THE STRONG ONE
WHO RUN THE WORLD? EMMA HOWIE
STYLING AND PHOTOGRAPHY
LARA SPILLER -
HAIR AND MAKE-UP
BECKY HOWIE MODEL
EMMA HOWIE
“I
love how strong I feel; it’s truly
empowering”
A new trend has attracted the attention of young women; it addresses body image, eating habits and daily routine. Emma Howie, twenty-two year old fashion media graduate, answers the question, is strong the new skinny? How did you become interested in fitness? I was a swimmer from the age of three. My parents thought it was important to learn as we lived in South Africa and had a pool. I swam weekly and eventually became a County Champion for Brighton in my teens. I also did gymnastics for a few years to strengthen my weak ankles, so I have always had a fitness-related lifestyle. It wasn’t until I met my current partner, Sam, that I became interested in weight training and bodybuilding. He is a personal trainer for bodybuilders and he always had an input on my workout programs. Gradually, he would turn the intensity of my workouts up, but I began to get bored of standard gym routines on fixed weight machines. I caught the bug and expressed to him how much I wanted to take my body to the next level. I also follow a lot of fitness models and body builders on Facebook and Twitter and dreamt of one day looking like them and having the chance to compete in bikini and fitness competitions like them. Andreia Brazier, Margret Gnarr, Michelle Brannen and Amanda Latona are my absolute idols. They are the fitness models that motivate me and keep me pushing myself harder with each workout. How has your routine evolved? I started off only doing loads of cardio. I wasn’t very educated at first, so I did as I was told and hoped for the best. I used to go once or twice a week and sometimes I’d even miss a week out. I was studying at university at the time and I would feel so tired that the gym was the last thing on my mind, so when I did go, I would squeeze as much into it as I could as I never knew when I would next be there, which can do more harm than good. Gradually, I became hooked and started going almost every day, which is not the best way either; you need to give your body time to repair or you will just burn out. Now I work out five times a week; one day of conditioning, two upper body days, one heavy leg day and a plyometric day, which is based more on cardio. I never used to be interested in lifting weights as I thought, like most girls do, that I would bulk up and look too muscly. But Sam reassured me that wouldn’t happen, as women can’t naturally produce muscle as fast and as much as men. Now I absolutely love training my arms, shoulders and chest. I love the pump I get and I love how strong I feel; it’s truly empowering. I would rather go to the gym than go out partying. To me, the perfect Friday night is when I have the weights room to myself because everyone else is out clubbing. What has been your biggest achievement? Probably winning over the guys in the weights room and earning their respect as a serious trainer. Whenever you see girls in the gym, generally the stereotype is little giggling girls with loads of makeup on, purely there to chat up the instructors. Not me. I’m the only girl that trains hard with dumbbells and heavy weights with the boys and I’m not afraid to sweat or pull any kind of face when I’m lifting something heavy. What is your goal? Ultimately, my goal is to become a bikini and fitness competitor and win. To be a pro would feel incredible, it’s all I think about when I’m training. To put in all this hard work, day after day, week after week, and to be acknowledged for it is my dream. Right now that’s all I’m working towards.
Why do you want to be strong? I have always thought the aesthetic of a strong female was amazing. Characters like Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft and Kate Beckinsale in ‘Underworld’ are women who I grew up watching and who I idolized as they were strong, not weak; they were the type of woman I wanted to be. An ex-boyfriend was very abusive to me, emotionally and eventually physically. At that point, I was at my skinniest and I was deflated as a person. When I walked away from that relationship, it was like my light had been reignited. I refused to let anyone treat me as he had and I wanted to make something of myself and prove to him that I didn’t need him. I wanted to be independent and strong and be the person he never wanted me to be. Before I met Sam, I used the gym as my escape. Do you think it is an obsessive lifestyle, and could muscle dysmorphia be a threat? As a person who is pretty OCD anyway, this type of lifestyle is perfect for me. I have suffered from slight anorexia and used to be obsessed with my body in such a negative way where I would try and go as long as I could without food, constantly measuring myself to see if I had lost weight. So when I was introduced to this lifestyle, it was a hard transition, but I wanted to be like my idols so much that I overcame the voices telling me not to. That ideal of being a strong, independent woman was constantly in my mind. I couldn’t be her if I was unhealthy and under eating. Fitness has saved me and prompted me to look after myself. There are times I look at myself and obsess over my progress and I do think that is dangerous. I could push myself too far one day if I didn’t stop and think about what I was doing, but luckily I have Sam to ground me. I do think there is such a thing as too much of a good thing but I think you have to be a very strong individual and not let the pressure that can come with this lifestyle get to you. In a way I’m lucky to have hit a level of rock bottom as I can now see outside my box. But I think it’s the naive athletes who think they are super-human and have nothing and no one to ground them that are at risk of hurting themselves. What does your diet consist of? Currently I’m in my ‘off season’ where I’m bulking so I’m eating a hell of a lot! In order to build muscle but keep myself lean, I’m carb cycling. This is where I only eat carbs for when my body needs them and stay off them when I don’t. So a cardio day will be a low carb day, upper body day will be a medium carb day and legs will be a high carb day as it is the biggest muscle group. On a high carb day, my breakfast would consist of oats, egg yolks, peanut butter, honey and berries, and lunch and dinner would be chicken or fish with sweet potato or brown rice or pasta and salad. Snacks include low fat cottage cheese, fruit, nuts and protein shakes. What is your motivation? The feeling of success! It drives me every day to do the best I can with everything that I do. I never want to feel like a failure and I have always wanted to be the best at what I do. My competitive nature is what has always pushed me. It’s good to watch yourself and not become lazy. “Be the best version of you” is a quote I here a lot in the fitness world. What advice would you give to others seeking to improve their physique? You have to really want it and believe in yourself 100%. Despite the ups and downs, you need to keep your head up and your eye on the ball, because eventually it will pay off. Practice self-discipline and don’t give in to temptation. Even the little things will make you feel like a failure and ultimately it just isn’t worth it. You need to remind yourself why you took on this lifestyle and don’t let anyone or anything make you forget that, but have fun with it; you only live once and you only have one body to live it with.
Emma wears feather cape, crop top, body chains and earring by TOPSHOP; shorts by PINEAPPLE; shoes by RIVER ISLAND