Sammi Sloan was a star golfer in high school and college. It’s maybe not a typical path to becoming a professional bodybuilder, but one that involved fitness the entire way.
She’s in the gym at 5 a.m. five or six days a week before starting her job at, fittingly, a Schererville country club. She sticks to a strict diet (with the exception of an occasional mini candy bar). She works out with a bodybuilding coach, himself a professional competitor, from Highland.
“I’ve always had a knack for fitness, and I love to compete,” said Sloan, 26, of Munster. “What keeps me going is I want to improve every day and always have something to work for.”
Her hard work paid off, when she won her pro card at the National Gym Association bodybuilding championship last weekend in Peoria, Ill. She hopes to compete in her first professional event within the next two years.
Sloan got into health and fitness at an early age, the result of being raised by a runner mom and golfer father. She’s always eaten healthy (lots of chicken, broccoli, egg whites, oatmeal). She’s had a gym membership since she was 13.
After playing golf for the University of Illinois, Sloan wanted to continue being competitive. So she got into powerlifting, and then bodybuilding a few years back. This spring, she connected with Brandon Wadas, a Northwest Indiana bodybuilding coach who himself turned pro in March.
He worked with her on gradually decreasing her food intake leading up to events, while maintaining muscle mass. Since she competes in the “figure” class, he helped her shape her body so she had a small waist, broad shoulders and thick back; Wadas said judges in that class are “looking for aesthetically pleasing look rather than a freak look.”
But he gives her all the credit.
“You have to have a good worth ethic to be successful in this sport and in your life in general,” said Wadas, 24, who’s also a fitness manager and personal trainer at a Merrillville gym. “Sam works out at 5 a.m. every day and never complains. I just guide her. She’s doing the hard work day in and day out.”
Sloan’s athletic-minded family is obviously proud of her. They’ve gotten used to her bringing a food scale with her to family dinners. They even tell her what they’re having ahead of time so she can figure it into her diet plan for the day.
Her ultimate goal is to one day compete in (and win) the Yorton Cup, which she calls “the Masters of the fitness world.” To get there, she plans to stay disciplined. Which, for her, shouldn’t be a problem.
“My ultimate reason for competing is to be the best, healthiest version of myself,” said Sloan, who also prides herself on being a natural bodybuilder. “I think that gets skewed sometimes because it is a sport about image. I want to inspire others to live healthy, active lifestyles, too.”
Courtesy of: NWI Times