Across the Atlantic! Meet RX Girl Linda Petursdottir Simonsen from Norway
Linda is a bikini competitor.jpg)
and she has been training serious for about two and a half years. She began training shortly after giving birth to her son. The plan was to just get back into shape after childbirth, but Linda was bitten by the fitness bug. She had been doing different sports before, such as sprinting, football and badminton. Linda had been doing a lot of aerobics, but she felt thin so after giving birth she shifted her focus to mainly free weight to put on more muscle.
Competition category: Bikini Fitness, tall class
Competes in: IFBB
Date of birth: October 16, 1983
Country: Norway
Hometown: Trondheim
Career: I am currently a student in nursing school.
Competition history:
Fredrikstad Open Debutant 2013 (7th place)
Oslo Grand Prix 2013 (4th place)
Norwegian Championship 2013 (2nd place)
Arnold Classic Europe 2013 (8th place)
Northern Championship 2013 (6th place)
Next competition: I think my next competition will be in the fall of 2014, and I am planning to compete at Norway Open 2014, which will be in my hometown Trondheim. I will also compete at the Norwegian Championship and maybe Arnold Classic Europe again.
What do you feel is the WORST part of contest prep?
That you do not have much time for your family and friends, and that you often have to say no to social gatherings because you have to work out, practice posing or just because there often is food involved that you cannot eat and you do not want to be rude and do not eat anything.
Would you please tell us a little about your workout schedule?
I like to work out 4-5 days a week, with a lot more emphasis on the lower body. I like to have 2-3 leg days, and I always focus on the glutes and hams. I workout my upper body for 2 days, where I have one day for back and biceps and the other one for shoulders, triceps and abs. I do not train my chest. I usually do not do any cardio in the offseason, but when I am prepping for a competition I will do cardio for 2-5 days a week depending on what type of cardio I do. I have been doing both powerwalks in the morning and more HIIT training in my competition prep. I usually start with cardio between 4-6 weeks before a competition, depending on how lean I am.
If you knew then what you know today – what would you do di
fferently when you started weight training?
I used to eat too little, do too much cardio and lift too light weights before like a lot of girls do. I wanted to be lean and muscular, but ended up looking very skinny. It was first when I contacted my coach, Gunnar Strand Jacobsen that is the owner of Kaliber Gym in Trondheim, which I finally got the results I wanted. So I have often regretted that I did not contact someone that could help me before, instead of wasting a lot of years on training and not getting any results. It is definitively worth it to have a coach helping you out.
If you had to lose one of your 5 senses, which one would you prefer to lose and why?
It would have to be the smell sense, mostly because I think it would be the sense I would miss the less. It would also be a great benefit in my job as a nurse, because then it would not be a problem with all the smells you have to deal with working with people that are sick. I also would not be tempted by delicious-smelling food when I am on a diet, haha.
If you could change one thing about this sport what would it be?
The negativity some of the people that competes in fitness have against each other, and also some people that are involved in the fitness industry. It is a competition and everybody wants to win, we are all in the same place doing what we love and we should all respect other people’s hard work and dreams, and not talk down on bikini competitors for being “slutty” or figure girls for being “butch”. There are a lot of other examples, and I am no saint myself but I try to be as polite and respectful as I can even though I can’t like everybody.
What is your favorite protein powder? Why do you like it?
I like a lot of protein powders, but I think my absolute favorite is Chocolate Peanut from SciTec Nutrition. I also like their banana protein, simply because they taste delicious.
What are some motivational strategies that have or currently work for you?
I love lifting and seeing the progress on my strength and the results on my body, and that motivates me to keep on going. I like to log my progress in strength on an app on my iPhone. I also like to take pictures of my form to follow my progress, and sometimes when I feel really bad about myself I look at old pictures and remind myself how far I have come. I also like to look at pictures or videos on YouTube of other fitness girls to get inspired and motivated before a workout or a posing session. And I also love the gym I train in, Kaliber Gym, and there are lots of people there that have the same passion as me and motivate me to keep pushing.
Which IFBB Pro bodybuilder would you take with you to a deserted island for the rest of your life? Please explain your answer.
It could not be anyone else than Arnold Schwarzenegger, I think. He is a person I really admire for his success as a bodybuilder, businessman, actor and governor and I think I could learn a lot from him and that he would have been an interesting person to be on a deserted island with.
Favorite Motivat
ional Quote:
I have a lot of motivational quotes that I like, and no particular favorite I would say. But I like these:
“Train like you’re in second, but go on stage like you’re in first.”
“Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret.”
“Everything I am not made me everything I am”
In closing, who would you like to give a shout out to?
I would never be where I am today without the help from my coach Gunnar Strand Jacobsen, so I would like to thank him for his patience and for believing in me. Also Line Celius has been a great supporter for me.
I also would like to thank everyone in my team, Kaliber Gym FKK, for supporting me on my way to the stage and for just being great friends and those who inspire me. You know who you are. :-)
Final words
We at Rx Muscle would like to thank you, Linda, for the interview and we wish you all the best in the future of your career and hope to see you soon on a stage showing your amazing physique.
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