Muscle Insider Finds Its Ultimate Fitness Fan

When Muscle Insider began preparing for its 10-year anniversary, the plan was to offer something truly unique to give readers a chance to go beyond just being photographed, interviewed, and featured in our magazine. We work towards inspiring, educating, and entertaining with the purpose of helping serious athletes reach their fitness goal. Traditionally, we do this with our words and images of fitness experts and world-class athletes through the pages of Muscle Insider.

In celebrating our decennial, we collaborated with BSN to do something different and spectacular. We wanted give our die-hard fans a chance to experience what it’s like to be a part of the fitness world behind the scenes. To be alongside Muscle Insider’s team at one of the largest fitness events in the world would be to experience a chance-of-a-lifetime opportunity. This will be the ultimate way to inspire someone to goal set.

Muscle Insider ran an Ultimate Fitness Fan search to give one lucky fan unprecedented access at this year’s Arnold Sports Festival. The winner will join us in the sights and scenes of this multi-sport event and massive expo through the looking glass of a media outlet. This person will be rubbing shoulders with the biggest fitness stars and going backstage to the pump-up room to see how the pros put the final touches on their physiques just minutes before stepping onstage. We’ll have this fan interview the world’s best physiques, take selfies with the industry’s top names, and attend athlete events.

Riding in Style

The Ultimate Fitness Fan will be geared up for the Arnold Sports Festival with BSN supplements, a BSN 6 Pack Fitness bag, compression gear, sunglasses, and don’t forget the nighttime party glasses! He or she will also receive a Polaroid camera, Bluetooth selfie stick, Prowl Shoes, and Elevate Apparel clothes. This fan will be fully Arnold-ready!

Finding the Ultimate Fitness Fan

We could have chosen from any of thousands of Muscle Insider readers to win this $10,000 prize pack, but we decided that the most deserving winner would be one who can demonstrate his or her obsession for fitness over anyone in our community. This fan is one who lives and breathes the fitness lifestyle every day while inspiring others to train, eat, and supplement like a boss. Having an IFBB Pro card wasn’t required, but showing that he or she has a heart of a champion was key. We weren’t looking for the strongest in the gym, but rather someone who is strong-willed and can lift others up through motivation. Our ideal candidate is someone who can inspire our audience with a meaningful story, ultimately earning him or her the title of the Ultimate Fitness Fan.

“Reviewing the entries became a very raw experience for us. Witnessing real people sharing their fitness journey with us can be a very personal matter. Despite it all, people are letting us into their homes, showing us their bodies, telling us what they’re eating, and wearing their hearts on their sleeves to reveal their life story. It was truly inspiring to see Canadians come together to show their obsession for the sport of fitness.”
—Janet Welch, Muscle Insider

Submissions came in from die-hard fitness fans who gave us a glimpse into their lives and the journeys they went through each day being totally obsessed with all things fitness! We reviewed each entry to follow each fan’s story to see what made them great candidates. Some entries demonstrated that fitness had been a lifelong commitment, while others had gone through personal tragedies and turned to working out to overcome their hardships. One thing that all contestants had in common was that they started their fitness journey on a search for better overall health, which is at the heart of every true fitness fanatic. For all entries, fitness has been the salvation that has led to a life of goal-setting and continual improvements in mental outlook, physical health, strength and happiness in every aspect of their lives. But anyone who’s spent time in the gym knows that when the clothes come off and you look great on the outside, you feel great on the inside, which empowers you to take charge of your life. If you’re dressing for the office, classroom, pool party, a hot date, or gym battle with your crew, you can own it if you own it.

We had to consider who shared their passion with the fitness community the most, as well as who showcased their fitness journey best and allowed us to see just how fanatical they are about all things fitness.

We Have a Winner!

We are proud to announce Samantha Bateman as the Ultimate Fitness Fan! Samantha introduced herself as a 27-year-old full-time paralegal living in Surrey, BC. Samantha stole the show by inviting us into her everyday life. We got glimpses of her daily routine, gym sessions, meal prep, supplement essentials and the unconditional support of her three cats.

She shared with us how she started smoking at 15 years old, which led to an unhealthy lifestyle for the next five years of her life. She finally quit cold turkey at the age of 20. She started going to the gym, only to run out of the gym because she was embarrassed and discouraged that she didn’t know what she was doing. She persevered through her fears and thrived on her desire to learn and grow, so she kept going back.

Today, in addition to her full-time work and busy training schedule, Samantha is studying for her Personal Training and Sports Nutrition certifications in order to give back and help others reach their health and fitness goals. Last year Samantha competed in her first bikini competition at the Popeye’s Fall Classic and is now setting her sights on the Olympia Amateur in Las Vegas this coming September.

Samantha reveals an attribute necessary to being an ultimate fan of fitness: “They must have routine! Structure, organization, and a plan for success creates a pathway to achieving goals!”

When thinking of the prize we are offering, Samantha said, “The Arnold Sports Festival is like an athlete’s Disney World. It’s like the red-carpet events that you see celebrities at on TV, but for athletes!”

Who else would see the Arnold Sports Festival like it’s Disney World, unless you’re an obsessed fitness fan?! Congratulations, Samantha. Wait until we take you on the fitness ride of your life!

Thank You, BSN Supplements, for Your Support!

Bio-Engineered Supplements and Nutrition, Inc. (BSN®) has been integral in making a lucky winner’s dream come true with an unforgettable fitness experience. Truly entrenched in the scene of fit living, BSN is dedicated to providing consumers with the right tools to make fitness goals within reach. Founded in 2001, BSN has become known as a leader in sports nutrition worldwide. Their dedication lies in providing consumers with cutting-edge products, formulated to provide top-of-the-line nutritional supplementation and beverages to a myriad of fit-minded people.

“BSN® prides themselves on engineering safe, clean and effective supplements for maximizing performance. Having toured their offices and manufacturing facility, we can confidently say that the team at BSN® is truly obsessed with formulating result-producing supplements and high-protein snacks that meet label claim without compromising on taste. If you’ve tried the Syntha-6® Cold Stone Creamery Series protein powder or their Protein Crisp bar, you’ll know how what we’re talking about. Hands down, BSN produces some of the best tasting products on the market. These products are a testament to just how focused BSN® is over flavouring and quality. To bring ultimate fitness fans across the nation together with a company who shares their passion for excellence has been a tremendous accomplishment.”

— Muscle Insider Team

To stay up to date with everything BSN, be sure to visit the BSN website and follow them on Instagram.

Steal the Show with BSN!

Click HERE to sign up for our free newsletter!

*Images courtesy of Instagram