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HOW DID THEY GET SO FIT?

FOUR GIRLS' STORIES

By Michelle McIvor

Four women. Four transformations.

Every gym has one . . . that woman sporting sleeveless-worthy arms and a six-pack, sprinting on the treadmill and barely breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, you’ve been trying to slim down for weeks and aren’t even close to fitting into your halter swimsuit. Why do some girls have all the luck when it comes to getting in shape?

Well, chances are your beautiful, buff gym nemesis has encountered the exact same struggles you have – she just knows how to get her butt moving. Whether it’s lack of motivation, post-surgery trauma or just not having enough hours in the day, we’ve found four fit women who’ve all overcome their fitness setbacks and paved their way to athletic success. Here, in their own words, they share their stories, along with the workouts and diets that made them the gorgeous hard bodies they are today!

Overcoming Adversity: Hollyn Finkemeier

While most 11-year-old girls spend their time at slumber parties and ballet classes, I was taking trips to the hospital for spinal exams. I had been diagnosed with a spinal deformity known as idiopathic scoliosis, and the curves were so severe that my physicians suggested immediate spinal fusion surgery. They told me that the risk of waiting even a few months could cause my spine to continue curving and create severe health risks.

My parents decided I should take an alternate route to recovery; they put me through physical therapy sessions. But the exercises didn’t stop my spine from curving. By the time I turned 20, my curvature had increased so much that I had shrunk in height from 5-1 to 4-11. I knew I could no longer put off surgery, and my doctor suggested I schedule it as soon as possible.

With the support of friends and family, and an amazing team of doctors and nurses at Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, I underwent a 21-hour instrumentation and fusion of the spine. I gained three inches in height from the surgery, rising to 5-2, and started exercising five weeks later. I will never forget my first “workout.” As I fought back tears, it took me five minutes just to get out of the car. I finally made it inside the gym and walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes. Then I rode the stationary bike for 10 minutes at a slow pace.

Although I went back to the gym every day for the next 10 weeks, it took over a year for my spine to fuse and for me to feel normal again. But it’s been five years now, and I’m in great health.

HOLLYN’S WORKOUT

Daily Cardio: Incline treadmill walking or StairMaster climbing (30 minutes).

Mondays – Shoulders/Quads: Overhead shoulder presses; walking dumbbell lunges; Hammer Strength shoulder presses; alternating seated leg extensions; upright rows; hack squats.

Tuesdays – Back/Biceps: Lat pulldowns; seated rows; pull-ups using spotter or machine assisted pull-ups; standing biceps curls; standing hammer curls.

Wednesdays – Cardio: (45 minutes).

Thursdays – Hamstrings/Glutes/Triceps: Smith machine static lunges; deadlifts; lying dumbbell triceps extensions; walking lunges (holding 10-lb. dumbbells overhead); cable lunging triceps extensions; cable pull-throughs (for glutes and hamstrings); step-ups; triceps kickbacks.

Fridays – Quads/Shoulders/Abs: Seated leg extensions; single leg hack squats; overhead shoulder presses, seated oblique crunches on a BOSU; reverse dumbbell flyes; knee-ups on a bench.

Saturdays – Back/Calves: Same back exercises as Tuesday (lighter weight/more reps); single-leg calf raises; seated calf raises.

Sundays – Glutes/Abs: Smith machine static lunges; modified deadlifts; walking lunges (holding 10-lb. dumbbells overhead); cable pull-throughs (for glutes and hamstrings); step-ups.

HOLLYN’S DIET

Pre-workout: Juice Plus+ supplements and three AdvoCare capsules (a catalyst for muscle growth);

Meal 1: Six egg whites and half-cup oatmeal;

Meal 2: One AdvoCare Spark drink;

Snack: An apple or grapefruit;

Meal 3: Lean steak or chicken breast, a large salad or serving of veggies and a white potato or small sweet potato;

Meal 4: Protein shake or bar, such as AdvoCare Peanut Carmel protein bar or Muscle Gain vanilla shake;

Meal 5: Three AdvoCare capsules and half a protein bar;

Meal 6: Seven or eight ounces of tilapia or salmon, a salad and a large serving of broccoli or asparagus.

Editor’s Note: To contact Hollyn Finkemeier, log onto hollynfitness.com.

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