September 23, 2006 St. Catharines, ON -- In a fitness venue dominated by American women, there is one Canadian that is making a big challenge, Mindi O'Brien of St. Catharines, Ontario. Next week the finest bodybuilders and fitness champions in the world will be converging on Las Vegas to compete in the various Olympia categories.
"Competing at the Fitness Olympia is every competitors dream…it's like competing at the Olympics or the Stanley Cup."
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IFBB Fitness Olympia
O'Brien will be departing to Las Vegas on Sept 26th to compete at the IFBB Fitness Olympia taking place on September 29th at the Las Vegas Convention Center. "Competing at the Fitness Olympia is every competitors dream…it's like competing at the Olympics or the Stanley Cup", said O'Brien.
O'Brien re-qualified for her 3rd consecutive Fitness Olympia just 3 weeks ago placing 2nd overall at the Europa Super Show in Arlington, Texas. What's really amazing is that she is the 32-year-old mother of a 14-year-old son.
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Mindi O'Brien, posing in front of John Fulton's Downtown Health Club in St. Catharines Ontario, will be competing in the IFBB Fitness Olympia in Las Vegas, the only Canadian ever to do so.
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In Las Vegas next week, Ronnie Coleman will be shooting for his ninth title in the men's Mr. Olympia bodybuilding category, and O'Brien, who in addition to possessing a well-defined muscular body, is a superior athlete and gymnast, and will therefore be competing in the "Fitness Olympia", category, which scores more heavily on athletic movements as well as muscular development.
O'Brien claims not to be a bodybuilder, per se, but a "professional fitness competitor". She originally started out in gymnastics and had numerous injuries over the years including a broken elbow when she was just 10 years old. It was a personal trainer at a local gym, helping her with her rehabilitation that turned her on to lifting weights.
O'Brien learned about the Fitness competitions after she retired from gymnastics and after she had her son. She not only wanted to stay in shape, but she wanted to be a healthy, and positive role model for her son. O'Brien then met her trainer, now husband, Dennis Beitler at John Fulton's 24hr Fitness Club 10 years ago. Beitler has since taken her from a local amateur athlete, to becoming Canada's first and only IFBB Pro Fitness Champion.
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2004 Was a Banner Year
O'Brien had a banner year in 2004, winning the Canadian Fitness Championships with unanimous first place scores and then one month later made her pro-debut at the Southwest USA Pro Cup in Arlington, Texas, winning all four rounds and winning that competition over a field of veteran competitors.
Winning the Southwest USA Pro cup was a milestone. Previously, no Canadian competitor had ever won an IFBB (international Federation of bodybuilders) professional fitness event, let alone her first time out.
Since then, O'Brian has professionally competed many times with multiple appearances at the Fitness Olympia and the Arnold Schwarzenegger Fitness International competitions, the two most prestigious fitness competitions in the world.
Drug Free and a Disciplined Training Routine
Eschewing drugs and steroids, O'Brien believes only in using natural supplements, pure food, water, and whey protein. "The strongest and most important supplement is discipline", she adds.
O'Brian constantly changes her workouts to address her weaknesses. Claiming, it keeps her body in the confused state, so changes are always happening and she is constantly improving. She uses both free weights, machines and a lot of plyometric training to help develop her physique. O'Brian's nutritional plan is almost perfect all year round deleting that it constitutes 80-90% of her success.
Mindi O'Brien Heads up Women's Fitness at John Fulton's Downtown Health Club
O'Brien recently moved back to her hometown to St. Catharines, Ontario and has been training hard at John Fulton's Downtown Health Club, the club where her serious training all began.
In addition to her own training, O'Brien works as a personal trainer, specializing in coaching other aspiring fitness and figure competitors and educating and motivating women to get in shape and learn to live a healthy lifestyle. www.fulton.ca .
Source: Mindi O'Brien
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