Work Hard Play Hard

Holly Fanthom is a 28 year old Bikini Pro Champion. She talks all things training, juggling a career & fitness and being a Pure Elite Bikini Pro Champion…

Sometimes it can be hard to find the time and motivation to juggle a career as well as a regular fitness routine. However, Holly has learnt to do just that while also managing to push herself further and train to become the UK Pure Elite Pro Champion. We spoke to her about her fitness journey, becoming a Pro Champion and how she is now juggling a career and fitness...

So Holly, when did you start your fitness journey?

“I started my fitness journey in the middle of 2017. I had an unhealthy relationship with food and alcohol. I suffered with Body Dysmorphia and was extremely unhappy. I fell into a depression and needed to adopt a better mindset and decided to make a change. I had an epiphany at work, called my Dad and told him I wanted to become a bodybuilder and give myself a challenge.”

How does weight training make you feel?

“I feel powerful, confident and dedicated. I always felt that determination was something I lacked however when it came to training and after seeing my results it pushed me to continue because I was reaping the benefits. It makes me feel better mentally.”

How do you juggle a career and training?

“At the beginning I found it a lot easier as I was working part time as a dental nurse. Now I’m studying as a dental hygienist and paediatric dentist at university it’s a lot more difficult. My course is intense and requires a lot of study. I still find time to train but not to the standard of how I would in an off season or a prep. I like to train 4 times a week and my sessions are much shorter. More an hour and a half. I will be doing one last show in April at the Pure Elite UK Championships which will be my pro debut and I think after that I will have a short hiatus to focus on my final year of study and have 3-4 years off competing.”

What made you want to become a bikini competitor?

“That was my goal initially when wanting to

become a bodybuilder. I could have focused solely on changing my physique and my physique alone but I thrive on a challenge. I wanted to see if I could go through with it and I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable. Naturally I am quite a competitive person but I also wanted to show young girls that anything is possible, even at your lowest point you can turn it around but it all starts with you.”

Tells us a little bit about what the competitions involve?

“I was overwhelmed when it came to my first competition. I was an amateur and it was also my first competition with Pure Elite. I was told that my posing was of a pro standard, I held my own and that my approach was confident and sassy. I won my international model category out of a line up of 32 girls. I placed in my bikini competition - something I did not expect given the amount of time training I had put in which was only 9 months. It involves a gruelling diet and training plan that you have to consider 24 hours a day. I’d say the easiest part is time in the gym. The remainder is ensuring you intake 3-4L of water a day, maintain and stick to the diet provided for you by a coach and pushing through the days where you feel exhausted or hungry.”

What’s your favourite body part to train / your favourite exercise?

“My favourite body part to train is my shoulders, they are the most receptive to my training and I find them quite easy to build. My favourite exercise would be the dumbbell fly. It’s such a simple and well known exercise but I honestly love it and I really like the pump after a shoulder session. Aesthetically I think it looks really nice too.”

What advice would you give to those wanting to compete but maybe don’t know where to start?

“100% go for it. It has been one of the best things I have ever done. I have not only improved my mindset but my outlook on life and how I feel about myself. I have gained a wealth of likeminded friends who are supportive and are some of the nicest and kindest people I’ve ever met. It is difficult in knowing where to start but finding people on Instagram, fitness fanatics, bodybuilders, fitness models, etc. opens up many other doors. I also feel that independent gyms have a lot of people who are clued up on the industry and never be shy to approach somebody and ask. I did that a few times and I learnt a lot more about federations and it also gave me an insight in how to get a coach and what sort of coach to look for. YouTube is great for fitness vlogs too, you can delve into their daily/training routine, see what sort of foods they eat and how many times a day they are eating. It can help you determine whether the sport is for you or not.”

What advice do you have for overcoming anxiety in the gym?

“Not caring what anybody thinks. I do believe that comes with age and more time spent in the gym build on confidence. What you have to remember is nobody is actually looking at you or judging you, it isn’t a contest and everyone is in there to do one thing - train. Maybe take a training partner until you feel more comfortable with the weights. I always felt that helped me when I first started out, you feel less apprehensive. Also don’t ego lift, just because the other women are lifting more, they have probably been training longer. Stick to your capabilities to prevent getting an injury, focus on you and never worry about what anybody else is doing. It’s your journey and your journey alone.”

Finally, do you have any amazing fitness goals for the future?

“I would like to compete with two bros as it leads to IFBB. Becoming an IFBB bikini pro has been something of interest for a while now. That is my ultimate fitness goal but I would need a long off season to even meet their standards. I have the motivation and dedication to do it. However it is not something that is quite tangible at this current time.”

Holly is such an inspiration when it comes to being successful in a career and the fitness industry. It can be hard to juggle, especially when training for an Elite title. If you want to follow Holly’s journey then be sure to head over to her Instagram @officialhollyfanthom.

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