IFBB Pro Figure, Fitness & Bikini Champion Bernadett Matassa Talks With Simplyshredded.com

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

As a little girl I was always very active and often got into trouble so my parents decided to keep me busy by enrolling me in kick-boxing, gymnastics and soccer classes. As a college student I became interested in power lifting and soon became The European Champion Of Power lifting in my weight class. I came to the USA to train and compete in America. My trainer (who became my Husband later) is a Top Level National Competitor. He helped me to be the best female overall lifter in 2003 and he introduced me to Fitness, Figure and Bodybuilding after I decided to stop Powerlifting.

After I had my son I started to compete in Figure and Bikini Divisions in the NPC winning several overall titles, first places. This year I qualified to compete with the nationals in both divisions.

Where does your motivation come from?

I am extremely active and very energetic. My motivation is to keep up with my son, and to help encourage and motivate our bikini team. All of my clients make lasting changes to their food and their lifestyle. They are usually amazed by the transformation they experience while working with me.

With my dedication and my support they reach goals what they only dreamed about before. Seeing how happy they are with the progress keeps me going every day.

What workout routine has worked best for you?

Off season is more of a “Power routine” to maintain my mass and “Pre contest training” has 2 different phases. It is a 2 day on and 1 day off routine where I weight train 4 days a week and do 2-3 days of cardio for about 30min as well.

Day 1: Triceps/Shoulders
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Rest/Cardio
Day 4: Biceps/Chest
Day 5: Back/Glutes
Day 6: Rest/Cardio
Day 7: Rest

What is your diet like?

Well, first off all I am allergic to Gluten, so that makes it easy to not eat carbs. My off season and pre contest diets are really the same and I don’t cheat very often. If I do its something like Mayonnaise or similar. No JOKING. It only happened once and my trainer “Husband” won’t let me forget it. I do 3 carb meals in the AM and then eat Protein 4-6 times a day and limit my sugar intake to about 25 grams a day

Meal 1: 4 egg-white veggie omelet, 1 serve of oatmeal with stevia and cinnamon
Meal 2: High protein, low carb shake with a few raw almonds
Meal 3: 6oz. Chicken breast, green salad with lemon juice
Meal 4: High protein, low carb shake with 1 tbsp. of peanut butter
Meal 5: 6 oz. grilled fish or chicken with steamed green vegetables
Meal 6: High protein, low carb shake

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

I stay pretty lean all year round due to my fitness modeling, so I do my cardio often. My cardio training is always High Intensity 100% for every session and I have found that works the best for me and really helps me stay lean.