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Spotlight On NPC Womens Physique Competitor: Tomara Watkins
Category you compete in: Womens Physique
Date of birth: 4/11/66
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Career: Information Technology
Competition history:
I started weight training in 2009 to support a friend who was getting ready to compete in his first show. Four months out from the show he suggested that I should compete in the show with him, I said sure why not. Little did I know what was involved in preparing for such a task and I was in no way ready for what was about to happen. Needless to say I did not place, however I was hooked. I knew my drive to give 150% to everything I do and the challenge from those that said I was too old and that women of color aren’t successful in the competition industry would push me. I sought out a trainer and began competitive training in October of 2009. My first show was May of 2010 and I finished 5th in the masters figure and 6th in the open and was nationally qualified. I was so excited to have my first trophy but wanted more. My second show I won my height class in open figure and the overall masters title! I went on to do two more shows that year. In the local show I finished 2nd and 4th in Open Figure and 2nd in the masters. In the national show I finished 7th in master's figure and 14th in open figure. During the five shows in which I competed in, I battled through a sports hernia and a debilitating case of fibriods. By the time I completed in the national show that year my blood count was down to a 9 and it was hard to train legs heavy due to the sports hernia but pushed through. I had two surgeries at the end of that year to remove the fibriods and the hernia.
I most recently competed in figure at the 2011 Jr. USA and placed 10th. After that show I decided to step back and re-evaluate my training, my diet, and what I put myself and my body through in 2010 and the beginning of 2011. I made the switch to a new trainer and we started preparing for the 2012 competition season. I was preparing for the 2012 NPC Pittsburgh Championships but after talking it through with my trainer for weeks, and based on the feedback I received from some of the judges at the 2011 Jr USA, I decided 5 weeks out from the show to make the switch to women's physique. It didn't give me much time to switch up the training on my legs to add size but we both knew that this would be the best fit for me going forward. I was so nervous making the switch but knew that I had to give it everything I had. We stepped up my weight training with grueling leg sessions. The workouts included heavy barbell squats with drop sets, leg press (max 890 lbs) with drop sets, and super setting leg extensions with the dreaded walking weighted lunges just to name a few! I wanted to throw up after those sessions but held it in so that I wouldn’t lose my “man card”! Preparing the routine was another hurdle that I had to concur. My trainer drew on his experience putting together his own posing routines to show me how the importance of making the mandatory poses flow with the music and rest of the routine. Initially, I was a nervous wreck trying to get my mind wrapped around having to do a routine in front of hundreds of people but then I said to myself, wait you were a dancer (
ballet, modern) for 11 ½ years so draw from that. As soon as I did that it clicked and gave birth to a choreographed dance routine that happened to include mandatory poses!
August 2012 finally rolled around and I competed in my first physique show at the 2012 Kentucky State Championships were I placed 2nd in physique open. I received so many compliments on my routine from fellow competitors and people in the audience. I met and received some amazing feedback from the judges, photographers of the event, and a couple of IFBB pros! I capped off the show by also entering the best back competition (which was suppose to be open only the male competitors) and finished 2nd out of 5. I was the only female! The promoter of the show loved that I had entered and was the emcee during the night show when we did the pose down. The top two were brought out on the stage and I could hear the audience break out in to loud cheers when I came out after the male competitor. I could hear them saying “Hey that’s a girl”! We started walking around to hype the crowd and with the pose down and the emcee’s comments that brought the house down! Wow what an awesome experience! It was the best time that I’ve ever had at a show! It let me know that women’s physique is where I was meant to be and added fuel to my fire to take it to the next level and go for my pro card.
I also competed at the 2012 IFBB North American Championships were I placed 7th in masters physique and 14th in the open.
Next competition: I am targeting Team Universe as my first show in 2013.
How has your life changed since you adopted this lifestyle and started competing? It has been a world wind of changes for me. I have met so many amazing people from IFBB pros, to judges, to show promoters, to fellow competitors. I have made friends in the industry from all over the United States and a few from other countries. I have some awesome people in my corner helping me to get where I need to be including my trainer, his trainer, and my training teammates. I have had several friends and even people I didn’t know until they reached out to me who have changed their lifestyles after seeing my transformation, drive and determination and that is the most rewarding of everything that has happened. I’ve said that if I don’t achieve pro status that I have done what I set out to do: to inspire and motivate. I also had the opportunity to work with a close friend who is a photographer on several photo shoots which has led to potential fitness modeling opportunities, other photographers wanting to work with me, and an artist wanting to do a rendition of me to capture my strength and beauty! I am honored and humble by what the change in lifestyle and competing has afforded me thus far. I want to and will continue to pay it forward!
What have you found to be the best way to balance family, friends, career, this lifestyle, etc…
Balancing thankfully hasn’t been a challenge for me. None of my family or friends are into weight training and the nutritional life style to the level that I am but they are all very supportive. They all attended my shows when I compete locally; they contribute to things that I need for show prep, check me when I even think about slipping, etc. My job is flexible in that if I need to take off for shows I can. My co-wokers love to ask questions to learn from what I’m doing. They’ve even given me the nickname “T-Diesel”.
If you could change places with one competitor for the day who would it be and why?
It would be IFBB Figure Pro Erin Stern! I had the opportunity to meet and talk with her at the 2010 Nationals. Aside from being an amazing athlete she is a great person. The first thing she said to me when I walked up to her is you have amazing shoulders! Since then she has offered encouragement and feedback from time to time as well. She seems to be having such a fun time on her journey of competing, but she also pays it forward. She is always answering questions, and giving back to the sport. She doesn’t come off as if she is above everyone and never forgets were she started/came from. I would like to experience that level of being able to inspire, and motivate, as well as competing at the highest level of the sport!
Name two of the most inspirational people in your life and tel
l why they inspire you.
The first would be my mother. She has sacrificed everything throughout my life and my sister’s lives to make sure that we had everything that we needed to be loving, caring, spiritual, educated, successful women! I learned from her the importance of drive and determination, to care for others, to help whenever I can, to give back, to always remember that I am here for a purpose and to live up to that purpose to the best of my abilities. I am who I am because of her!
The second would be my maternal grandmother. Although she has passed she is still with me pushing me. She raised 10 children along with my grandfather with nothing. I learned from her the need for discipline, what it takes to be tough, not to quit, and to give 150% or not at all.
Tell one recipe or supplement you can’t live without.
I just recently discovered spinach and kale bites. Spinach and kale, mixed with onion and Parmesan cheese, then lightly dusted with Panko breadcrumbs for a bit of crunch. Heavenly taste and healthy!
Tell about a typical training day for you. What exercises, how many sets/reps…etc…
A typical Monday would involve training chest, delts, and biceps.
Chest: Incline dumbbells 5 sets 10 reps moderate to heavy weight. Regular flat bench chest press 4 sets increase each set, reps of 5 and drop sets on the last set reps of 3 until last one then rep until failure. Machine flies 4 sets 10 reps. Push-ups 3 sets, rep until failure.
Delts: Rear delts machine flies 20 reps 5 sets superset with banded rear delts 15 reps. Alternate front raises with cables 4 sets 12 reps heavy weight. Machine military presses heavy weight 8 reps 3 sets.
Biceps: Machine preacher curls 5 sets reps of 8-10 heavy. Alternate barbell curls 5 sets 8-10 heavy. Cable upright curls in the cable crossover machine 4 sets 12 reps.
In closing, Who would you like to give a shout out to?
I would like to give a shot out to my amazingly awesome trainer James Seals Sr. (Mr FIT2FLEXX and Nationally qualified NPC Bodybuilder), as well as my FIT2FLEXX team mates, Dana Jones (NPC Bikini competitor) and Donald Miller (2012 NPC Natural Northern USA and 2012 Ohio State Men’s Physique overall champion).
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