August 8. I really had to work my butt off because I was extremely behind in where I needed to be, but I set my mind to it and did the work. I placed first in the masters class and second in the open class, qualifying me for Nationals on August 22. I won’t lie; I was disappointed that I placed second in the open class. But it only ignited a fire within me to strive to get tighter and leaner, bringing in a better package for Nationals.
I am so proud of what I brought to Nationals as I placed first in the open class and first in the masters class and won the PharmaFreak Most Ripped award. I was so close to winning my pro card I could taste it, which is now my new goal.

Since Nationals, I’ve had a bit of a setback. I broke my ankle while dirt biking three weeks ago. What a journey this has been for me. Talk about having to change my life. Being unable to do my powerlifting lifts or train legs absolutely kills me. But one thing that won’t beat me down is a broken ankle. Where there is a will, there is a way. No excuses for this girl. Every day, I find a way to make it to the gym and still get a great workout. Obviously I am limited with certain exercises, but yet there are so many other ones I can do.

To top it off, I received a bittersweet email two weeks ago from CBBF president Georgina Dunnington with the invitation to represent Team Canada at the Worlds in Budapest, Hungary. Ah man, how can I turn this down? I mean I only have a broken ankle! Well, after a hard few weeks of trying to figure out what to do and checking in with coaches Layne and Danielle, we decided that I’m really not that far off. Reverse dieting out of Nationals has kept me fairly close to competition weight. With the cast coming off in two weeks, I think I can do it. The only concern at this point is the atrophy in my calf from being in a cast, but I can only hope to get it at least back to where it was prior to the break.

After worlds, it’s back to the grind of powerlifting to set new PRs for the 2016 Arnolds!

For more on Jenn, check her out on Instagram or Facebook!