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A LOVE-HATE-LOVE
RELATIONSHIP WITH BIKINI BODYBUILDING
“Deep down, it felt
counter-intuitive to stop doing something that I thought about daily. The
reality too is that my bikini comp journey inspired more women to pick up a weight than me
preaching hard about the beneficial endocrine response.”
Name: Danette “Diz” Rivera
Occupation: Personal Trainer and Lead Coach at CrossFit Los Angeles
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Age: 48
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 138 (competition weight: 130)
Type of Training: CrossFit and bodybuilding
Q: What were the steps
you took to transition to plant-based nutrition?
Over 12 years ago, after I shut
down a business I owned, I proceeded to participate in an emotional escapade I
like to call The Holiday Gorge of 2003.
I ate everything in sight from
Thanksgiving to the Epiphany. It wasn’t pretty, and when all was said and
eaten, I felt like living hell.
I had been a semiconductor
broker, which was impossibly volatile and stressful like a constant kick in the
guts, so when I took my next job, I wanted something as far from that as
possible. I became a cashier at a health food store.
“Every day from my
register, I stared at the produce section, which was illuminated like a stage
by hanging halogen lights. I thought, ‘This is what perfection looks
like.’”
I knew fresh food had to be
part of my healing and ultimately, my plan for optimal health. A few of the
young cashiers I worked with were vegan. I asked a ton of questions and
decided to try being vegan for one month.
Though I went cold-turkey vegan then, I had been weaning off animal
products most of my life.
In 1980, at age 13, I stopped
eating red meat, a choice made from a very limited knowledge I had of the meat
industry then. Foods like chicken, fish, eggs, and milk were already a bit
gross to me. Eating vegan, even in the beginning, never
felt difficult. It felt natural and right. I didn’t feel depraved.
During that first month, as
I felt increasingly better physically and mentally, I read in detail
about the ethical side of being vegan. When I learned exactly how
living beings were treated for overproduction and overconsumption, my stomach
hurt. My heart hurt. That month, February 2004, became a lifelong dedication.
“Though I’ve never had a
desire to go back, my advice to those starting on a vegan (or simply a more meatless) journey is to explore the science,
read up on anecdotes, and then put on your own lab coat to find what works best
for you.”
There are so many vegan options
now, and there are many philosophies within being vegan; it will be hard not to find
something that fits you personally.
Q: Staple vegan
post-workout meal:
Immediately after I workout, I
usually have a scoop and a half of chocolate Plant Fusion protein powder with coconut water. The
first meal I eat after I workout is usually lunch. Sometimes, I’ll have a huge
salad with lentils or riced cauliflower with black beans.
Today, I had a baked sweet
potato with a Field Roast Apple Sage Vegan Sausage with greens thrown on top.
Yum!
Q: Tell us about
CrossFit Los Angeles and your role there.
I’ve been a lead, full-time
coach at CFLA for over three years.
I coach eight classes a week,
including the Women’s Program, which are amazing classes created to provide a
safe environment for women to be true to the athlete they are in the exact
moment, no matter the level.
I’m dedicated to the
empowerment of these athletes. I also have about 12-15 private clients.
What I love about CFLA is that
because we’ve been around 11 years (the ninth CrossFit gym to open), we’ve
evolved a lot.
Though the basic principles of
CrossFit are still pretty spot-on, the way CFLA executes them is relatively
different.
We don’t throw clients against
the wall every workout in typical CrossFit fashion.
“We ‘practice’ the majority
of time: honing technique, working strength, and staying at – or under – 85
percent perceived rate of exertion.”
Believe me, we still get a
great workout on practice days, and we definitely have competition days too,
but we’ve found this type of training is more sustainable mentally and
physically.
It’s the brainchild of our head
coach and CFLA owner, Kenny Kane. He calls it Contextual Training. I think it’s
brilliant, and it works amazingly for our everyday-athlete clientele.
Q: What does your training look like these days?
I just began training for my
second Bikini Bodybuilding competition, so though
I still do CrossFit about three days a week, I’ve now incorporated more
isolated bodybuilding work. I do a couple days of
cardio, which I love, and I do yoga
once a week.
Mainly, I love the grind of
training. It’s my meditation. Training is my house of discovery. I feel I
can explore the entire universe within the context of movement.
Q: Favorite Three
Exercise/Movements:
1. Weighted Glute
Bridges. I
started these when training for my first bikini comp last year to build bigger,
stronger glutes, but what I discovered is that stronger glutes meant I got
better at everything else physically: CrossFit, running, and so on. I also
realized with my clients that most everyone’s glutes could be stronger.
2. Snatch. I am a relatively weak static
lifter, but the dynamic lifting takes more coordination and trust, really,
which are more my strengths. I’m not breaking records by any means, but I
really enjoy the rhythm of Olympic lifting.
3. Double Unders. Again, the rhythm thing. Double
unders are a perfect balance of tension and relaxation and finding a rhythm.
Q: Favorite Three Forms
of Exercise:
1. CrossFit (How CFLA does it!). I love the
variety. I love my community. I love the mental-toughness aspect.
2. Isolated bodybuilding. I
love the solitude and dedication this takes. I feel incredibly empowered
lifting this way.
3. Riding my bike. Though, I really don’t think of
this as exercise; I think of this as a way to commute. Also, being on my bike
is pure joy to me.
Q: Tell me a story of
the mentor who played a key role in building confidence in yourself.
I’ve definitely experienced
glimpses of encouragement and interactions with amazing people throughout my
life, but I’d have to say that I’ve been my own best mentor.
“I’ve had to rely on my gut
instincts even when they didn’t seem popular or when the road seemed
difficult.”
I’ve had to shake off mistakes,
and bob and weave through a lot of bullshit, and fall down, and crawl, and get
back up, and get angry, then let it go. And forgive – myself, mainly. But I
never gave up hope in myself. I still haven’t.
I found that after all the hurt
and knock-downs, if you can still be kind to yourself and be your own best
caretaker and best cheerleader, nothing can really touch you. Nothing builds
confidence more than that.
Q: What would your
friends/colleagues say you’re really good at?
I think my colleagues would say
that I’m nurturing but still kind of a hard-ass. My clients would say that I’m
really good at connecting to them personally and that I have the ability to
hone in on what they need in the exact moment.
Q: What unpopular
opinions do you hold?
“Currently, I’m exploring
the contrast of how my feminism works within the world of bikini bodybuilding. I’ve had a lot of inner conflict about
it, honestly, and had some pushback during my last competition, like what I was
doing was antifeminist.”
That pushback felt oddly
familiar, though historically, the pushback and the tsk-tsking came from
conservative sources, not the radical ones!
I was taken aback, frankly, and
suddenly, I felt embarrassed that I had enjoyed it all so much.
Last year, I decided not to
compete again. Yet, I continued to think about it every day. I missed
the training. I missed the dedication. I missed how invincible I felt from
lifting that much.
I missed working toward a
muscular and athletic aesthetic even though I was still conflicted about the
pageantry of the actual competitions and the subjectiveness of judging.
“Why was I so into a sport
that is based on aesthetics instead of performance? I’m still not sure.”
Getting on stage – with the tan
and the heels and the hair and the makeup and the harder-than-it-looks posing –
is only a fraction of the whole process, and as odd as that felt at times, I
dug the glamour aspects, too. Then I thought, fuck it. Eff anyone who has
something to say.
Deep down, it felt
counter-intuitive to stop doing something that I thought about daily. The
reality too is that my bikini comp journey inspired more women to
pick up a weight than me preaching hard about the beneficial endocrine
response.
Lastly, I realized, like
anything else, my decisions and my feminism are not up for debate. I do what I
like. Anyway, it’s been interesting sorting through all these complicated
issues that have come up during the process, and I look forward to writing more
in-depth about it in 2016.
Q: What have you changed
your mind about in past 10 years?
I’ve finally realized that
judgment is the worst kind of poison. And I’m done with it, man, as much as I
can consciously be aware.
I wondered why I saw the same
exact behaviors and attitudes toward women that I experienced when I was
younger still existing for girls and young women my daughters’ ages, even if
certain forms of it have shifted.
“We still get judged
constantly by the usual suspects, but why are many women still so shitty to
each other? And I realized that we’re all trained to judge women no matter
what.”
We’re all too something or the
other, and it doesn’t even matter what side of the cause we’re on: if you’re a
rebel or conservative, some woman is doing something wrong somewhere, in any
sector, in any culture, the fitness world being right up there at the top.
“I’m sick of the bulky
conversation and the thin conversation and the thick conversation.”
I’m done with the fact that
what we do with our bodies is constantly up for debate. And don’t get me
started on our own systematic levels of self-judgment. I don’t let other women,
especially my clients, talk shit on themselves around me. That conversation is
tired and dated.
I make one client do five
burpees any time she starts in on herself. She did a lot of burpees in the
beginning, but now the story she tells herself is starting to change. The
ridiculousness of not holding oneself in the highest regard is starting to
become apparent to her. Anyway, I renounce judgment to the best of my current
ability; I reject it all now.
Q: Fun fact most people
don’t know about you?
In the early 90s, I was hired
to be a dancer in the movie “The Mambo Kings.” I turned down the role
because I was working three jobs then, and filming would be “indefinite.” It’s
my only regret in life.
Q: What three pearls of
wisdom would you tell your 18-year-old self?
Since I’m raising daughters 20
and 16 years old, I’m dolling out those pearls left and right!
Everything I say to them, I
would tell my 18-year-old self – as well as repeat to my 48-year-old self.
The main things:
1. Always trust your
gut, in good and bad situations. Barge
ahead when your instincts say “Love!” no matter what others say. And bail the
eff out when your gut says “Whoa – no.”
2. Don’t let anyone
squash your power. Not
a boy/man/partner, not critics, not friends or family. That’s not to say don’t
express kindness, compassion, love, generosity, humility, gratitude. We do
these things because they are beautiful, human qualities, not because it is our
place as girls/women to be demure and modest and selfless, especially if that’s
not our nature. Be truly you and be a beautiful human, however those two show
up. They can – and do – coexist.
3. You are inherently
worthy. Your
weight, thigh size, the length of your skirt, your hair color does not
determine worth. You’re already great. Now that that’s out of the way, go do
some cool shit that makes you happy, which will probably make the world a
better place.
For more ideas on bikini bodybuilding prep guide, watch these
2 videos below-
Bikini Competition Guide - EVERYTHING YOU MUST KNOW
Bikini Contest Prep What To Know
Author
Bio:
Chris
Willitts (creator of V3), is the founder and owner of Vegetarian Bodybuilding.
V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System is a
mixture of science and author’s advice, providing users with
optimal diet and exercise. This system is designed for vegans and vegetarians
only.
A
lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of
professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising
its progressiveness and efficiency.
The
program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your
potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this
system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any
carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in
your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of
proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Instead
of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and
bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a
plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to
prove it.”
To
find out more, visit the website at V3 Bodybuilding – Bikini Bodybuilding Prep Guide
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