Lauren Riffel | Break the Stigma
What got you into fitness and working out?
I've always been into sports ever since I was young. I've played basketball ever since I was five. I played volleyball through middle school and high school. After high school I realized I didn't have the same passion for basketball anymore and I wanted to steer that passion for athleticism into something else. I started working at a gym as a sales associate and was encouraged into taking a certificate to be a personal trainer. Being in that environment I quickly picked up bodybuilding and fell in love with it.
How do you find time to balance work, the gym, meal prep, etc?
The gym is always a priority for me because it is not just something that I feel I need ti do. It is more than that. It is a therapy for me so it is easy to make time for the gym. It guides my day and keeps me sane. I always find a way to make time for the gym regardless of whether it is 45 minutes or closer to two hours. Meal prep is a huge part of bodybuilding and being successful in developing your physique. Meal prepping it is a huge priority for me. On days where I'm not super busy I will take advantage of it and meal prep for the week ahead.
What has been the highlight of your fitness journey, and what are your short and long term goals?
So far the highlight of my fitness journey has been reaching out to so many people on social media platforms through my Instagram fitness account. This year my friends encouraged me to create a fitness account. It isn't something I'm necessarily comfortable with. I didn't think I could have the impact on people that I have seen myself have through social media. That has been a huge highlight for me, to have people reach out looking for answers on how I do it. My short term goals are just to improve my physique every day while breaking barriers I haven't been able to break thus far. One of my long term goals has been, because I'm pretty tall, to gain muscle mass. I was around 123lbs in high school so that was very thin. It has always been a challenge of mine to keep weight on let alone muscle mass. My goal for myself was to reach 160lbs. I have never been too obsessed with the scale, but 160lbs was a way to prove to myself that I could conquer any obstacle that comes my way. It proves that I can achieve any goal I want as long as I work hard enough. That is a goal I set and achieved. As for a goal I want to achieve now, I definitely want to compete within the next year. I have been asked many times when I will compete. I just have to set up enough time to do it with school and work. Now that I'm graduated, I think the timing is much better.
How has fitness changed your life?
Three years ago I was diagnosed with OCD. This ultimately cause me to have a lot of anxiety. I found that OCD is triggered by inconsistencies. The gym has always been consistent for me. It is something I have never given up on, and something that is always there for me. I am always so much happier when I am in the gym, and it has made me see that any goal I set in life I can achieve it. I have gotten this far and I never thought in a million years I'd be where I am right now. I have the best physique I have ever had in my life.
What is your favorite muscle to work out and why? Where do your think your weaknesses lie?
My favorite muscle group to work out changes month to month, and sometimes even week to week. I'd say down to the core it will always be biceps and triceps. I think when you ask why it's because I have the best mind-muscle connection with my arms, specifically my biceps. I've always admired females that had muscular arms because I never did. I was super lanky so going through this fitness journey it was definitely a focus of mine. Now it's something that is so trained I have the best mind-muscle connection with them. Legs on the other hand have always been a weakness of mine. They are so challenging that I have started falling in love with leg days. Since it's my weakness I am giving them so much more attention and have seen so much growth in them.
What defines health and healthy to you?
I think a huge part of health and being healthy is being balanced. Everything in moderation is key because you can be in the gym every single day isn't going to give you the results you want. Your body needs rest and your body needs sleep. Giving your body rest, sleep, proper nutrition and exercise will give you the results you want. That will make a healthy life style, along with have a balanced social life outside of the gym. Don't restrict yourself to fitness. Even though it a lifestyle, ensure that you make time for other things or you will go insane.
What advice would you give to someone just starting to get into the gym?
Set goals for yourself. I think that is one of the most important things. It is good to just start lifting weights and making mistakes. Ask people questions, but more importantly don't compare yourself to other people. Every person is built differently. You could have a role model and if your follow their regimen specifically you will never look like them. For the men who are following bodybuilders that are on steroids, even if you do the same steroids you will not look like them. Genetically we are all built differently and we all have strengths and weaknesses in areas of our body. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses will help you get the results you want.
Most women shy away from working upper body because they don’t want to bulk. What advice would you give these women?
Unless you're using something that isn't natural you are not going to bulk up. I had a lot of clients, specifically females, asking me what they could do to ensure that they wouldn't get massive by training upper body. It takes years of training to get massive. Beyond that women's physiques don't do that naturally. Besides, you are going to be toning and your muscle is going to burn. Building muscle is going to help burn fat. You are never going to get bulky unless you go to extreme limits. More than anything there is going to be a lot of toning. I think that is very beneficial for a woman. They shouldn't be afraid to look muscular. We need to break the stigma that women can't look muscular and sexy at the same time.
What do you think is harder gaining muscle or losing weight?
For me it has always been gaining muscle. If I stop working out I am going to lose weight. For me that is a disadvantage because I immediately lose my muscle. I can't speak for all females because there are people in certain situations where they battle their entire lives to lose weight. I can tell you it is much harder for a woman to build muscle and much harder to keep muscle. Personally I find it harder to build muscle, but can't speak for everyone on this question.
What does your diet consist of, and if you had the power to make one junk food healthy which would it be?
My diet consists of what I call "If it fits your macros". I'm not on a strict diet, and I don't even like to call it a diet. It's more of being conscientious of what I'm eating. I track my macros regularly being proteins, fats and carbs. Proteins should be 1 gram per lb of body weight. I try to keep my fats on the lower side because I find I have a fat heavy diet. My body tends to crave fats more than carbs. Carbs haven't been an issue for me because I don't have a carb heavy diet. If I had the power to make any junk food healthy it would be candy. I am a huge sour candy lover. All of the sugar in candy convert to fat and that is my weakness. If I'm having cravings it is something candy related. If only all that sugar was converted into protein. I would be stocked up on candy all of the time.