Shawna Walker
by Gene X
Hwang
October
2005 - The 2005 NPC USAs were Shawna Walker's
National level competitive debut and the 28-year-old Californian stood
on stage with one of the toughest crops of competitors to compete in that
heavyweight class. Walker admits to feeling a bit out of place up there
with the likes of Sherrie Smith and Heather Policky, but looking at what
she has already accomplished and where she can go, you can easily realize
that Walker has a very promising future ahead of her.
At
5'9" tall, Walker has the height to carry a large amount of muscle
and her upper body in particular is already quite impressive. Having
trained for eight years, but only competing the last three, she's quickly
made strides and impact on the competitive bodybuilding scene with
wins at the Contra Costa and placing well at the Cal.
Her
background includes years of soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball
and some Tae Kwan do so she's been an athlete all her life. In college
she played volleyball and that's where she started serious weight training
to help strengthen her lower back.
After
that initial foray into the iron, she fell in love with it and has
been training ever since.
One
look at her physique and poise on stage and you get the feeling that
Walker is very proud of her physique, but in her private life, she
admits to being shy.
"I
am always covered up and don't like showing skin," she says.
On
the day of our shoot, she had tan lines from mowing her lawn all afternoon
the day before so that's probably one of the few times you'll see that
much of her physique outside of the competitive arena.
Walker
admits that her back and arms are her best bodyparts and she loves
training her back more than anything else and it shows. Stepping on
stage at 143 lbs., she gets up to 170-175 lbs. in the offseason to
add more mass.
As
a personal trainer and nutritional counselor Walker stays busy, but
one of her main goals with her training is something quite in line
with what the NPC/IFBB is trying to do with women's bodybuilding.
"I
want to go as far as I possibly can (with bodybuilding). I set goals
as personal accomplishments and want to show other women that muscles
are beautiful."
From
what she's done so far, Walker has definitely done that. In her offseason
look, she carries a good amount of muscle with good definition and
absolutely looks feminine.
"If
I were to admire someone in the fitness would, it would be Lenda Murray,
she is just amazing. She has a beautiful face and the most incredible
physique. And she is very sweet. She is one of the pros that
has kept her femininity."
2005
has been the year of the "20% rule" with the federations trying to
emphasize femininity which also plays well for Walker. The response
she receives from the public is also in line with that.
"Most
of the time people just stare when I walk by. Sometimes I hear whispers
and I know they are talking about me. And sometimes a few people
will actually come up to me and complement me. I have never got a negative
feeling from anyone. I always get people that say that I still look
like a girl which is good because that is what I am going for," she
adds.
Of
course muscles and strength are not independent and can compliment
a statuesque physique.
"Some
of my strongest lifts consist of: leg presses: 1200 pounds for about 6-8
reps; one arm dumbell rows with the 150's for 8 reps; squats with
365 pounds; and bench pressing 225 pounds for about 3 reps.
"I
am stronger than
I look," she adds with a mischevious smile.
When
asked about her future plans, Walker says: "I
am not quite sure what shows I am going to do next, honestly. I
would like to do the Jr. Nationals in Chicago someday and the
Team Universe in NY someday. I may need to do some more shows down
South [Southern California].
I am not
sure. As you can see I need to think about it. I guess it depends
on how much my little muscles grow next year!"
Well,
at the current rate, look for an impressive Shawna Walker to step on
stage next time with an even more impressive physique that the judges
won't be able to look past!
.
Shawna
Walker'
stats:
Height: 5'9"
Off-Season Weight: 170-175 lbs.,
Contest
weight: 143
lbs.
Hair: Blonde
Location: Northern California
To
see more Photos of Shawna Walker, join the FTVideo Members AREA!