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Experience Has Made Me Rich
Thinking deeply about interesting things. Rich Dlin is a high school math teacher, a university math professor, an artist, actor, singer and bodybuilder. He loves to learn from and about people, learn new things, and to think deeply about things, from the simple to the complex. Experience Has Made Me Rich is a podcast where Rich shares his thoughts, interviews, and where listeners have the opportunity to share back.
Experience Has Made Me Rich
Interview with IFBB Wellness Pro Emily Chang
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Rich interviews Emily Chang. Emily is an IFBB Wellness Pro, US Navy Veteran, fitness coach and model.
All right, well, hey, everyone, and welcome. So once again, I'm Rich Dlin, and today we're interviewing Emily, Emily Chang. Welcome, Emily.
SPEAKER_00Hi, Rich. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast today. I'm super excited to chat with you.
SPEAKER_02Oh, it's really a pleasure. I'm so glad you could make it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So you are the subject of one of my most recent drawings. I'm going to point, I mean, for people who, it's probably obvious, anybody who's watching this on YouTube, which one of these drawings is you, but but I'm going to point to it and I half the time get it wrong because I point with the wrong. No, I got it right. Okay. So yeah. So there's there. Okay. Move out of the way. Get your hand. There we go. There's Emily over there. So yeah. And that drawing came from a photo. Who took that photo?
SPEAKER_00Brett Seely.
SPEAKER_02Brett Seely. Right. One of my, actually one of my favorite, favorite physique photographers. Yeah. So yeah. Let's, let's talk a little bit because I mean, I'm kind of getting distracted because it's really such a great photo, such a great, like, look at your back.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. That photo I actually took last year. So that's not a super current physique, you know, of mine. I actually took that the day after I won the California state championships. And yeah, I, I had one and then we jumped into a photo shoot the next day in LA and, Brett greased me up and then he said, stand by the window. And he's like, wait, let me get a box, put you by the box. And then he's like, okay, now look over your shoulder and bam, that was it.
SPEAKER_02And that was the whole setup.
SPEAKER_00Yeah,
SPEAKER_02yeah. So I had been following you for a while on Instagram. And then your boyfriend and coach reached out to me, Pete.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And suggested that I do a drawing of you it was funny because it was sort of already on my radar uh to do one and then i think i went through a bunch of photos and and i chose that one there were a few others i think probably from that same shoot
SPEAKER_00yeah we got a lot of good ones from that shoot
SPEAKER_02yeah yeah now you just recently finished a competition
SPEAKER_00um i did you took
SPEAKER_02second got your pro
SPEAKER_00card yes yes i did i competed at the usa bodybuilding championships in vegas uh last friday and yeah i came home with the second place and the pro card.
SPEAKER_02How's that feel?
SPEAKER_00Amazing. I'm still on cloud nine. I, I can't really believe like, or I shouldn't say I can't believe, but it's, I never envisioned what it'd be like to be holding on to the pro card and the title and everything. Um, I knew that going into this prep, um, you know, I, I was going to bring my best no matter what. Um, but to now be on the other side and now like officially an IFBB pro it's it's a little daunting but it's exciting for sure
SPEAKER_02were you were you able to be super present in the moment like when you when you when it was announced that you came in second that meant you got your yes
SPEAKER_00yes absolutely um i had to be completely honest with you um the pre-judging the pre-judging went well i started out at the very end of the first call out and then they moved me in one spot they did quarter turns and then they did another set of quarter turns and then they moved me one more spot in. So I was kind of battling out the middle with another girl. But I didn't know like if I was like top three, top two, where we were at. So I had so much anxiety going into finals, not really knowing where I was. And then when they thought, when they called all the girls names and I was second, I was, I started crying. I put my hand over my face like this. I'm like, ah, try not to make an unwitting face. And yeah, I was just overwhelmed with so much joy and And yeah, just so much gratitude. Is
SPEAKER_02it becoming a reality now? Like, are you starting to get comfortable with it?
SPEAKER_00I think so, a little bit. I would say because, you know, this year, this prep, because I had done the USA's last year and I took fourth, I decided that if I was, you know, going to turn pro and be really serious about this sport, you know, I had to live like one. So I changed pretty much. Everything, like my approach to the prep this year, I took like a deep dive into, you know, how am I recovering? How often or how many hours am I sleeping? You know, am I measuring everything? Am I measuring my water? Am I stretching? Am I, you know, getting the massage therapy that I need? Am I going into my training sessions, you know, with a good attitude, with like the most intensity that I can? So really just changing my approach to all those small details is how you become a pro. So,
SPEAKER_02yeah. And that was the, that was the whole year. Like that was your approach between last year and this year.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. 52 weeks of complete focus. Never missed a workout, never missed a cardio session, never missed a meal, maybe like four days when I got really sick. And that actually happened like maybe eight to 10 weeks out from this show. And that was the only time that I ever took off and it, it paid off because like, that's the kind of focus you need to compete at this elite level.
UNKNOWNYeah.
SPEAKER_02I think that's something, honestly, a lesson that you learn... You learn bodybuilding. That's a lesson that bodybuilding teaches you. Like it's not, you're talking about competing at a pro level, which is the top level of it. But I do find after so many years myself of bodybuilding, there is no, there's no excuse you can make that your, that your body won't reveal. Like, you know, it's,
SPEAKER_01you
SPEAKER_02know, you could, you could pretend to the world that you eat clean all the time, but if you're having pizza and ice cream every night, nobody's fooled, you know? And so there's no, there's no hiding.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And just to share a little bit about my background, I used to compete in bikini. So I turned pro in OCB bikini in 2018 and then moved on to wellness, NPC wellness in 2022. And while I was doing bikini, I was still in the military. I was going to school and just going through a lot of like life stress and trying to figure out where do I stand with everything in terms of like, you know, what's my identity? I love bodybuilding, but I'm also in the military, but I'm also trying to go to med school and all these different things. And I ended up sabotaging my bodybuilding a lot, even though I was so dedicated to my training and the cardio, I would still eat like I would binge eat on the weekends because I was just so stressed with everything. And even though I did pretty well, it was never like my peak form. It was never my peak physique. And it kind of came out like in my presentation on stage two that I wasn't completely embodying, you know, what the sport is and what it's like to be a top competitor. And it wasn't until I, you know, got serious, you know, each year that I competed and bodybuilded that, you know, that things got better or that my physique was able to improve.
SPEAKER_02That's, is that something I'm taking? Actually, there's a couple things you mentioned that I want to circle back to. But are you also training other people at this point?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I am.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And so, and are they, are they like competitors or are they more like civilians?
SPEAKER_00Mostly civilians, but I do a lot of posing coaching for competitors.
SPEAKER_02With your, with your civilians. It's funny when you, when you call them, when people call them that, I don't know that people outside bodybuilding would appreciate that. It's kind of ironic,
SPEAKER_00right? I think some people do actually, because a lot of the times, you know, when we walk into the gym as a competitor, our, our Our aura, our energy is a lot different. And, you know, for some people they, you know, they can't handle it and they, they know that. So I think they prefer to be civilian sometimes.
SPEAKER_02So my question was like for your civilian clients, those that are not competitors that are maybe new to it. How, how do you help them see the, like that it's a 24 seven commitment. It's not, it's not just what you do in the gym. Like that's, that's a difficult thing I find.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. It comes with having good communication and trust, honestly, with my clients. I'm very vulnerable with them, maybe sometimes to a fault about how, you know, I was not always like this. I was not always a pro competitor. I was not always, you know, my first three shows in bikini, I didn't even place. And like, I was not perfect. I'm still not perfect. But you keep getting better with consistency and time.
SPEAKER_02Right. Okay. So one of the things that you mentioned, You said when I was in the military, and I actually
SPEAKER_00knew
SPEAKER_02that, that you were in the Navy and you were a corpsman.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I have, I guess, two questions about that. One is more general, which is just, you know, tell me about that experience. But the other one as a tangential thing is, do you find that the discipline that you needed there applies in bodybuilding?
SPEAKER_00Okay. So for your first question, how was my overall experience? So I joined the military when I was 18 years old, right out of high school. My parents were going through this really nasty divorce and I didn't want to depend on either my dad or my mom to put me through med school. And that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. I wanted to help athletes because I was a soccer and lacrosse player pretty much my whole adolescence. And so I knew that the best way that I could fund my education and my dreams was to join the military, see the world, get, you know, hands-on experience. But joining the military at 18 years old, not having seen the world or, you know, never even like left my neighborhood at all, it was scary. It was hard. And I think, especially for young women, because it is such a male dominated career field, it's hard. But I wouldn't have, or I wouldn't change my experience at all for, anything. I've learned so much. I've met amazing people. I've gotten to see the world. I've worked on a ship. I've worked in a hospital. I worked in a combat clinic. The experience was amazing. For your second question, that discipline, yes, definitely applies to bodybuilding in terms of being able to control your emotions, being able to manage stress, and developing that resiliency because life in the military is very unpredictable. It's sometimes it's most times not very conducive to bodybuilding. I actually turned pro in bikini in the OCP while I was on deployment.
SPEAKER_02That's that's funny for a side reason. Yeah, keep going. I'll tell you why in a sec.
SPEAKER_00But yeah, like I was jump roping on the flight deck of the ship. I was like running laps like all over the flight deck and prepping my food with like microwavable rice. and canned tuna and canned chicken. Because I just, I love to do like, I love to do hard things. I don't know. I love the challenge. And when I was growing up as an athlete, one of the greatest things that I just loved was being able to push past my mental and physical capacity because I just found that so rewarding. And I think that's why I gravitated towards boxing. bodybuilding so much.
SPEAKER_02Were you already naturally muscular? I
SPEAKER_00would say that I was athletic. I had soccer legs. So I was a midfielder. I was a goalie. So I just naturally had like those quads. It's funny that you asked me that because sorry. Cause Brett one time asked me when we were shooting, he was like, when was the first time that you ever experienced the pump? And I was like, Good question, because I hadn't thought about it. But the first time that I had experienced the pump was actually on the soccer field after doing suicide sprints in my quads. And I just I love that feeling like it just felt so powerful. And sprinting was always like a huge strength of mine. So I had like that nice, like lower body development, which was kind of counterintuitive for bikini because they wanted or for that category, they want a little bit more balanced and i just had a like a lot of quad fullness um for that category yeah
SPEAKER_02so you've had to work to bring up your upper body
SPEAKER_00um no but i actually played lacrosse so that kind of developed my upper body too and um i was a goalie so that kind of helped as well but um it was funny when i competed in bikini i had to work to bring my quads down a lot so with the dieting with a lot of cardio and um it just it became counterintuitive and it was hard for me to to like want to stay in bikini, which is why, you know, I went over to wellness.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I mean, it feels just from what you're saying. It feels like that makes sense for you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02For who you are. I'll just want to, the reason that I chuckled, you know, because you said you turned pro or you got your first, sorry. So it was, it was the OCB. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00The
SPEAKER_02OCB. And you were on deployment.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_02Let me point. So wait, I got to get it. So this, this is Julia right here. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, beautiful.
SPEAKER_02She got her pro card. She earned her pro card while on deployment. She did all her prep on deployment. She was in the UN. She was a flight attendant for the UN, and she was in a war zone prepping for her first show. And she said the same thing you said, which is, I like to do hard things. And that's such a cool coincidence. To do that... To get done what you needed to get done, to find the food you needed to eat, to prep the food you needed to eat under those conditions, that's not a normal way to prep. Nope. Do you think it made you better?
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, for sure. Cause I, when I went on deployment, I knew that like, you know, I don't want to like speak ill about anybody, but like when people are in deployment, they don't really do a lot. Um, you know, we're all kind of just like sitting around waiting unless, you know, we go into combat or we're like, you know, we're going on a mission. Um, you know, there's not a lot to do. So people either, you know, get fat. like play video games or go to bars and stuff like that. And I was like, no, that's not happening to me. I'm going to prefer a show.
SPEAKER_02You and Julia would have a great conversation about it. She said almost the same thing.
SPEAKER_00Oh, okay, okay.
SPEAKER_02That, yeah, your choices are, in her case, it was, you know, are you going to go to parties and get drunk?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Or, you know, what else are you going to do?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02That's fascinating. And it's also very telling because there's a certain mindset you have to have
SPEAKER_00that
SPEAKER_02says, but I choose something else. Like I'm, I'm going to, I'm going to be different.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And for me, it was like, I'm choosing life, you know, like I, I didn't want to just sit around and like waste my time, like, you know, doing things that wasn't like, it wasn't going to be productive to me in the future. It wasn't going to make me better. So I, I wanted to choose like living life. my life to the fullest during that time.
SPEAKER_02So how many years were you on active duty?
SPEAKER_00Seven and a half years.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And then after that, what came next?
SPEAKER_00I got out of the Navy in 2020 and that was during COVID and a really crazy time here in California because everything had shut down. So I decided to go full force into personal training and bodybuilding. So I got my NASM certification and I actually moved to the Midwest. I moved to Nebraska where my stepdad was living and started my personal training journey out there because all the gyms were still open. Right. Yeah. Yeah,
SPEAKER_02that wasn't the case. I'm in Toronto and we were shut down.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So there were no open gyms. So then I'm looking at a list of... your competitions, she said during COVID. So 2022 was the next time you competed?
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_02And you took the overall.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I did. I had the ultimate warriors.
SPEAKER_02And this was your first time in wellness?
SPEAKER_00Actually, I competed in April 2022 at the Golden State Championships in Sacramento. That's where I was living. So I lived in Nebraska from 2020 to about 2014. 22, 2021. And then I was living with my dad in Northern California, did my first wellness show out there. I didn't take the overall, but I won my class. And then I moved to San Diego, or back to San Diego, where Pete and I started living together, training together. And yeah, won the overall of Ultimate Warriors in October.
SPEAKER_02Did you know going in? Did you have a feeling like, I can win this?
UNKNOWNYeah.
SPEAKER_00Honestly, I was really intimidated because in bikini, I had done so much work to bring my legs down and my quads were really weak at that point. And I knew that like, I had like, you know, lower body development, but I was pretty intimidated, especially with the girls that were, you know, coming out very strong within the wellness category at first. So yeah, no, it wasn't, it wasn't easy for me.
SPEAKER_02So, okay. So you go into this show, I'm just I'm just picturing. So you, you ended up winning the overall, but you didn't think like it wasn't on your mind. You were, you're saying that you were intimidated, but you ended up winning the overall.
SPEAKER_00What does that do to your
SPEAKER_02mindset?
SPEAKER_00I'm like, Oh my God, maybe I do belong. Maybe this is
SPEAKER_02for me. Nice. And you're saying you have been working. I'm just thinking about the journey of your quads now. So you had big quads. Thanks to soccer for, for bikini. that you had to work to lose quads. I'm trying to wrap my head around that. Who wants to do that? But I get it. And then you had to bring them back up again. Did they come back quick?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they did. I will say that Pete is an amazing coach. He knows nutrition. He knows training like the back of his hand. So I put all my trust into him and his program and just followed through with it. Plus, I like to eat. And I like to train. So that wasn't hard.
SPEAKER_02So are your leg days, how many days a week are you doing legs?
SPEAKER_00Right now it's three. So I have one heavy glute and hamstring focus day, one glute isolation day. That's not super heavy, but just a lot of focus on the glutes. And then one heavy quad day. Okay.
SPEAKER_02And what is, let's say the heavy quad day, like what does that look like?
SPEAKER_00Leg extensions, squats, leg press, sometimes lunges. And yeah.
SPEAKER_02Is that a pre-exhaust, like leg extensions before squats?
SPEAKER_00Sometimes, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So do you ever start with squats? I'm just asking because I'm thinking about the weights, like, you know, how much, are you squatting heavy? Is it, is it?
SPEAKER_00No, we squat pretty heavy. So we always do a pre-exhaust. That's been our trend lately on the leg leg extensions first and then go into squats right after.
SPEAKER_02Right. And is leg day your favorite?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. It has to be. I mean, I get the most, I'll be honest with you, I get the most anxiety before leg day because I've had some injuries in the past. And, you know, you never want to get injured as an athlete because it sets you back for what feels like forever. But now, because I've been taking care of everything, managing it and prioritizing my recovery, leg day is always my favorite.
SPEAKER_02But are you still getting a little bit of anxiety?
SPEAKER_00Of course. Chaining with Pete? Are you
SPEAKER_02kidding me? I mean, I've known Pete for a while, just coincidentally. And I know what he was like. I want to think when we met, it would have been early 2000s. Yeah. Probably 2001, around there, was when I met him, just online. And he was legendary among us bodybuilding board people for his leg day.
SPEAKER_00For good reason.
SPEAKER_02It's been, it's been 25 years. He's still legendary for his leg days. I'm taking
SPEAKER_00it. Yes. Oh yeah. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02So how long have you been? So, I mean, I could do the math, but let's, let's talk about it. How long have you been working with him? It's been, I guess, five years.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. We've been dating for five or we're not even dating. We're engaged now.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah. That's right. Congratulations.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Thank you. But yeah, we've been together for five years and I'm training together since I moved to back to San Diego in 2022. So three years now.
SPEAKER_02That's fantastic. He sent me some background on you before the interview. And I could tell by reading it that He's definitely a huge fan of yours.
SPEAKER_00My biggest fan.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he definitely, I mean, he put a lot of thought into the stuff that he sent me. The reason I can sound intelligent about your background is because of what, like, you know, he told me, I've got here your list of competitions, 2022 overall, 2024 overall, California State, and then 2024, fourth place C-Class USA Championships. Tell me about that because you went from, that's the same year, right?
SPEAKER_00Yes. 2024
SPEAKER_02overall. overall NPC California state and then fourth place. Now you did talk a little bit about that at the start.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um, You came in fourth and then the year between that and this year, you said, I'm going to act like a pro. Tell me about that competition where you came in fourth because you had come in first at the state
SPEAKER_00earlier. Yeah. Yes, I did. And the Cal was amazing. I was really intimidated to go into that show because it is the California state. And then Sandy Williamson was head judging that show. But I got such amazing feedback from her. In fact, when I was doing my individual routine on stage, I was going through it. I went from my back pose or sorry, from my front pose into my back pose, transition back to the front. And she was mouthing to me while I was on stage, great package. And I like almost started crying, like while I was doing my individual routine and I was just, I hadn't even won the show at that point, but I felt like I had won. And like, it was just very validating for me. And when I had talked to her after the show for, you know, more feedback going into USA's. She told me that I have a great look, I have a great shape, just be a little bit fuller in the legs. And I was like, okay, I can do that. But I didn't really understand what it took to be fuller, but also shredded on stage. So I thought, you know, oh, we just have to eat more food, you know, before going on stage into USA's. But it was, I obviously wasn't as educated on what my feedback really meant. And when I went into USA's, I was very confident just based on the feedback that I got from her and Patrick Fulgham and some of the other judges. But it was a, it was scary. Like there were a lot of really good girls. And even though I came out, you know, within that top five placing, I, it was a big wake up call for me that I I wasn't doing everything that I needed to, to make that top placing.
SPEAKER_02Which, which is what you said. I mean, you talked about that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02That you set your mind to what was going to be different. And then for the whole year, yeah. Honestly, I'm super inspired by that. It is interesting. My daughter, she's a dancer. She's very good. We literally just picked her up and brought her home from a week-long dance intensive. And it's the first time that she's been in a room full of people where she wasn't the best. And it feels like that was kind of... the experience you had at the USA's where like, oh wow, these women, this is next level.
SPEAKER_00Yes, it was completely a next level. And the pace of the show is so much different than any other regional show. Like when you go to a regional show, you're competing with like, or you have like novice competitors, people who have never been on stage before. So it's kind of like a, it's a different vibe. Like it's a little bit more like a party. Like even like when you're getting your hair and makeup done, they'll have like the music playing and people are like, you know, really excited. really friendly and stuff. But at the USA is the national. It's, it's very quiet. It's very serious backstage. Everybody is super focused and it's just like, boom, boom, boom, boom. Like it goes by so fast. Like just the pace of it is so much different. The environmental pressure and the stress is the whole other ball game.
SPEAKER_02That's that's an intense.
UNKNOWNYeah.
SPEAKER_02intense experience. I'm assuming. We had talked a little bit before I started the recording, and I did compete once. It was a local show, and I don't want to talk about my placing. But I understand just from that experience what happens to your mindset
SPEAKER_00and
SPEAKER_02how intense that is back there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02and how your whole world, especially for the few weeks before the show, your whole world becomes the show. It's on your mind. Am I saying something true? It's on your mind 24-7. It's my show. Yeah. Go ahead. I'll tell you a story. I remember the show that I was in, there was a guy who competed and he was in a cast on stage. Full leg cast. It was a motorcycle accident that happened happen I think five days before the show oh my gosh so he got hit by a car he was on his motorcycle hit by a car and he says I'm flying through the air and all I can think of before I even hit the ground is oh no my show And I think that story, it really tells it all.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Now, I guess I set you up to talk about that mindset. But was this year, I guess it was, but how was this year different than last year in the weeks leading up?
SPEAKER_00Well, I will say that the show was pretty much the primary thing that was on my mind. But the main difference from last year to this year was that I put less emphasis on the result this year. and only put, I should say, put the focus on everything that I could control. So I tried not to, like, of course I wanted to turn pro. In fact, I wanted to win the USA. I wanted to be Miss USA. And I would say that to myself over and over again. But I also knew that it wasn't in my time. It's not in my control. I can only do my best every single day. So I put less, I put myself in the mindset to achieve that goal, those goals, but knowing that I can only control what I can control and that's not in my hands.
SPEAKER_02That's awesome. I hear that. That's a common refrain. I hear from people who I want to say finally made it like there's, there's some goal that they, they've been looking for and they seem to get it when they stop focusing on trying to get it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. Like I meditated every day. I want to say at least like six weeks out, I said affirmations to myself every day because I didn't want to keep saying, you know, I will be an IFBB pro. I will be Miss USA because I knew that wasn't in control. But I could say that I am successful. I am confident. I am strong. I am powerful. Good things are coming to me and focus on those things instead of just the result.
SPEAKER_02Did you feel it on stage when you were doing your posing routine, for example?
UNKNOWNNo.
SPEAKER_00It's funny you ask that because I was so tired on show day and usually I'm not, um, usually the adrenaline, well, the adrenaline was keeping me going, but I was so focused on what I was doing that I, I didn't know. Um, but I knew that I had practiced my routine. I practiced my posing. I practiced my presentation so much and I prepared my body physically, emotionally, spiritually so much that I was ready for this moment, whether I was going to turn pro I didn't know but I knew that I was I was I was fucking ready like for this moment so
SPEAKER_02so was that so then was the routine itself a blur for you like were you on autopilot
SPEAKER_00a little bit a little bit but I one thing about me is that I'll go out there and I'll kind of be on autopilot but autopilot but as soon as I make eye contact with the judges I'm on like I I turn that spark on I turn the smile on and I just embody everything that I have done for this prep and not just the posing practice, but you know, I feel the leg presses. I feel the leg extensions. I feel the hip thrust. I feel all the cardio sessions that I did into that performance. And I just, I don't know how else to explain it, but yeah. That's,
SPEAKER_02that's, that's awesome. The theme I'm getting is, just from a couple of things that you've said is the ability to be present makes a huge difference.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it does. Because like show day is such a, it's such a, like a peak moment in anybody's life that I, in my life that I never want to miss it. So I just, I want to embrace everything that I've done all the way up to this point to shine.
UNKNOWNYeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I don't think... I'm not sure that everybody... I want to even say most people are able to do that. Like, like there are moments where you must be present. I would say, I would say that you want to be present always. That's not always, that's not always easy. Right. But there are moments where your presence is really required, like where you really need to be there. You really need to be in the moment. Is that something you've always been able to do? Is that something you've had to hone?
SPEAKER_00No, actually, it's funny you ask that. I have my master's. So I have my bachelor's in biology because I wanted to be a doctor. But I got my master's actually in 2022 when I started doing wellness or competing on wellness in performance psychology because I realized how important the mind is and how influential it is on everything that we do. And through my degree, I was able to take all the theories and skills and the projects and be able to master, honestly, my mind to be present.
SPEAKER_02And I'm imagining that's something that you bring to your clients as well like like helping
SPEAKER_00oh 100% yeah and even like when I did the Cal it's funny while I was on prep for the Cal I did my master's thesis on my bodybuilding prep and how I use the different performance psychology strategies to get me to the finish line
SPEAKER_02that that performance psychology do you do you branch that out into other aspects of your life like not just your bodybuilding but just really anything
SPEAKER_00cool Coaching clients, for sure. Even when you go through hard times, being able to channel your emotions or energy into positivity and being able to shift your focus and prioritize what really matters, what doesn't. Yeah, I use it in everything.
SPEAKER_02When you're working with clients, let's talk about that a little bit. Are most of your clients what we're calling civilians? Yes. What do you think, if you had to, what's the biggest challenge for you when you're working with civilians?
SPEAKER_00Man, I think the biggest challenge, it's funny that you asked that because I feel like I'm kind of going through that right now, that I'm going through some challenges with my clients and just convincing them. I shouldn't say convince, but showing them that they can do it too. I think the thing about me is that I'm very honest and there's no way that one can be successful without working hard and i i don't have a shortcut for people and i'm very honest i'm very blunt about that but i have a hard time with i guess conveying that message or having people believe that they can do that too or that they can get through hard things or even just liking hard things, because the workouts are never easy. Dieting is never easy.
SPEAKER_02You know, it's funny. I don't know if I've been influenced by stuff I'm reading on social media, if it's just like a new wave thing, but the do hard things, which is something you said earlier,
SPEAKER_01just
SPEAKER_02those three words, do hard things, has recently become a motto for me. But it's something that I've always done. I just realized looking back that I always choose hard things. And I wonder, with your clients, is that a message they can hear? Or is it hard for them to hear that? And when I say hear it, I don't mean like they don't like you to say it. Are they able to internalize it?
SPEAKER_00I don't think so. Sometimes I don't think they are or they don't want to. Yeah, I don't have the answer to that question.
SPEAKER_02It's interesting though, right? Yeah,
SPEAKER_00it is.
SPEAKER_02You know it. You've done it. Are they looking at you and they're going, well, Emily, you look fantastic. I want to look like you. And you say, well, okay, here's, here's the steps. By the way, it can take 10 years. Is that, is that, do they believe you? Like, I'm just trying to get my head or I'm trying to understand where their heads are and how you're, and how you're helping coaching them in that. Cause I know
SPEAKER_00for
SPEAKER_02me personally, my journey took more than 10 years. Like it was, it was a long, long time before people would look at me and say, do you go to the gym. So I guess... I'm asking you, how do you deal with that? What are your success stories with them?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, honestly, I just keep showing up for my clients. I'm very blessed, very thankful to do what I do as a profession. I would obviously rather be doing this than being in the military. So I wake up every morning blessed to teach my clients to be a leader for them. They may not always grasp everything that I'm saying or my coaching, but if If I can be that little spark of like motivation for them or to help them feel good about themselves, you know, that's a win for me. And, you know, I'm only here to help, to guide, obviously live my life to the best, but I find pleasure and fulfillment and enriching other people's lives in whatever way that I can.
SPEAKER_02That's one of the things Pete said about you was that you wanted to go into medicine because you wanted to help people, but you found you could do that. You found that you could do that through health and fitness. Sounds like you're getting... very rewarded that way.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Which is great. He also said, this is a quote, she is a nerd, lol. Now, what does he mean? What is he talking about when he says she's a nerd?
SPEAKER_00I'm just, I'm a student by heart. Like, if you put me in a course for anything, I'll probably, you know, come out as one of the top students. I just, I love to learn. And, yeah, that's just pretty much it. I'm not like a huge, like, anime or cartoon, like Star Wars kind of nerd. I just, I love to study. I love to become like a master of a craft. And yeah,
SPEAKER_02that's me being a nerd. Book nerd, academic
SPEAKER_00nerd. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Kind of thing. Is that something you think you got from your parents? Is that something you had naturally? Oh,
SPEAKER_00for sure. Yeah, definitely from my parents. I don't think I enjoyed learning very much when I was a kid. But yeah, like the study habits were pretty much instilled with me like as a child to get good grades.
SPEAKER_02He says his first, the first thing he said was a first generation American born Chinese. So that says your parents were, were from China. Is this, is it the cultural, the Chinese cultural thing?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, pretty much. There's a lot of heavy influence on education for Asian background, but my mom is actually from Burma. My parents are both Chinese. My mom's from Burma and my dad is actually from Cuba.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay. So neither.
SPEAKER_00Neither are from China, but they're Chinese. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right. Right. Okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And it's kind of cool because when I found out that my dad's family was born in Cuba during, he was actually born during the missile crisis and that whole thing. And my aunts and uncles all have Spanish names. They all speak Chinese, Spanish, English. And I was always just really attracted to the Latin American culture for some reason. I think just the way that the women were always very bright and beautiful and bold. And I would say Asian women are a little bit more subdued or you don't see them in the gym all the time, they're kind of like a little bit more petite and that kind of thing. So I was always just kind of attracted to that other side of my culture and which was great for translating it into my performance as a wellness competitor, because it's very, very Latin. It's very sexy. It's not sexual, but like it's curvy. It's fun. It's flirty. And I love that I get to take that part of my culture and kind of kind of, you know, put that towards my bodybuilding.
SPEAKER_02Okay. That's, that's fascinating. Yeah. All I took from his bullet, you know, first generation Chinese was that your parents must be from China, but they're not.
SPEAKER_00No. And your
SPEAKER_02dad, your dad being from Cuba.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. He
SPEAKER_02was born in Cuba, you said. Yeah. So you've got, you've got more of a Latin influence than an Asian influence. So, and you, but you also said they speak Chinese. So is that something Both parents?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, both of my parents, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And do you as well?
SPEAKER_00No, I don't. So when my dad came over to the United States, there was a lot of racism going on and he got picked on a lot and got involved in like some gang violence and all that good stuff. And, you know, didn't want my sister and I to be picked on, you know, because we were different from other people. So no, learning Chinese was not a priority in our life. family or our household. And he didn't want us to, he wanted us to get socially acclimated. So that's why sports was a huge influence in our life. We played soccer. I played division one soccer. And then I played varsity lacrosse all four years of high school. My sister did track and field and soccer.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Wow.
SPEAKER_02It's amazing how I could misunderstand one bullet.
SPEAKER_01You're
SPEAKER_02funny. No, no. I'm just thinking about like, you know, the influence. And I guess I'm thinking, I'm laughing a little bit in my head. My stepfather was Jamaican.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Wow.
SPEAKER_02But a short, fat white guy. But when he opened
SPEAKER_00his mouth, he
SPEAKER_02would speak with the Jamaican patois. So if you were talking to him on the phone, you would just assume you were talking to a black guy from Jamaica, but then you would
SPEAKER_00see him.
SPEAKER_02And I'm just, thinking about those assumptions. Have you ever been to Asia?
SPEAKER_00No, never been.
SPEAKER_02Do you want to go? Oh,
SPEAKER_00yes, for sure. Actually, we were kind of speculating on competing at the Vietnam Pro in November. That's a pro wellness show, but I don't think we're going to do it.
SPEAKER_02I was just chatting with Ruth Benson. Do you
SPEAKER_00know who she is? Yeah, Dr. Ruth, yeah. Yeah,
SPEAKER_02yeah. She's going to be in Japan next weekend to compete.
SPEAKER_00Wow. Good for
SPEAKER_02her.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02It's all these people going to Asia to compete. What are the chances that you'll go to Vietnam?
SPEAKER_00I don't think we're going to do it this year because we want to give my body a little bit of a break and bring a whole new package next year when I do my pro debut.
SPEAKER_02Right. So no Vietnam this year. No,
SPEAKER_00Vietnam. Yeah, maybe next year.
SPEAKER_02Right on. I was thinking, I was talking to another friend of a friend she's canadian-born chinese she doesn't speak chinese she went uh to china she was in beijing And everyone just assumed that they could speak Chinese. Yeah. She said it was harder for her to be in China than it would be for me. I've been to China, but everybody looked at me and just, just knew
SPEAKER_00you're a foreigner. Yes.
SPEAKER_02But they would just assume that she, so she said that was difficult. Okay. Let's, let's talk about a couple other things that Pete said. He's, he's honestly, he's such a fan of you.
UNKNOWNYeah.
SPEAKER_02she would label herself an empath, sensitive to moods and energies of those around her. That's probably something we share. Do you find that difficult?
SPEAKER_00Oh my gosh, yes. My first year of personal training, I found that so difficult because I feel bad for my clients that I work with that can't, for lack of better terms, get their shit together. And I almost make their pain my pain. And I would start taking on the habits of my clients, even though I was like working in the direction of trying to get rid of those habits. So that creating those boundaries for me was definitely a struggle.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Are you better at it now? Oh,
SPEAKER_00way better. I have to be. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Do you have to, do you have to sort of form a wall to,
SPEAKER_00A little bit. Does that
SPEAKER_02make sense?
SPEAKER_00Yes. Yeah. I don't really think of it as a wall, but I have to, in a sense, protect myself. But I also look at it as I'm respecting the other person's journey too. That when they are ready to make that change in their life and stop doing or start doing something positive for themselves, that they will do it on their time. It's not on my time.
UNKNOWNYeah.
SPEAKER_02Was that a hard lesson to learn? Not just that it's on their time, not your time, but that there are things you would ask them to do that you know you could do or you know that you have to do. And then they won't or they don't. Is that something that took you a while to get used to?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for sure. For sure. I, you know, cause you always want the best for people. You, I don't, I don't think anybody ever goes into like a coaching space or a leadership job wanting, you know, people to fail. And, but the truth is that I can't like the old saying goes, right. I can lead the horse to the water, but I can't make them drink it. And that is something that will always like stick with me because it's just the truth you can't control ultimately for that other person.
SPEAKER_02But you must get frustrated.
SPEAKER_00Oh, for sure. All the time.
SPEAKER_02Okay. They're, they're training with you though. Like, like in person training in the gym.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Are you, are you, are you, are you able to push them past where they want to go?
SPEAKER_00Sometimes, sometimes they don't want to go there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And then like, I guess you just have to let them slack.
SPEAKER_00Yep. Slack or do something that they think that they can actually manage.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02If you, let's say you had a, are most of your clients women, I'm assuming?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. All of them are women.
SPEAKER_02Right. So let's say you have a woman come to you. I'm going to create like a sample scenario. In her mid to late forties, let's just say, never been in a gym.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_02Maybe she's a little overweight or maybe she's a lot overweight, but she, you know, she feels red. What does your approach look like with someone like that? To onboard her and get her going, what kinds of things would you be doing?
SPEAKER_00Well, first, I would want to assess what her goals are and create a healthy plan for her, one that she can adhere to and that doesn't overwhelm her. The next thing that I would do is assess her limitations or her strengths and areas that she needs to work on in in the gym because I'm a firm believer in, you know, creating a solid foundation and structure before you start, you know, really training in the gym. So like an overall like holistic balance of like strength and flexibility, mobility is like super important. So that's kind of like where I would start and, you know, just reassure her along the way that I'm here every step of the way. no matter what comes up, emotional, stress, distress, questions about food, all that stuff. I'm basically her guide and her teacher along this journey of fitness.
SPEAKER_02Do you know when newbies come to the gym and maybe they've seen a YouTube video or something, or maybe they had a couple of sessions with a trainer, but now they're on their own.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And you'll see them performing exercises and the form is just, it's terrible. And I'm thinking specifically because I see this, this seems to be the one I see the most commonly, which is they'll be doing lat pulls and they're managing to engage every muscle but the lats. When you're working with clients and they're brand new, I think form is a difficult thing for them to understand. How much are you letting them get away with? Like if they're doing lat pulls badly, but at least it's close to the right range of motion. It's close to the right form. I guess what I'm trying to say is how much are you willing to just let time take care of versus, oh no, I have to address this right now?
SPEAKER_00No, that's actually something that I pride myself on. I don't let anything really slide. And maybe that's why I have such frustration because I'm kind of a perfectionist, not for myself, but if I'm there for my clients and they're paying me for a service, I'm gonna service them the best that I can do. And I'm not just gonna let them throw a bunch of weight around. I'm gonna do my best to cue them properly, help them engage the muscle and tell them where to feel it. If they don't, let me know and then we'll work it out.
SPEAKER_02Do you find sometimes they don't know what they should be feeling? Like they can't even tell if they're feeling it.
SPEAKER_00Sometimes they can't. And as long as I recognize as their trainer that everything is engaging properly, then I'd let them train.
SPEAKER_02Right. So you're not letting them get away with lat pulls that aren't lat pulls.
UNKNOWNNo.
SPEAKER_02Because I've seen trainers do that. They're standing there and I'm watching
SPEAKER_00clients. I see it all the time too. I don't like that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it is a bit bothersome.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So no, you're not one of those.
SPEAKER_00No. I'm pretty on my clients.
SPEAKER_02Excellent. What would you say, like this empathic thing, is this something that you've always known about yourself? Like I'm thinking even back in grade school, were you the kid that would cry for other kids?
SPEAKER_00I wouldn't say I'm the kid that would cry for other kids, but I would feel, I know, like I could feel like pretty much every emotion. Like, I don't know. I just, I wouldn't say I would cry, but I could, I could feel other people's emotions very, very strongly.
SPEAKER_02That must make you a good communicator.
SPEAKER_00I would say so. I would agree with that.
UNKNOWNYeah.
SPEAKER_02Did you find, I'm asking this because of personal experience, actually. I remember sitting in class when I was little and I could see my classmates getting into some kind of emotional situation. The teacher wouldn't recognize it. And so the interaction between teacher and student wasn't right. They were miscommunicating because the teacher didn't see what the student was going through. But I was also very introverted. And so I would just kind of observe
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02It wasn't until I got older that it became a superpower. Is this something that you've experienced? Like, is this a similar experience to yours or am I just?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, actually it is very similar. So my mom, when she came over to the United States, she was like in her late twenties. And I want to say my dad came over when he was a baby. So my mom didn't really acclimate to the American culture very well. She had a hard time learning English and my dad came over when he was a baby. So he grew up here for the most part. And my mom had trouble communicating with my teachers, even with my dad. That's why they fought so many times and had a very, very hostile relationship. So I oftentimes would have to communicate for my mom and I would see her emotions and she wouldn't know how to talk to other people and other people wouldn't really know how to interact interpret her mannerisms and stuff like that. So I kind of facilitated, my sister and I both kind of facilitated that communication because my mom, she has her quirks and stuff like that, but you wouldn't, as an American person, you probably wouldn't be able to understand some of it because, for example, Chinese people or Asian people can be interpreted as rude because we're very cold and our delivery are just very straightforward. But that's not always the case, like, you know, being rude or angry or anything like that. It's just how they communicate.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So you had to be the bridge.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. That was, yeah, I think that was kind of the starting of like the empathic nature and being able to communicate, you know, what she's going through and other people, how they are interpreting her and that sort of thing.
SPEAKER_02That's super interesting. So you could kind of see it from, if I'm, if I'm understanding what you're saying, you can kind of see it from both perspectives. You could see what she was trying to do, but you could also see how it was landing and what they were trying to do. You
SPEAKER_00had
SPEAKER_02to fuse it.
SPEAKER_00Yes. It wasn't until I got a little bit older, probably not even until I graduated high school, that I realized what was happening in our home dynamic. My mom didn't like how my sister and I were super involved in sports. She wanted us to learn Chinese, to be involved in more piano and music, and even go into a career field, even to the she doesn't really support my bodybuilding that much. She doesn't really understand it still. But she doesn't talk badly about it. She just doesn't really understand it. And I've had to kind of wrap my head around being okay with that. But I'm not always going to get that full support and understanding from her.
SPEAKER_02That must have been hard. Oh,
SPEAKER_00yeah.
SPEAKER_02I imagine it still is.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it is.
SPEAKER_02What about your dad?
SPEAKER_00Oh, my dad's amazing um and it's not that my mom's not amazing but my dad has supported me through everything in my life um he's my number one supporter besides pete and he's just so proud of me he's proud of everything that i've done um in my life from during the military from like looking after my sister to you know now becoming a pro and he's just but always just been there for my sister and i
SPEAKER_02does he come to your shows
SPEAKER_00yeah he does he wasn't at this one um but he did go to the Cal and USA's last year.
SPEAKER_02Probably my best memory of my one show is doing my posing routine and seeing my mother in the
SPEAKER_00audience. That was
SPEAKER_02super special.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Are you able to find him when he's there? Like when you're on stage, you can find
SPEAKER_00him? I hear him. I hear him. It was so cool. When I had won the Cal, they had never been to a show that I won. So it was such an amazing experience for all of them to be there and watch. watch me win the show. Like obviously they don't know any other competitors or who the judging panel or how big of the show it is, but it was just so cool that they could see the experience of me doing the prejudging and then doing the finals and then doing the overall, the overall battle and everything.
SPEAKER_02Is your sister, you've talked about her a few times and she's also athletic. Is she into bodybuilding as well?
SPEAKER_00No, but she's a physical therapist. So we all kind of stayed in that, we're both of us stayed in that athletic sports realm.
SPEAKER_02Are you ever a client?
SPEAKER_00Sometimes, yeah. She's amazing. She's so good. She works on my back, my leg.
SPEAKER_02My physiotherapist is my hero. Yeah. That's super important. What's the age difference? Is she older or younger?
SPEAKER_00She's younger. We're two and a half years apart.
SPEAKER_02And you were both athletic in school with your dad's encouragement.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_02What sport did she play?
SPEAKER_00She played soccer. She played sweeper, the last person before the goalie. That's like a defense position. And then she did track and field. She did the long jump. And I want to say she did some kind of throw too. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Right. And she's also a fan, I'm guessing, of what you do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. She's a huge fan. My sister is actually a lot taller than I am I'm about, I'm five, four and a half. My sister's five, nine. She's like this super tall, skinny thing, like could have been a model and still probably could be a model and everything. And she's a little bit more of a nerd than I am in terms of like, she likes cartoons and like video games and stuff like that. But yeah, she's, she's an awesome person.
SPEAKER_02Clearly you have a good relationship with her.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. That matters. You said something earlier, again, before I started the recording about Pete. You said, and I quote, Pete saved me. What did you mean by that?
SPEAKER_00Well... Before I had gotten out of the military, I was in a very dark place, just trying to figure out where I was going in life. I went through some really kind of dark, depressing times while I was in the military because I just wanted to bodybuild so bad, but I didn't really have a career in bodybuilding, nor was I finished with my career in the Navy, and I didn't know what to do. And when I was in the military, those dark times, Pete was there for me. He saw just how much I love bodybuilding, not just the competing aspect, but how being an athlete was a core personality trait of mine. And he helped me just realize that. And that is something that's worth saving, that's worth holding on to. And Yeah, he helped me realize who I am and who I could be. And for that, I am forever indebted to him.
SPEAKER_02He said she doesn't fully recognize the greatness within herself. When somebody says something like that, it's not something he hasn't said to you. There's no way he says that to me if he hasn't said that to you.
SPEAKER_00You said it to me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. That just sounds like a great person to have on your team. You know, I'm just swinging around now. This podcast, by the way, it's going to go on YouTube. It'll be a video, but it'll also be audio only. And so because it's audio only, sometimes I have to explain what I'm doing. So for those of you who are listening and not looking, we're on Zoom and in the backdrop behind me, I've got the drawing that I did of Emily and I'm swinging over so it's more visible. And one of the things that happens when I'm doing a drawing that I'm not sure people fully realize is I have to study your body centimeter by centimeter. I have to look at everything and I spend a lot of time. It's the only way to get a drawing right. And when I was doing this one, one of the things that I noticed, your calves, it's hard to tell from the position, but you have very strong calves. Is that something you've worked on? Is that something you had genetically? And the reason I ask is because calves are one of those things where people say
SPEAKER_00you either have it or you don't. Right,
SPEAKER_02right, right. So what's the story with calves? Is that something you're working on? I
SPEAKER_00think I've had a good foundation for my calves because of the sprints and soccer, lacrosse, all the running that I did. But it is something that I've had to bring up, especially with being in wellness, because you're judged on everything but your body. It's not a primary focus, but it adds so much much shape to the body so now I train calves at least two times a week
SPEAKER_02and you've noticed a difference
SPEAKER_00oh yeah for sure
SPEAKER_02I'm asking just really out of like sheer curiosity because like there are just some people who seem to not be able to do anything with their calves like they
SPEAKER_00yeah
SPEAKER_02they just have small calves and that's just how it is but you've been able to to bring them up
SPEAKER_00yeah I wouldn't say that they're like significantly bigger but the shape is a lot better it's more balanced because my left side was way more prominent than my right I would say last year and then because I've worked on it this year significantly my right side has been able to come up.
SPEAKER_02This drawing was actually from the photo taken last
SPEAKER_00year. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02The other thing that really sticks out in the drawing of course is the lat because that's actually the focus of the drawing. We've talked about your leg days and we talked about how you You had an upper body from lacrosse, but lats aren't something that you get easily. When I say easily, I mean, one doesn't just get lats. Like you have
SPEAKER_00to,
SPEAKER_02you have to focus on that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Were you, were you pleased with the way they came in when you started focusing?
SPEAKER_00Oh my gosh. Yeah. And they got even better this year. I can't wait to do an updated like photo shoot for you and send you another killer photo because my back has just come up so much. I mean, not just the like, the thickness, but just the width, um, has come up so much, uh, because it's just, he knows what he's doing with my body.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Well, I mean, I think, I think, you know, you'll want to credit the coach, but you also want to credit the athlete. Um, how much of it do you think is genetics versus work ethic? I think I know the answer, but what would you say? I
SPEAKER_00don't, I don't think it's very genetic at all. I mean, I think I've always had like my date because like I said, I competed in bikini. So I've always had like, um, like kind of like an hourglass shape, but my hips are small or they're not, uh, they're not super wide. Um, so I would say it's like, I don't know, 20% genetic and 80% work ethic and focused work in the gym.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. It's funny how many people don't want to hear that or don't want to believe it. Um, it's, um, Oh, the other thing, sorry, just looking when I was doing the drawing, the delt. So you've got this great delt tie-in at the top of your bicep.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_02And I can see it now as well, just you sitting there in the tank
SPEAKER_00top.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. How were your delts when you first started versus now? Like have they come up as well?
SPEAKER_00Oh my gosh, significantly, significantly. So pretty much,
SPEAKER_02go
SPEAKER_00ahead. Oh, sorry. Oh, other than training legs, I love training delts.
SPEAKER_02Yeah?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Are you doing a lot of pressing or is it mostly laterals or what? Both. Yeah?
SPEAKER_00Both, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Do you press heavy?
SPEAKER_00Actually, you know what? No. My max, I would say for a shoulder press would probably be like 40 pounds on each side. So I don't do that heavy.
SPEAKER_02What's the rep range?
SPEAKER_0010 to 12.
SPEAKER_02Yeah? Is it always 10 to 12? Not
SPEAKER_00always.
SPEAKER_02Yeah?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Sometimes it's 15 for like my working set and then warmup sets, sometimes 20, 25, just get a lot of blood flow.
SPEAKER_02So for size, like, would you say for size 10 to 12 is around where you want to be?
SPEAKER_00For me? Yeah, I would say.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. But not like I'm asking also again, because I've learned that this question is not coming from nowhere. I've learned that for me, it depends on the body part.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Like for my shoulders, it's, it's gotta be six to eight. Um, But for my arms, it's got to be 15%. I like for biceps. It just totally depends. Do you find that with yours?
SPEAKER_00Not really. I don't really focus so much on like the rep range. I mean, I have that range in mind of where I want to go, but I focus a lot more on the engagement of the muscle, the squeeze, the eccentric part, just like really being in every single rep and going to
SPEAKER_02failure. Yeah. Do you always go to failure?
SPEAKER_00Most times, especially for leg. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um, Yeah, let's just talk sets and reps for a bit, because I really find that fascinating. I'll give you a bit of, you tell me what your reactions are. Give me your reactions on this. When I first started
SPEAKER_01out,
SPEAKER_02I didn't know much, as most of us don't. And I was just following whatever routines I could follow. People would say, oh, you know, for size, it's got to be four to six. Anything more than six reps, now you're not training for size anymore. What I learned was that I have to pick a weight. For each body part, it's different. But I have to pick a weight where I will fail in the rep range that I'm aiming for. So if, for example, for shoulders, I need to pick a weight of dumbbells where I won't be able to get more than six, but I'll get at least four. So it's got to be four to six. But as I've gotten older and as I've gotten more injured, I can't go to failure.
SPEAKER_01It's
SPEAKER_02just too dangerous. When I get close to failure, it's just too dangerous. So now it's like I have to stop one or two reps short of failure, and I've learned to know what that is. Like,
SPEAKER_00oh,
SPEAKER_02two more reps, I would fail, so this is the right place to stop. What are your thoughts on... going to failure versus stopping one or two reps shy? Because you also mentioned some injuries.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I think stopping one to two reps shy is sometimes the smartest thing that you can do. Because if your form breaks and you get injured, that's it. So I'd rather, you know, let those two reps go and then push really hard again to the next set instead of getting injured and trying to push to failure.
SPEAKER_02How long is a workout for you? Just the weight portion?
SPEAKER_00Leg days, probably like an hour and a half at most. And then upper body days, maybe 45 minutes, 50 minutes.
SPEAKER_02How many sets in 45 minutes?
SPEAKER_00Um... let's see, we'll do like maybe like four or five different exercises. And then some of them will do three sets. Some of them will do four sets. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So let's see. So that could be up to 20 sets for upper body.
SPEAKER_00Could be sometimes. I actually train back and shoulders with feet now.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02What's the, how many, how, how long are you resting between sets? It doesn't say, it doesn't feel like very long if you're getting that much done.
SPEAKER_00No, not really. I don't like to rest that long, to be honest with you. Leg days, it's a little bit different depending on what we're doing. Like if I'm squatting, like I'll take maybe a minute or two to recover. But yeah, like on upper body days, I don't really need to rest that much.
SPEAKER_02No. So it's just like stop. So if you're training with Pete, you're just waiting for him to finish the set and then you
SPEAKER_00go. Pretty much. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Right. Right. Does he need more rest than you?
SPEAKER_00Sometimes. I'll admit that. So for him, sometimes he does. Yeah,
SPEAKER_02that does surprise me.
SPEAKER_00My cardio is really good. I've always loved cardio because I ran. That's my bread and butter. It's funny. I don't know if Pete ever told you this, but for last year's prep and this year, because I was on the stair mill for so long just to burn the calories, because we go by calories, we put a 25-pound weight vest on me. I'm like, increase you know obviously my workload like during that session so i could burn the appropriate amount of calories and not be up there for like two hours
SPEAKER_02Nice. What's your favorite cardio?
SPEAKER_00Right now, I alternate between spin bike and stair mill. I love both of them. The spin bike is really cool because I like getting a pump in my quads and I can increase, decrease the resistance as I need. And then so I can sprint. I can cool down. I usually do like a sprint interval of like a minute and a half and then I'll recover for 30 seconds and then I'll do another sprint for about 35 minutes. And then in the afternoon, I'll do stair mill. I like doing the stairs because it's pretty mindless, in my opinion. And it's like, honestly, like a little meditation of mine, just like walking up the stairs.
SPEAKER_02The stair mill is the one device in the gym that I think was invented by the devil. I think I tried it once. I was like, no, absolutely not. My cardio is elliptical mostly.
SPEAKER_00Oh, nice. Yeah, that's good too.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's It's that stair mill.
SPEAKER_00Good for you. Good for you.
SPEAKER_02When you're in the gym and you're focused and you're intense, do people ever approach you just to talk, just to whatever?
SPEAKER_00People used to, but now they
SPEAKER_02don't. Is it resting bitch face or is it just they know?
SPEAKER_00I think they know and I also don't really make eye contact with people too. I'll kind of just put my head down and I'm like... Right.
SPEAKER_02So this is not the time to talk to Emily. Like,
SPEAKER_00no, no. And then like when I'm doing like, you know, almost 600 pounds on the hip for us, you know, people usually kind of walk out.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I, I stopped training at a commercial gym a long time ago. I have a home gym.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And it's been 20 years since I've trained in a commercial gym. And I just, I remember those. The type of person that would be in the gym that would want to chat, but I'm not here to chat. I don't mind being friendly, but I've got to get this done.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Do you have issues with guys approaching you just because... their
SPEAKER_00guys. Before, before, like when I wasn't as serious, I think they would, but keep in mind, like I'm at the human elite gym. So Pete owns half the gym here. So, you know, people kind of like know me as part of the community. I'm a trainer there. Um, but one thing I did make a note of doing this year, previous years is that I have my training professional or like my personal trainer clothes, which is like something that I would wear like this. That's still flattering, but kind of fun. Um, And then I have my training clothes, which is like usually a baggy T-shirt. I got my hair up. I take my makeup off, everything. So it's like it's time to work. So I have like almost like two identities in the gym. I have like working Emily and it's time to work Emily.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I guess you need to.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, totally.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Right on. You know. I guess we'll just, we'll just finish up with just a couple of things you mentioned. So you, have you done, I think you said you were going to do a photo shoot, but you haven't done one yet since the show.
SPEAKER_00No, no, I haven't done one yet, but there, there will be one coming up soon, probably before my photo debut.
SPEAKER_02Do you know, like, have you booked it?
SPEAKER_00No, not yet where I'm still kind of scoping out some photographers and styles that I want to do.
SPEAKER_02Right. Who have you shot? Like besides Brett, who have you shot with?
SPEAKER_00So I shot with Brett many times. I, I've shot with NNC Visuals, Nolan. I've shot with a lot of Brett's colleagues in his little photography group. Gosh, I can't think of a lot of people right now. There's a local girl, Giselle. I shot with her. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02When did you start fitness modeling?
SPEAKER_00I started fitness modeling actually pretty much when I started my journey. I did my bikini show in OCB and then when I came back from deployment to San Diego, that's the first time I shot with Brett. Actually, no. I shot with him in Vegas at USA's one year. And then after I did an August show after that USA's, I shot with him again in San Diego. That was the one on the wooden block.
SPEAKER_02The one of the drawing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Or no, not this one, but...
SPEAKER_02Oh, I'm going to look at your Instagram while you're talking.
SPEAKER_00It was one of the ones I think I had sent you. I can pull it up to you.
SPEAKER_02Oh. Well, our audio listeners won't be able to see it, but we can talk about it. I'm always curious for fitness modeling.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Your first... Your first shoot, was that awkward or did it feel natural?
SPEAKER_00It was so awkward, but I will tell this story to my dying day, but the first time I had ever shot was with Brett Seeley in Vegas that year at USA's, funny enough, in 2019. And he had my hair flipped over, I was sweating. So I feel like Quasimodo almost. this because like my my head's kind of like this I'm like looking back I'm like hunched over and then he comes out and shows me this amazing photo that made me see myself as a woman literally for the first time like wow yeah I was 2019 so I joined the navy in 2012 and 18 so I was like 25 and I'd always like kind of associated my identity with being a tomboy and this is this is the photo
SPEAKER_02oh yeah the blur oh yeah yeah yeah is that the one you're talking about
SPEAKER_00yes this is my very first photo with Brett and I'm like how the hell did he take that from what I was feeling and I just I never
SPEAKER_02so I'll describe it just for the people who won't be seeing it video is so you're you're you're it's mostly your back is facing the camera your head is your arms of it back your head is turning sideways your hair is covering half your face and what are you wearing it looks like a bathing suit or
SPEAKER_00it's like a one piece lingerie set
SPEAKER_02right right
SPEAKER_00yeah
SPEAKER_02so you felt super awkward in the pose
SPEAKER_00oh absolutely but
SPEAKER_02but the photo comes out like that
SPEAKER_00yes and it's I call this my iconic photo because it's just it's it was the catalyst for my the feminine aspect of my journey.
SPEAKER_02So that was like a wake-up moment?
SPEAKER_00Oh, a huge wake-up moment. I will always love Brett for that picture, that moment. It was very special
SPEAKER_02for me. That's awesome. So once you saw that, did it become less awkward?
UNKNOWNYeah.
SPEAKER_00Yes, it became less awkward and I just wanted to become better at modeling and creating my physique art.
SPEAKER_02One of the things that I've always wanted to do, I say always, since I started drawing. Yeah. Because I'm, as I said earlier, I'm using, you're the first artist, then there's the photographer and then there's me, right? I'm third in line.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I've always, I've often wanted to be involved in the shoot and be there and sort of seeing how that's going. And there are certain poses where I go you know I would have turned it a little bit or I would have you know for the sake of the drawing I would have dropped the arm or something like that right I always think that would be fascinating how long does a typical shoot take
SPEAKER_00well when I shoot with Brett it could take up from an hour to like five hours sometimes we just get going like we have an idea of what we want to do and then we get inspired just like wherever we're at this window this light the outfit the pose and he just says keep going keep going keep moving and I'm like okay do I do this he's like just do it like it just keep moving and it will go on forever sometimes like that the drawing that you did was very similar to that situation right
SPEAKER_02right how many outfits are you going to bring to a shoot
SPEAKER_00gosh I bring over 20 30 outfits I have a huge suitcase tons
SPEAKER_02of stuff nice yeah it'll be good to see the results of this next shoot Pete sent me some
SPEAKER_01photos
SPEAKER_02that you'd taken I think like a day or two before the show just uh just to show me what your shape was looking like your
SPEAKER_01hamstrings
SPEAKER_02your hand in in the photo that he sent me it's it was a it was it was a hamstring glute photo like it was it was to show that um you must have brought those up this year I'm guessing
SPEAKER_00significantly yeah
SPEAKER_02yeah you brought everything up is the moral of the story
SPEAKER_00yes everything
SPEAKER_02in that shot that he sent me um Even though the shot was meant to show the back of your legs and your
SPEAKER_00glutes,
SPEAKER_02what I saw was your back, the crevice of your spine. It was like two pipes running up from the base of your spine all the way up into your traps. That's definitely a strong point for
SPEAKER_00you. Thank you. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Because you know your strengths, are there certain poses you're using when you're on stage to sort of go, this is my moment?
SPEAKER_00Definitely. One of my mottos going into my shows now is I don't want to have any bad sides, like no bad sides, no bad angles. So that way I can move freely, but also make whatever pose or transition that I'm doing look fluid, smooth, but like, ooh, I want to see that again kind of thing.
SPEAKER_02All right. Well, I guess the only other thing I was thinking about as we've been talking, Cause I know you're engaged. Have you guys got a date set or
SPEAKER_00no? No, not yet. We're just enjoying being engaged right now.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Do you have an ideal location for the wedding? Do you want to travel? Do you want to do it locally?
SPEAKER_00No clue yet. Maybe at the gym. I'm just kidding. That would be
SPEAKER_02all right. In the squat rack.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Right.
SPEAKER_02I used to, I used to years ago when I was training, I would walk into the squat rack and I would, I had this mantra where I would say the squat rack is a shrine. And I would say that over and over to myself. The squat rack is a shrine. So you get married in the squat rack. It's a shrine.
SPEAKER_00It might happen. It might happen.
SPEAKER_02That'd be awesome. Okay. Look, is there anything, you know, that you feel like you want people to hear before we sign off?
SPEAKER_00Gosh. Thank you guys so much for listening. Please take a look at Rich's art. It's freaking amazing. Yeah. Watch out. 2026. Pro debut.
SPEAKER_02Pro debut. Thanks, thanks. And then the Olympia.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, one day. Okay, well, thank you. I'm going to stop the recording. Okay. But thanks so much for being here. And yeah, this is us signing off.
SPEAKER_00Thanks, guys.