Shaping up ... at the Grand Traverse Bodybuilding Championships

Getting ready for a bodybuilding contest is no idle commitment. “It usually takes about 20 weeks to prepare --about four or five months,” says Vern Gauthier of the Fit For You Health Club in Traverse City. “And you want to be in pretty good shape to begin with.”
Fit For You has sponsored the Grand Traverse Bodybuilding Championships for seven years now, inheriting the competition from the bygone TC Gym. The contest celebrated its 25th year on April 2.
Training generally involves working out five days per week, concentrating on one area of the body each day (arms, legs, back, etc.), adding plenty of cardiovascular workouts.
“You want to come down 15 or 20 pounds to get ready for the show,” says Gauthier, who was in more competitions than he can recall during his younger years. He went pro for two years in 1991 before giving up competition to concentrate on his gym business.
A strict diet goes hand-in-hand with the workouts. “You want to keep your calories and proteins as high as possible and let the body fat come off through your exercise,” Gauthier says. “It gets down to a real basic nutrition plan.”
With nearly 11 months to go until the next competition, there’s still plenty of time to get your own place in the spotlight. Just head for the gym and start lifting...

sidebar:
The Winners:

Womens Master (over 40 )
First place #2 Debbie Perry
Second #3 Megan Barnes
Third #1 Pat Bowen
Fourth #4 Sue Boonstra

Womens Short
First place #6 Cory Mcnitt
Second #7 Monica Schneider
Third #8 Megan Barnes

Womens Tall
First place #11 Kristi Wolters
Second #10 Debbie Perry
Third #9 Pat Bowen
Fourth #13 Sue Boonstra
Fifth #12 Sarah Olds

Womens Figure
First #5 Shoshana Schichtel

Mens Master
First #14 Mike Feliz
Second #15 Mike Quinn

Mens Short
First # 16 Ken Thomas
Second #19 Jon Nickels
Third #21 Mike Quinn
Fourth #17 Scott Carter
Fifth #18 Steve Slater

Mens Tall
First # 24 Brian Carter
Second #22 Eric Schieder
Third #26 Chris Humphrey
Fourth #25 T.J. Shelton
Fifth #28 Antonio Altonseca

Overall Winners
Women/ Cory Mcnitt
Men/ Brian Carter



View On Our Website