▶ Pink bikini with spanish bombshell Ingrid Romero! – YouTube.
Ingrid Romero
Cover model Ingrid Romero is a top fitness model based in LA, by way of Barcelona and a few other destinations in between! Last year she won the prestigious Arnold Classic.
UF: How did you get involved in modelling?
IR: I was born in Spain near Barcelona and began modelling when I was 11 years old. At 17 I left home with little else other than a suitcase filled with hopes and dreams. I travelled to London. I thought I was going to become a model. As it turned out I made sandwiches! After returning to Spain I went to Ireland and resumed modelling. I then went to Mexico, where quickly I became successful. I then moved to L.A where I finally understood the importance of a balanced and healthy life.
UF: Who helped you on your quest?
IR: My trainer who is also my husband (Jo Discuillo Ed) was able to focus me and pull it all together – nutrition, exercise and lifestyle. I was amazed by my progress and I began to compete in fitness model competitions. I love competing and look forward to being on stage. Competition has expanded my modelling and acting opportunities and given me national and international exposure.
UF: You seem to have your fare share of ups and downs – how do you deal with rejection in the somewhat flakey world of looks and fitness modelling?
IR: I have come to learn about rejection. It wasn’t something that came natural. It took a long time for me to understand that it wasn’t me … it was just the fact that I wasn’t right for the job.
UF: How did you cope?
IR: You have to understand that you are going to be criticised in this industry. When you are on stage and you are in better shape than 99% of the population and you’re still being picked apart on whether your stomach is flat enough or your butt tight enough. This can take a toll on your self-esteem. I can assure you to approach your competitions and auditions with confidence then you are more likely to get that job or win that competition. You have to believe in yourself because if you don’t nobody else will.
UF: Have you any tips?
IR: Always prepare properly. Know what you are getting yourself into. Know what the judges or casting directors are looking for.
Always put things into perspective.
Always handle rejection with class. Never throw a fit or have an attitude.
Practice, practice, practice. The more you work on your stage presence, auditioning and interview skills, the more confident you will become.
It’s also very important to have great headshots and modelling pictures. Many jobs will book you on your pictures alone. So make sure you are prepared and current with your portfolio.
In order to compete and do well at a high level you must make some major sacrifices. I would first ask yourself if you are ready for these. If so, then start with your nutrition. What you eat is going to be the biggest factor in how well you do. You need to know how to eat properly and how to alter your diet and water pre competition. If you aren’t sure how to do this then I would work with someone that can lead you in the right direction. You can also research it yourself. Do your reading and ask questions. Reach out to the people that have been there.
Then it’s time to figure out your training plan. Again if you’re not sure about how to go about doing this you can reach out or work with someone that can design a programme for you. You need to know what changes need to be made to your body and how to go about making these.
After doing all this and you see the right changes and you feel this is for you then find a small local show and sign up. Make sure you give yourself enough time to prepare though. You also need to know about stage presence – stage presence is a very important factor that you must not neglect. Being a successful fitness model requires a lot of work and you have to be proactive. You can’t sit back and wait for things, you have to go out and get it yourself.
UF: What’s your toughest workout?
IR: All of them! I always push myself to the limit! And I always give my best at the gym… the only secret for success is working hard. If you work hard it will pay off in the end…
UF: What exercises could you not do without?
IR: The first would be squats. I love working my legs and glutes and for me I get the best results from squats. The second would be the incline ab bench using weights because I love the results you get if you stick with it.
I really like to work my legs because I love the feeling of lifting weights. To be honest, I have to say I love it all (exercises) and love that my trainer and husband Joe constantly changes my workouts. We obviously do a lot of lifting in the gym, but we mix it up a lot with plyometrics in the sand and with track workouts.
UF: What are your weakest body parts and why and how do you work on them?
IR: My weakest body part would have to be my lower back. When I first started working out i hated doing deadlifts so I never really worked my the lower that back much. It was definitely lagging … now I love to work my lower back and one of my fav exercises is the deadlift!
UF: What are your strongest body parts?
IR: My gluteus! I have always had big glutes. I have worked extremely hard to keep them firm and tight though. When doing my cardio I do different techniques to target the area. I use the elliptical for 20 minutes, I’ll do 3 minutes at a 10 incline and on level 12 and then the 3 minutes on a 15% incline at level 15. Increasing the incline really targets my glutes and hamstrings. I also do lots of plyometrics. I do these to try to keep an athletic, toned look and not just a big muscular look. My plyo’s consist of running stairs, leap frogs, jump squats and so on. I’ll also switch it up a bit and do plyo’s in the sand. This really gets the legs working and makes for a great workout. In the gym I do lots of squats, lunges, and leg presses. I stick to doing 3-5 sets and anywhere from 12 to 25 reps depending on the day and how heavy I’m lifting.
http://ingridromerofitness.com
