Where and when were you born? I was born in Williston, ND on Oct 27, 1978
What is your profession? Right now, I am working as an Electrical Technician!!
Were you involved in sports or fitness prior to bodybuilding and how did you get started with weight training? I have always been active in sports, started very, very young with softball, actually T-Ball to begin! I also played Volleyball all through school, and also played basketball for about 5 years when I was young as well. I love water sports too, I water ski (I can slollum on a good day!) along with kneeboarding, and also recently learned to wake board. I love to be active with all sorts of sports, but those are the main ones. I started weight lifting right out of high school, I was 18, summer before I started college. Just wanted to see some results in shaping up my body, and it grew into an obsession with the gym! I grew passionate about lifting, and have wanted to compete since I was in my early twenties, but just recently got enough courage to do it for the first time in June of 2007….no looking back now!
Was it a goal for you to compete in bodybuilding competitions right from the beginning or was it something that grew in your mind as time went on and you saw the progress in your body? See above answer, guess I jumped the gun a little on this one! LOL
Can you give me your competition history? June 2007 Arizona – Figure Tall Class, 6th place out of 12 girls I believe….was told I was just too muscular and had gotten too lean for figure; tried to come in softer for my 2nd show – Figure Tall Class, Dec 2007 Excalibur, again middle of the pack coming in at 12th out of about 22 girls?? Transitioned to BB!! First BB show June 2008 Arizona – per score cards, tied dead even for 1st place!! Heavy weight Class…ended up with 2nd place by one point!! Dec 2008 – Heavy Weights Excalibur 1st place finish
Which contest has been your biggest success; which has had the most meaning to you? I think my first contest was my biggest success, and has also had the most meaning….just finally getting on stage, and feeling and looking as good as I ever had in my entire life, huge accomplishment for me. I never thought I could do it, never thought I could look like that, and I did it, huge stepping stone for me.
Please tell me something about your training routine (ie: how many days per week / training split /cardio, etc.) I train, pre-contest, 6-7 days per week, the closer the show gets, the more days I try to get the to the gym…I take a day off here and there, but it’s definately go time! I usually do a body part per day….as for legs, I split up Quads on one day, and Hamstrings/Glutes on a seperate day…cardio depends on where I am at, usually dont go overboard. My weight routine is intense enough that I get a major cardio workout in just with the weights, so I try to do about 20 minutes to 30 minutes after I train of moderate cardio, and usually I will do 20-25 min of morning cardio as well.
What is your favorite exercise in the gym and which one you don’t like so much? My favorite exercise is rack deadlifts, and I also love to lift shoulders, and bench squats…I don’t have a least favorite exercise, they all play an important role!
Which body part is your best in your opinion? I think my shoulders are one of my strongest points, I probably get the most comments about them from others.
If you don’t mind would you give me some stats (best lifts and some body measurements)? I dont really take body measurements, other than waist and biceps on the regular… my biceps measure about 15 inches and my waist is about 28 inches…My best lift so far on bench squats the other day was 365 pounds for 20 reps on my last (4th) set, and I have done rack deadlifts at 315 for 15 reps on my 3rd set, that was precontest though, about 4 weeks out from my show.
What do you enjoy about training for competition….what do you enjoy about the ‘off season’? I enjoy seeing the changes I go through getting ready for a show, and my energy levels are really good, I think because of the clean eating! I enjoy getting ready for shows a lot. I also enjoy being an inspiration for others when they see me getting ready for the show, having the changes I go through motivate them to work harder too. Off season, I enjoy being able to kick back a bit and relax, and also enjoy working on making gains for the next diet season, to see what I have improved on once the body fat starts dropping.
Please describe a typical day in the life of Amanda Folstad. Pre-contest?? lol Well, up at 5am, morning cardio for 25 min. Get ready for work, put in a full day of work, while eating every 2 hours! lol Heading to the gym with my fiance for about an hour and a half after work, home, prepare food for the next day, spend time with my fiance and our boys (our boxers Oscar and Dempsey!) clean up the house a bit, shower, bed, start all over! Off season, close to the same, minus the morning cardio! LOL
Please tell me about what you do when you don’t work out (hobbies, what do you do to relax?, etc.) I love to bake, and decorate my house. I also love spending time with my fiance, family, and my boys ) the boxers!)
What do you enjoy most about the bodybuilding/fitness lifestyle? I just enjoy the way it makes me feel, and being an inspiration/motivation for others to take good care of themselves, to get in shape and eat cleaner…that has to be the best part, to have others approach me and ask me questions to help them get on there way to reaching their personal goals, I love to help others get motivated in fitness.
Tell me something interesting about yourself, something people may be surprised to hear.Hmmm, that is a tough one, because I dont think Im really that interesting!! lol Im very normal!! Im just a small town girl at heart, originally from Sidney Montana, pop 5000 at best! I guess, I am very compassionate, and caring towards others…have small town qualities in me! I love animals, especially dogs, and get so emotional about animals, that I cant even watch the commercials on TV advertising for helping with animal abuse because they make me cry every time!
What are your competition goals or personal future goals? My competition goals, to continue competing because I enjoy doing it, for ME, no matter what the outcome…and to compete for as long as I am passionate about it. I would love to of course earn my pro card, but even if I dont, as long as Im enjoying it, that is what I want out of this! Personal future goals – to just be happy
