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Published on Friday, 09 April 2010 00:22

I've known Brandi Leaf since she was barely 18 years old. She always hung her head down and walked behind her boyfriend. She was quiet, shy, and had no idea how beautiful she was. She fell into the shadows of her beauty pageant older sister and her super-confident bodybuilding boyfriend. People always commented on her natural beauty and "cute figure" while she was the front-desk girl at the gym. Her experiences in figure, fitness, bodybuilding and now bikini, has given her more confidence and some terrific insights that she's chosen to share, exclusively, with Rx Muscle!

RX: Let's start with your stats...

BL: I'm 24 years old, 5'5 ¼ "  I am a Brunette with brown eyes. My measurements are 35, 23, 34 and my contest weight is 116 lbs. Off season I'm about 127 lbs.

RX: So, you just won your class this weekend. Let's talk about your contest history. You did your first figure competition as a teen, right?

BL: Yup, in 2005. I was 19 when I did my first contest. Ava Cowan won the overall that year. You and I competed together at the Southern States that year, remember?

RX: I remember. How'd you place?

BL: Ughh.....2^nd out of two competitors. (laughs.)

RX: And then you didn't compete again until last October, right? Why?

BL: I never really thought I was ready. I kept setting my standards higher and higher. I also talked too much and never made it happen. I watched everyone else.

RX: And when you competed last October, you made a switch to Bikini. Tell me about that decision.

BL: Well, my pride didn't want to let me. I've grown up around all this bodybuilding and muscle. I have always respected the muscle so much; it felt like I was selling out. My trainer, John Mier, told me to just do it. People were telling me, it really isn't selling out.....they kept saying, it's a new division and people are getting recognition from it. I finally looked at it as a way of getting some exposure. John said: "Look at it like this: bikini is new and girls are going pro quickly. What's it going to hurt to give it a try?" He was right. I didn't feel like I had enough muscle for figure, and I figured it might give me the kickstart I needed to get back in to competing.

RX: So how did you do?

BL: I won first in my class and missed the overall by one judge. So I qualified for Nationals at my first bikini competition.

RX: How did you do at Nationals?

BL: I placed 13 out of a class of 16 girls! I was told that I came in way too lean and hard. They said I had more muscle than they wanted for bikini.

RX: So maybe you were ready for figure?

BL: I was stuck in between! I really didn't have much muscle, but I also don't have that "badonk-a-donk" booty that it seems like the judges want.

RX: It sounds like a confusing and maybe frustrating place to find yourself?

BL: Well, I feel like it was definitely the right thing to do. It definitely gave me the kickstart I was hoping for. Since I came in too lean at Nationals I actually got to see what I have underneath the bodyfat, you know? I also grew a little at Nationals. I mean, to know I placed so poorly because I looked so good, it gave me the confidence I needed to feel ready to compete in figure again. I definitely think I have a better figure body than a bikini body.

RX: So you set your sights on a figure competition, in which you placed first in class this weekend?

BL: What I told John at Nationals was that I didn't feel comfortable stepping on stage any softer than I was for that Bikini competition, and to place higher in Bikini, apparently that's what I needed to do. So, yeah, I decided I was back to Figure competing.

RX: How long did you prep from this Figure competition?

BL: The day I met with my trainer, I was 3 months out. He actually told me: "NO WAY....not happenin." (haha) I had a lot of personal stuff going on at the time and my hormones were outa whack and my body was soft and I just didn't seem to have the right mindset. I told him that I needed this focus in my life. It was perfect timing for me to focus on me and I needed the structure of getting in to the gym three times a day.  He agreed to do his best to get me ready and I agreed to get my head on straight and do whatever it took to be ready.

RX: Well, it seems to have worked for you. You look the best I've ever seen you and you can only get better. So what's next?

BL: Thanks. Ultimately, the pursuit of more muscle is next.  For now,  am going to compete in the Europa Super Show in Orlando. I'm already ready and it's only a couple weeks away.....why not?

RX: No reason not to! Are you working at any booths at the Expo?

BL: I'd love to, but I don't have any lined up. I have been busy being a Miller Lite Girl 4 nights a week lately and I haven't been able to make the contacts necessary for booth work.

RX: I didn't know you were a Miller Lite Girl! How'd you get that gig?

BL: They actually found me on Facebook. It's been a ton of fun.

RX: How was dieting for this show different than your Bikini prep?

BL: I got to eat more food this time. I ate pretty much the same foods, but because I was training so hard and trying to gain as much lean mass as possible, John had me eating more food and being less worried about the scale. It was an easier prep as far as diet goes, actually. Before I was always hungry.

RX: How about your training for Figure vs. Bikini?

BL: My training for Bikini was much easier. I busted my ass in the gym for the last three months for this Figure show! It felt great, but it was definitely more intense than it was for Bikini. I lifted heavier than ever. I had to stay focused and when I found myself starting to be afraid of the weight or fatigued, I told myself: "You're a big girl now. You can do this." That was my mantra in my head for the last three months. (haha) I love the way I look now compared to before.

RX: I like that mantra. I'm going to have to remember that. How many days a week do you train?

BL: Six. Well, one of those days is calves and abs.

RX: Any insight for those girls, like you, who have a love and desire to get into our crazy industry?  How should they go about figuring out where they fit in?

BL: Just go where you're most comfortable. Sometimes that may take a few tries in different divisions, but you will find your comfort zone. Stick with it and you'll find your body type and be comfortable with who you are. Just be the best you.

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