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Female Bodybuilding Interview of the Month

November 2010

FBBFan.com Q&A interview with WNBF Pro Women's Bodybuilding Competitor Leah Raynes.

Editor's Note:

Special thanks to Leah for taking the time to speak with FBBFan.com. All photos courtesy of Leah Raynes.

FBBFan.com: Hello Leah, Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to share a bit about yourself with FBBFan.com readers!

FBBFan.com: Would you please tell us a little bit about yourself?How old are you? Where are you from? Current Residence? Relationship Status? Family Life?

Leah: I am turning 49 in just a few weeks...January 6th. I am from San Antonio, Texas. I have been divorced now for 17 years and have managed to raise 3 sons and one daughter who are now in their College years.

FBBFan.com: What is your profession?

Leah: I am a Surgical Technician working at the medical center in San Antonio for a hospital called Christus Santa Rosa. All of this followed many years of remaining available to my children and being a stay at home mother.

FBBFan.com: How did you get involved in the sport of Women's Bodybuilding?

Leah: I first began running track in high school and for a year after for a small track organization. I was a sprinter and I guess that is where my competitive edge came. I cut short my track involvement by having four children. It was no small undertaking and I grew by leaps and bounds far exceeding what any track and field career would have brought. I was bound and determined to remain the athlete I was in mind, body and spirit. I would work out at home and my kids would watch and learn from it. As they grew older, I would go to the gym for more challenging training. Several trainers approached me and insisted I compete because they thought I had the potential.

One thing leads to another and I turned Pro in 2004.

FBBFan.com: How does your friends, family and the general public react to your physique?

Leah: Friends encourage me to keep it up as well as my family. My kids in particular think I am SUPERWOMAN. Their friends react with huge gasps and they shake their heads and brag about me.

I get double takes from the general public which sometimes follow questions and comments. Mostly positive but one time an old man at the bank told me, "I'll bet you walk, don't ya?"

Once I was changing in the locker room for work and the co-worker nearby screamed, "Oh my GOD!" At first, I thought there was a bug on me. I looked myself over to be sure. Then, I realized she just thought I was in phenomenal condition.

One comment I have heard so many times is, "4 kids?...when did you have them, when you were 10!"

My dentist said, as I was in the exam chair, "These kids are BIOLOGICALLY YOURS?!".

FBBFan.com: You mentioned your daughter will be coming with you to NYC, what does she think of "mom the bodybuilder"?

Leah: She is very fired up about it. She has accompanied me on a few contests. She went with me 2 years ago to NYC and was a huge help! She is a trained Ballet dancer and Tap dancer and has countless stage performances behind her. She fixes me up bigtime. Hair, make-up, tanning, the works! Her dancing skills also help me immensely as I have a performance to give myself. Plus, we do the city up big and have tons of mother/daughter fun after the show in NYC . We basically go nutty-nuts! She is a distance runner and we will jog Central Park all the way around at least twice, rain or shine! That is the plan! Trust me, my boys are backing me, too.

FBBFan.com: What do you enjoy about being a bodybuilder?

Leah: I enjoy the sheer power of weight training. I am quite strong for my size. I have learned alot about my inner strength, which I attribute to my growth process of being a mother of four. I endured 4 home-birth deliveries with a midwife which that made me strong willed and physically, I had to learn how to control pain. Mind over matter, I guess you could say.

I enjoy knowing my kids have all blossomed into athletes in their own rite. None of us allow too many excuses about not staying on top of our game. I enjoy having to plan with a deadline in mind which demands stamina, keeps me focused and provides stability. Committment requires you to prove yourself. An attention getter? You betcha! To say human anatomy is remarkable, is an understatement.

FBBFan.com: What does it mean to you to be a "WNBF Pro Female Bodybuilder"?

Leah: Accepting that you are ready to compete against other Pros is a whole new ballgame. They are more focused and more advanced. Money is on the line. These ladies are dead serious! Being drug free has alot of meaning for me. I was featured in The S.A. Express -News Sports page a few times this past year. One article entitled, "Plenty of Strength in Honesty", says it all.

I respect the other women I compete against and it is healthy competition most of the time. Competitions are important to me, but I try to show good sportsmanship. I cut myself a little slack for having four children. Ha-Ha.

FBBFan.com: Do you feel at almost 49 years of age, you are a role model for women's health and fitness? How do you feel your physique and other women who compete in this sport can be role models for women of all ages?

Leah: I am told by women very often that I inspire them and that they admire me. Most people don't take me for a lady going on 50. I share advice when women ask. I try not to offer it up until then, but I do encourage. I felt pretty good at my 30th High School reunion this year. Our physiques differ and we have our strengths and weaknesses. Age does not have to be a limiting factor. A Pro show will sometimes have a Master's category for women over 40.

At any age, female bodybuilders seem to inspire even the men!

It is tough to compete against women in their 20's and so on. I just have to remember there is such a thing as muscle maturity.

FBBFan.com: Would you please share your competition history with us?

Leah: Pro contests since 2004:

• 2004: Pro America - 5th Place
• 2005: Pro America - 2nd place
• 2006: U.S. Cup - 4th Place
• 2006: World Championships - 2nd Place (runner-up lightweight Champ)
• 2007: Pro Master's Cup - 3rd Place
• 2007: World Championships - 6th Place
• 2008: World Championships - 3rd Place
• 2009: World Championships - 4th Place
• 2009: Pro Universe - 3rd Place

FBBFan.com: With a top 3 placing at the 2010 Ms. Universe, held earlier this year, what have you been working on to refin and prepare your physique for the 2010 World's?

Leah: My diet is something I have tried to be more strict with. It helped to compete In Barbados back in June, which left me about 5 months to maintain what was competition quality condition. Leg training is something I have tried to be more diligent about.

FBBFan.com: What is your current height, weight, during off-season and contest?

Leah: I am 5'4". Tah-dah! I try not to gain too much in off-season, but I have done it before. It is a huge regret but hopefully I have learned my lesson to not go over 130 lbs. I try very hard to compete around 110-112.

FBBFan.com: Would you please tell us a little about your workout schedule? Contest and during off-season? Does it vary much?

Leah: It does vary. Contest preparation is always more intense in lifting and it is because there is a contest in mind to push for. My body requires alot of cardio sessions which adds much more time. Off-season workouts may last one hour and I usually go as heavy as I can to build quality muscle. Taking in more calories allows me to train harder. My style is mostly heavy weight and low reps. Dropping body fat is no picnic but you do what you gotta do. Even more of a challenge is juggling work, homelife, obligations and energy level. Basically, I try to go to the gym when I am in the best mood for it. Not usually a good workout if you just don't want to be there.

FBBFan.com: Do you have a favorite exercise?

Leah: Dips! My technique is pretty good on it.

FBBFan.com: Do you have a coach or anyone you work with? Anyone who is helping you to prepare for the 2010 World's?

Leah: Miles Stovall is a Bodybuilding and Fitness Champion in the WNBF. He is a friend and personal trainer. I am not training with him currently, but I have before to prepare for a show. He always does my choreography for my routines and I do practice posing with him sometimes. He is the main person who encouraged me to compete in the first place. He will be traveling to NYC for the World's this year as well.

FBBFan.com: What do you consider your best feature?

Leah: I have to go with my back.

FBBFan.com: What is a day-in-the-life of Leah Raynes like?

Leah: It all depends on my work schedule. It is the most demanding thing I face. Some surgeries take place very early in the morning. I get up usually by 5 a.m. sometimes earlier. I take alot of call at work as well and will have to work late or possibly be called back in the middle of the night. After a very challenging day at work , I go home or on errands if I get off early. I help take care of my mother and I cook for her. She is 85 and does not cook anymore. I check on my kids who are just as busy as I am. They go to College and work also. We just keep tabs on each other. Sometimes I go to the gym with one of them, depending who is free. The 2 oldest are on their own but we catch up when possible. I deal with domestic things and keep my training as a part of my day. I don't usually miss workouts unless it is utterly impossible. Some days are like that and you have to give in to overwhelming time constraints. I am usually in bed by 10:30. I have to!

Weekends are different. I might go out to dinner or a movie. My oldest son returned from Afghanistan after serving there for 18 months. He has been back for 2 years and life is much less worrysome now that that is over. He endured an IED attack when he was there, but a happy ending for all of us. God is great. He is the family HERO.

FBBFan.com: What are your hobbies and interests outside of the bodybuilding world?

Leah: I LOVE when money allows, to remodel and make home improvements. I love to work outside in the yard on curb appeal and inside on just making things better.

Traveling is something I do, but again, when I can afford to. I spend time with my grown kids when I can. They may be in the adult world now but I am fascinated by the great people they have become.

Shopping is fun and I watch T.V. I cook a little. I have learned alot about that in the past 20 years! I also love going to the movies. Just saw Toy Story 3 with my 20 year old son. He laughed and I cried. Only a mom would understand.

FBBFan.com: What's currently on your iPod?

Leah: Bob Segar, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, AC/DC, Adam Lambert, Mary J. Blige and more.

FBBFan.com: What are your "top 5" favorite movies?

Leah: Gone With The Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Forrest Gump, The National Lampoon "Vacation" movies and Peggy Sue Got Married. Many more but those come to mind as favorites.

FBBFan.com: Who are your role models? And who do you look up to in your life?

leah: I do admire anyone who has overcome great strife and has learned through hardships to treat others as they want to be treated. I admire athletes of course and look up to them. I try to emulate people who have educated themselves and organize their lives perfectly. I look up to someone who has accomplished great things through hard work, despite many obstacles but not stepped on others to do it. Those are the kind of people who will stop and help someone when they are in need and show them compassion.

FBBFan.com: What advice do you have for women who would like to get involved in the sport of bodybuilding?

Leah: Keep your goals high, otherwise you will never attain them. Learn from other bodybuilders who are willing to teach you proper technique and training strategies. Challenging yourself is what it is all about and being a female is something to be proud of and maintaining your condition will only prove to keep you looking more feminine. Take each contest as a learning experience and you never know if you 're going to like it, unless you try! So be brave and go for it! Be a drug-free bodybuilder! You will get a beautiful natural result.

FBBFan.com: Who are your favorite bodybuilding athletes?

Leah: Miles Stovall, hands down the best.

FBBFan.com: How can people contact you? Do you have a website?

Leah: No website. Too busy for it. Not on facebook or anything. My e-mail is leahraynes@hotmail.com.