FEMALE MUSCLE

Q. How often do you practice your posing, and do you get outside help?

A. Due to my geographic location, I’m very limited in terms of resources for in-person help with competition prep. I’m the only active professional bodybuilder in all of Japan, and I also live on Okinawa, which is a very small and isolated tropical island. Consequently, the responsibilities of posing, choreography, and all of those details of contest prep fall solely on my own shoulders. Believe me, it can be a challenge, and I’m often envious of people who have coaches or friends to pose with, or other seasoned competitors to give them feedback or help them with the details of their presentation. Consequently, my number one help is my husband, Joseph, who is actively involved in my prep in terms of moral support and simply analyzing my posing and critiquing my presentation. In addition, because of the distance I have to travel for each show, I usually come to the States a minimum of four weeks in advance of my show, giving my body a chance to adapt to the extreme time difference and very long trip (36 hours travel time total). I usually begin practicing my posing about eight to ten weeks pre-show and commit to a good session three times a week. As I get closer, I up the volume and intensity to improve my conditioning and stamina.