37 year old, NPC competitor Sarah Wyka is making her mark on the competitive stage as she continues towards her goal of competing at the National leve.
Sarah was introduced to the gym 16 years ago, by Shain Wyka, a Human Performance Coach and now husband. Sarah trained a little here and a little there, but nothing serious or competitive in those early years. As their lives progressed Sarah and husband Shain moved to South Florida, where Shain opened his first gym. One of the trainers, was a 51 year old woman who was prepping for a show. As a way of showing support, Sarah agreed to compete with her. Sarah ended up placing 2nd in open Figure and 3rd in novice Figure at this 2008 show.
A few years later, Sarah found herself moving back home to Ohio. With her first show success, she trained and competed in 2 Kentucky shows, but found her look did not fit as well in the midwest competitive arena. Following that competitive setback, disappointment and a 3 year layoff, Sarah decided to give the stage another shot. Sarah and hubby decided that her build was better suited for the Women’s Physique category and focused her training on building her physique in that direction. Later that year, she entered the Julie Palmer and placed 2nd in her Physique class!
Sarah’s training is largely overseen by her husband. Her routine consists of everything from traditional bodybuilding style movements focused largely on peak contractions and controlled movements to powerlifting based movements. During a powerlifting phase, Sarah will increase her intensity to 80% of max effort. She also adds in a volume routine, using higher reps to increase blood volume to her muscles. Training is organized in 12 week blocks, allowing for adequate time to qualify and quantify results for future training programs.
From a nutritional standpoint, Sarah’s competition diet is setup with baseline levels of proteins, carbs and fats. Her intake amounts are based on what she is training on a particular day, her body composition and how her physique is changing. Her contest diet normally starts 12 weeks out from a show and adjustments are usually made on a weekly basis.
Here are some of the foods, she typically eats going into a show:
Proteins: Lean sources, chicken, turkey, eggs (ratio of 6 whites/1- whole), top round steak, and only high quality protein powders.
Carbs: Rice, potatoes, and oatmeal.
Fats: Almonds, olive oil, natural PB, Coconut oil.
Vegetables are typically unlimited, when she chooses to have them.
With a Physique show under her belt, Sarah plans to move forward quickly towards her goal with a plan to compete again in October and qualify for Nationals by the spring of 2016. It looks like Sarah has found her place on stage and has been bitten by the competitive bug. We wish Sarah the best of lucky and happy training as she prepares for her next battle.
