Holly Powell Talks With Simplyshredded.com

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

I was not an athlete growing, but had a naturally “skinny” body, so it didn’t take much effort to keep my physique the way I liked it, that is until after my first two years of college that included too much alcohol and overindulgence of bad food! We ate out ALL THE TIME!! I looked at myself in the mirror one day and saw my naturally “skinny” body transforming into something I didn’t like; it was time to make a change. I joined my first gym when I was 20 years old and haven’t stopped since…I LOVE IT! My husband and my best friend Brian were my training partners and I thrived in an environment of pushing myself past limits I never knew possible. Lifting is my art, my passion, it is my life!

So what is the bodybuilding training routine that you use to achieve that killer physique?

I lift weights 5 days a week and I do 3 days of cardio during my “off season”. It is during this time I look at my weaknesses and train heavy and hard to balance out my physique and body parts that are lagging, like my shoulders, which I train twice a week. Like most competitors, when I’m training for a competition, my cardio increases (maxes out at 11-12 hrs.) and my weight training consists of lots of super sets, drop sets and high reps. This is the time where I rely on mental strength to get me through and I have always believed bodybuilding is just as much mental as it is physical.

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

Normal Cardio. I have a degenerative disk in my low back (L5S1) and it herniates with impact cardio, so unfortunately, I can’t do much jumping or any type of running. I have to be extremely careful because the disk herniates easily and then I can’t bend down to tie my shoes! With that being said, I have two elliptical machines and a bike at my house and I also box with a heavy weight bag while doing interval sets on the elliptical. It’s killer!!

What is your Diet like?

Right now, clean carbs and lots of protein. All the good stuff, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, rice, etc., and like most competitors I heat 6 times a day. Once I start dieting for my next show I’ll start cutting out the starchy carbs and add in more vegetables. Unlike most people in the industry I do not drink any shakes! I can’t stand the taste and they make me extremely bloated, so I eat nothing but flesh proteins. I like my meat!

What is your supplementation like?

I am sponsored by Beast Sports Nutrition, so I use almost all of their products. They have a great Preworkout (Predator), Fat burner (Amphatalean), and BCAA’s. I also take a daily multi-vitamin, chromium, vitamin c, dandelion root, enzymes and a probiotic every day. Close to a competition I will start adding in L-carnetine and other fat burning products.

Plans for the future?

To one day be an IFBB Pro, but I realize there are many, many competitors with that same dream! So in the meantime I will continue to train hard, compete in figure competitions and help inspire anyone I can along the way. :) Health and Fitness is my life and though I may not be a pro I will never stop living a lifestyle of health and fitness!