Former Runner and Yoga Instructor becomes an IFBB Pro- Interview with Robyn Maher

 

DDT: Could you give us a little background info on who Robyn Maher is?

Robyn: I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah but we moved when I was a baby. I grew up all over the US, and as an adult I have lived in Australia and Thailand. I love travel and I love people! I enjoy meeting new faces and people from all walks of life. I returned to Utah for college at BYU. I graduated in Exercise Science and Wellness. Since then, I have worked in tons of facets/capacities of the health industry, such as: supplements/herbals, holistic medicine, nutrition, personal training, running coach, yoga instructor, and now as an IFBB pro and brand ambassador.

Some words that define me are: fitness, nutrition, health, motivation, and drive; I have an insatiable appetite for this industry! I want to enlarge my capacity and social reach in order to help others be a part of it! Whether that means I am inspiring others to get their first gym membership, learn how to meal prep, discover new recipes, or train for a bodybuilding show… It energizes me! I love every bit of it! In addition, having 3 kids (15, 12, 9) keeps me very busy and places additional responsibility on me to teach them how to take care of their health and I have to be an example of what I preach!

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DDT: We want you to travel back 10 years ago and we want you to tell our audience what sparked you to start your path on being a fitness based entrepreneur?

Robyn: Ten years ago I was married with a 5 year old, 3 year old, and a baby. At the time, I lived on the Gold Coast in Australia. I ran every day and did some Les Mills classes at the gym. I didn’t know anything about bodybuilding and didn’t know what an IFBB pro was!! Haha. Back then, I was struggling to lose baby weight and balance my role as a mom, and my desire to be a fitness professional. I looked into a personal training certification there, but it was very costly. I ended up working from home with an online education company called PT Academy. It was very unfulfilling, and only increased my desire to find a stronger role in the industry. When I moved back to the States, I got my certification through NASM and started training in 2008. Very shortly, my training schedule was booked full time and I blasted through the highest pay/bonus tiers at the small gym where I was working. I loved it!! I felt so passionate about it and it all finally made sense to me.

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DDT: What got you inspired into specifically doing bikini competitions?

Robyn: Back in 2010 I was primarily a runner and yoga instructor, and I easily maintained 100 lbs and about 17% body fat. I was a size 0 (every girl’s dream, right?) But I was still embarrassed to wear a bikini or swimsuit in public. I had no shape! So I hired my first trainer to help me build lean muscle. After one year of following a 5-Day split routine and focused strength workouts, along with the right kind of diet plan, I was 108 lbs and 11% body fat. I loved the transformation! Seeing the results of my hard work was SO addictive! I wanted to do more. I decided to do my first NPC competition in the Figure Division. I dropped to 104 lbs and less than 10% body fat. I couldn’t believe the changes I saw in my body. So empowering!! Although I placed Top 5 in both of my Figure competitions, I realized that my frame was not suited for that division. To my dismay, I switched to Bikini (ha ha) but surprisingly, I loved it! The Legends Classic 2014 was my first show, and I placed 6th and 7th in my classes, but one month later I won 3 classes at NPC Utah. Later that year I placed 3rd and 8th at NPC Nationals! I still can’t believe that I am an IFBB Bikini Pro. That title was my ultimate goal, and it happened! It’s still a dream to me 🙂

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DDT: bikini division is about creating an aesthetically appealing, strong, sexy, and feminine body. Being an IFBB Pro Card winner in the bikini division, do you feel most of the bikini competitors these days are living up to these criteria?

Robyn: Yes I really do. There are so many amazing women that I have met at my competitions and I have been very inspired and impressed by most of them. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part it’s a positive, uplifting, motivating hobby and sport. It’s been SO beneficial and enlightening to my life. I love it!

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DDT: If you could travel back in time, what would be the 3 biggest things you would do differently in your young competitive career?

Robyn:

  1. Start SOONER! (younger)
  2. Be bold and just OWN it – no apologies
  3. Research a coach in depth before hiring.

 

DDT: If you could change one thing in the bikini division, what would it be and why?

Robyn: I am an athlete and want to be considered as such. It’s a physique competition. It’s about proportion, symmetry, and conditioning of the entire physique. I hate hiding my shredded back! I wish that ALL muscle groups, and the entire body was judged more as a whole. It seems like major “lagging muscle groups” and lack of conditioning are overlooked at times for one or two specific muscle groups 😉

 

DDT: We want you to pick 1 “top goal” in the following 4 areas for 2016:

Your training- IFBB Pro Win!!

Your nutrition- I honestly don’t have one… I just want to keep eating clean for a long term healthy lifestyle to prevent disease/illness, feel amazing, and have tons of energy!!

Your business- Get Published (my own book or a magazine)

Your life- Find the balance between work, family, and me.

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DDT: At times life throws challenges at you to test your mental toughness and heart as a person. What has been your biggest challenge in life and how did you overcome it?

Robyn: The biggest challenge in my life has been overcoming my tendency to need others’ approval. I have had so many dysfunctional and negative relationships (family, friends, and romantic) that I permitted due to my need to be a “people pleaser”. In just the past year, I finally discovered how to let go of the opinions of others and to stop letting them define me. What I do with my own life, the profession I choose, the decisions I make… they are my own. I LOVE the feeling of freedom that I have discovered as I learned to truly love myself, just the way I am, in every moment…and stop apologizing when I am not who/what someone else wants me to be! It’s exhausting and pretty crippling when you are living under that kind of pressure! No one can be happy like that, and I believe that no one should have to do that. It has taught me to be very accepting of others, to be more forgiving, more loving, and most of all empathetic

 

DDT: If your company was gone, your social media followers left, and all your content was deleted… you have the chance to have 1 sentence be globally shown on a billboard…what would that sentence say?

Robyn: Love who you are and live unapologetically <3

 

Fun Time!

 

DDT: What do you do for your first 60-120 minutes of your day?

Robyn: Wake up, drink BCAAs, and take my morning supplements. While my kids get ready for school, I get dressed for the gym, gather/pack my food for the day (or at least first couple meals), fill a water bottle or grab my gallon… and we all get out the door. In between all this, I answer a few emails, check text messages, post something on IG/Twitter, etc.

 

DDT: Your favorite song to bust out a bikini routine is_______________?

Robyn: I remember at my very first NPC Bikini Competition, Musclecontest Legends Classic 2014, Kesha’s Die Young blasted the house as I walked out and Amanda Latona read my name. That was pretty awesome!

 

DDT: If you were stranded on an island and could only live off 3 foods, those 3 foods would be?

Robyn: Peanut butter, Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar, eggs.

 

DDT: Your favorite controlled-indulgence meal is______?

Robyn: Bison Burger and Sweet potato fries 😉

 

DDT: What does Robyn like to do for fun? Please don’t hold back on us 😉

Robyn: EAT or SHOP!

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DDT: Where can our readers and supporters follow you and your work?

Robyn: www.fitrobyn.com

Facebook page: IFBBPro Robyn Maher

Twitter, IG: @slcgirlrunning

LinkedIn: Robyn Maher

 

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