Spotlight On: Minna Pajulahti

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Published on Saturday, 09 April 2011 13:44

Written by Minna Pajulahti

Spotlight On: Minna Pajulahti

Category you compete in: IFBB Fitness pro

Date of birth: May 4. 1981

Hometown: Nokia, Finland

Career: I work as flight attendant for Finnair

Sports background: I competed in rhythmic gymnastic from 8 till 17. Then I started to compete in cheerleading when I was 14 and the last competition was the World Championships in Orlando,FL in the year 2009. So I have been competing and doing sport from my early years.

Why NPC: IFBB is the biggest and most known in our industry. It is really an honor to be part of the IFBB. We have also in Finland really good competitions and the level and the amount of the competitors is high. Fitness and figure is getting really popular here, and that's great!

What do you like best about competing? I love to aim for my goals and competing is really challenging. In fitness this means that you have to be good in the physique round and also in the routine. It is great to analyze the competitions and try to evolve to be better in every contest. I also love all the things that are attached to the competitions, fares, friends and the industry itself. When you get to the stage the feeling is amazing, first you feel the butterflies in your stomach and then you just enjoy. You really get hooked on this feeling

Competition history:

2000 2^nd in the Juniors' Finnish IFBB Championships

2001 1^st in the Juniors' Finnish IFBB Championships

2001 2^nd in the IFBB World Juniors' Championships in Spain

2007-2008 1^st in the IFBB Finnish Championships and 7^th in the Women's World Championships in Spain

2010 2^nd in the IFBB Arnold Amateur fitness medium category, Columbus, OH

2010 Pro debut in Ft. Lauderdale Pro- fitness, 14^th place

Next competition: FIBO IFBB Pro Fitness in Essen, Germany. April 16, 2011

Competitors you look up to: Adela Garcia has made a great career and really motivates competitors. In the early years Monica Brandt's physique was always something to look up to. There are many great competitors that keep me going. All the girls who compete are training hard and have a strict diet, so everyone who gets in great shape is someone to look up to.

Favorite cheat food: I have a sweet tooth, so everything sweet; candy, ice cream and Finnish liquorices,...but I only let myself eat them on rare occasions, when I really feel I deserve them. Then they taste even sweeter.

Favorite diet food: I watched Ronnie Coleman's training video where he makes his morning porridge and puts eggs in it. I tried it once and now it is my favorite diet food. It doesn't look so great but tastes terrific!

Favorite body part to train: I love to train at the gym; I have to say that is something that I really enjoy. If I have to choose one body part that I like the most to train I go with shoulders. Because I'm a former cheerleader and use to lift other girls up in the air, my shoulders are quite strong. Legs are also something that I like to train.  It is challenging, but when you get through the training you really feel the burn. After I broke my ACL(2006) I had to rest and not train my legs so intensely and then slowly learn everything again. The feeling when you can train your legs without any injuries or pain is great. Then the battle is only between you and the weights.

Least favorite body part to train:

Years ago it used to be back, because I didn't get the right kind of feeling when training the muscle. During the years I have been learning and really concentrating on my back workout and nowadays I can feel my back muscle when I train. It is great when you can change something you don't like into something you really look for to. That's the thing about fitness, you always learn something new about yourself and about your body and training, you are never really ready. You can always be better!

Hobbies: I have to say that I'm a big shopper and also enjoy bargaining. Because I work as a flight attendant I have the opportunity to shop all over the world. When the show day comes closer the shopping heats up...so it is always expensive to compete.

I also love to travel during my free-time and the states are my favorite place to be. I have 3 dogs, a small, white Bologneses, so there is always something to do with them. In the summertime, I like to go out and play tennis. When it is time to relax I warm up the sauna.

Words to live by: Never give up, always believe in yourself and your dreams and they may come true... Dream on!!!

...and remember when the going gets tough, the tough gets going!

All the best to all the RX Muscle girls, let's keep in touch and train hard!!!

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