Lisa Aranda
by Gene
X Hwang
December
2004 - On April 11th, 2004 Lisa Aranda
turned 40 and while that number often is a worrisome milestone, Aranda
is proof
that aging gracefully is not only possible, but that being 40-something
can be quite deceptivly attractive, especially as a physique athlete.
Having trained
for bodybuilding and competed in the past, it's hard to believe that Aranda
isn't preparing for a show, as she maintains incredible conditioning along
with her awesome muscularity, muscle maturity and thickness, which makes
it easy to mistake her for a 30-year-old.
Aranda is
a mother of three, with her oldest being 13. Her children include one
boy and two girls, the youngest being nine. As a role model, Aranda has
inspired her kids, and as she puts it, "they are very conscious of
how good a body I have and constantly say they
want to have muscles like me some day!"
And with
her genetics, the three have a great base to start with.
The other
half of the genetics would come from her husband Jim who got her into
lifting and is her training partner. They've also done shows together,
and it's the overall feeling of mind and body that really motivates Aranda
to keep training.
"I just
love being in the gym, interacting with
others, talking about training and nutrition. For me it is a very positive
experience.
"I love
my leg workouts, especially seeing the reactions of all the guys in the
gym when I
start loading up the leg press machine with multiple plates! They
pick their jaws up off the floor - what a pump - awesome workout,"
she adds emphatically and with a big smile to boot.
That kind
of intense training is how she's gotten the full muscle bellies and muscular
maturity that's evident even at first glance fully clothed. When she was
first scene at the Arnold Classic Expo, the years of hard training were
easily evident and that's how judges have seen her as well.
"I totally
swept everything in two shows, and lost by one point in two other shows,
both times to the same woman," Aranda says about her competitive
experience so far. Doing so well, she has decided to
compete again as well.
"I will
do two to three more shows this year," she says.
"I like
the whole experience of training, and Iknow my husband likes the bodybuilder
look, so that provides some motivation to stay fit and muscular."
Her husband
isn't the only one of course. Like many muscular women, Aranda does draw
attention, and luckily most of it is positive.
"Alot
of people want me to flex for them and some want to touch me. About 99%
of the time the reaction is good; some people are rude and stare at me,
like I am some kind of alien or something, and I don't like that,"
but luckily that hasn't slowed her down.
"I would
encourage the prospective bodybuilder to commit to doing just one show
so they can discover if they like the experience. If they don't, fine;
if they do, then they are off and running."
With her
training for her shows now under way, you can bet that Aranda will make
some waves at the National level, and in her 40's is a testament to the
bodybuilding lifestyle.
"It's
never too late to start, and it is very important to a woman's total health,"
she says.
"And
they must do weight training, not just cardio! I see women doing too
much
cardio all the time. They need to not be intimidated by weights, start
slow, get some advice and work with it. They will be glad they did."
Lisa
knows that well as she competed in the Ohio State Championship
in Columbus in September of 2004 and will be at the Arnold Expo in
March 2005. She'll be
competing
in
the
Northern
Kentucky Bodybuilding Championship in March 2005 (sponsored by
Roger Riedinger of Beverly International) and stays very busy
managing three children
(ages 14,
12
and 10) and one husband, working outside
the home, developing her website, and training - a full plate.
She does
it all with a smile, "I am going
to modify my training program slightly as I begin to prepare
for my next show, and I plan to come in very lean and very hard," she
says.
If anyone
could lead by example it's Aranda who proves that weight lifting (and
heavy ones at that) can create a physique that's not only pleasing
to
the eye, but that helps keep one looking youthful and strong for years.
For more information,
contact Lisa
via email.
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