The other day, my 8 year old son was taunting my feisty 7 year old daughter. She smacked him in the arm and as he laughed at her, he told her: "...you hit like a girl." Posthaste, she reared back and gave him a black eye.
Being a girl isn't so bad; just ask Ariel "Gigi" Khadr, the 2009 NPC Teen National Fitness & Figure Overall Champion. That's right, she won both.
RX: Congratulations are in order. You certainly are an accomplished teenager! Why don't we start by telling everyone how old you are?
Gigi: I am 16. I'll be 17 on September 8th.
RX: You are extremely successful so far in both Figure and Fitness, but you are involved in other sports as well?
Gigi: Yes! I'm a level 10 gymnast and a 2nd degree blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do. I've been involved in both from a very early age. I started when I was four.
RX: So you're currently competing in gymnastics, too?
Gigi: Yes. Basically, I train from June to October and meet season is from November to May.
RX: So there's no "off season?"
Gigi: No, not really. If we're not competing, we're training for competition.
RX: What does your training schedule look like?
Gigi: I train 3-4 hours every day except Sunday.
RX: Wait...so you only rest one day a week? Don't you get overuse injuries?
GIgi: Yes. I've injured my ankles several times; sprains, strains, tendonitis; they never really heal. I was training as an Elite gymnast, but with all the injuries, I dropped back to Level 10. I can still get a scholarship, though.
RX: Where are you planning on going to college?
Gigi: I haven't completely decided, but I am looking at Ivy League schools.
RX: Very impressive. Something tells me you'll have no problems.
RX: When you're not training for a meet, you're in the gym, training for a figure or fitness competition?
Gigi: Yeah - pretty much. Or I'm doing homework and sometimes hanging out with my friends. Only I try not to go out to eat with my friends - they don't really eat like me.
RX: That seems like it would kinda be hard on a teenager. Do you ever feel pressure from your friends or get those stupid questions in regards to your physique?
Gigi: You mean the one's like: "How much do you bench press?" As if we could actually continue intelligently with any conversation from there! "Umm...I use 5 lbs." Yeah - a lot of times people don't get it, but my friends don't pressure me. They just know this is me.
RX: When did your interest in the bodybuilding industry begin?
Gigi: My parents are both bodybuilders. They've taken me to bodybuilding shows since I was four or five. I knew from the first show that I would end up on that stage one day. I've always loved watching the fitness routines.
RX: Both parents are bodybuilders? That's a lot of discipline in one family! Any brothers or sisters?
Gigi: I am an only child. Yeah - I get a lot of comments about my physique when I'm in public, but when my Mom and I go out together - oh forget about it! She's in really good shape, too. She always looks contest ready! People always say something to the two of us.
RX: You seem like you have a clear direction and you know what you want. How would you describe yourself?
Gigi: I am extremely disciplined. I learned a lot of discipline from Tae Kwon Do. And in gymnastics you have to be disciplined to go the gym and spend three or four hours every single day of your life at practice. I've always been the kind of person who chooses what I want to do and then I put 110% into it. I'm very determined. I'm also very humble. It's a little difficult to hear all the compliments I've been getting lately. I appreciate every single one of them; I just see it as hard work and accomplishing my goals.
RX: You exude confidence on the stage and in the videos I've seen of you at meets.
Gigi: I LOVE being on the stage. I'm very comfortable there. I don't feel like I need to draw a lot of attention in my life, but when I'm on that stage it feels very natural.
RX: Did you get any help with your routine or contest prep?
Gigi: Jen Hendershott helped me come up with the theme for my routine. I also have a routine coach: Nicole Azzolina. Colette Nelson helped get me through my diet - especially those last couple of weeks. She was very encouraging.
RX: What does a day in the life of Ariel "Gigi" Khadr look like?
Gigi: (Laughs) Well, I wake up, do my cardio, eat breakfast, go to school, come home, have lunch, go to gymnastics, eat, do homework, go to the gym if there's time and pretty much do it all again the next day. I don't really have a lot of spare time.
RX: So you only eat three meals a day?
Gigi: No, I actually eat 5 or 6 meals every day.
RX: What does your diet consist of right now?
Gigi: I'm not really prepping for a contest right now, but I still eat clean all the time: mostly fish, chicken, nuts, avocado, and lots of greens. The only difference is that I will have one cheat meal a week now.
RX: What's your favorite cheat?
Gigi: Anything chocolate!!!
RX: What do you do for fun?
Gigi: I like to go shopping and hang out with my friends.
RX: Do you have any fitness role models that you look up to?
Gigi: Well, I don't really want to say that I want to be like anybody in particular, but I definitely love Jen Hendershott's routines and also Oksana Grishina. They each have a very different style, but I love them both. aHh
I also look up to my Dad. I am a lot like him when it comes to hard work. He is very driven and I admire that.
RX: Any motivational advice for someone who is watching you and thinking they'd like to give fitness competitions a try?
Gigi: Just get started! Once you do, you'll love it. Anyone can do it. People think you have to be a cheerleader, a dancer, or a gymnast, but you don't. It takes some talent, but anyone can do it if they put their mind to it. And, it's a lot of fun!
RX: And finally, is there anybody you'd like to thank?
Gigi: Jen Hendershott for my routine theme, my routine coach Nicole Azzolina, Colette Nelson for encouraging me through the last of my diet, and my Mom! She cooks everything for me and helps put some flavor in my whitefish!!!
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