Members Entrance
GeneX Online Magazine, female muscle, shawna walker, larissa reis, michelle jin, wrestling, tracey toth, kira neuman, female bodybuilding, cindy phillips, britt miller, casey daugherty, lyris capelle, jill brooks, olga guryev, olga guryeva, kristy hawkins, cheryl faust, lindsey cope, lindsay cope, veronica miller
Christina Sondgroth

by Gene X Hwang

June 2004 - At a lot of local shows you often see first timers on stage making their first foray into the world of competitive bodybuilding, and you have to appreciate the hard work, sweat, dedication and bravery that it takes to get on stage. For some, it is an accomplishment just to get on stage, but for others, they strive for higher goals.

Christina SondgrothChristina Sondgroth is one such woman. Preparing for her first show, she admitted that before our shoot, that she didn't quite feel like a bodybuilder. One look at her physique would tell otherwise.

The 36-year-old Sondgroth has been training for three years, and is preparing for the 2004 NPC Modesto competition and the 2004 San Jose almost immediately thereafter. At 5'7" and 148 lbs. at the time of our shoot, she already looks like she could get on stage, and should do very well.

Her impressive upper body is punctuated by thick pecs, full arms, and tight abs. Her legs are notable for her calves which already could be the envy of many National level competitors. So how did she get so far so fast? Well, Sondgroth has been training for three years, but was overweight before that.

"I started training in July of 2001, after coming home from a trip to Mexico with my husbands family. After having 3 kids (ages now 14, 7 & 5) I had put on a lot of weight!! I use to be a model in High School so this was a very depressing state for me. When we got home from Mexico and I saw a picture of me in a swim suit I cried," explains Sondgroth.

"I swore if it was the last thing I did, it would be to get in shape. I signed up at the local Gold's Gym and have been there for three years now. With the help of a program called Body for Life, I reached my goal of size 7 (from a size 15) in 12 weeks, but it wasn't enough. I had been bitten by the Iron bug."

Before that Sondgroth was exposed to bodybuilding through her younger brother, who "used to compete in bodybuilding and was so addicted to it," she says.

"I remember me and my four sisters making fun of him and how crazy he was about the sport. I have since humbly apologized to him. I understand the passion and desire he had. This sport is so reliant on self-discipline, it is you - all you."

Her time in the gym got really serious only in 2003 so most of her gains have been more recent and they have been impressive to boot. For six reps for various sets, she does flat bench presses with 195 lbs., dumbell bench presses with 75 lbs. In addition she does crossovers with 80 lbs. which helps to create her inner chest thickness.

For her guns, she does dumbell curls with 45s or 75 lbs on the EZ Bar. Rows she does with 160 lbs. and squats 205 and deadlifts 195. Isolating each leg, she'll do 315 lbs. on each leg, or both together with 690. Pretty impressive numbers which have resulted in the following measurements:

Chest 37" (40" flexed in a lat spread)
Biceps 12.5" not flexed, 14.5" flexed ("after training, or we like to say after getting swole they come up to 15" no problem!")
Forearms 11 1/4" not flexed, 12.5" flexed
Waist 28.5"
Hips 37"
Quads 23"
Calves 15"

Impressive numbers all around, but of course in bodybuilding it is more about how the total package comes together and as you can see, it's coming together quite nicely!

Christina Sondgroth flexes her huge bicep"The strength that bodybuilding gives me reaches beyond my muscles. I have gained strength in my body, mind and soul and I am not looking back. I decided this year to take it a step further and compete in Modesto and San Jose in July. I went to watch my first show ever in May at the Contra Costa."

"It was an awesome experience for me, very positive. I met Nicole Berg and Gerri Deach; they were awesome and I swore right then and there that I wanted to be just like them when I grow up," she says with a laugh, implying that she's not yet big enough.

"I emailed them the following week and they wrote back with words of encouragement," she adds, and the support doesn't end there.

"My family has been awesome! My kids are so excited for me and my boys want me to win them an Excalibur [Editor's note: as in a sword] - they have a spot picked out on the wall for it. I promised them if I didn't get one this year I will next year for sure."

Of course with such a positive future ahead of her, she's just focusing on making the best of her first show and training and dieting hard. When asked about her favorite parts to train, she answers in her typically upbeat way...

"Do I have to have just one? I could tell you that I don't like training legs," she adds with a smirk - "who does? But I love any upper body part!" With that a another impressive flex of her upper body, Sondgroth is on her way to a very bright future in the sport of bodybuilding for hopefully a long time to come.

Christina can be contacted via email at: Lifting4ever@aol.com


To see more photos of Christina Sondgroth, join the FTV MEMBERS AREA


Click the thumbs to enlarge pictures of this model

       

       

       
       

       

       

back


Rate this set:
1 2 3 4 5

 

female muscle, shawna walker, larissa reis, michelle jin, wrestling, tracey toth, kira neuman, female bodybuilding, cindy phillips, britt miller, casey daugherty, lyris capelle, jill brooks, olga guryev, olga guryeva, kristy hawkins, cheryl faust, lindsey cope, lindsay cope, veronica miller