Muscle & Strength Talks To WBFF Pro Fitness Model Bree Lind

What is your athletic background, and how did you get involved with fitness and competing?

I have been involved in sports since I can remember. As a child my mom always had me in swimming lessons, ballet, you name it. As a teen I was involved in track, basket ball, volleyball, and eventually as an adult, weight lifting. The gym has always been an outlet for me. Whether I am happy, sad, frustrated, mad, the gym always calms me and every single time I leave I feel grounded, more calm, energized, and ready to take on the world.

What do you love most about competing?

In the beginning competing was a goal to conquer. At that time in my life I needed a time frame to accomplish something life changing. I didn’t realize then, that it would become such a huge part of my life, and eventually would lead me to help others with their goals. I am a true believer that what you put into life is what you get out of it, therefore I have a very hard work ethic. I am totally against making excuses, I put 110% of myself in everything I do.

I have found that to be very beneficial when it comes to competing, and with each competition I leave with a whole new set of goals. I find competing to be extremely rewarding. If I look back to the beginning of my competing career, it is incredible to see how much I have changed, not only physically, but I have become stronger in each area of my life. I guess what I love most about competing is the feeling of accomplishing something that takes a lot of work but feels so rewarding.

What does your current training and split look like, and what do you like most about it?

I am currently training 6x a week and often have to remind myself that it is time to take a day off since I truly love working out. I work with my trainer Aaron Wiebe 3x a week, and have been training with him for the past 2 years. I work on my weak points with him, and do everything else on my own. He really pushes me and I find that what were once my weak areas are now becoming my strong ones. My training routine is always changing but at the moment this is what it looks like:

How often do you perform cardio?

I made the common mistake of over doing it on the cardio in the off season. At one point I was doing 6 hours a week, and was told (by my trainer) that had a huge part in it being hard for me to maintain muscle mass. Since then I have cut it down to 3 x a week for 30 minutes on the stair master. When I start to lean down for my next competition I will up my cardio to 45 minutes 5 x a week, and eventually, 1 hour 6 x a week when I am about 3 weeks out of my show.

What are some of your best training tips for someone who just wants to look good and ripped, but doesn’t want to compete?

It is a lifestyle, not something you do for a short time. It’s all about consistency. Find a routine that works for you and stick with it. Seeing improvements in your body takes hard work and time. Set goals for yourself and write them down. I have weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Writing them down helps me to get them done.

Do you have any gym, muscle building or fitness pet peeves?

Biggest gym pet peeve is people who do not tear down their machines when they are finished. When I am in the middle of a workout, and only have a certain amount of time to train, the last thing I want to be doing is picking up after someone who is to lazy to do it themselves. 9 times out of 10 if the machine is stacked with weights from the last person, you can bet they haven’t wiped it down either… Gross.

What does your off-season eating plan look like?

My off-season diet is intended to build muscle. Saturdays are my reward days, granted I feel good, and had a perfect week. I stick to clean cheats but once in a blue moon I will cheat with pizza, or a blizzard, but that is only on special occasions. My off-season diet looks like this:

• 6 am – ½ cup oats, egg whites, 1 large egg.
• 830 am – 3 rice cakes, almond butter, 1 protein shake.
• 11 am – Chicken, yams, 1 tsp olive oil.
• 130 pm – Post workout shake, 100g of strawberries.
• 4 pm – Fish, red peppers, yams, walnut oil.
• 630 pm – Egg whites, 1 large egg, almonds.

What does your cutting (eating) plan look like?

I usually need about 6-8 weeks to lean down for a show. I like to be ahead of the game and am usually stage ready 2 weeks out. I have had to learn from trial and error, that my body does not respond well to the “no carb” diet. Since I have to fight to gain and keep muscle mass it is very easy for my body to use my muscle for energy if I don’t feed it exactly what it needs. This can be very frustrating since all the hard work I put in can easily be diminished if my diet is not 100% on point. My pre competition diet is a combination of fats, carbs, and protein and looks like this:

• 6 am – 1/2 cup oats, egg whites, 1 tbsp of flax seed.
• 830 am – Chicken, almonds, yams.
• 11 am – Fish, almonds, carrots.
• 130 pm – Chicken, carrots.
• 4 pm – Fish, green beans, almonds.
• 630 pm – Fish, green beans, fish oils.

What does your current supplementation plan look like?

Current supplements include a multivitamin, and most recently colostrum. For workout related supplements I use Magnum Nutraceuticals products. Magnum has an excellent line of supplements to meet all my training needs.  Prior to my workouts I use a product called DNA. I noticed increased strength and endurance right away! My muscles also feel harder and are definitely more defined. DNA is strength guaranteed in 3 days or your money back – that’s wild!

Along with the DNA, I also use Magnum Serum. This product gives me a great rush for my workout. It contains arginine and creatine and promotes strength without any bloating or water weight. After I train I enjoy a delicious shake by Magnum called Quattro, which also guarantees no bloating, and no gas. Quattro is amazing! www.hardmagnum.com.

What are some of your favorite supplements and why?

I was at the Arnold Classic in March, and I noticed a booth that was promoting colostrum. I remember using a face cream before one of my shows that had colostrum in it, and it helped to lessen the “depleted” look from dieting. I found that it worked really well for me, but was unaware that there was a supplement until one of my friends had suggested I start taking it after I was complaining about it being difficult for me to gain and keep muscle mass.

I did some research and was quite interested, but couldn’t find anywhere to purchase it beside on line. When I saw the booth at the Arnold it immediately caught my attention. I spent quite some time discussing colostrum with the lady who was working the booth and she offered to send me some samples once I returned to Canada.

True to her word, there was a package in my mailbox just a few short weeks later. Since taking the colostrum I have noticed a huge difference in my body. I feel stronger, and the proof is in the mirror. Definitely a supplement I would suggest looking into if you are a fitness competitor. Visit this site for more information: www.sterlingtechnology.com.