The inherent beauty of Facebook is the ability to creep on people you haven't thought about in years. It's kind of comforting that the grade 4 bully is a little bit shlempy, no? Yes, it totally is. And it's awesome to see that the Universe sometimes has mercy: your nerdy, humble guy friend in college landed his dream girl and perfect career. It's also fun to creep on ex-boyfriends and studiously avoid the dishwasher with endless concentric perusal sessions, but I digress.
Several months ago, I had a friend request from a girl named Kamber Lindenbach. I didn't recognize her name, but since I write online, I get a lot of friend requests from strangers and I accept pretty much everyone as a friend (no boundaries here, for better or for worse.) But her profile picture indicated a really in-shape young woman, noticeably beautiful and, incidentally, wearing a bikini, like this:
And so I clicked over because most of my friend requests don't come from uber ripped young women in bikinis.
And then I realized....oooh that Kamber. She'd dated my brother briefly about...ten years ago? I didn't get to know her super well, but I do remember that she had a perfect ski jump nose and a perpetually sweet, perky personality. We hung out a few times, and I remember her being lithe and little - nothing like the insanely built fitness model and body builder that I was now staring at on Facebook.
Now that I'm interested in fitness too, I thought about asking Kamber if she'd mind doing a Q&A with me for this site. I wanted to know what she ate to get abs like that. Did she starve herself and then not drink any water for days before competitions? Did she work out 6 hours a day? Does she ever feel compelled to don giant frayed sweatpants, draw the curtains, surround herself in caramel chocolate, Doritos and creme brulee and watch wretchedly trashy television? Or is she always a disciplined machine?
Here's what she said:
Q. I remember you as always being lithe and fit, but never uber ripped like you are now. What got you started in the professional body building/fitness model arena?
I started weight training at the age of 14 to gain a little weight since I was very skinny. Competing in a fitness competition was always a goal of mine but I didn’t know where to begin. After a year and a half of intense therapy recovering from a bad car accident in 2003 I decided that I should go after my goals and compete. I registered for my first competition 6 months in advance and told all my friends and family so I would be committed then I hired a trainer who could help me with shaping my physique through resistance training, cardio and most importantly a healthy diet plan. It only took one competition and I was hooked, 4 years later I will be competing in my 8th and 9th shows this year. I earned my fitness model pro card in 2007, 4 years to the day of my car accident and this year I am going for my second pro card with the WBFF in fitness model.
Q. What do you eat on a typical day when you are training for a competition? How do you eat the rest of the year?
My competition preparation and diet is always evolving and changing as my physique changes. When I am preparing for a competition, I eat 6 small meals a day each consisting of a balance of lean protein (chicken, turkey, fish, egg whites, whey protein powder), clean carbs such as oatmeal, yams and rice, healthy fats (avocado, nuts, olive oil, fish oils) and lots of veggies. Contrary to what most believe, I am never hungry and I rarely have any food cravings because I keep a variety of food sources and I do not eliminate any macronutrient group from my plan. The rest of the year does not vary much from my competition prep although I may not weigh and measure every meal and don’t feel bad if I want to have a little treat or meal out. Keeping my diet clean year round allows me to maintain a lot of balance in my life and not have to resort to extreme measures when preparing for a show. I drink about 5-6 litres of water a day, it sounds like a lot but your body gets used to it and will love it! I start my day off by having a liter of water before breakfast. This rehydrates me from my sleep and also prevents me from feeling hungry or overeating at breakfast and throughout the rest of the day.
Q. Do you allow yourself a cheat day? If so, what are your fave foods?
Yes, definitely! I believe in a cheat MEAL once a week while preparing for a show and two off season. I do not do a whole cheat day however as it is really easy to ruin a week of hard work that way. My favorite cheat food is probably cheese and crackers but I often have a steak, baked potato with REAL sour cream and veggies for my cheat meal, not that bad at all. Oh yeah, can’t forget my glass of red wine
Q. As far as low cal and satisfying foods...what tops your list?
I use a lot of ground turkey and quinoa as there are so many yummy recipes that I can make with them to keep things interesting. I particularly like using quinoa as a carbohydrate source because it is excellent hot or cold and it packed full of lots of vitamins, essential amino acids, and good fats.
Q. What does a typical week look like for you when you are training? How long and at what intensity do you exercise each day?
I train 5 days a week with weights year round splitting each day into one or two body parts. I try to train functionally as much as I can to improve athletic performance in other sports by incorporating lots of plyometric movements and sprints. I like to keep things interesting by taking my workouts outdoors as much as I can so I don’t feel like I live in the gym. I resistance train no more than 45 mins a day both during competition prep and off season but don’t get me wrong each of those workouts are very intense. I will do cardio 5 days a week for ½ hr a day during the offseason and that increases to 6 days a week up to an hour a day while preparing for a show. I like to run trails, mountain bike, rollerblade, hike and run hills for my cardio and if the weather does not permit me to get outdoors then I do have a treadmill that I will run sprints on. It is very important to have a rest day to let your body repair.
Q. What is the biggest key to your success?
The most important thing for me is maintaining balance in my life, training and competing can be very consuming if you let it. I make sure that I make time for my husband, family and friends and make time for my other passions too such as snowboarding, horseback riding, camping and back country hiking. Not to mention taking time to just relax with a good book or a long walk after a day of work and training.
Q. What motivates you to keep on going? Are there some days you just want to stay at home in a muu-muu, watching Y&R re-runs and eating bonbons?
I lost my room mate 8 years ago to a serious long term illness and living with her and experiencing her illness every day made me have a whole new appreciation for my physical capabilities. On those tough days that I need a kick in the pants, I think of her and all the things she wasn’t able to do and wished she could so that is all I need to get my butt up and out there to tackle the day.
I do take those days every now and then to just chill out and do nothing; we all need that both for our mental health and our bodies need the recovery time.
Q. Is there some serious dehydration that goes on before competition to get that ripped?
Yes, there is some dehydration that I have to do. I will cut sodium a couple days before a show and drink tons of water to flush my body then only sips on the day of a show. That is one part that I don’t particularly enjoy.
Anything else you want to add?
I get asked a lot about my training/dieting regime by people looking to get started. It is important for people to know that my plan is customized for my body and my lifestyle. There is no cookie cutter plan to fit everyone. What works for me may not work for the next person so for those just beginning training or thinking about their first competition, I would highly recommend that they hire an EXPERIENCED trainer/nutritionist that they are comfortable with to customize a plan specifically for their needs. Seek out the people who motivate and inspire you and get recommendations from them. It is also important to find activities that you enjoy so that you will be more likely to stick with your plan. Just because I love slinging weights around does not mean that is the only way to attain a lean, athletic physique. Remember that regardless of what you choose for your exercise, there is no magic cure and definitely no substitute for hard work and dedication!
Q. These are awesome answers, Kamber! One question we have: noticed no fruit in your diet...is that due to the carbs, or do you ever eat it?
Fruit, yes sorry I forgot to mention that. Yes, i do consume fruits both on and off season. I keep fruit in my diet right up till contest b/c I believe it helps regulate blood sugar levels post workout. So I usually have serving of berries, apple, or grapefruit right after a workoutl. While preparing for a show I limit my fruit to two servings a day and I try to have them earlier in the day so I use the energy from them.
During my off season I usually have around 3 servings of fruit a day and I still try to eat it earlier in the day.
I may as well address the dairy thing too...I am not a big milk fan but I love cheese thus I limit it to once a week for a cheat meal. I do however eat low fat cottage cheese and fat free yogurt but mainly during my off season and earlier in my training regime.
I am not a someone afraid of carbs whatsoever, off season I have a starchy carb with every meal (oatmeal, yams, rice, quinoa, potatoes) and as i get clooser to show I will adjust my carb intake according to my energy requirements and how my physique is tighting up.
She's uber inspiringl and super dedicated. Kamber will be competing in the WBFF Alberta Championships July 3rd. I'd wish her luck but this doesn't seem to have anything to do with luck: it's all attitude and determination. Kick some ass, Kamber!
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